scholarly journals Teaching quantitative biology: goals, assessments, and resources

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (22) ◽  
pp. 3478-3481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa L. Aikens ◽  
Erin L. Dolan
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Quantitative Biology ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Educational Innovations ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Backward Design ◽  
Quantitative Skills ◽  
Biology Curriculum ◽  
Assessment Strategies

More than a decade has passed since the publication of BIO2010, calling for an increased emphasis on quantitative skills in the undergraduate biology curriculum. In that time, relatively few papers have been published that describe educational innovations in quantitative biology or provide evidence of their effects on students. Using a “backward design” framework, we lay out quantitative skill and attitude goals, assessment strategies, and teaching resources to help biologists teach more quantitatively. Collaborations between quantitative biologists and education researchers are necessary to develop a broader and more appropriate suite of assessment tools, and to provide much-needed evidence on how particular teaching strategies affect biology students' quantitative skill development and attitudes toward quantitative work.

scholarly journals Development of a Biological Science Quantitative Reasoning Exam (BioSQuaRE)

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. ar66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Stanhope ◽  
Laura Ziegler ◽  
Tabassum Haque ◽  
Laura Le ◽  
Marcelo Vinces ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Biological Science ◽  
Quantitative Reasoning ◽  
Postsecondary Institutions ◽  
Assessment Instrument ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Quantitative Skills ◽  
Using Data

Multiple reports highlight the increasingly quantitative nature of biological research and the need to innovate means to ensure that students acquire quantitative skills. We present a tool to support such innovation. The Biological Science Quantitative Reasoning Exam (BioSQuaRE) is an assessment instrument designed to measure the quantitative skills of undergraduate students within a biological context. The instrument was developed by an interdisciplinary team of educators and aligns with skills included in national reports such as BIO2010, Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians, and Vision and Change. Undergraduate biology educators also confirmed the importance of items included in the instrument. The current version of the BioSQuaRE was developed through an iterative process using data from students at 12 postsecondary institutions. A psychometric analysis of these data provides multiple lines of evidence for the validity of inferences made using the instrument. Our results suggest that the BioSQuaRE will prove useful to faculty and departments interested in helping students acquire the quantitative competencies they need to successfully pursue biology, and useful to biology students by communicating the importance of quantitative skills. We invite educators to use the BioSQuaRE at their own institutions.

scholarly journals Evolving Strategies for the Incorporation of Bioinformatics Within the Undergraduate Cell Biology Curriculum

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 233-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry E. Honts
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Sequence Analysis Tool ◽  
Biology Curriculum ◽  
Simple Sequence

Recent advances in genomics and structural biology have resulted in an unprecedented increase in biological data available from Internet-accessible databases. In order to help students effectively use this vast repository of information, undergraduate biology students at Drake University were introduced to bioinformatics software and databases in three courses, beginning with an introductory course in cell biology. The exercises and projects that were used to help students develop literacy in bioinformatics are described. In a recently offered course in bioinformatics, students developed their own simple sequence analysis tool using the Perl programming language. These experiences are described from the point of view of the instructor as well as the students. A preliminary assessment has been made of the degree to which students had developed a working knowledge of bioinformatics concepts and methods. Finally, some conclusions have been drawn from these courses that may be helpful to instructors wishing to introduce bioinformatics within the undergraduate biology curriculum.

scholarly journals Teaching Biology through Statistics: Application of Statistical Methods in Genetics and Zoology Courses

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Migdalisel Colon-Berlingeri ◽  
Patricia A. Burrowes
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Academic Departments ◽  
Modern Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
Biological Problem ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Biology Curriculum

Incorporation of mathematics into biology curricula is critical to underscore for undergraduate students the relevance of mathematics to most fields of biology and the usefulness of developing quantitative process skills demanded in modern biology. At our institution, we have made significant changes to better integrate mathematics into the undergraduate biology curriculum. The curricular revision included changes in the suggested course sequence, addition of statistics and precalculus as prerequisites to core science courses, and incorporating interdisciplinary (math–biology) learning activities in genetics and zoology courses. In this article, we describe the activities developed for these two courses and the assessment tools used to measure the learning that took place with respect to biology and statistics. We distinguished the effectiveness of these learning opportunities in helping students improve their understanding of the math and statistical concepts addressed and, more importantly, their ability to apply them to solve a biological problem. We also identified areas that need emphasis in both biology and mathematics courses. In light of our observations, we recommend best practices that biology and mathematics academic departments can implement to train undergraduates for the demands of modern biology.

