The Art of Science: Methods for Scientific Drawing in Public Education

Idaho State University logo, showing an I superimposed over at S.

In June 2025 I took a course through Idaho State University’s “Moodle ISU Community” (ISU affiliated courses that include users from outside of ISU) that sought to instruct educators on means of incorporating science in their art classes and/or art in their science classes. The course was titled The Art of Science: Methods for Scientific Drawing in Public Education. While the course was a bit basic, I enjoyed it and it helped me reflect on how I could integrate art into my classes.

Image with two halves: Top half says "Science without art is confusing" and has the world "Pterosaurs" below it.
The bottom half says "Science with art is clarifying and and a sketch of a flying dinosaur above the word "Pterosaurs."

These courses are part of the ISU Albion Center for Professional Development. These courses are online and self-paced. When I signed up in June 2025, I received a $200 credit just for registering…so my first course was entirely free.

Links to a collection of links from the course

I’m recording links from the course that I think might be useful to others. There are many more resources if you take the course. The course includes units on ‘plants and bugs,’ ‘birds and fish,’ and general techniques and the history of scientific illustrations; I have included the units I’m most interested below.

Earth Science

Astronomy

Microscopy

Color printing

Anatomy

Other tips

What to do if you are unsure about using a particular image in the classroom
If you are unsure about using a specific image in your classroom, I first suggest knowing why you are using that image. Is it necessary to reach your curricular goals? If uncertain, I would seek the input of your administration and learn if the district has specific policies on such usage.”

  • History Brief: The Scopes Trial (2016, Reading Through History, YouTube video; a cautionary tale as many district in the USA try to prevent teaching of evolution in the 21st century).

Course description from 2025

“This course will take you on a journey through the fascinating history of scientific illustration, where art and science intersect to create something truly powerful. By uncovering how these two fields have worked hand in hand over the centuries, you’ll walk away with practical tools to bring cross-curricular opportunities into your teaching, making learning more dynamic, engaging, and impactful for your students. This course the interdisciplinary practice of scientific illustration, using visual storytelling and inquiry to deepen engagement, foster cultural awareness, and promote environmental and social equity. The course is 100% online and you can register at any time during the year. You will have 1 calendar year to complete the course from the day you register. It will be transcribed as a Summer 2025 course. We require you to be enrolled in the course for 14 days before the course can be marked complete. We will not grade a course before this two week period has passed. Once registered and paid, you will receive an email with instructions on how to begin the course. This email may end up in your spam folder, so please check there if you do not receive it within 24 hours. This online course is open to any K-12 educator seeking PD credit. Course number: EDUC 5598P-42564”

Other resources

If you’re a teacher looking for more science education posts, I share most on my science teaching website https://scienceteaching.trampleasure.net/ (I’m posting this one here because it’s my geology focused site).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Deprecated: htmlspecialchars(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /var/www/vhosts/trampleasure.net/geology.trampleasure.net/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4705
Skip to toolbar