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Zebrafish development and genetics: introducing undergraduates to developmental biology and genetics in a large introductory laboratory class.

ABSTRACT: We have taken advantage of the strengths of the zebrafish model system to introduce developmental biology and genetics to undergraduates in their second semester of the Introductory Biology course at Emory. We designed a 6-week laboratory module based on research being undertaken by faculty in the department, and incorporated experiments that used current research methods including bioinformatics. Students undertook a range of experiments including direct observation of live wild-type zebrafish at different stages of embryogenesis, whole-mount in situ hybridization of mutant and wild-type embryos, vital dye staining of mutant and wild-type embryos, and pharmacological treatments to perturb normal development. These laboratories engaged the students by providing a hands-on, research-centered experience, while also enhancing their written (worksheets and laboratory reports) and oral (group presentation) communication skills. We describe the proceedings of each lab and the logistics of preparing and running these labs for 400-500 students (120 students taking lab each day), and provide a preliminary assessment of the success of the laboratories data based on student evaluations.

SUBMITTER: D'Costa A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2774836 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Implementation of a project-based molecular biology laboratory emphasizing protein structure-function relationships in a large introductory biology laboratory course.

Project description:In introductory laboratory courses, many universities are turning from traditional laboratories with predictable outcomes to inquiry-inspired, project-based laboratory curricula. In these labs, students are allowed to design at least some portion of their own experiment and interpret new, undiscovered data. We have redesigned the introductory biology laboratory course at Brandeis University into a semester-long project-based laboratory that emphasizes concepts and contains an element of scientific inquiry. In this laboratory, students perform a site-directed mutagenesis experiment on the gene encoding human γD crystallin, a human eye lens protein implicated in cataracts, and assess the stability of their newly created protein with respect to wild-type crystallin. This laboratory utilizes basic techniques in molecular biology to emphasize the importance of connections between DNA and protein. This project lab has helped engage students in their own learning, has improved students' skills in critical thinking and analysis, and has promoted interest in basic research in biology.

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Authentic Inquiry through Modeling in Biology (AIM-Bio): An Introductory Laboratory Curriculum That Increases Undergraduates' Scientific Agency and Skills.

Project description:Providing opportunities for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics undergraduates to engage in authentic scientific practices is likely to influence their view of science and may impact their decision to persist through graduation. Laboratory courses provide a natural place to introduce students to scientific practices, but existing curricula often miss this opportunity by focusing on confirming science content rather than exploring authentic questions. Integrating authentic science within laboratory courses is particularly challenging at high-enrollment institutions and community colleges, where access to research-active faculty may be limiting. The Authentic Inquiry through Modeling in Biology (AIM-Bio) curriculum presented here engages students in authentic scientific practices through iterative cycles of model generation, testing, and revision. AIM-Bio university and community college students demonstrated their ability to propose diverse models for biological phenomena, formulate and address hypotheses by designing and conducting experiments, and collaborate with classmates to revise models based on experimental data. Assessments demonstrated that AIM-Bio students had an enhanced sense of project ownership and greater identification as scientists compared with students in existing laboratory courses. AIM-Bio students also experienced measurable gains in their nature of science understanding and skills for doing science. Our results suggest AIM-Bio as a potential alternative to more resource-intensive curricula with similar outcomes.

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Learn before lecture: A strategy that improves learning outcomes in a large introductory biology class.

Project description:Actively engaging students in lecture has been shown to increase learning gains. To create time for active learning without displacing content we used two strategies for introducing material before class in a large introductory biology course. Four to five slides from 2007/8 were removed from each of three lectures in 2009 and the information introduced in preclass worksheets or narrated PowerPoint videos. In class, time created by shifting lecture material to learn before lecture (LBL) assignments was used to engage students in application of their new knowledge. Learning was evaluated by comparing student performance in 2009 versus 2007/8 on LBL-related question pairs, matched by level and format. The percentage of students who correctly answered five of six LBL-related exam questions was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in 2009 versus 2007/8. The mean increase in performance was 21% across the six LBL-related questions compared with <3% on all non-LBL exam questions. The worksheet and video LBL formats were equally effective based on a cross-over experimental design. These results demonstrate that LBLs combined with interactive exercises can be implemented incrementally and result in significant increases in learning gains in large introductory biology classes.

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| S-EPMC9304200 | biostudies-literature

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Exploring metagenomics in the laboratory of an introductory biology course.

Project description:Four laboratory modules were designed for introductory biology students to explore the field of metagenomics. Students collected microbes from environmental samples, extracted the DNA, and amplified 16S rRNA gene sequences using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Students designed functional metagenomics screens to determine and compare antibiotic resistance profiles among the samples. Bioinformatics tools were used to generate and interpret phylogenetic trees and identify homologous genes. A pretest and posttest were used to assess learning gains, and the results indicated that these modules increased student performance by an average of 22%. Here we describe ways to engage students in metagenomics-related research and provide readers with ideas for how they can start developing metagenomics exercises for their own classrooms.

| S-EPMC4416502 | biostudies-literature

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Project description:Instructors want students to be prepared for class. There are several different resources and activities available to help students prepare for class, but very little is known about how students choose to prepare for class in the context of undergraduate biology. In this study, we used content analysis to investigate what students do to prepare for an introductory biology course and if and how that preparation differed under two different conditions. Students were either directed to search out and choose their resources to prepare for class (choice treatment) or assigned specific pages from a textbook (text treatment). Students in the choice treatment reported preparing for class slightly more often than students in the text treatment, with both groups reporting that they prepared for over three-quarters of classes. However, students assigned specific textbook passages engaged more while preparing than students who had to find their resources. The textbook was a popular resource but second to websites for students who got to choose. Students in both groups performed similarly in the course. This work helps instructors understand what their students may be doing to prepare for class. We provide recommendations to guide instructors on how to help their students prepare for class.

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Project description: Not available

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Project description:Student self-perception is related to persistence in science. Yet how self-perception develops over time is less clear. We examined student self-perception trajectories and their relationship with gender, persons excluded due to ethnicity or race (PEER) status, and first-generation college student (FGCS) status across a yearlong introductory biology sequence. While we found similar rates of change in self-efficacy and science identity for all groups, females and PEER students had lower initial scores that failed to "catch up" to male and non-PEER scores by the end of the year. Students grouped into either high and stable or lower and decreasing trajectories for scientific community values, with first-generation college students overrepresented in the latter group. Additionally, we found no evidence for intersectionality of subgroups. We did find evidence that the relationship between gender and PEER status and science identity is likely mediated via self-efficacy. Taken together, our results suggest that introductory biology students develop self-efficacy and science identity at similar rates regardless of gender, PEER status, or FGCS status and that interventions targeting scientific community values for all students and self-efficacy of female and PEER students may be fruitful areas to pursue to increase persistence of students in the sciences and to reduce score differences between groups.

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