A national comparison of learning objectives and outcome assessment of the biochemistry and molecular biology capstone experience: building the ASBMB Concept Inventory (618.13)

Abstract

Recognizing the increasingly integrative nature of the molecular life sciences, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) recommends that Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) programs develop curriculum based on concepts, content, topics and expected student outcomes, rather than courses. Several reports, including Vision and Change, endorse this “big idea” approach to undergraduate life science education. ASBMB recently developed an accreditation program to provide a national outcome‐based mechanism to accredit B.S and B.A. degrees and acknowledge undergraduate BMB programs which fulfill the expectations of the ASBMB recommended curriculum. Currently, ASBMB is a building a BMB Concept Inventory which will contain validated assessment tools based on foundational and discipline specific knowledge and essential skills for the molecular life science undergraduate. The capstone experience is an essential part of molecule life science undergraduate programs. Although capstone experiences are commonly defined as an attempt to measure student ability to synthesize and integrate acquired knowledge, the format, implementation, learning goals and approach to outcome assessment are quite varied across the nation. Here we report a national comparison of capstone experiences and align the results with both the ASBMB recommended BMB curriculum and the findings of the national workshops driving the development of the BMB Concept Inventory.Grant Funding Source: NSF‐ 0957205 RCN‐UBE