scholarly journals Community College Instructors’ Perceptions of Constraints and Affordances Related to Teaching Quantitative Biology Skills and Concepts

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. ar64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Corwin ◽  
Stacey Kiser ◽  
Sondra M. LoRe ◽  
Jillian M. Miller ◽  
Melissa L. Aikens
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Biology ◽  
College Level ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Quantitative Skills ◽  
New Material ◽  
Open Coding ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Teacher Professional Knowledge ◽  
Study Participants

Quantitative skills are an important competency for undergraduate biology students and should be incorporated early and frequently in an undergraduate’s career. Community colleges (CCs) are responsible for teaching introductory biology to a large proportion of biology and prehealth students, and quantitative skills are critical for their careers. However, we know little about the challenges and affordances that CC instructors encounter when incorporating quantitative skills into their courses. To explore this, we interviewed CC biology instructors ( n = 20) about incorporating quantitative biology (QB) instruction into their classes. We used a purposeful sampling approach to recruit instructors who were likely to have tried evidence-based pedagogies and were likely aware of the importance of QB instruction. We used open coding to identify themes related to the affordances to and constraints on teaching QB. Overall, our study participants met with challenges typical of incorporating new material or techniques into any college-level class, including perceptions of student deficits, tension between time to teach quantitative skills and cover biology content, and gaps in teacher professional knowledge (e.g., content and pedagogical content knowledge). We analyze these challenges and offer potential solutions and recommendations for professional development to support QB instruction at CCs.

Being Aware of Your Thinking: Examining Mindfulness and Metacognition in Undergraduate Biology Students

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikah J. Pritchard ◽  
Trisha A. Turner ◽  
Ellen L. Usher ◽  
Faith L. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students

scholarly journals Investigating Novice and Expert Conceptions of Genetically Modified Organisms

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. ar52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Potter ◽  
Sarah A. Bissonnette ◽  
Jonathan D. Knight ◽  
Kimberly D. Tanner
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Modification ◽  
Real World ◽  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Molecular Behavior ◽  
Biology Majors

The aspiration of biology education is to give students tools to apply knowledge learned in the classroom to everyday life. Genetic modification is a real-world biological concept that relies on an in-depth understanding of the molecular behavior of DNA and proteins. This study investigated undergraduate biology students’ conceptions of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) when probed with real-world, molecular and cellular, and essentialist cues, and how those conceptions compared across biology expertise. We developed a novel written assessment tool and administered it to 120 non–biology majors, 154 entering biology majors, 120 advanced biology majors (ABM), and nine biology faculty. Results indicated that undergraduate biology majors rarely included molecular and cellular rationales in their initial explanations of GMOs. Despite ABM demonstrating that they have much of the biology knowledge necessary to understand genetic modification, they did not appear to apply this knowledge to explaining GMOs. Further, this study showed that all undergraduate student populations exhibited evidence of essentialist thinking while explaining GMOs, regardless of their level of biology training. Finally, our results suggest an association between scientifically accurate ideas and the application of molecular and cellular rationales, as well as an association between misconceptions and essentialist rationales.

scholarly journals Preparing for Class: Actions and Resources of Introductory Biology Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina M. Ballard ◽  
Sabah Sattar ◽  
Kendra D. Wright ◽  
Jaime L. Sabel ◽  
Heather E. Bergan-Roller
Keyword(s):  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Class Actions

Instructors want students to be prepared for class. There are several different resources and activities available to help students prepare for class, but very little is known about how students choose to prepare for class in the context of undergraduate biology.

Assessment following Hand Trauma: A Review of some Commonly Employed Methods

2002 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine BÜCher ◽  
Kenneth I Hume
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Intervention ◽  
Hand Function ◽  
Hand Injury ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Accurate Assessment ◽  
Hand Trauma ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Effective Evaluation ◽  
Assessment Strategies

Accurate assessment strategies underpin appropriate implementation and review of surgical and therapeutic intervention. This paper explores some of the commonly described assessment methods used following hand injury, including measures of range of motion (ROM), strength, sensation, hand function and patient self-evaluation. The strengths and limitations of some methods are discussed. It is suggested that accurate assessment tools and standardised approaches to assessment will promote effective evaluation of intervention. In addition long-term review and comparative studies may be facilitated by such an approach.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document