Challenge
Though a BioCalculus course seemingly provides an excellent opportunity to apply mathematical skillsets to a specific scientific domain, many universities report that these courses lack a meaningful connection to later Biology coursework. This salient disconnect, which is apparent to students who view these courses as formalities, affects student engagement and sense of community during the BioCalculus course offering. This issue is compounded by highly variable levels of mathematical preparation and lecture-based courses with minimal student-focused pedagogy. Therefore, low pass rates and grade point averages for BioCalculus students are unsurprising. These lower student outcomes also disproportionately affect minoritized students and pose a barrier to successful completion of their major.
Project Design
To alleviate these negative academic impacts, the BioCalc PEA program will develop a three-pronged curricular framework, divided into a Preparation, Engagement, and Application structure. The Preparation portion will provide first-year experiences (FYEs) and Summer Academies for BioSci students at the three campuses, highlighting proto-Calculus (a discrete or conceptual approach to differentiation and integration) and a blend of pre-Calculus-based algebraic and computational techniques. The Engagement portion will provide a revamped BioCalculus curriculum, crafted to meaningfully include active learning techniques and genuine biological modelling. The Application portion will include Calculus-based mathematical modeling and computation into several upper-division BioSci courses at the three universities.
The BioCalc PEA program is designed with sustainability and inclusion at its forefront. One of the major deliverables will be a full BioCalculus course package (complete with videos, notes, active learning worksheets, online assessments, and projects) that will replace the traditional textbooks and will be made freely available to students. Once complete, this curricular package will be adopted as the BioCalculus “textbook” and will ensure that the meaningful biological applications and student-centered activities are utilized for years to come. Also promoting sustainability is the creation of the BioCalc Active Learning Institute (ALI), which will provide quarter-long trainings every year that will focus on inclusive practices known to decrease the URM achievement gap and promote community building within classes. Further URM-focused community-based tutoring programs will be developed and will complement the BioCalculus coursework.