From BioSkills to LifeSkills—a framework for developing life skills for non-science majors in introductory life science courses

Over a decade ago, the national "Vision and Change" report articulated the critical need to reform undergraduate biology education. Since its introduction, reform efforts guided by V&C have focused primarily on the biology major, with less attention to the distinct needs of non-major students in General Education (GenEd) life science courses. For most college students, a life science course represents the only opportunity to develop scientific literacy, a critical skill for making informed decisions in an increasingly complex and science-driven world. The Interactions in General Education Life Science Courses (IGELS) project was developed as a response to the challenges of aligning biology education reform policy with the needs of non-science majors. The goal of the project was to define a framework of core competencies, tailored specifically for the distinct needs of undergraduate non-major life science students. The IGELS team built upon the existing "BioSkills Guide" and developed a "LifeSkills Guide," featuring a new set of 39 learning outcomes organized into five themes. The LifeSkills Guide is intended to support instructors as they shift the emphasis of their instruction from content coverage to developing transferable skills relevant to students' daily lives. Examples of how to implement the guide are demonstrated through classroom activities, such as a "Fake News" exercise, and pedagogical approaches like Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), which can be mapped to multiple learning outcomes. The LifeSkills Guide serves as a curated roadmap, providing resources to transform GenEd life science courses and empower our students, as members of society, to use evidence-based reasoning as they navigate personal, professional, and civic challenges.