CourseSource: Resources

Lesson

2481

views

169

downloads

0

comments

Forensic Phylogenetics: Implementing Tree-thinking in a Court of Law

Here we describe an in-class activity developed for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity (BioEE1780) at Cornell University, an introductory course required of all biology majors. This activity offers instructors an engaging and real-life...

Courses: Microbiology

phylogeneticsTree thinkingparaphyly

Lesson

11659

views

1801

downloads

2

comments

A virtual laboratory on cell division using a publicly-available image database

Cell division is a key concept in cell biology. While there are many popular activities to teach students the stages of mitosis, most make use of simple schematics, cartoons, or textbook diagrams. Others engage students in acting out the stages,...

Courses: Cell Biology Science Process Skills

image analysismicroscopymitosisCellular Processes

Lesson

1562

views

233

downloads

0

comments

Make It Stick: Teaching Gene Targeting with Ribbons and Fasteners

Manipulating gene expression is a commonly used tool to study the effect of a single gene or the hierarchy of gene networks in many different biological disciplines. When working with mice, the most commonly used techniques to manipulate genes...

Courses: Developmental Biology Genetics

mathematical modelhomologous recombinationCre/loxgene targeting

Lesson

1090

views

140

downloads

1

comments

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

Lesson

4881

views

890

downloads

0

comments

Tackling "Big Data" with Biology Undergrads: A Simple RNA-seq Data Analysis Tutorial Using Galaxy

Analyzing high-throughput DNA sequence data is a fundamental skill in modern biology. However, real and perceived barriers such as massive file sizes, substantial computational requirements, and lack of instructor background knowledge can...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics

bioinformaticsDNA sequenceRNAseqgene expression

Lesson

6054

views

3885

downloads

0

comments

CURE-all: Large Scale Implementation of Authentic DNA Barcoding Research into First-Year Biology Curriculum

Growing calls in science education reform have emphasized wide-scale engagement of first-year undergraduate students in authentic research experiences; however, large course enrollments, inadequate student experience, limited resources and...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Ecology Ecology Evolution Genetics Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

phylogeneticsbioinformaticsBiodiversityprocess of sciencetaxonomyPCRDNADNA sequencegel electrophoresis

Lesson

1015

views

281

downloads

0

comments

Quantifying and Visualizing Campus Tree Phenology

Large enrollment courses present a challenge for instructors who want to engage students in authentic science practices that fit the recommendations of Vision & Change. Our lesson provides a meaningful science experience for undergraduates in...

Courses: Introductory Biology

ecologyBiodiversityphenologyplant biology

Lesson

2098

views

267

downloads

1

comments

Discovering Prokaryotic Gene Regulation by Building and Investigating a Computational Model of the lac Operon

The ability to construct and reason through a biological system is an important skill to develop in science education. This level of understanding forces students to recognize the interrelatedness of components within a biological process and...

Courses: Introductory Biology

prokaryotesgene regulationLac Operoninducible operon

Lesson

2049

views

649

downloads

1

comments

Sequence Similarity: An inquiry based and "under the hood" approach for incorporating molecular sequence alignment in introductory undergraduate biology courses

Introductory bioinformatics exercises often walk students through the use of computational tools, but often provide little understanding of what a computational tool does "under the hood." A solid understanding of how a bioinformatics...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Introductory Biology

BLASTmultiple sequence alignmentsequence similarityphylogramZika virusAlgorithmScoring Matrix

Lesson

1743

views

603

downloads

0

comments

A Close-Up Look at PCR

The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a fundamental laboratory technique that allows for the amplification of many copies of a desired DNA target sequence. Despite its prevalence, undergraduate students often have poor comprehension about the...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Genetics Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

PCRDNA replication

Lesson

4336

views

307

downloads

0

comments

Learning to Pipet Correctly by Pipetting Incorrectly?

Beginning undergraduate students in biology need basic laboratory, data analysis, and science process skills to pursue more complex questions in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). To this end, we designed an introductory...

Courses: Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

statisticslaboratorypipetting

Lesson

944

views

129

downloads

0

comments

BioMap Degree Plan: A project to guide students in exploring, defining, and building a plan to achieve career goals

Traditional college students begin their academic journey with a variety of ideas about the careers they might ultimately pursue. Some students have always known what they want to do, some have ideas about possible careers, while others have never...

Courses: Introductory Biology Professional Development and Career Planning

Career ExplorationCo-curricularsDegree Planning

Lesson

7748

views

385

downloads

0

comments

Investigating Cell Signaling with Gene Expression Datasets

Modern molecular biology is a data- and computationally-intensive field with few instructional resources for introducing undergraduate students to the requisite skills and techniques for analyzing large data sets. This Lesson helps students: (i)...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Cell Biology

genomicstranscriptionsignaling

Lesson

2150

views

418

downloads

0

comments

Dynamic Daphnia: An inquiry-based research experience in ecology that teaches the scientific process to first-year biologists

This authentic research experience lesson teaches the core concept of systems and the competencies of quantitative reasoning, communication, and the ability to apply science. The research is student driven, the results are unknown, and the...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

statisticsecologyscientific methodexperimental designAbiotic and Biotic FactorsDependent and Independent Variables

Essay

792

views

119

downloads

0

comments

Implementing active learning approaches into an upper-division biology course

In this essay, we present our strategy for implementing active learning strategies into an upper division course on Human Genetics. Our principal goal was to shift from a traditional didactic course design, to one that more clearly placed the...

Courses: Genetics Introductory Biology

human biologyPedigree analysisRare genetic diseases

Teaching Tools and Strategies

1037

views

194

downloads

0

comments

Wikipedia in the Science Classroom

Despite research suggesting that writing-to-learn exercises (WTL) in the classroom are associated with increased student learning, WTL is still not widely implemented in science courses. To provide our students with a meaningful WTL exercise that...

Courses: Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

scientific writingcritical evaluationWikipediawriting for general public

Essay

534

views

76

downloads

0

comments

Learning Frameworks Aid Goal-oriented Course Design

As a new instructor it can be hard to know where to begin. Thankfully, CourseSource's learning frameworks (https://www.coursesource.org/courses) shaped my approach to teaching as a first year instructor. The frameworks, which include learning...

Courses: Introductory Biology Professional Development and Career Planning

backward designlearning goalscourse design

Lesson

18672

views

399

downloads

0

comments

A flexible, multi-week approach to plant biology - How will plants respond to higher levels of CO₂?

To help introductory biology students understand how plants will respond to higher levels of CO2, we have created a multi-week module consisting of a series of four related laboratory lessons. These lessons allow students to make connections among...

Courses: Introductory Biology Plant Biology

statisticsplantsphotosynthesiscarbon dioxidecommunicating sciencegroup workResource AllocationRespirationStomata

Lesson

2534

views

262

downloads

0

comments

The Leaky Neuron: Understanding synaptic integration using an analogy involving leaky cups

Students have difficulty understanding synaptic integration in neural circuits, and how spatial and temporal summation combine in a target neuron to reach threshold. This Lesson uses small cups of water to represent excitatory postsynaptic...

Courses: Neurobiology

neuron physiologyspatial summationsynaptic integrationtemporal summationthreshold

Lesson

1928

views

316

downloads

0

comments

Discovery Poster Project

Engaging in undergraduate research can be exciting yet intimidating to first-year students at large research universities. For first-generation college students, whose pre-college exposure to research may be limited compared to their continuing...

Courses: Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

researchprimary literaturePostercore concepts