Taking practical learning in STEM education home: Examples from do-it-yourself experiments in plant biology.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Gya R
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8057327 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Background: As a teaching method, feedback is an integral part of medical education. However, there is a lack of a uniform theoretical basis or generally recognized guidelines for its specific design. Against this background, the aim of this article is to discuss conceptual considerations and empirical findings regarding feedback using various practical examples. Procedure and conceptual considerations: Building on the results of a workshop of the Committee for Communicative and Social Competences of the Society for Medical Education (GMA), this article first explains central conceptual considerations and empirical results on the topic of feedback. A particular focus is on various variables that influence the effect of feedback. This includes the feedback source, the frequency of feedback, starting points of feedback, the connection between feedback and reflection as well as the motivation and meta-cognitive skills of the feedback recipient. Practical examples: The implementation of feedback in practice is illustrated using eight examples from the field of medical and dental education. They stem from various settings and the focus is on formative oral feedback. It will become evident that the focus is more on the givers of feedback than the recipients of feedback. Instructions for recipients of feedback on how to reflect on it is still the exception. Discussion: Many of the relevant aspects for the effect of feedback described in the literature are already taken into account in the practical examples discussed. In conclusion, seven recommendations are made for implementing feedback in practice.
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Project description:Receptor-like kinases (RLK) and receptor-like proteins (RLP) often interact in a combinatorial manner depending on tissue identity, membrane domains, or endo- and exogenous cues, and the same RLKs or RLPs can generate different signaling outputs depending on the composition of the receptor complexes they are involved in. Investigation of their interaction partners in a spatial and dynamic way is therefore of prime interest to understand their functions. This is, however, limited by the technical complexity of assessing it in endogenous conditions. A solution to close this gap is to determine protein interaction directly in the relevant tissues at endogenous expression levels using Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The ideal fluorophore pair for FRET must, however, fulfil specific requirements: (a) The emission and excitation spectra of the donor and acceptor, respectively, must overlap; (b) they should not interfere with proper folding, activity, or localization of the fusion proteins; (c) they should be sufficiently photostable in plant cells. Furthermore, the donor must yield sufficient photon counts at near-endogenous protein expression levels. Although many fluorescent proteins were reported to be suitable for FRET experiments, only a handful were already described for applications in plants. Herein, we compare a range of fluorophores, assess their usability to study RLK interactions by FRET-based fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and explore their differences in FRET efficiency. Our analysis will help to select the optimal fluorophore pair for diverse FRET applications.
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Project description:BackgroundInstructors can teach evolution using any number of species contexts. However, not all species contexts are equal, and taxa choice can alter both cognitive and affective elements of learning. This is particularly true when teaching evolution using human examples, a promising method for evolution instruction that nevertheless comes with unique challenges. In this study, we tested how an evolution lesson focused on a human example may impact students' engagement, perceived content relevance, learning gains, and level of discomfort, when compared to the same lesson using a non-human mammal example. We use this isomorphic lesson and a pre-post study design administered in a split-section introductory biology classroom to isolate the importance of the species context.ResultsFor two of the four measurements of interest, the effect of using human examples could not be understood without accounting for student background. For learning gains, students with greater pre-class content knowledge benefited more from the human examples, while those with low levels of knowledge benefited from the non-human example. For perceived relevance, students who were more accepting of human evolution indicated greater content relevance from the human example. Regardless of condition, students with lower evolution acceptance reported greater levels of discomfort with the lesson.ConclusionsOur results illustrate the complexities of using human examples to teach evolution. While these examples were beneficial for many students, they resulted in worse outcomes for students that were less accepting of evolution and those who entered the course with less content knowledge. These findings demonstrate the need to consider diverse student backgrounds when establishing best practices for using human examples to teach evolution.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12052-021-00148-w.
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Project description:Varicella is a common viral disease affecting almost the entire birth cohort. Although usually self-limiting, some cases of varicella can be serious, with 2 to 6% of cases attending a general practice resulting in complications. The hospitalisation rate for varicella in Europe ranges from 1.3 to 4.5 per 100,000 population/year and up to 10.1% of hospitalised patients report permanent or possible permanent sequelae (for example, scarring or ataxia). However, in many countries the epidemiology of varicella remains largely unknown or incomplete. In countries where routine childhood vaccination against varicella has been implemented, it has had a positive effect on disease prevention and control. Furthermore, mathematical models indicate that this intervention strategy may provide economic benefits for the individual and society. Despite this evidence and recommendations for varicella vaccination by official bodies such as the World Health Organization, and scientific experts in the field, the majority of European countries (with the exception of Germany and Greece) have delayed decisions on implementation of routine childhood varicella vaccination, choosing instead to vaccinate high-risk groups or not to vaccinate at all. In this paper, members of the Working Against Varicella in Europe group consider the practicalities of introducing routine childhood varicella vaccination in Europe, discussing the benefits and challenges of different vaccination options (vaccination vs. no vaccination, routine vaccination of infants vs. vaccination of susceptible adolescents or adults, two doses vs. one dose of varicella vaccine, monovalent varicella vaccines vs. tetravalent measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccines, as well as the optimal interval between two doses of measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccines). Assessment of the epidemiology of varicella in Europe and evidence for the effectiveness of varicella vaccination provides support for routine childhood programmes in Europe. Although European countries are faced with challenges or uncertainties that may have delayed implementation of a childhood vaccination programme, many of these concerns remain hypothetical and with new opportunities offered by combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccines, reassessment may be timely.
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