The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Targeted Infusion Projects supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue STEM graduate programs and/or careers. The project at Bethune-Cookman University seeks to enhance undergraduate education in the biology department by developing a curriculum that focuses on quantitative expertise. Students will be taught how to work with large data sets to understand biological systems and to solve problems in biology. Assessment metrics that integrate quantitative literacy, scientific literacy and strategic learning will be developed as part of the overall evaluation of the project.
The goal of the project is to provide learning experiences for undergraduate biology majors to develop quantitative and computational skills for biological discovery and analysis. The project has two specific objectives: 1) to infuse data science competencies in research-oriented courses and 2) to develop three new courses. The project will infuse concepts of data flow, data analytics and data curation in a series of five research-oriented biology core courses. The new courses will be in the areas of bioinstrumentation, cloud computing and computational genetics. Bethune-Cookman University will undertake critical activities to create an adoptable model for core curriculum improvement in biology undergraduate programs. These activities include development and assessment of course resources and learning strategies; evaluation by students and faculty; disciplinary education research by students and faculty; and dissemination.
