Infusing quantitative approaches throughout the biological sciences curriculum

Abstract

A major curriculum redesign effort at the University of Maryland is infusing all levels of our undergraduate biological sciences curriculum with increased emphasis on interdisciplinary connections and quantitative approaches. The curriculum development efforts have largely been guided by recommendations in the National Research Council's Bio 2010 report and have resulted in revisions to courses in biology, mathematics, and physics over a period of 10 years. Important components of this effort included (1) developing online modules to infuse more mathematical content into six biology courses taken by biological sciences majors during their first 2 years of study; (2) strengthening the interdisciplinary connections of ancillary courses in mathematics and physics to support the development of quantitative skills in biological contexts; and (3) creating more quantitatively intensive courses for the final 2 years of the bachelors of science programme. These efforts, carried out by a large, multidisciplinary team of faculty, have resulted in increased coherence in the undergraduate biological sciences curriculum, increased quantitative skills in first- and second-year students, and a greater appreciation among graduates for the essential relationship between mathematics and modern biology.

Keywords:

• biological sciences
• quantitative skills
• science education
• higher education
• curriculum
• online modules

Acknowledgements

Curricular transformation of this scale could not have been accomplished without the assistance and support of a large number of individuals. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the faculty members, postdoctoral associates, and graduate students who have been involved in envisioning, developing, implementing, and assessing these curricular initiatives. We also thank the past and present deans and chairs of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS), who provided unwavering encouragement and support for these efforts. Generous financial support was provided by a series of grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Science Education Program and the National Science Foundation (DUE–0736975, DUE–0919816, DUE–1022938, DUE–1122818). Gili Marbach-Ad, Director of the College of CMNS Teaching and Learning Center, provided assistance in the development of appropriate pedagogies and assessment strategies. We also thank the University of Maryland Division of Information Technology and the College of CMNS Information Technology Group for their help in implementing the technologically intensive elements of our initiatives. Two anonymous reviewers provided feedback that greatly improved the manuscript.