Building Community-Based Approaches to Systemic Reform in Mathematical Biology Education

Abstract

Starting in the early 2000's, several reports were released recognizing the convergence of mathematics, biology and computer science, and calling for a rethinking of how undergraduates are prepared for careers in research and the science and technology workforce. This call for change requires careful consideration of the mathematical biology education system to identify key components and leverage points for change. This paper demonstrates the wide range of resources and approaches available to the mathematical biology education community to create systemic change by highlighting the efforts of four community-based education reform organizations. A closer look at these organizations provides an opportunity to examine how to leverage components of the education system including faculty, academic institutions, students, access to resources, and the power of community.

Keywords: Biology; Mathematics; Pedagogy reform.

Fig. 1

Components of a broader postsecondary education system which work together to enhance student learning in mathematical biology

Fig. 2

Number of views of OERs on QUBES Hub (Figure by Dr. Elizabeth Hammond). QUBESHub was soft-launched in 2015 and publicly launched in 2016. QUBES also hosted the first Faculty Mentoring Networks in 2016 and the first joint QUBES-BioQUEST meeting in 2016

Fig. 3

Percent change in state spending per student, inflation adjusted, 2008–2018. Reproduced with permission from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (Mitchell et al. 2018)

Fig. 4

Working together towards community-based interventions on the entire mathematical biology system