Introductory undergraduate science courses serve as entry points into majors, build science literacy through general education programs, and may be the only course that a future teacher will have in a discipline. Students' experiences in introductory science courses strongly influence their self-efficacy, motivation, and persistence in science, and thus provide a critical opportunity to make use of evidence-based teaching strategies and curricular materials that are inclusive and equity-focused. Transforming a well-established introductory course can be challenging, however, as that course may have multiple instructors, teaching assistants, and a structure that is deeply embedded in a department's operations.

Making introductory courses more equitable and effective takes deliberate and dedicated effort on the part of everyone involved. To support that change, the Teaching with Investigation and Design in Science (TIDeS) project used a rubric-based design process to ensure that principles for equitable and effective teaching and learning were encoded in new curricular materials. As a result of the use of the rubric, the materials share several characteristics: more time actively engaged in authentic disciplinary work than listening to lectures; activities and reflections focused on building science skills rather than content knowledge; small group and whole-class discussions in every class, and activities to build their own identities as scientists.

To accompany the curricular materials, the project developed a set of resources to support instructors in improving their practice, including guides to facilitating discussions for learning, representing the diversity of scientists, and incorporating readings that lead to discussion. The project incorporated both sets of resources into a traveling workshop entitled Transforming Your Introductory Course, which brings together everyone involved in teaching a particular course to work together to make their course more equitable and effective. Evaluation comments from these workshops highlight the importance of coming together to develop a shared vision for transformation.