Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

27 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

Bioinformatics and the undergraduate curriculum essay.

ABSTRACT: Recent advances involving high-throughput techniques for data generation and analysis have made familiarity with basic bioinformatics concepts and programs a necessity in the biological sciences. Undergraduate students increasingly need training in methods related to finding and retrieving information stored in vast databases. The rapid rise of bioinformatics as a new discipline has challenged many colleges and universities to keep current with their curricula, often in the face of static or dwindling resources. On the plus side, many bioinformatics modules and related databases and software programs are free and accessible online, and interdisciplinary partnerships between existing faculty members and their support staff have proved advantageous in such efforts. We present examples of strategies and methods that have been successfully used to incorporate bioinformatics content into undergraduate curricula.

SUBMITTER: Maloney M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2931662 | biostudies-literature | 2010

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Publications

Bioinformatics and the undergraduate curriculum essay.

Maloney Mark M Parker Jeffrey J Leblanc Mark M Woodard Craig T CT Glackin Mary M Hanrahan Michael M

CBE life sciences education 20100101 3

Recent advances involving high-throughput techniques for data generation and analysis have made familiarity with basic bioinformatics concepts and programs a necessity in the biological sciences. Undergraduate students increasingly need training in methods related to finding and retrieving information stored in vast databases. The rapid rise of bioinformatics as a new discipline has challenged many colleges and universities to keep current with their curricula, often in the face of static or dwi ...[more]

PMID: 20810947

Similar Datasets

Evolving strategies for the incorporation of bioinformatics within the undergraduate cell biology curriculum.

Project description:Recent advances in genomics and structural biology have resulted in an unprecedented increase in biological data available from Internet-accessible databases. In order to help students effectively use this vast repository of information, undergraduate biology students at Drake University were introduced to bioinformatics software and databases in three courses, beginning with an introductory course in cell biology. The exercises and projects that were used to help students develop literacy in bioinformatics are described. In a recently offered course in bioinformatics, students developed their own simple sequence analysis tool using the Perl programming language. These experiences are described from the point of view of the instructor as well as the students. A preliminary assessment has been made of the degree to which students had developed a working knowledge of bioinformatics concepts and methods. Finally, some conclusions have been drawn from these courses that may be helpful to instructors wishing to introduce bioinformatics within the undergraduate biology curriculum.

| S-EPMC256976 | biostudies-literature

Evaluating an Advance Care Planning Curriculum: a Lecture, a Game, a Patient, and an Essay.

Project description:PurposeCurricula on advance care planning are commonly absent or inadequate in the majority of medical schools. This study assessed an advance care planning mini-curriculum involving a lecture, an end-of-life conversation game, a patient encounter during which students facilitated completion of an advance directive, and a subsequent reflective essay.MethodsThis convergent, mixed methods study used a pre-post, longitudinal design. Confidence having end-of-life conversations was assessed at three timepoints. A linear mixed effects model compared mean confidence at the three timepoints. Focus groups and open-ended questionnaires (analyzed using content analysis) explored student perceptions of the curricula.ResultsSixty-nine of 149 students completed the questionnaires; 18 students participated in the focus groups. Confidence scores increased by 10.3 points (+ 4.2 post-lecture/game; + 6.1 post-patient assignment/essay; p < 0.001 for all timepoints). Students felt the game (1) was a good "starting point" for learning to initiate end-of-life conversations; (2) fostered internal and external reflections about advance care planning; and (3) allowed exploration of the complexities of end-of-life discussions. Qualitative exploration suggested that high-level learning-interpreted through the lens of Bloom's taxonomy-occurred.ConclusionMixed methods data suggest that the advance care planning mini-curriculum effectively increased student confidence having end-of-life conversations. Qualitative analyses revealed student learning covering all of tiers of Bloom's taxonomy.

| S-EPMC8368620 | biostudies-literature

Bridging the undergraduate curriculum using an integrated course-embedded undergraduate research experience (ICURE).

Project description:The traditional undergraduate program of study incorporates a selection of classes that represent a broad spectrum of subdisciplines. Unfortunately, few curricula successfully integrate concepts in all subdisciplines, giving undergraduates the misconception that there is a lack of application or connectedness between class subjects. An integrated course-embedded research experience (ICURE) was initiated to redress this problem by bridging classes within one discipline in an effort to engage undergraduates in a long-term analysis of biodiversity. The approach was both inclusive and longitudinal: 1) the ICURE bridge brought students from different classes and levels of instruction together with faculty members in a research project with a common goal-chronicling the changing face of the local environment in biological terms; and 2) research data collected were maintained and supplemented each semester and year in an online biodiversity database. Analysis of content and attitudinal gains suggested the integrated research protocol increased student comprehension and confidence. Results are discussed in terms of future amendments to instructional design and potential research applications. Though this program was concentrated on one discipline, there is no reason to assume other disciplines could not take advantage of similar research connections.

| S-EPMC4353079 | biostudies-other

Bioinformatics core competencies for undergraduate life sciences education.

