CourseSource: Resources

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Meiosis: A Play in Three Acts, Starring DNA Sequence

Meiosis is well known for being a sticky topic that appears repeatedly in biology curricula. We observe that a typical undergraduate biology major cannot correctly identify haploid and diploid cells or explain how and why chromosomes pair before...

Courses: Cell Biology Genetics Introductory Biology

recombinationmeiosisDNA sequenceCrossingoverchromosome structureHolliday junctionhomology

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6254

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554

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2

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Meiosis Remodeled: Inclusion of New Parts to Poppit Bead Models Enhances Understanding of Meiosis

A long-standing tradition uses strings of poppit beads of different colors to model meiosis, especially to show how segments of paired homologous chromosomes are recombined. Our use of orthodontic latex bands to model cohesion of sister...

Courses: Cell Biology Genetics Introductory Biology

meiosischiasma formationchromosome recombination

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3469

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724

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0

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Homologous chromosomes? Exploring human sex chromosomes, sex determination and sex reversal using bioinformatics approaches

Constructing a robust understanding of homologous chromosomes, sex chromosomes, and the particulate nature of genes is a notoriously difficult task for undergraduate biology students. In this lesson, students expand their knowledge of human...

Courses: Bioinformatics Genetics Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

bioinformaticsautosomehomologous chromosomeshomologous recombinationsex chromosomesex determinationsex reversal mutations

Science Behind the Lesson

2009

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294

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The Science Behind Parthenogenesis: Interesting things happen when meiosis goes “wrong”

Parthenogenetic reproduction is a fascinating, complex topic. This article accompanies “Why Meiosis Matters: The case of the fatherless snake.” It summarizes the basic information an introductory biology or genetics instructor...

Courses: Cell Biology Genetics Introductory Biology

meiosismitosissex determinationAsexual reproductionParthenogenesis

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1205

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Why Meiosis Matters: The case of the fatherless snake

A compelling reason to learn something can make all the difference in students’ motivation to learn it. Motivation, in turn, is one of the key attitudes that drives learning. This story presents students with a compelling puzzle of a...

Courses: Genetics Science Process Skills

meiosismitosissex determinationAsexual reproductionParthenogenesis

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4870

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1859

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Teaching Genetic Linkage and Recombination through Mapping with Molecular Markers

Most introductory genetics courses cover genetic linkage, a core concept in the CourseSource genetics learning outcome framework. Although it is a classical genetics topic, genetic linkage remains an important concept to understand in order to...

Courses: Genetics Plant Biology Science Process Skills

meiosisphenotypegel electrophoresismicrosatellitesBanding PatternGenetic linkageInheritanceMolecular MarkersPhysical Linkage

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2115

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397

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Integrating Manipulatives and Animations to Visualize Holliday Junctions

The complex molecular architecture of Holliday junctions is often challenging for undergraduate biochemistry students to conceptualize. In particular, they have difficulty translating from two-dimensional, linear representations shown in textbooks...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Genetics

dna structureDNA damageDNA recombinationGene crossoverHolliday junction

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996

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137

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Student-Generated Analogies for Learning about Information Flow

Using analogies is a standard practice for both teaching and communicating ideas in science. Here we upend the traditional lesson, where the instructor provides a fully constructed analogy and explains it, by having the students develop a complex...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Cell Biology Genetics Introductory Biology

critical thinkingcentral dogmaanalogical reasoning

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244

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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

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2278

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305

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Learning Quantitative Genetics: Investigation of Genetic Control for Cold Stress Response in Plants

Course-embedded undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) for students have been shown to increase students’ understanding of the process of science, affirm their scientific identity, and improve retention in STEM fields. Despite many CUREs...

Courses: Genetics

data analysisrecombinationplantsquantitative geneticsabiotic stress responsegenetic control of complex traitsinheritance of complex traits

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Learning R for Biologists: A Mini Course Grab-Bag for Instructors

As biology becomes more data driven, teaching students data literacy skills has become central to biology curriculum. Despite a wealth of online resources that teach researchers how to use R, there are few that offer practical laboratory-based...

Courses: Anatomy-Physiology Bioinformatics Ecology Ecology Genetics

Rdata analysisRStudio

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Introducing Immunology Research Literature to Understand B-cell Receptor Gene Expression

Immunology is relevant to our everyday lives, driving a need for more engaging and inclusive undergraduate immunology education. One way to engage a diverse group of learners is by teaching them how to read and interpret the scientific literature....

Courses: Immunology Science Process Skills

recombinationantibodyV(D)J recombinationB-cell receptorlymphocyte receptor

Essay

584

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Teaching about fatherless snakes in a prison classroom

Developing a course for the first time as a graduate student is challenging. When I first taught introductory biology with the Cornell Prison Education Program, I struggled to design and adapt lessons that felt relevant to my students....

Courses: Genetics Introductory Biology

meiosismitosisReproduction

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432

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The Science and Ethics of Gene Drives: An Active Learning Lesson in Genetics

Coursework connecting biology to socially relevant issues and ethical questions can help students think about biology in interdisciplinary terms. Gene drives represent one topic involving both advanced biology concepts and societally relevant...

Courses: Genetics

bioethicsCRISPR/Cas9Genetic modificationGene drives

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987

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182

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From Cre/LoxP to Fate Maps: Inclusive and Equitable Approaches for Engaging Developmental Biology Students in Experimental Design

Engaging first generation underrepresented minority students in the process of inquiry in developmental biology is important to increase diversity in future graduate STEM education. One important challenge is how we design curricula to foster...

Courses: Developmental Biology

experimental designC. elegansCre/LoxPFate mapheart developmentheart regenerationmousereporter constructzebrafish

Science Behind the Lesson

656

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X-ploring Fragile X: The Science Behind the Syndrome

Fragile X Syndrome is an X-linked genetic disorder resulting from the impairment of transcription of the FMR1 gene, producing less to no FMRP protein. FMRP is a translational inhibitor that plays a key role in neurological development. Recent...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Genetics Introductory Biology

epigeneticsgene regulationtranscriptioncentral dogmatranslationFragile X syndromeSphingosine Metabolism

Teaching Tools and Strategies

1338

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50

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Using Constructed Response Questions on High-Stakes Assessments in Large Classes With Limited Support

Large lecture courses often rely heavily, and sometimes exclusively, on Multiple Choice (MC) exams to assess student learning. Constructed Response (CR) questions, in which students generate their own answers, can provide more insight into student...

Courses: Genetics

assessmenttestexamLarge classconstructed responseshort answerscoring

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Exploration of the Human Genome by Investigation of Personalized SNPs

Students often shy away from tedious bioinformatics approaches to exploring their genomes. However, in our expanding digital world these skills are some of the most relevant and valuable. To increase students' interest in their own genomes, I...

Courses: Bioinformatics Genetics Science Process Skills

UCSC genome browsersingle nucleotide polymorphismGenome wide association studiesGenomic organization

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Why do Some People Inherit a Predisposition to Cancer? A small group activity on cancer genetics

Before undergraduate students take a genetics course they generally know cancer has a genetic basis and involves the proliferation of cells; however, many are uncertain about why only a subset of people have a predisposition to cancer and how that...

Courses: Genetics Science Process Skills

cancerInheritance patternsProbability calculationProto-oncogeneTumor Suppressor Gene

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A Muscular Dystrophy Case Study Illustrating the Phenotypic Effects of Mutation

Mutations in genes can lead to a variety of phenotypes, including various human diseases. Students often understand that a particular mutation in a single gene causes a disease phenotype, but it is more challenging to illustrate complex genetic...

Courses: Developmental Biology Genetics