Teaching Session: My Favorite Ecology Laboratory Exercise Poster
Presiding: M R Whiles, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; R Fuller, Colgate University
NB33S-01 1330h
Improving the Quantitative Skills of Future Benthologists: Better Integration of Mathematics into Undergraduate Biology Curricula
Some of the assumptions biology faculty make about the mathematical background of their students are unwarranted. Through assessment, we have found that students know far less about subjects such as graphing, logarithms etc. than we think. This obviously affects how we teach our classes, how much time we devote to covering topics such as statistical analysis and the degree of quantitative analysis we expect. At ASU we have taken several steps to improve the mathematical background of our students. The Math Department now offers statistics and calculus courses designed for biology majors. These courses are taught in computerized classrooms and are focused on biological data and modeling. By requiring these courses as prerequisites, we hope to reduce the review of basic mathematics in our classes and focus on the "important" topics. In Biology we have expanded on the level of quantitative rigor expected in our classes. In addition, we are increasing the use of modeling and computational exercises in these classes. We will present the results of our ongoing assessment approach and discuss how we are implementing some of our initiatives. This work is based on the recommendations outlined in the NRC's Bio2010 and the MAA's Math and Bio 2010.