CourseSource: Resources

Teaching Tools and Strategies

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Gratitude Interventions in a Biology Course to Foster Student Persistence and Success

College students are experiencing a mental health crisis, which has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is problematic because stress and anxiety impede learning. One way to combat stress and anxiety is to focus on gratitude,...

Courses: Introductory Biology Professional Development and Career Planning Science Process Skills

mental healthgratitudepositive psychologydegree commitment

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Manuscript 101: A Data-Driven Writing Exercise for Beginning Scientists

Learning to write a scientific manuscript is one of the most important and rewarding scientific training experiences, yet most young scientists only embark on this experience relatively late in graduate school after gathering sufficient data in...

Courses: Bioinformatics Cell Biology Developmental Biology Genetics Microbiology Science Process Skills

geneticsanimaldevelopmentcompetitionbacterial

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Evaluating Representation in Science Through a Peer-Reviewed Research Study

The demographic representation of scientists featured in biology curricular materials do not match that of the undergraduate biology student population or of the U.S. population. In this lesson, we promote awareness of inequity in science through...

Courses: Introductory Biology

societyRepresentationSTEM equity

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From Dirt to Streptomyces DNA

The purpose of this semester-long Lesson is to give students an authentic, course-based undergraduate research experience during which they learn basic and advanced microbiological and molecular biology techniques. This project begins with the...

Courses: Microbiology

MetabolismAntibiotic productionrRNA genesSecondary metabolitesStreptomyces

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Application of a Bacterial Experimental Evolution System to Visualize and Teach Evolution in Action: A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience

Concepts of evolution are typically taught through examples of extremely long timescales, which do not always resonate broadly. Here, we describe a course-based undergraduate research experience tailored for junior and senior undergraduate biology...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Cell Biology Evolution Genetics Microbiology

EvolutionmutationcompetitionNatural Selectionregulationstructure and functionreproductive fitnessgenotype to phenotypehomologs

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How Many Squirrels Are in the Shrubs? A Lesson Plan for Comparing Methods for Population Estimation

Estimating the population sizes of animals is a key skill for any student interested in ecology, conservation, or management. However, counting animals in natural habitats is difficult, and the many techniques that exist each rely on assumptions...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Professional Development and Career Planning Science Process Skills

population ecologywildlife managementpopulation estimationsciuridaeSquirrel-Net

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Cutthroat trout in Colorado: A case study connecting evolution and conservation

Evaluation of evidence is a key process skill for the core competencies of applying the process of science and using quantitative reasoning. This case study enables upper-division biology students to practice these skills by applying evolutionary...

Courses: Evolution Genetics Science Process Skills

population geneticsphylogeneticsSpeciationdivergencegene flow

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Snail Races: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Learn Invasive Species Ecology

Inquiry-based lessons allow learning that is hands-on and student-driven, fostering engagement and retention of knowledge in any discipline. Here, we use this learning framework to engage students in exploring the effects of biotic and abiotic...

Courses: Ecology Ecology

ecologyenvironmentInvasive SpeciesScience CommunicationScientific InquiryDispersal

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A CURE-based approach to teaching genomics using mitochondrial genomes

There is an abundance (currently over 1016 DNA bases) of publicly available genetic sequence data and a dearth of trained genomicists to process and interpret it, necessitating more trained bioinformaticians with biological expertise. For...

Courses: Bioinformatics Genetics

proteinsMitochondrial GenomesNuclear GenomesrRNAtRNA

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Outside the Norm: Using Public Ecology Database Information to Teach Biostatistics

Biology students’ understanding of statistics is incomplete due to poor integration of these two disciplines. In some cases, students fail to learn statistics at the undergraduate level due to poor student interest and cursory teaching of...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

biostatisticshypothesis testingexperimental design

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Using Undergraduate Molecular Biology Labs to Discover Targets of miRNAs in Humans

Incorporating authentic research experiences into undergraduate labs, while shown to be particularly effective at engaging and retaining students in STEM majors, can be difficult to accomplish within the constraints of resource availability or...

Courses: Bioinformatics Genetics Science Process Skills

gene regulationmicroRNAsgene expression

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Exploring the March to Mars Using 3D Print Models

With the increased availability of 3D printers and open databases containing 3D print files, academic institutions are giving more thought into how such technology can be used in the classroom to further student learning. One way that 3D print...

Courses: Introductory Biology Microbiology Science Process Skills

waterMarsmicroorganismsproperties of life

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Quantifying Uncertainty and Distinguishing Data Sets in Introductory Physics

Physics labs are moving increasingly to open-ended experiments where students develop experimental physics skills, rather than verify textbook physics concepts. This sequence of activities sets the stage for this new kind of lab early in the...

Courses: Introductory Physics: Calculus-Based

statisticsMeasurementlaboratoryuncertaintypendulumexperimental skills

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Garden Variety Mutations: Using Primary Data to Understand the Central Dogma in Large-Lecture Introductory Biology

The ability to interpret and create an argument from data is a crucial skill for budding scientists, yet one that is seldom practiced in introductory courses. During this argumentation module, students in a large lecture class will work in groups...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Genetics Introductory Biology

mutationtranscriptiongene expressioncentral dogmatranslationgel electrophoresisGenotype/Phenotype

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Discovery and Invention: A Reflection on Representation in Science

Despite increased awareness of the lack of equity and inclusion in the STEMM classroom, lessons on DEI topics are treated as separate to the scientific curriculum being taught. Rarely are intentional reflections and conversations on the lack of...

Courses: Professional Development and Career Planning

EquityDiversity and Inclusionantiracism

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Using Synthetic Biology and pClone Red for Authentic Research on Promoter Function: Introductory Biology (identifying new promoters)

Students often memorize the definition of a transcriptional promoter but fail to fully understand the critical role promoters play in gene expression. This laboratory lesson allows students to conduct original research by identifying and...

Courses: Genetics Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

bacteriasynthetic biologygene regulationtranscriptionstudent researchcentral dogmacloningpromoterreporter gene/protein

Teaching Tools and Strategies

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Transitioning Two-Stage Exams to an Online Class

Students often find biology courses to be very difficult and isolating, particularly if they identify as part of a group that has been historically excluded from STEM. Some of this anxiety and isolation comes from high-stakes exams. We decided to...

Courses: Anatomy-Physiology

lower division STEMupper division STEM

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Biodiversity Show and Tell: An Accessible Activity to Encourage Students to Explore the Tree of Life

An appreciation of organismal diversity is a requirement for understanding evolution and ecology, and can serve as a source of amazement and wonder that inspires students to enjoy biology. However, biodiversity can be a challenging subject to...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Introductory Biology

EvolutionecologyBiodiversity

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A CRISPR/Cas Guide RNA Design In Silico Activity

CRISPR biotechnologies inspired by the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat RNA-guided nuclease adaptive bacterial immune system have revolutionized biology research and become ubiquitous tools for hypothesis and...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Cell Biology Genetics

bioinformaticsgene expressiongenetic basis of diseaseCRISPR/Cas9genetic engineeringin silico

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Bringing Pasteur Back to Life: Studying the Biochemistry of Yeast Fermentation Through Discussion Groups and an At-Home Lab

This hands-on, student-centered biochemistry lesson introduces beginner biochemistry students to the techniques of effectively reading and discussing primary literature, identifying fundamental biological concepts, and applying that knowledge to...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Microbiology Science Process Skills