Development of a novel foundation course for biomedical engineering curriculum
The Bioengineering undergraduate program at Rice University is developing novel courses to meet its primary program objectives. Students are required to take seven core Bioengineering courses and five elective courses in one of the three tracks of Cellular and Molecular Engineering, Systems Engineering and Biomedical Instrumentation, or Biomaterials and Biomechanics. The authors have developed a new sophomore-level course, Conservation Principles in Biology and Medicine, that lays the foundation for achieving the program objectives, prepares students for upper-level core courses, and exposes students to material in all three tracks. This course introduces the general conservation law and then focuses on the application of conservation of mass, momentum, charge and energy in biological systems. Course examples span the breath of modern bioengineering: physiology, biochemistry, tissue engineering, kinematics, biomaterials, biotechnology, cellular engineering, and instrumentation. One unique feature is the use of case studies at the end of the course to illustrate the concept that various conservation principles can be applied to understand and to model different aspects of a system. Case studies of the kidney, cellular metabolism and the circulatory system have been developed. Finally, a group term project focused on modeling an organ and describing an assist device synthesizes material. The term project also emphasizes team work and written and oral presentation skills which are taught in conjunction with the Cain Project in Engineering and Professional Communication. Assessment includes extensive mid-year and terminal surveys which focus on content, mode of presentation and quality of teaching. Conservation Principles in Biology and Medicine is serving as the template for incorporating ABET 2000 into a new department. Course notes are being developed into a textbook for biomedical engineering students.
