QUBES: a community focused on supporting teaching and learning in quantitative biology

Sam Donovan; Carrie Diaz Eaton; Stith T. Gower; Kristin P. Jenkins; M. Drew LaMar; DorothyBelle Poli; Robert Sheehy; Jeremy M. Wojdak

doi:10.30707/LiB2.1Donovan

Sam Donovan Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4021-9878
Carrie Diaz Eaton Center for Biodiversity, Unity College, Unity, ME, USA http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3645-4560
Stith T. Gower Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
Kristin P. Jenkins BioQUEST, Madison, WI, USA
M. Drew LaMar Biology Department, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4037-1848
DorothyBelle Poli Department of Biology, Roanoke College, Salem, VA, USA
Robert Sheehy Biology Department, Radford University, Radford, VA, USA http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4903-2658
Jeremy M. Wojdak Biology Department, Radford University, Radford, VA, USA http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5224-1231

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30707/LiB2.1Donovan

Keywords: mathematics, biology, education, collaboration, professional development

Abstract

This letter provides an overview of the Quantitative Undergraduate Biology Education and Synthesis (QUBES) Project funded through the National Science Foundation. The project has five distinct, but interdependent, initiatives which work together to support faculty and students in the teaching and learning of quantitative biology (QB). QUBES has adopted an integrated strategy to improving the frequency and effectiveness of QB instruction that includes coordinating a broad consortium of professional stakeholders, supporting faculty development and the implementation of new teaching practices, providing an infrastructure for collaboration and access to high quality materials, establishing new metrics for faculty teaching scholarship and documenting the project outcomes.