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Implementation and assessment of a molecular biology and bioinformatics undergraduate degree program
Author(s) -
Pham Daphne Q.D.,
Higgs David C.,
Statham Anne,
Schleiter Mary Kay
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
biochemistry and molecular biology education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.34
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1539-3429
pISSN - 1470-8175
DOI - 10.1002/bmb.20155
Subject(s) - curriculum , multidisciplinary approach , undergraduate research , biological sciences , graduate students , mathematics education , computer science , graduate degree , bioinformatics , computational biology , biology , medical education , psychology , medicine , pedagogy , social science , sociology
The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin‐Parkside has developed and implemented an innovative, multidisciplinary undergraduate curriculum in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics (MBB). The objective of the MBB program is to give students a hands‐on facility with molecular biology theories and laboratory techniques, an understanding of mathematical and physical concepts, an ability to apply these concepts to MBB, and a proficiency with the computational tools and skills related to bioinformatics. We hypothesized that a greater exposure to bioinformatics methods, more rigorous requirements in math and computer science, and a constant demand for integrating information in hands‐on laboratory courses would help students develop better analytical skills. Indeed, the assessment data support these predictions. Interestingly, 80% of MBB majors apply and are accepted into graduate schools.