Improving University Life Science Instruction with Analogies: Insights from a Course for Graduate Teaching Assistants

Abstract concepts dominate university science teaching, and much of this content is taught without sufficient connection to students’ prior knowledge or everyday experiences. As this can be problematic for students, the aim of this research was to determine the utility and effectiveness of a professional development module on using analogies to make these important connections for learning. We conducted qualitative content analysis of analogies in teaching plans designed by 75 graduate teaching assistants who participated in the module between 2018 and 2021. The module is part of a course on Teaching Science at University (TSU) and pairs cognitive science with a structured analogy design tool, originally developed for K–12 education. Most course participants used the tool systematically and developed analogies linking abstract science target concepts with students’ everyday experiences; however, some analogies contained a high cognitive load or unaddressed anthropomorphic logic that might negatively impact learning. Participants’ reflections on their learning in the module suggested a new awareness of the need for planning and for active student discussion of analogies, particularly where they break down. This research has shown that TSU’s stepwise guidance using a structured pedagogical tool for planning and teaching with analogies is highly suitable for higher education.