Integrating Quantitative Thinking into an Introductory Biology Course Improves Students' Mathematical Reasoning in Biological Contexts

Autor/inn/en	Hester, Susan; Buxner, Sanlyn; Elfring, Lisa; Nagy, Lisa
Titel	Integrating Quantitative Thinking into an Introductory Biology Course Improves Students' Mathematical Reasoning in Biological Contexts
Quelle	In: CBE - Life Sciences Education, 13 (2014) 1, S.54-64 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1931-7913
DOI	10.1187/cbe.13-07-0129
Schlagwörter	Undergraduate Students; Introductory Courses; College Science; Science Instruction; Logical Thinking; Mathematics Skills; Molecular Biology; Cytology; Integrated Activities; Transfer of Training; Pretests Posttests; Instructional Effectiveness; Curriculum Design; Arizona + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Einführungskurs; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Mathmatics achievement; Mathematics ability; Mathematische Kompetenz; Molekularbiologie; Zytologie; Integrierender Unterricht; Training; Transfer; Ausbildung; Unterrichtserfolg; Lehrplangestaltung
Abstract	Recent calls for improving undergraduate biology education have emphasized the importance of students learning to apply quantitative skills to biological problems. Motivated by students' apparent inability to transfer their existing quantitative skills to biological contexts, we designed and taught an introductory molecular and cell biology course in which we integrated application of prerequisite mathematical skills with biology content and reasoning throughout all aspects of the course. In this paper, we describe the principles of our course design and present illustrative examples of course materials integrating mathematics and biology. We also designed an outcome assessment made up of items testing students' understanding of biology concepts and their ability to apply mathematical skills in biological contexts and administered it as a pre/postcourse test to students in the experimental section and other sections of the same course. Precourse results confirmed students' inability to spontaneously transfer their prerequisite mathematics skills to biological problems. Pre/postcourse outcome assessment comparisons showed that, compared with students in other sections, students in the experimental section made greater gains on integrated math/biology items. They also made comparable gains on biology items, indicating that integrating quantitative skills into an introductory biology course does not have a deleterious effect on students' biology learning. [Supplemental material for this article can be found at: http://www.lifescied.org/content/suppl/2014/02/12/13.1.54.DC1.html.] (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Society for Cell Biology. 8120 Woodmont Avenue Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20814-2762. Tel: 301-347-9300; Fax: 301-347-9310; e-mail: ascbinfo@ascb.org; Website: http://www.ascb.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10