If this a serious question, any number of undergraduate-level professional programs may be accredited: Landscape architecture, architecture, medical programs, teacher education, accounting, etc.
On Sun, May 27, 2012 at 10:31 PM, Jane Shevtsov <jane....@gmail.com> wrote: > What disciplines other than engineering have departmental > accreditation at the undergraduate level? > > Jane > > On Sun, May 27, 2012 at 2:47 PM, malcolm McCallum > <malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org> wrote: > > The problem with biology education today is that there are: > > 1) no standards for what the major is > > 2) no accreditation governing what a department should comprise > > > > Europe now has accreditation for the discipline and if the US does not > > follow suit you can watch rapidly as we not only fall behind in > > biology, but basically fall like a rock in stature. > > > > Too many departments just wing it at the whim of the administrations' > folly. > > Accreditation provides the departments with significant support and > > legitimacy in the face of those administrations that generally care a > > lot about money and little about quality or students. > > > > There are more of those than we care to admit. > > > > Look, we can't even agree whether biodiversity concepts belong in an > > intro to bio class. > > I find this not only disheartening but also frightening. Where else > > they going to learn it, English? > > Most schools don't have an EVS course, and many never will. > > > > Malcolm > > > > On Sun, May 27, 2012 at 12:09 PM, Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH) > > <resea...@hiltonpond.org> wrote: > >> With sincere respect to all of you in the fields of microbiology, > genetics, and other laboratory-based disciplines of the life sciences, I > contend the "Campbell Essential Biology" approach is exactly what is wrong > with biology education today. > >> > >> Nearly all undergraduate and high school introductory biology courses > are written as if EVERY student is going on to med school, nursing, or a > career in a lab-based science. I agree it's important for an undergrad > course to make mention of cytology, DNA, photosynthesis, etc., but I > question the real value to students of any non-major textbook in which 12 > chapters deal with cell-DNA and ecology, ecosystems, and the biosphere are > relegated to the last three chapters. > >> > >> My guess is that 95% or more of non-majors will never have any really > practical use for information about cell-DNA. It's complicated stuff that > their physicians and pharmacists need to know, but what would be of > infinitely greater value is for everyone to be familiar with basic > principles of ecology, plant-animal interactions, pollination biology, and > the like. Knowing about these things will enable students in general to > understand how humans fit into and affect the world around them, and such > understanding will help them make informed decisions about such things as > overfishing, watersheds and wetlands, use of household pesticides and > fertilizers--to say nothing of current controversial topics like global > climate change, fracking, etc. > >> > >> We all teach what we know, of course, and the vast majority of high > school biology teachers know what they learned in an undergrad biology > courses taught from the "pre-med" perspective. I know from 25-plus years in > the classroom and lab that for kids not going off to med-school the > "pre-med" approach is often a turn-off to science, while a course that > emphasizes ecology, the environment, field work, etc., is a turn-on. I also > taught undergrad biology and know such is the case with many college > students. > >> > >> Cheers, > >> > >> BILL > >> > >> > >> On May 27, 2012, at 10:48 AM, Helena Puche wrote: > >> > >>> David, > >>> > >>> I used "Campbell Essential Biology" by E.J. Simon, J.B.Reece and J.L. > Dickey. It is a book for non-biology majors that has 20 chapters, all of > them with a focus on evolution and examples, and nice drawings and > pictures. Twelve of the 20 chapters are geared toward cell-DNA, then three > chapters on taxonomy and systematics. The last three include populations & > ecology, communities & ecosystems, and the biosphere. Therefore, you will > have to add extra material to recreate those last topics. > >>> > >>> I created several evolution labs using beans or the web pages below, > designed a ppt to introduce Darwin's liand thoughts, and added many lab > activities to learn about mark-recapture techniques, estimating population > growth rate & size, population growth models, climate change, and > identifying biomes. > >>> > >>> Evolution links to check are: > >>> http://video.pbs.org/video/1300397304/ > >>> http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/devitt_02 > >>> > >>> I used those as base for the lab activities. > >>> > >>> Hope this helps. > >>> > >>> Helena > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Helena Puche, Ph. D. > >>> > >>> Adjunct Assistant Professor > >>> > >>> University of Illinois at Chicago > >>> > >>> > >>> Biological Sciences, 3464 SES, MC > >>> 066 > >>> > >>> 845 West Taylor Street > >>> > >>> Chicago, IL 60607hpu...