Instructors consistently ask for a human biology textbook that helps students develop an understanding of the main themes of biology while placing the material in the context of the human body. Mader's
Human Biology was developed to fill this void.
To accomplish the goal of improving scientific literacy, while establishing a foundation of knowledge in human biology and physiology, Human Biology integrates a tested, traditional learning system with modern digital and pedagogical approaches designed to stimulate and engage today’s student.
Multimedia Integration: Michael Windelspecht represents the new generation of digital authors. Through the integration of multimedia resources, such as videos, animations and MP3 files, and in the design of a new series of guided tutorials, Dr Windelspecht has worked to bring Dr. Mader’s texts to the new generation of digital learners. A veteran of the online, hybrid, and traditional teaching environments, Dr. Windelspecht is well versed in the challenges facing today’s students and educators. Dr. Windelspecht guided all aspects of the Connect content accompanying Human Biology.
The authors of the text identified several goals that guided them through the revision of Human Biology, Thirteenth Edition:
- build upon the strengths of the previous editions of the text,
- enhance the learning process by integrating content that appeals to today’s students,
- deploy new pedagogical elements, including multimedia assets, to increase student interaction with the text,
- develop a new series of digital assets designed to engage the modern student and provide assessment of learning outcomes.
Sylvia S. Mader has authored several nationally recognized biology texts published by McGraw Hill. Educated at Bryn Mawr College, Harvard University, Tufts University, and Nova Southeastern University, she holds degrees in both Biology and Education. Over the years she has taught at University of Massachusetts, Lowell; Massachusetts Bay Community College; Suffolk University; and Nathan Mayhew Seminars. Her ability to reach out to science-shy students led to the writing of her first text, Inquiry into Life, that is now in its thirteenth edition. Highly acclaimed for her crisp and entertaining writing style, her books have become models for others who write in the field of biology. Although her writing schedule is always quite demanding, Dr. Mader enjoys taking time to visit and explore the various ecosystems of the biosphere. Her several trips to the Florida Everglades and Caribbean coral reefs resulted in talks she has given to various groups around the country. She has visited the tundra in Alaska, the taiga in the Canadian Rockies, the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, and tropical rain forests in South America and Australia. A photo safari to the Serengeti in Kenya resulted in a number of photographs for her texts. She was thrilled to think of walking in Darwin’s steps when she journeyed to the Galápagos Islands with a group of biology educators. Dr. Mader was also a member of a group of biology educators who traveled to China to meet with their Chinese counterparts and exchange ideas about the teaching of modern-day biology.
As an educator, Dr. Michael Windelspecht has taught introductory biology, genetics, and human genetics in the online, traditional, and hybrid environments at community colleges, comprehensive universities, and military institutions. For over a decade he served as the Introductory Biology Coordinator at Appalachian State University where he directed a program that enrolled over 4,500 students annually. He currently serves as an adjunct professor of biology at ASU where he teaches nonmajors biology and human genetics in the online and hybrid formats. He was educated at Michigan State University and the University of South Florida. Dr. Windelspecht is also active in promoting the scientific literacy of secondary school educators. He has led multiple workshops on integrating water quality research into the science curriculum, and has spent several summers teaching Pakistani middle school teachers. As an author, Dr. Windelspecht has published five reference textbooks, and multiple print and online lab manuals. He served as the series editor for a ten-volume work on the human body. For years Dr. Windelspecht has been active in the development of multimedia resources for the online and hybrid science classrooms. Along with his wife, Sandra, he owns a multimedia production company, Ricochet Creative Productions, which actively develops and assesses new technologies for the science classroom.
