Albany State University: Using Comics To Breathe New Life Into Biology 101
STEM programs are designed to give students the foundation they need to build meaningful careers. For many students, however, the learning curve in math and science courses can feel too steep to climb.
Dr. Shayla Williams is committed to solving that problem through creative approaches to undergraduate education.
As an associate professor of biology at Albany State University (ASU) in Georgia, Dr. Williams is a passionate advocate for visual learning as a tool for student engagement. In 2023, the National Science Foundation awarded her a grant to produce a biology 101 textbook that might be a bit different from the one you remember from your own school days.
BioKomix, a textbook in comic form, would translate challenging concepts into engaging visual metaphors, and anchor complicated biological principles in memorable characters. By embracing the power of visual learning, Dr. Williams may give students a foothold to begin climbing that learning curve, improving both learning outcomes and student retention rates.
Dr. Williams turned to A. Mayper Studios to help bring BioKomix to life. As a lifelong learner I was thrilled to work on the project.
Here’s how Dr. Williams and I worked together to build 75 pages of educational comics that are as beautiful as they are informative.
Gathering Material: Learning My Lessons
Once a month, Dr. Williams would walk me through a bite-sized lesson in biology, after which I played back what I heard in my own words. These conversations, and the slides and texts Dr. Williams shared as reference, became the backbone of each chapter of BioKomix.
As the illustrator and co-author of BioKomix, you might think my lack of expertise in the field (I haven’t opened a biology textbook since sophomore year of high school!) would be a disadvantage.
Yet Dr. Williams and I quickly realized that my outsider’s perspective would actually aid the project. My lack of expertise allowed me to ask her the “obvious” questions that a student might ask. This helped me to simplify concepts into language and imagery that would make sense to a novice.
In other words, instead of coming to the material from the perspective of a seasoned expert, I approached it from the perspective of the students BioKomix was designed for.
Concept Sketches: Sketching To Learn
Next came the fun part: finding visual metaphors to bring those lessons to life!
Sketching out each page gave me an opportunity to develop narratives to pull students in, and to play the role of “casting director.” ATP, the molecule that empowers a cell’s functions, became a team of construction workers that built cell structures and tore them down again. Enzymes, which speed up critical molecular reactions, became the train operators of the Metabolic Transit Agency, controlling and directing reactions along their particular routes.
These concept sketches also gave Dr. Williams a chance to review my work and provide me with feedback before the final artwork was created.
Final Artwork: Drawing To Teach
With the concept, visual metaphor, and text approved by Dr. Williams, it was time to draw out the final pages. I polished line art, introduced color and texture, and refined compositions with an eye towards the ultimate goal of making work students would actually want to read.
We capped each chapter with a set of illustrated quiz pages to measure and evaluate student learning, and then readied the book for print with an eye-catching cover.
Measuring Impact: Gathering Student Perspectives
Illustrators and educators have something in common: we both know that the success of a project can only be measured by the impact it has on its audience.
That’s why Dr. Williams invited another very important stakeholder into the conversation as we built BioKomix together: her students. As BioKomix was completed, Dr. Williams shared it with her undergraduate class to gather feedback and keep us moving in the right direction.
Here’s what a couple of students had to say:
I love the idea of comic visuals to assist with teaching and learning. Even though I am an adult the vividness, colors, and comic scenarios kept me intrigued with the content. This should definitely be incorporated into STEM learning!
Using the comics was a huge advantage to gain more knowledge and better understand some of the more challenging topics that were discussed. As a visual learner, I found them to be extremely helpful!
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Ready To Bring Your Content To Life Through Strategic Illustration?
From illustrated infographics to animated explainer videos, learn how strategic illustration can clarify content and uncover the story behind the data.