Perspectives from a first-time biological physics course designer and instructor

Teaching biological physics presents interesting challenges. The field blends different disciplines together including biology, physics, mathematics and engineering. Prospective students who seek to take a biological physics class in their undergraduate career may be developing mastery in each of these topics at different rates and combinations of students from various disciplines lead to heterogeneous class compositions. Additionally, there is community discussion about what all should be included in a biological physics class and what population it serves. In this work, I will present the process and input I used to develop a single-semester biological physics lecture and lab class at a primarily undergraduate institution. The learning goals incorporate concepts from the abovementioned fields. In addition to lecture material and homework for students to work on subject mastery, the class involves student presentations that focus on either the history of the field or current trends. Finally, a collaborative design project, as found in some engineering classes, encourages students to envision themselves as professionals and think of how to directly apply their knowledge. At this time, I only have preliminary anecdotal evidence about the class's reception and effectiveness.