Building Quantitative Skills in Biology: An Equity-Sensitive Quantitative Biology Course via Multiple Institutions

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Math anxiety is disproportionately felt by women and women disproportionately report lower self-efficacy in math. Women are also less likely than men to finish STEM-required calculus sequences, and surveys suggest this difference is driven by lower confidence rather than lower preparation or ability. This project seeks to create an exportable and equity-sensitive quantitative biology course that minimizes math-associated inequities. This course will be taught and informed by a diverse set of institutions. The institutions include a four-year university (University of Washington), two-year colleges (North Seattle College and Shoreline Community College), and a prison education program (University Beyond Bars). This project will examine whether or not this new course decreases math-associated inequities. The course will be freely shared with the broader community so that it can be implemented or adapted by other institutions.This project will develop a new equity-sensitive quantitative biology course, implement the course at four institutions, and assess the course for student achievement and equity in performance and affect. Development of this quantitative biology course will be guided by "Vision and Change" principles. The course structure and content will be designed to promote equity by incorporating evidence-based techniques to mitigate gender and cultural biases. The course development will be informed by its implementation at the four institutions, which differ in student demographics, type of institution, and resources. Pre- and post-course performance and affect in applied quantitative skills will be collected and analyzed. Data will also be gathered from life science students who have taken the traditional quantitative skills requirements, typically through mathematics departments. By comparing performance of students taking this new course to students taking traditional courses, the project seeks to gather evidence on the impact of incorporating quantitative skills into the life sciences. The project will also investigate the impact on minimizing math-associated inequities among students. The course materials, modules, and gap-mitigation techniques will be freely disseminated.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.