Premium
BioMap: an interpretation of the core concepts of vision and change for general biology majors (531.11)
Author(s) -
Brownell Sara,
Freeman Scott,
Wenderoth Mary Pat,
Crowe Alison
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.531.11
Subject(s) - set (abstract data type) , curriculum , resource (disambiguation) , grassroots , engineering ethics , function (biology) , interpretation (philosophy) , mathematics education , biology , computer science , sociology , political science , psychology , evolutionary biology , pedagogy , engineering , computer network , politics , law , programming language
Biology as a discipline has expanded dramatically. As we begin to acknowledge that we cannot possibly teach everything in an undergraduate biology curriculum, we struggle to come to consensus about what is most important to teach. The report Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education (AAAS, 2011) offers a set of five core concepts that are intended to provide structure for an undergraduate biology education: (1) evolution, (2) structure and function, (3) information flow, exchange, and storage, (4) pathways and transformations of energy and matter, and (5) systems. We have taken these general concepts and interpreted what they mean for the three major sub‐disciplines of biology: molecular/cellular biology, physiology, and ecology/evolution. Using a grassroots approach of soliciting input from faculty at a diverse range of institutions nationally, we have incorporated the feedback of over 240 faculty members to create a set of general principles and specific statements that elaborate on each of the five concepts. This document is being called “BioMap” because biology departments can use it as a resource to guide curricular design. We also provide recommendations for how departments can use BioMap to better align their teaching with the goals of Vision and Change. Grant Funding Source : National Science Foundation TUES II (#1323010)