About
UMBC is one of four institutional partners in the National Experiment in Undergraduate Science Education or NEXUS funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). This collaborative project responds to the 2009 report “Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians,” published jointly by HHMI and the Association of American Medical Colleges, which calls for competency-based science education to better prepare students for medical, pharmacy, and veterinary schools and also to better educate students who are studying the basic biological sciences. The NEXUS institutions, which also include the University of Maryland, College Park, Purdue University, and the University of Miami, have been developing and piloting interdisciplinary modules to complement introductory undergraduate life science instruction.
Goals
The goal of the UMBC NEXUS project has been to develop and disseminate validated competency-based modules and assessment tools that integrate quantitative thinking into the introductory biology topics. This online website serves as the resource for the ten comprehensive UMBC NEXUS inquiry-based modules, which can be used in whole or in part, in class, in discussion sections, or as homework.
Competency-based Modules
Faculty teaching courses in the biological sciences are invited to pilot, adapt, and assess these modules in their classrooms. Access to the comprehensive modules is restricted to faculty and staff in higher education and we ask that module implementers provide feedback to the UMBC NEXUS team using the online form to support the formative assessment process. Faculty members interested in using UMBC’s NEXUS modules should register using the online form. Requestors can expect a response from a member of the UMBC NEXUS team in approximately 48 hours or less.