Project description:Although bioinformatics is becoming increasingly central to research in the life sciences, bioinformatics skills and knowledge are not well integrated into undergraduate biology education. This curricular gap prevents biology students from harnessing the full potential of their education, limiting their career opportunities and slowing research innovation. To advance the integration of bioinformatics into life sciences education, a framework of core bioinformatics competencies is needed. To that end, we here report the results of a survey of biology faculty in the United States about teaching bioinformatics to undergraduate life scientists. Responses were received from 1,260 faculty representing institutions in all fifty states with a combined capacity to educate hundreds of thousands of students every year. Results indicate strong, widespread agreement that bioinformatics knowledge and skills are critical for undergraduate life scientists as well as considerable agreement about which skills are necessary. Perceptions of the importance of some skills varied with the respondent's degree of training, time since degree earned, and/or the Carnegie Classification of the respondent's institution. To assess which skills are currently being taught, we analyzed syllabi of courses with bioinformatics content submitted by survey respondents. Finally, we used the survey results, the analysis of the syllabi, and our collective research and teaching expertise to develop a set of bioinformatics core competencies for undergraduate biology students. These core competencies are intended to serve as a guide for institutions as they work to integrate bioinformatics into their life sciences curricula.

| S-EPMC5988330 | biostudies-literature

Ethics competences in the undergraduate medical education curriculum: the Spanish experience.

Project description:Aim .To investigate if there are differences in medical ethics education between different schools of medicine in Spain, specifically between private and public schools and between recently founded schools and older ones.MethodThe curricula of medical degrees from all Spanish faculties were reviewed for the 2014/2015 academic year, identifying subjects concerning bioethics, deontology, and ethics. We identified the type of teaching, format and method of the course, the number of credits and hours, and the school year of each subject. An analysis with descriptive parameters and the Cohen's coefficient (d) was performed.ResultsAll medical schools in Spain (n=44) were included. A mean of 3.64 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits was specifically devoted to ethical values teaching in Spain. Private medical schools offered more credits than public ones (6.51 ECTS vs 2.88 ECTS, relevant difference: d=2.06>>0.8), and the 10 most recently founded medical schools offered more credits than the 10 oldest (5.86 ECTS vs 2.63 ECTS, relevant difference: d=1.43>0.8). A mean of 36.75 hours was dedicated to ethics education.ConclusionsAlthough ethics education is incorporated into the training of future Spanish physicians, there is still notable heterogeneity between different medical schools in the time devoted to this topic.

| S-EPMC5141466 | biostudies-literature

Clinical audit project in undergraduate medical education curriculum: an assessment validation study.

Project description:To evaluate the merit of the Clinical Audit Project (CAP) in an assessment program for undergraduate medical education using a systematic assessment validation framework.A cross-sectional assessment validation study at one medical school in Western Australia, with retrospective qualitative analysis of the design, development, implementation and outcomes of the CAP, and quantitative analysis of assessment data from four cohorts of medical students (2011- 2014).The CAP is fit for purpose with clear external and internal alignment to expected medical graduate outcomes. Substantive validity in students' and examiners' response processes is ensured through relevant methodological and cognitive processes. Multiple validity features are built-in to the design, planning and implementation process of the CAP. There is evidence of high internal consistency reliability of CAP scores (Cronbach's alpha > 0.8) and inter-examiner consistency reliability (intra-class correlation>0.7). Aggregation of CAP scores is psychometrically sound, with high internal consistency indicating one common underlying construct. Significant but moderate correlations between CAP scores and scores from other assessment modalities indicate validity of extrapolation and alignment between the CAP and the overall target outcomes of medical graduates. Standard setting, score equating and fair decision rules justify consequential validity of CAP scores interpretation and use.This study provides evidence demonstrating that the CAP is a meaningful and valid component in the assessment program. This systematic framework of validation can be adopted for all levels of assessment in medical education, from individual assessment modality, to the validation of an assessment program as a whole.

| S-EPMC5056027 | biostudies-literature

What Teachers Should Know About the Bootstrap: Resampling in the Undergraduate Statistics Curriculum.

