How to Build a Course in Mathematical–Biological Modeling: Content and Processes for Knowledge and Skill

Biological problems in the twenty-first century are complex and require mathematical insight, often resulting in mathematical models of biological systems. Building mathematical-biological models requires cooperation among biologists and mathematicians, and mastery of building models. A new course i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CBE life sciences education 2010, Vol.9 (3), p.333-341
Main Author: Hoskinson, Anne-Marie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biology
Biology - education
Birds
Cooperative Behavior
Cooperative Learning
Course Objectives
Curriculum
Curriculum Development
Heuristics
Interdisciplinary Approach
Knowledge
Learning
Mathematical Models
Mathematics - education
Models, Educational
Students
Teaching - methods
Undergraduate Study
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Summary:Biological problems in the twenty-first century are complex and require mathematical insight, often resulting in mathematical models of biological systems. Building mathematical-biological models requires cooperation among biologists and mathematicians, and mastery of building models. A new course in mathematical modeling presented the opportunity to build both content and process learning of mathematical models, the modeling process, and the cooperative process. There was little guidance from the literature on how to build such a course. Here, I describe the iterative process of developing such a course, beginning with objectives and choosing content and process competencies to fulfill the objectives. I include some inductive heuristics for instructors seeking guidance in planning and developing their own courses, and I illustrate with a description of one instructional model cycle. Students completing this class reported gains in learning of modeling content, the modeling process, and cooperative skills. Student content and process mastery increased, as assessed on several objective-driven metrics in many types of assessments. (Contains 2 tables.)
ISSN:1931-7913
1931-7913
DOI:10.1187/cbe.10-03-0041