  If students are to successfully grapple with authentic, complex biological
problems as scientists and citizens, they need practice solving such problems
during their undergraduate years. Physics education researchers have
investigated student problem solving for the last three decades. Although
physics and biology problems differ in structure and content, the instructional
purposes align closely: explaining patterns and processes in the natural world
and making predictions about physical and biological systems. In this paper, we
discuss how research-supported approaches developed by physics education
researchers can be adopted by biologists to enhance student problem-solving
skills. First, we compare the problems that biology students are typically
asked to solve with authentic, complex problems. We then describe the
development of research-validated physics curricula emphasizing process skills
in problem solving. We show that solving authentic, complex biology problems
requires many of the same skills that practicing physicists and biologists use
in representing problems, seeking relationships, making predictions, and
verifying or checking solutions. We assert that acquiring these skills can help
biology students become competent problem solvers. Finally, we propose how
biology scholars can apply lessons from physics education in their classrooms
and inspire new studies in biology education research.
  (To appear in Cell Biology Education - Life Sciences Education)
