Learning goals for the biology major.
- Students completing the core sequence for the biology major will master fundamental biological concepts and the experimental bases by which these concepts were discovered and are understood.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to utilize these fundamental concepts in subsequent upper-level and capstone courses to gain deeper expertise in one or more subfields within biology.
- Through instructor-developed pedagogy and self-designed experiments in capstone courses, students will learn problem solving and critical thinking skills related to the integration and application of these fundamental concepts and principles.
- Through hypothesis formulation, design and execution of experiments, data collection and statistical analysis, and formulation of a conclusion, students will learn to understand and exercise the scientific method.
- Through directed reading of published research articles and the writing and oral presentation of their own field and laboratory research, students will learn to communicate effectively as biologists.
- Through class presentation of the latest research and by learning to access current published biological research, students will learn to appreciate the dynamic nature of modern biological knowledge, and how to remain current with that knowledge.