Update: Have BIO2010 Goals Been Achieved?

Leaders in biology education are celebrating the progress made since the publication of BIO2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists. The landmark report, published in 2003 by the National Research Council (NRC), called on institutions of higher education to revamp both the curricula and teaching methods in the life sciences to meet the challenges of the 21st century. BIO2010 urged much deeper connections between the biological sciences and mathematics, the physical sciences, and computer science. In addition, the report called on faculty to move out of the lecture hall and into the field and lab to help develop hands-on learning and higher-order thinking in their students. "There's been an incredible response," says John Jungck, vice president of the International Union of Biological Sciences and professor of biology at Beloit College. "One of the real highlights has been the collaboration between mathematicians and biologists in developing courses, majors, labs, and undergraduate research programs." Claudia Neuhauser, director of graduate studies in biomedical informatics and computational biology and vice chancellor of the University of Minnesota, Rochester, credits BIO2010 with influencing curricula around the country. "It's viewed as a very critical piece in catalyzing change in biology education," she says. Instead of using lectures to cram all of biology into students' first year, she says, professors more frequently are introducing new ...
Source: Eye on Education - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news