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Ellingson CL, Edwards K, Roehrig GH, Hoelscher MC, Haroldson RA, Dubinsky JM. Connecting the Dots from Professional Development to Student Learning. CBE LIFE SCIENCES EDUCATION 2021; 20:ar57. [PMID: 34546098 PMCID: PMC8715783 DOI: 10.1187/cbe.21-02-0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Following professional development (PD), implementation of contemporary topics into high school biology requires teachers to make critical decisions regarding integration of novel content into existing course scope and sequence. Often exciting topics, such as neuroscience, do not perfectly align with standards. Despite commitment to enacting what was learned in the PD, teachers must adapt novel content to their perceptions of good teaching, local context, prior knowledge of their students, and state and district expectations. How teachers decide to integrate curricula encountered from PD programs may affect student outcomes. This mixed-methods study examined the relationship between curricular application strategies following an inquiry-based neuroscience PD and student learning. Post-PD curricular implementation was measured qualitatively through analysis of teacher action plans and classroom observations and quantitatively using hierarchical linear modeling to determine the impact of implementation on student performance. Participation in neuroscience PD predicted improved student learning compared with control teachers. Of the two distinct curricular implementation strategies, enacting a full unit produced significantly greater student learning than integrating neuroscience activities into existing biology units. Insights from this analysis should inform teacher implementation of new curricula after PD on other contemporary biology topics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Janet M. Dubinsky
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
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Stark JC, Huang A, Hsu KJ, Dubner RS, Forbrook J, Marshalla S, Rodriguez F, Washington M, Rybnicky GA, Nguyen PQ, Hasselbacher B, Jabri R, Kamran R, Koralewski V, Wightkin W, Martinez T, Jewett MC. BioBits Health: Classroom Activities Exploring Engineering, Biology, and Human Health with Fluorescent Readouts. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:1001-1009. [PMID: 30925042 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in synthetic biology have resulted in biological technologies with the potential to reshape the way we understand and treat human disease. Educating students about the biology and ethics underpinning these technologies is critical to empower them to make informed future policy decisions regarding their use and to inspire the next generation of synthetic biologists. However, hands-on, educational activities that convey emerging synthetic biology topics can be difficult to implement due to the expensive equipment and expertise required to grow living cells. We present BioBits Health, an educational kit containing lab activities and supporting curricula for teaching antibiotic resistance mechanisms and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in high school classrooms. This kit links complex biological concepts to visual, fluorescent readouts in user-friendly freeze-dried cell-free reactions. BioBits Health represents a set of educational resources that promises to encourage teaching of cutting-edge, health-related synthetic biology topics in classrooms and other nonlaboratory settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica C. Stark
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3120, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3120, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3120, United States
| | - Ally Huang
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Karen J. Hsu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute B224, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3120, United States
| | - Rachel S. Dubner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Drive, Hogan Hall 2144, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Jason Forbrook
- Waukegan High School, 2325 Brookside Avenue, Waukegan, Illinois 60085, United States
| | - Suzanne Marshalla
- Round Lake Senior High School, 800 Panther Blvd, Round Lake, Illinois 60073, United States
| | - Faith Rodriguez
- Chicago Math and Science Academy, 7212 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60626, United States
| | - Mechelle Washington
- Mather High School, 5835 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60659, United States
| | - Grant A. Rybnicky
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3120, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3120, United States
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Drive, Hogan Hall 2100, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Peter Q. Nguyen
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Brenna Hasselbacher
- Glenbard East High School, 1014 S. Main Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148, United States
| | - Ramah Jabri
- Glenbard East High School, 1014 S. Main Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148, United States
| | - Rijha Kamran
- Glenbard East High School, 1014 S. Main Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148, United States
| | - Veronica Koralewski
- Glenbard East High School, 1014 S. Main Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148, United States
| | - Will Wightkin
- Glenbard East High School, 1014 S. Main Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148, United States
| | - Thomas Martinez
- Glenbard East High School, 1014 S. Main Street, Lombard, Illinois 60148, United States
| | - Michael C. Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3120, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3120, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3120, United States
- Member, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, 676 N. St. Clair Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, Illinois 60611-3068, United States
- Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, 303 E. Superior Street, Suite 11-131, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2875, United States
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Campbell AM, Eckdahl TT. rClone Red facilitates bacterial gene expression research by undergraduates in the teaching laboratory. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2018; 3:ysy013. [PMID: 32995521 PMCID: PMC7445756 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysy013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Revised: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
