Recommendation of the Biological and Physical Sciences Area Group


Within the context of general education and the general education program as defined in the regulations, COMAR 13B.06.01.02 Definitions:

(7) "General education" means the foundation of the higher education curriculum providing a coherent intellectual experience for all students.

(8) "General education program" means a program that is designed to:

(a) Introduce undergraduates to the fundamental knowledge, skills, and values that are essential to the study of academic disciplines;

(b) Encourage the pursuit of life-long learning; and

(c) Foster the development of educated members of the community of the world.

I. The major goal of general education courses in biological and physical sciences is to actively involve the student in the process of science. The important objectives are for students:

    1. To achieve scientific literacy including proficiency in evaluating reports on science, discriminating among sources, and presenting the concept of peer review;
    2. To discriminate science from non-science and to demonstrate that science constitutes the testing of hypotheses about natural phenomena through observation;
    3. To know how to access specific scientific information on a topic;
    4. To attain familiarity with some of the tools of science and to have opportunities to use technology to gather and process data;
    5. To acquire proficiency in the quantitative aspects of science, with an appreciation of the role of variability in the quantitative evaluation of data; and
    6. To demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental concepts of the discipline(s).

II. A general education science laboratory course must provide some experimental activities that include direct experience with real phenomena, use of technology, and the collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data.