Learning Aims

The Biology Department has developed the following learning aims for the biology major:

• Students will master current factual content of different subdisciplines within biology, such as molecular/cellular, organismal, and population biology. 
• Students will demonstrate the ability to organize, apply, and synthesize the large quantities of new scientific information into a meaningful framework.
• Students will show a clear understanding of the scientific process and effectively engage in conducting research based on their ability to read, understand, and critically evaluate primary literature articles; ask scientific questions; design experiments testing hypotheses; and analyze, display, and interpret data using statistical and graphical software packages.
• Students will demonstrate proficiency in communicating effectively in a variety of formats, including verbal, written, and symbolic (mathematical) channels. They will exhibit the ability to write papers in appropriate scientific formats; discuss scientific experiments in a group; present results verbally and in poster formats; and use computer and graphical models to explain biological phenomenon.
• Students will be able to articulate the ethical issues surrounding the practice and direction of biological research.
• Students will become active and engaged citizens who take active leadership and service roles in the larger community, particularly when issues arise related to their biological training.