Development of Educational Materials that Strengthen Students' Problem-Solving Skills for a Bioengineering Fundamentals Course

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal Number: 0231313 Institution: William Marsh Rice University PI: Ann Saterbak Title: Development of Educational Materials that Strengthen Students' Problem-Solving Skills for a Bioengineering Fundamentals Course Our team is developing educational materials that cover the conservation laws with applications in biological and medical systems. We believe these materials provide a new and unifying approach for teaching the introductory course in bioengineering departments across the country. The number of Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering Departments in the United States has increased substantially in the last decade to support the increased demand for diverse engineering graduates who are knowledgeable in life sciences and are skilled as engineers. Currently, no textbooks or materials on the fundamentals of engineering are targeted to students in an introductory bioengineering course. Our educational goals are being achieved through the completion of some of the first chapters which involve, Conservation Principles in Bioengineering, that includes the development of problem-based learning modules, as well as communication skills enhancement and web-based interactive simulation modules. Our assessment plan evaluates student knowledge acquisition, problem-solving skills development, and communication skills development. Prentice Hall, a commercial publisher, is distributing the completed textbook. A variety of supporting materials are being made available on the Internet, and dissemination includes journal publications and conference presentations. Professors at four universities are using our educational materials in their courses, assess student outcomes, and evaluate the effectiveness of our educational materials.