Presentation at the Leicester Biological Sciences Pedagogical Research Group on Tuesday 17th September 2013, by Jenny Koenig (Cambridge) on Learning and Teaching Maths in the Biosciences. http://lebioscience.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/learning-and-teaching-maths-in.html

1. Learning and Teaching Maths
in Biosciences
Jenny Koenig, Lucy Cavendish
College, University of Cambridge
Dawn Hawkins
Anglia Ruskin University
Biomaths Education
Network
Nathan Pike
Higher Education Academy
US-UK Comparisons Study

2. A survey of the mathematics landscape within
bioscience in UK Higher Education (2011)
Preparedness from school:
• content
• attitudes
Maths in bioscience degrees:
• pedagogy
• content
http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/ftp/report

3. Preparedness: content
School maths qualifications upon entry at 24 UK HE’s

4. GCSE grades for Bioscience degrees

5. MEI (Mathematics in Education
and Industry) 2010
C Grade at GCSE Maths means:
• no scientific notation
• very weak algebra
• no graphs of exponential or
reciprocal functions
• no trigonometry
• no box plots or histograms
What do the grades mean in practice?
http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/ftp/resour

6. logarithms and calculus are in AS maths
A level Chemistry and Biology contain very little maths
Report from SCORE, “Mathematics within A level Science 2010
Examinations” (2012)
http://www.score-education.org/policy/qualifications-and-
assessment/mathematics-in-science

7. Preparedness: attitudes
• “fear of maths”, “maths-phobia”
• “treat maths as some kind of mystical dark art, sent to
terrorise biologists”
• “the key difficulty is not so much lack of knowledge as
lack of confidence”
• “the maths content of a Biology degree comes as quite a
shock…”
• “when they see the application for themselves, many do
shift their opinion and attitude towards mathematics”

8. Maths content in bioscience degrees

9. US-UK Comparisons
Reports:
BIO2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future
Research Biologists (2003)
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10497
Vision and Change in Undergraduate Education: A call to
action. AAAS. (2011).
http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/
Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College
graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics The President’s Council
of Advisors on Science and Technology. (2012).
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp
/pcast-executive-report-final_2-13-12.pdf

10. What next?

11. What are the key questions now?
• How do we change attitudes to maths?
– positive reinforcement – can this be done in large classes?
– context / authenticity – can this impact upon the emotional
response?
– problem-solving approaches
– mathematical modelling approaches
• Why don’t students expect to see maths in biology
degrees?
• How do we correct the mismatch in content from school
to university?