Ivy Tech CC Rolls out Interactive, Adaptive Digital Biology Course

BioBeyond

Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana recently announced it will use BioBeyond as the standard course for all of its online introductory biology courses. The college, which has more than 40 campus locations serving nearly 71,000 students, piloted the digital biology course over the summer, and now plans to use it in 37 online sections.

BioBeyond "takes students on a journey to learn how life works," according to a company statement. Designed to replace traditional textbooks, the course offers 56 adaptive lessons, using virtual field trips, interactive simulations and other inquiry-based materials to teach students to make observations, test hypotheses and engage with science.

"This new course is a game changer, both in how students engage with and understand the course material, and the insights instructors gain on students' grasp of concepts throughout the semester," said Reid Morehouse, assistant professor of life and physical sciences at Ivy Tech, in a statement. "The pedagogical flexibility and cost savings we're able to have with this course make it unlike any other."

"We know that course material cost can be a barrier for our students," added Madisen Gunkel, an instructional designer at Ivy Tech. "With BioBeyond we've found significant cost savings for our students and adaptive and engaging course content."

The course also provides real-feedback on students' progress through the material, allowing instructors to step in with remedial material when needed.

BioBeyond was developed by the Inspark Teaching Network on the Smart Sparrow platform, in partnership with Arizona State University's Center for Education Through Exploration. Students pay $40 for the course plus $15 for open educational resources. Ivy Tech's prior course material costs for introductory biology ranged from $185 to over $200, according to a news announcement.

For more information, visit the BioBeyond site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • hand with glowing networking lines and bokeh lights

    Call for Speakers Now Open for Tech Tactics in Education: Thriving in the Age of AI

    The annual virtual conference from the producers of Campus Technology and THE Journal will return on May 7, 2025, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and student success.

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • Microsoft

    Microsoft Introduces Its First Quantum Computing Chip

    Microsoft has unveiled Majorana 1, its first quantum computing chip, aimed at deployment in datacenters.

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Using Some Form of AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are leveraging some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.