Can Biocalculus help fix the calculus image problem?

Calculus has an image problem in life science undergraduate studies. Students are anxious about taking it, due to tricky past experiences and because calculus as a major gateway course contributes to attrition in biology. Calculus teaching to life science students often does not convey its utility in problem solving and graphical interpretation. This problem is exacerbated by the increasing focus on big data and computational skills rather than proofs and algebraic techniques which have traditionally dominated calculus teaching. We present one solution to this problem: “Biocalculus”, an approach to teaching calculus to life science students which incorporates modeling, computational tools, lab activities, authentic problem solving, interdisciplinary language, and an asset-based mindset. We outline the benefits of biocalculus as enabling students’ connections to the theory of their disciplines, increased retention (particularly of students with identities often marginalized in STEM), and higher learning gains. We acknowledge Biocalculus implementation challenges such as instructor professional development and infrastructure that supports interdisciplinary initiatives. We conclude stressing the importance of the epistemological shifts required of both the Biology and Mathematics communities in order to tackle the disciplinary microaggressions that impede acknowledging the reciprocal meaning-making gains that Biocalculus can make possible for life science (and other) students.