Evolution as the cornerstone of biology: a course for undergraduates and postgraduates in biological sciences

Abstract: Although many authors share the view of evolution as the cornerstone of biological sciences, not many courses are effectively based off it. In this study, we have designed a course with this in mind, aimed at undergraduates and postgraduates in biological sciences. We intend to evaluate and compare the responses of both types of students using a survey questionnaire. Participants are undergraduate and graduate biology students from public and private universities in southern Brazil. We obtained 122 precourse and 95 post-course survey responses. Results suggest that students from all levels of biology training benefit from a teaching approach that takes evolutionary theory across biological disciplines. Pre- and post-course comparisons show that more training in biology does not equal more evolutionary knowledge. This may be one of the main advantages of a multidisciplinary approach to teaching evolution.