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Building Mathematical Models and Biological Insight in an Introductory Biology Course
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2011
Abstract
A growing body of literature testifies to the importance of quantitative reasoning skills in the 21st-century biology curriculum, and to the learning benefits associated with active pedagogies. The process of modeling a biological system provides an approach that integrates mathematical skills and higher-order thinking with existing course content knowledge. We describe a general strategy for teaching model-building in an introductory biology course, using the example of a model of an infectious disease outbreak. Preliminary assessment data suggest that working through the formal process of model construction may help students develop their scientific reasoning and communication skills.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Mathematical Modelling of Natural Phenomena , Volume 6 , Issue 6: Biomathematics Education , 2011 , pp. 198 - 214
- Copyright
- © EDP Sciences, 2011
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