rClone Red is a low-cost and student-friendly research tool that has been used successfully in undergraduate teaching laboratories. It enables students to perform original research within the financial and time constraints of a typical undergraduate environment. Students can strengthen their understanding of the initiation of bacterial translation by cloning ribosomal binding sites of their own design and using a red fluorescent protein reporter to measure translation efficiency. Online microbial genome sequences and the mFold website enable students to explore homologous rRNA gene sequences and RNA folding, respectively. In this report, we described how students in a genetics course who were given the opportunity to use rClone Red demonstrated significant learning gains on 16 of 20 concepts, and made original discoveries about the function of ribosome binding sites. By combining the highly successful cloning method of golden gate assembly with the dual reporter proteins of green fluorescent protein and red fluorescent protein, rClone Red enables novice undergraduates to make new discoveries about the mechanisms of translational initiation, while learning the core concepts of genetic information flow in bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Malcolm Campbell
- Biology Department, Davidson College, Davidson, NC, USA.,Martin Genomics Program, Davidson College, Davidson, NC, USA
| | - Todd T Eckdahl
- Biology Department, Missouri Western State University, Saint Joseph, MO, USA
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Campbell AM, Eckdahl T, Cronk B, Andresen C, Frederick P, Huckuntod S, Shinneman C, Wacker A, Yuan J. pClone: Synthetic Biology Tool Makes Promoter Research Accessible to Beginning Biology Students. CBE LIFE SCIENCES EDUCATION 2014; 13:285-96. [PMID: 26086659 PMCID: PMC4041505 DOI: 10.1187/cbe.13-09-0189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2013] [Revised: 01/18/2014] [Accepted: 01/18/2014] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The Vision and Change report recommended genuine research experiences for undergraduate biology students. Authentic research improves science education, increases the number of scientifically literate citizens, and encourages students to pursue research. Synthetic biology is well suited for undergraduate research and is a growing area of science. We developed a laboratory module called pClone that empowers students to use advances in molecular cloning methods to discover new promoters for use by synthetic biologists. Our educational goals are consistent with Vision and Change and emphasize core concepts and competencies. pClone is a family of three plasmids that students use to clone a new transcriptional promoter or mutate a canonical promoter and measure promoter activity in Escherichia coli. We also developed the Registry of Functional Promoters, an open-access database of student promoter research results. Using pre- and posttests, we measured significant learning gains among students using pClone in introductory biology and genetics classes. Student posttest scores were significantly better than scores of students who did not use pClone. pClone is an easy and affordable mechanism for large-enrollment labs to meet the high standards of Vision and Change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Todd Eckdahl
- Department of Biology, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO 64507
| | - Brian Cronk
- Department of Psychology, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO 64507
| | - Corinne Andresen
- Department of Biology, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO 64507
| | - Paul Frederick
- Department of Biology, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO 64507
| | - Samantha Huckuntod
- Department of Biology, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO 64507
| | - Claire Shinneman
- Department of Biology, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO 64507
| | - Annie Wacker
- *Department of Biology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035
| | - Jason Yuan
- Department of Biology, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO 64507
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Momsen JL, Long TM, Wyse SA, Ebert-May D. Just the facts? Introductory undergraduate biology courses focus on low-level cognitive skills. CBE LIFE SCIENCES EDUCATION 2010; 9:435-40. [PMID: 21123690 PMCID: PMC2995761 DOI: 10.1187/cbe.10-01-0001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2010] [Revised: 04/08/2010] [Accepted: 04/14/2010] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Introductory biology courses are widely criticized for overemphasizing details and rote memorization of facts. Data to support such claims, however, are surprisingly scarce. We sought to determine whether this claim was evidence-based. To do so we quantified the cognitive level of learning targeted by faculty in introductory-level biology courses. We used Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives to assign cognitive learning levels to course goals as articulated on syllabi and individual items on high-stakes assessments (i.e., exams and quizzes). Our investigation revealed the following: 1) assessment items overwhelmingly targeted lower cognitive levels, 2) the cognitive level of articulated course goals was not predictive of the cognitive level of assessment items, and 3) there was no influence of course size or institution type on the cognitive levels of assessments. These results support the claim that introductory biology courses emphasize facts more than higher-order thinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Momsen
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, USA.
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McMiller T, Lee T, Saroop R, Green T, Johnson CM. Middle/high school students in the research laboratory: A summer internship program emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of biology. BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION : A BIMONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2006; 34:88-93. [PMID: 21638644 DOI: 10.1002/bmb.2006.49403402088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
We describe an eight-week summer Young Scientist in Training (YSIT) internship program involving middle and high school students. This program exposed students to current basic research in molecular genetics, while introducing or reinforcing principles of the scientific method and demonstrating the uses of mathematics and chemistry in biology. For the laboratory-based program, selected students from Baltimore City Schools working in groups of three were teamed with undergraduate research assistants at Morgan State University. Teams were assigned a project that was indirectly related to our laboratory research on the characterization of gene expression in Caenorhabditis elegans. At the end of the program, teams prepared posters detailing their accomplishments, and presented their findings to parents and faculty members during a mini-symposium. The posters were also submitted to the respective schools and the interns were offered a presentation of their research at local high school science fairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracee McMiller
- Department of Biology, School of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland 21251
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