Enhancing Interdisciplinary Attitudes and Achievement via Integrated Biology and Chemistry

Success in undergraduate biology courses relies upon a firm grounding in chemical principles. We sought to raise students’ awareness of the connection between these two disciplines and to improve their understanding of each by carrying out a pilot project that integrated the curricula of Principles of Chemistry II (CHEM1212K) and Principles of Biology I (BIOL1107K) during the Fall 2016 semester. The study involved two course pairs: one section of each course delivered in the traditional non-integrated manner and a second pair of sections that were integrated across the chemistry and biology disciplines in both the scope and sequence of the content delivery. Both integrated and non-integrated sections were taught by the same instructors, who have expertise in both chemistry and biology to ensure a full understanding of both courses’ content. Attitudinal surveys administered at the beginning and end of the semester showed that students in the integrated BIOL/CHEM section of our pilot study appreciated the delivery of an integrated curriculum and improved their awareness of the connections between the two disciplines. End-of-course assessments of topic mastery demonstrated improvements in the integrated students’ capacity to understand and apply both biology and chemistry topics compared to students in the non-integrated sections

Enhancing Interdisciplinary STEM Skills via Integrated Biology and Chemistry Curriculum

Success in undergraduate biology courses relies upon a firm grounding in chemical principles. To raise students’ awareness of connection between two disciplines, we carry out a pilot project with integrated curriculum of Principles of Chemistry II and Principles of Biology I in fall 2016. We will also introduce two integrated laboratory projects targeting the shared contents in both courses in spring 2017. With multiple chances to collaborate in integrated curriculum and laboratory projects, students are expected to form a biology-chemistry interdisciplinary learning community. Ongoing work will assess the effectiveness of the integrated curriculum in increasing students’ understanding of course material and promoting supportive learning environment as a learning community. Administrative support to ensure same group of students are registered for both courses and instructors’ interdisciplinary expertise in both disciplines are crucial to the success of the pilot project. The session will focus on possibilities and challenges of developing integrated curriculum