We Have More in Common than We Think: A Comparison of Scientific Skills and Disciplinary Practices in the Guiding Documents for Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics

Figures & data

Table 1. Scientific inquiry and the associated disciplinary practices.

Scientific Skills	DPs: Biology	DPs: Chemistry	DPs: Mathematics
Understanding process of science	B1. Understand process of science	C1. Use chemistry in the scientific process
Developing/testing hypotheses	B2. Experimental design B3. Hypothesis testing B4. Evaluation of experimental evidence	C2. Design and execute experiments C3. Develop testable hypotheses C4. Draw appropriate conclusions from data C5. Understand uncertainty in measurements	M1. Design and execute experiments M2. Develop testable hypotheses M3. Draw appropriate conclusions from data M4. Understand uncertainty in measurements
Developing problem solving Skills	B5. Developing problem solving skills	C6. Apply all subdisciplines of chemistry to solve problems	M5. Be able to reason and problem solve

Table 2. Quantitative skills and the associated disciplinary practices.

Scientific Skills	DPs: Biology	DPs: Chemistry	DPs: Mathematics
Quantitative reasoning	B1. Develop and interpret graphs	C1. Develop strengths in quantitative problem-solving and application of mathematical skills	M1. Analyze and produce mathematical data in multiple forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, words) and be able to convert from one form to another M2. Develop quantitative skills
Applying statistical methods to analyze data	B2. Applying statistical methods to diverse data B3. Manage and analyze large data sets B4. Applying informatics skills	C2. Analyze data with appropriate statistical methods	M3. Analyze data with statistics M4. Be prepared for careers in statistics and data science

Table 3. Laboratory/computational skills and the associated disciplinary practices.

Scientific Skills	DPs: Biology	DPs: Chemistry	DPs: Mathematics
Hands-on laboratory experience	B1. Participate in authentic research experience	C1. Obtain hands-on basic laboratory skills C2. Laboratory experiences that involve experimental design, execution, data analysis and use of chemical literature. C3. Synthesize and characterize organic and inorganic compounds
Using modeling and simulation to investigate questions, phenomena, and problems	B2. Ability to use modeling and simulation B3. Computational modeling of dynamic systems B4. Incorporating stochasticity into biological models	C4. Ability to use computational chemistry software C5. Ability to compute chemical properties and phenomena to complement experimental work	M1. Ability to use technology effectively to solve problems M2. Ability to use technology as an aid in exploring mathematical ideas M3. Use of technology should occur with increasing sophistication throughout a major curriculum

Table 4. Communication skills and the associated disciplinary practices.

Scientific Skills	DPs: Biology	DPs: Chemistry	DPs: Mathematics
Oral and written communication	B1. Scientific writing B2. Communication with other disciplines B3. Explain scientific concepts to different audiences	C1. Write well-organized and concise reports in a scientifically appropriate style C2. Present information in a clear and organized manner C3. Use relevant technology for communication	M1. Ability to communicate mathematical/quantitative ideas clearly and coherently both verbally and in writing to audiences M2. Communicate with different types of audiences

Table 5. STEM interdisciplinary competence and the associated disciplinary practices.

Scientific Skill	DPs: Biology	DPs: Chemistry	DPs: Mathematics
Use knowledge from all areas of math and science in interdisciplinary problem solving	B1. Tap into interdisciplinary nature of science B2. Apply concepts from other sciences to interpret biological phenomena B3. Collaborating across disciplines	C1. Solve problems by combining knowledge from multiple fields of chemistry C2. Provide experiences beyond chemistry content knowledge C3. Develop competence in other critical skills outside of chemistry	M1. Become aware of connections to other areas. M2. Learn to apply mathematical ideas in other areas M3. It is critical that the math community plays a role through research and education in areas such as bioinformatics, finance, engineering, data analytics, and computer science

Table 6. Teamwork/interpersonal skills and the associated disciplinary practices.

Scientific Skills	DPs: Biology	DPs: Chemistry	DPs: Mathematics
Work in teams	B1. Work with teammates to establish and periodically update group plan and expectations	C1. Work with others to productively solve scientific problems, both as leaders and team members	M1. Learn to collaborate through team projects and internships
Work with people with diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and perspectives	B2. Cross-cultural awareness	C2. Work efficiently with a diverse group of peers

Table 7. Suggestions for using the alignment.

Scientific Skill	Suggested Implementation
Developing and Testing Hypotheses	Consistently use Claim, Evidence, Reasoning as the standard for written reports in laboratory courses. (Model Teaching, 2019)
Quantitative Reasoning	Create shared common exercises that teach and assess students’ understanding of shared quantitative skills among disciplines such as interpreting and making graphs or dimensional analysis.
Applying statistical methods to analyze data	Use example data from multiple disciplines when teaching statistics.
Using modeling and simulation to investigate questions, phenomena, and problems	Create a common presentation to highlight how software is used in each discipline.
Oral and written communication	Have a common rubric among disciplines for oral presentations and for laboratory reports and/or notebooks pegged to student year.
Oral and written communication	Have students present their research to introductory courses from different disciplines.
Use knowledge from all areas of math and science in interdisciplinary problem solving	Using data or explaining phenomena from another field to illustrate what is being learned in a field. Example: integrations being used in kinetics. Another example: identify polar and nonpolar amino acids in a biology class.
Work in teams	Create and use a common reflection document across STEM disciplines to assess teamwork.
Work with people with diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and perspectives	When doing group work, set aside time for students to discuss their respective backgrounds, majors, career goals, and approaches to problem solving.

Model Teaching. (2019, January 29). Claim-evidence-reasoning (CER). Retrieved from https://www.modelteaching.com/education-articles/writing-instruction/claim-evidence-reasoning-cer

 Google Scholar