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Biomedical Engineering Education

Biomedical Engineering Education - Poster Session E

Poster Q16 - Real-life examples of math used in biomedical engineering research: the effect of supplemental applications curriculum on performance and motivation in an introductory calculus course

Saturday, October 26, 2024
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST
Location: Exhibit Hall E, F & G

Introduction:  Introductory calculus courses are required for undergraduate degrees for a majority of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. Fundamental classes like calculus have been described as a “gatekeeper courses,” and are implicated in a failure of STEM major retention for students across different institutions, class sizes, and student backgrounds. Promoting student motivation and engagement in such courses has been shown to improve student success and resilience. Real applications and active learning methods in mathematics subjects have been shown to be effective at fostering student motivation. However, introductory calculus courses are composed of students with a variety of career interests.

Biomedical engineering (BME) is a broad and interdisciplinary field, which can encompass specialties like biology, medicine, chemistry, statistics, and engineering professions. Therefore, we hypothesized that examples from the field of BME could be sufficiently broad to reach the interests of students across a variety of different STEM majors. The objective of this institutional review board (IRB) approved study was to assess if technical applications of basic calculus concepts taken from real BME research could improve student motivation and performance in an introductory calculus course. Beyond the standard calculus curriculum, we implemented a supplemental curriculum which included “mini-lectures” calculus applications in BME, and extra credit assignments based in active learning strategies. Effect of student motivation and performance in the course was assessed via surveys and by exam grade data. Findings from this study could suggest methods for improving retention through calculus, which is fundamental to a variety of STEM majors.

Materials and

Methods:  The study was conducted in an introductory calculus course (MATH 201) at Coppin State University, a public HBCU (historically black colleges and universities). As a part of the standard curriculum, the course instructor taught topics including limits, differentiation, and integration. Students were assigned a total of six homework assignments, four quizzes, two exams (test #1 and test #3), one midterm exam (test #2), and a final exam (Figure 1A). The supplemental curriculum was led by a BME postdoctoral fellow from Johns Hopkins University, and was composed of three mini-lectures, three optional extra-credit assignments, and voluntary surveys at the beginning and end of the course (Figure 1A). Mini-lectures were delivered following each of the three exams and described various applications of calculus topics in BME as well as the upcoming extra credit assignment. After each assignment was complete and graded, a follow-up discussion was given to discuss solutions to the extra credit assignments. Each assignment included word problems that related to data analysis of BME research, such as using limits or integrals to measure drug concentrations, and using differentiation to assess patient liver health. Initial and final surveys were used to assess student career interests, motivation for mathematics courses, perceptions of the supplemental curriculum, and how the supplementary curriculum may have impacted student interests. The effect of the supplementary curriculum on student performance was also assessed for extra credit participants through the change in exam grades across the course, and in comparison to grades from the prior year (without supplemental curriculum).

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: Students showed interest in disciplines including computer science, biology, medicine, and chemistry (Figure 1B), and in continuing their education at some point beyond their undergraduate degree (Figure 1C). Final survey results found that students thought the supplemental curriculum activities were useful, relevant, and interesting (Figure 2). Additionally, some students indicated that the supplemental curriculum increased their interest in a STEM career (Figure 3). Although not all significant, midterm exam averages were greater for the extra credit participants and the supplemental curriculum semester, as compared to the class the prior year (Table 1). Moreover, grades for the extra credit participants were significantly higher for the second midterm exam (the first following the supplemental curriculum) as compared to the year prior (p=0.038, Table 1).

Students in the course with the supplemental curriculum had broad interests in STEM careers. However, the BME based supplemental curriculum was overall perceived favorably by these students. Survey data also implicated that some students found that the supplemental curriculum was strongly motivating for a STEM career, however some students also report neutral or somewhat negative effects on their motivation. While this curriculum successfully reached some students, additional work is needed to ensure there is no demotivating effects of the curriculum. Average midterm exam grades suggest that extra credit participants may have performed better during the course. However, further assessments would be needed to distinguish the effect of extra credit participation from participant background or other study habits.

The use of real applications of calculus from BME research was overall well liked and may have had a positive impact on motivation of some students for their future STEM career. Since this study was conducted across a small population, additional studies in future semesters or at other universities could better study the impact of the supplemental curriculum. Despite this, our study provides active learning modules designed to resonate with a broad STEM audience. Moreover, our supplemental curriculum presents a potential strategy to introduce BME topics to students with interdisciplinary interests at universities without engineering programs, or even for high school outreach.

Acknowledgements (Optional):  This work was supported by the Academic Success via Postdoctoral Independence in Research and Education (ASPIRE)/Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) program at Johns Hopkins University, Coppin State University, and Morgan State University (NIH K12-GM123914). The authors would also like to thank Kelly Clark for providing feedback for survey design, and guidance for the IRB approval process.