@uic.edu > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> --- On Fri, 5/25/12, Johnson, David R <drjohns...@utep.edu> wrote: > >>> > >>> From: Johnson, David R <drjohns...@utep.edu> > >>> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Non-Majors Biology > >>> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > >>> Date: Friday, May 25, 2012, 2:49 PM > >>> > >>> Greetings, > >>> > >>> I am teaching a "contemporary biology" course for non-science majors > in the fall and for the first time I am fortunate to be able to organize > the course at my discretion. Effectively, I can present any material I wish > as long as I hit broad themes such as Cell Theory and Evolution. While this > is certainly doable, I am struggling deciding exactly what content to > present. The course is meant to present the science of contemporary issues > that may be important and/or interesting to the non-science student rather > than a broad survey course encompassing all of biology. There is another > such survey course with a set syllabus that I am not teaching, and there > are two other sections of contemporary biology that are focusing on > genetics. I would like to focus on the many ecological issues that both > affect and are affected by humans. My struggle involves the fact that this > may be the only (or last) biology these students get before we cast them > out into the world. > >>> So I want to be sure and cover all my bases. > >>> > >>> I am writing Ecolog with two questions. First, what is the relative > merit of including as much biology as possible as opposed to focusing on > fewer but perhaps more directly relevant ecological topics? These students > will most likely not become scientists, and certainly won't need to > memorize the structure of all the amino acids, for example. On the other > hand, would I be cheating them somehow by not providing enough information > to them for making informed decisions on topics outside of my direct area > of expertise, such as developmental biology and stem cells? > >>> > >>> The other question I have involves textbooks. Is anyone aware of a > text (or perhaps pop-science books) designed for the non-science major that > focuses on ecology, in particular the involvement of humans in ecological > systems? I haven't been able to find something I like and am looking for > recommendations. > >>> > >>> Thanks and I'll circulate a summary response if/when the discussion > runs its course. > >>> > >>> Cheers, > >>> > >>> David > >>> > >>> David R. Johnson PhD. > >>> Postdoctoral Research Associate > >>> Systems Ecology Lab > >>> University of Texas at El Paso > >>> drjohns...@utep.edu > >> > >> P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at > http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond for timely updates on nature topics. > >> > >> ========= > >> > >> RESEARCH PROGRAM > >> c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director > >> Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History > >> 1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA > >> office & cell (803) 684-5852 > >> fax (803) 684-0255 > >> > >> Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net): > >> Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at > http://www.hiltonpond.org > >> "Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at > http://www.rubythroat.org > >> > >> ================== > > > > > > > > -- > > Malcolm L. McCallum > > Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry > > School of Biological Sciences > > University of Missouri at Kansas City > > > > Managing Editor, > > Herpetological Conservation and Biology > > > > "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - > > Allan Nation > > > > 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert > > 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, > > and pollution. > > 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction > > MAY help restore populations. > > 2022: Soylent Green is People! > > > > The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi) > > Wealth w/o work > > Pleasure w/o conscience > > Knowledge w/o character > > Commerce w/o morality > > Science w/o humanity > > Worship w/o sacrifice > > Politics w/o principle > > > > Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any > > attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may > > contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized > > review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not > > the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and > > destroy all copies of the original message. > > > > -- > ------------- > Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. > Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA > co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org > > "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular > geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both > for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a > broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John > Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist" > -- G. Karen Golinski, PhD
