Over 25 years ago, I faced the challenge of transforming "Introduction to Botany", a required course for 400 first-year biology students that was traditionally met with disinterest and complaints. Despite major improvements in content and approach, persistent resistance to the course's mandatory status remained.
This prompted a radical shift in my thinking. In 2010 I embarked on a journey that upended my approach to teaching plant biology. Breaking from traditional norms, this approach embraced anthropomorphism, using the concept of "plant senses" as the curricular basis. The challenge lay in employing anthropomorphic language and human analogies without compromising scientific integrity and complexity of plant biology. I developed "What a Plant Knows," an online course that has attracted hundreds of thousands of students globally, complemented by a popular science book of the same name. This method allowed students, including many pre-med majors, to engage with plant biology in a new way, fostering an appreciation of plants as integral to the natural world.
The impact of this approach has been significant. Students remained engaged and challenged by the idea of plants' unique capabilities, and some were even inspired to pursue plant research. A second, more in-depth online class was subsequently developed.
Here I will outline the course structure, topics covered, and the potential of this reimagined educational framework. The goal is to demonstrate how innovative teaching in plant biology can enhance student engagement, contribute to broader scientific literacy, and foster an appreciation of the vital role of plants in our ecosystem and survival.