Addressing Core Competencies in Vision and Change : Use of a General Physiology Course to Reinforce Quantitative and Interdisciplinary Approaches

Abstract

The recommendations for undergraduate biology training outlined in the NSF/AAAS report, Vision and Change in Undergraduate Education, include the development of critical core competencies. Many biology programs struggle to encourage the “ability to use quantitative reasoning” and the “ability to tap into the interdisciplinary nature of science” in a curriculum dominated by descriptive courses. While at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA), I explored the use of a general physiology course to address these competencies. The quantitative analysis of topics such as electrochemical gradients would allow cadets to apply their training in mathematics and engineering to biological problems. Moreover, the small class sizes at USAFA facilitated the use of peer-to-peer learning strategies. Accordingly, a general physiology course was conducted in the spring of 2012 and 2013 with 9 and 7 cadets, respectively. During the course, a total of eleven topics were discussed with three class periods dedicated to each topic. For each topic, the first period was a formal introductory lecture. A second period was devoted to a cadet-led analysis of a classic scientific paper in that topic. Finally, the third period consisted of assessment and review. Each assessment was taken independently, and then teams of two or three cadets would discuss and submit consensus responses to the same questions. Feedback suggests that cadets enjoyed the chance to learn from each other. More importantly, the outcomes suggest that cadets finished the course with an understanding of both the quantitative basis and the interdisciplinary nature of modern biology. [Supported by the Visiting Professor program at USAFA]