Project IGELS

The national network for the "Improvement in General Education Life Science Courses (IGELS)" is a coalition of biologists and biology educators collaborating to support and mentor “non-major biology” instructors.?

WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY

NABT Professional Development Conference
Thursday, October 29, 2025
St. Louis Union Station Hotel
St. Louis, MO

Undergraduate instructors of non-majors biology courses are invited to learn more about implementing activities and resources developed by the IGELS (Interactions in General Education Life Science) project. IGELS “Catalysts” will be introduced to the suite of IGELS resources and frameworks, including the LifeSkills guide, the Intentional Pedagogy Framework, and new models of Scientific Literacy and the Undergraduate Science Education Ecosystem.

You can learn more at 2025 Special Events.

IGELS Resources

Intentional Pedagogy Framework

The Intentional Pedagogy Framework is a set of questions to guide instructors through an intentional decision-making process for teaching potentially sensitive, polarizing, or controversial topics. This tool is designed to be applied to resources, teaching approaches, and/or lesson plans in STEM courses.

The Framework is just a first step, and is best paired with post-implementation reflection.

Download a presentation on the IPF given at the IGEL Course Design Institute held in July 2025.

LifeSkills Guide

To support educators in GELS courses, a LifeSkills guide was developed to help identify existing educational resources that address Vision & Change principles and facilitate their implementation in GELS courses that promote science literacy, skills, civic engagement, and application of knowledge.

• Download instructions on how to use the Life Skills Guide (from SABER East Conference, 2025)
• Access the Life Skills Guide here.

IGELS Course Design Institute
July 21st - July 24th
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, Kansas

Past Workshops

IGELS Course Design Institute
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, Kansas
July 21st - July 24th

Project IGELS: Cultivating Authentic Dialogue in College STEM Classrooms 
NABT Professional Development Conference
Anaheim, California
November 14, 2024

The Consideration Tree: A Deliberative, Intentional Process for Incorporating Equity-based Effective Teaching Practices into Your Course
Online Workshops
Monday, April 1, 2024 and Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Interactions in General Education Life Science Courses (IGELS): Introducing the LifeSkills Guide for Undergraduate Faculty
NABT Professional Development Conference
Baltimore, Maryland
November 2, 2023

Interactions in General Education Life Science Courses (IGELS): Tools, Tips, & Strategies to Enhance Undergraduate Biology for Non-majors
NABT Professional Development Conference
Indianapolis, Indiana
November 10, 2022

Support for Project IGELS is provided through NSF-DUE #2126154