Bachelor of Arts - Biology

1. Preparing Students for Graduate and Professional Studies

Objectives:

• Offer a timely and appropriate curriculum in the biological sciences
• Provide guidance and support for students pursuing these fields

2. Critical Thinking Skills

Objectives:

• Comprehend subject matter
• Synthesize information
• Analyze data and make appropriate conclusions
• Apply skills from above to formulate a working hypothesis
• Design new experiments to test a working hypothesis

All of the above enhance student learning by methodically developing higher order thinking skills and creativity over the four years of study.

3. Communication Skills

Objectives:

• Ability to write in the form of a professional journal article
• Ability to give oral presentations of experimental work

4. Laboratory Skills/Field Work

Objectives:

• Develop observation skills
• Make accurate and precise measurements, including proper pipetting techniques and the ability to construct a standard curve
• Prepare materials needed to run an experiment, including making solutions by percentage or molarity and being able to accomplish required units-conversion

5. Computer Literacy

Objectives:

• Use statistical software
• Conduct literature searches
• Use bioinformatics data bases

6. Quantitative Skills

Objectives:

• Use of mathematics to support lab skills described above
• Develop elementary knowledge of descriptive statistics and statistical tests

7. Develop Social Intelligence (collaborative skills)

Objectives:

• Work as part of a team
• Negotiate individual responsibilities in team work

Revised: January 2010

1. Critical Thinking Skills

Objectives:

• Comprehend subject matter
• Analyze data
• Synthesize information
• Apply skills from a-c so that they can predict results of a given experiment (e.g. formulate the null and alternative hypotheses) and,
• Design new experiments to improve on their previous work.

All of the above enhance student learning through higher order thinking skills through incremental steps towards creativity.

2. Communication Skills

Objectives:

• Writing/Oral

3. Laboratory skills/Field work

There are too many to list but the following are some examples:

• Observation skills
• Make accurate and precise measurements
• Prepare materials needed to run an experiment
• Analyze experimental data
• Make conclusions based on the data
• Suggest ways to improve and experiment

4. Computer literacy

Objectives:

• Use statistical software
• Use molecular biology software
• Use bioinformatics data bases
• Conduct literature searches

5. Quantitative skills

Objectives:

• Laboratory math
• Statistical analyses

6. Develop Social Intelligence, i.e. Collaborative Skills

Objectives:

• Work as part of a team
• Negotiate individual responsibilities in team work

1. Students must demonstrate proficiency in written communication.
2. Students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language through the intermediate level.
3. Students must become informed global citizens and gain intercultural awareness through a study abroad experience.
4. Students must become acquainted with different ages, societies, and cultures and learn how to use a variety of historical sources.
5. Students must be able to reason abstractly and appreciate the elegance of abstract structure.
6. Students must understand the methods of scientific discovery and experimental design.
7. Students must acquire problem-solving and research capability by identifying, locating, evaluating, and effectively using information.
8. Students must be able to analyze and understand the creative process, assimilate experience, and communicate it.
9. Students must be able to interpret words, images, objects, and/or actions that are expressions of human culture.
10. Students must understand the complex nature of social structures and/or human relationships that involve issues of inequality and difference.
11. Students must explore ecological, policy, social, cultural, and/or historical dimensions of human relationship to the environment.