ArticleCBE life sciences education2014
Integrating quantitative thinking into an introductory biology course improves students' mathematical reasoning in biological contexts.
Article in CBE life sciences education, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed.
- Student perceptions of supports and barriers for transferring quantitative reasoning in introductory biology lab courses.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2025Article
- Investigating Student Noticing of Quantitative Reasoning in Introductory Biology Labs.CBE life sciences education · 2025Article
- Teaching Basic Calculations in an Introductory Biology Lab.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2022Article
- The Conceptualization of Quantitative Reasoning among Introductory Biology Faculty.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2021Article
- Data-rich textbook figures promote core competencies: Comparison of two textbooks.Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology · 2021Article
- Community College Instructors' Perceptions of Constraints and Affordances Related to Teaching Quantitative Biology Skills and Concepts.CBE life sciences education · 2019Article
- One Early Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Produces Sustainable Knowledge Gains, but only Transient Perception Gains.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2019Article
- Investigating Cell Signaling with Gene Expression Datasets.CourseSource · 2019Article
- Is the undergraduate microbiology curriculum preparing students for careers in their field?: an assessment of biology majors' conceptions of growth and control of microorganisms.International journal of STEM education · 2018Article
- Incorporating an Interactive Statistics Workshop into an Introductory Biology Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Enhances Students' Statistical Reasoning and Quantitative Literacy Skills.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2018Article
- Life Science Majors' Math-Biology Task Values Relate to Student Characteristics and Predict the Likelihood of Taking Quantitative Biology Courses.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2018Article
- University Students' Conceptual Knowledge of Randomness and Probability in the Contexts of Evolution and Mathematics.CBE life sciences education · 2017Article
- The Math-Biology Values Instrument: Development of a Tool to Measure Life Science Majors' Task Values of Using Math in the Context of Biology.CBE life sciences education · 2017Article
- The Impact of an Interactive Statistics Module on Novices' Development of Scientific Process Skills and Attitudes in a First-Semester Research Foundations Course.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2016Article
- Development and Assessment of Modules to Integrate Quantitative Skills in Introductory Biology Courses.CBE life sciences education · 2016Article
- Authentic Research Experience and "Big Data" Analysis in the Classroom: Maize Response to Abiotic Stress.CBE life sciences education · 2015Article
- Teaching quantitative biology: goals, assessments, and resources.Molecular biology of the cell · 2014Article
- A comprehensive faculty, staff, and student training program enhances student perceptions of a course-based research experience at a two-year institution.CBE life sciences education · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
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.
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