Project description:Bootstrapping has enormous potential in statistics education and practice, but there are subtle issues and ways to go wrong. For example, the common combination of nonparametric bootstrapping and bootstrap percentile confidence intervals is less accurate than using t-intervals for small samples, though more accurate for larger samples. My goals in this article are to provide a deeper understanding of bootstrap methods-how they work, when they work or not, and which methods work better-and to highlight pedagogical issues. Supplementary materials for this article are available online. [Received December 2014. Revised August 2015].

| S-EPMC4784504 | biostudies-literature

European undergraduate curriculum in geriatric medicine developed using an international modified Delphi technique.

Project description:Introductionthe rise in the number of older, frail adults necessitates that future doctors are adequately trained in the skills of geriatric medicine. Few countries have dedicated curricula in geriatric medicine at the undergraduate level. The aim of this project was to develop a consensus among geriatricians on a curriculum with the minimal requirements that a medical student should achieve by the end of medical school.Methodsa modified Delphi process was used. First, educational experts and geriatricians proposed a set of learning objectives based on a literature review. Second, three Delphi rounds involving a panel with 49 experts representing 29 countries affiliated to the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) was used to gain consensus for a final curriculum.Resultsthe number of disagreements following Delphi Rounds 1 and 2 were 81 and 53, respectively. Complete agreement was reached following the third round. The final curriculum consisted of detailed objectives grouped under 10 overarching learning outcomes.Discussiona consensus on the minimum requirements of geriatric learning objectives for medical students has been agreed by European geriatricians. Major efforts will be needed to implement these requirements, given the large variation in the quality of geriatric teaching in medical schools. This curriculum is a first step to help improve teaching of geriatrics in medical schools, and will also serve as a basis for advancing postgraduate training in geriatrics across Europe.

| S-EPMC4143490 | biostudies-literature

Shared decision making embedded in the undergraduate medical curriculum: A scoping review.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:Shared decision making (SDM) training is shown to be effective and is increasingly embedded in continuing medical education. There is little evidence, however, about undergraduate medical education for SDM. The aim of this scoping review was to identify existing SDM training embedded in the undergraduate medical curriculum and analyze their impact. METHODS:The authors systematically searched the extant literature for peer reviewed articles, hand searched key journals and reference lists of key articles, and contacted relevant stakeholders as part of a key informant analysis. RESULTS:Included in the qualitative synthesis were 12 studies evaluating 11 SDM courses in medical education across six countries. Most courses integrated SDM training in clinical clerkship and varied in length from one to seven hours. The majority of studies assessed course impact on students' skills in SDM. Most studies suggested that students' skills and confidence in SDM significantly increased post-training, but three studies reported no significant improvement in SDM. Ten courses continue to be taught routinely. CONCLUSION:Overall, studies suggested a positive impact on medical students' skills, confidence, and attitudes regarding SDM. Embedding SDM training in undergraduate medical education may be a practical and effective solution for current barriers to the widespread adoption of SDM.

| S-EPMC6235351 | biostudies-other

Looking back: twenty years of reforming undergraduate medical training and curriculum frameworks in Switzerland.

Project description:Introduction: To date, hardly any reports exist that outline the reforms in medical studies in Switzerland from the first partial reforms in the 1970s until today. Methods: This article outlines the recent history of medical curricula, their reforms in the early 1970s and, based on these, the key reasons for the major curricular reforms of the 2000s from the perspective of the authors. Results: The various projects, initiatives and legislative elements at the national level include the introduction of new quality control instruments - federal examination and programme accreditation, the introduction of a national catalogue of learning objectives and its two follow-up editions, as well as the implementation of the Bologna reform in undergraduate medical curricula. Examples of the key new elements found in all medical training in Switzerland include: the interdisciplinary orientation of learning content in organ and functional system-oriented subject areas or modules, the enhanced valorisation of practical clinical training, as well as the introduction of problem-oriented formats and the integration of partly formative, partly summative exams according to the format of the objective structured practical examination (OSCE). Characteristics unique to the four medical faculties and their medical training programme are also highlighted. Discussion: The described projects, initiatives and legislative elements have led to a dynamic, continuous development of medical curricula in Switzerland. The close cooperation between the faculties and the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has also resulted in a redefinition of the roles and responsibilities of universities and the Federal Government according to the new Law on Medical Professions. This guarantees the medical faculties a great deal of autonomy, without neglecting quality assurance.

| S-EPMC6883239 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data