CourseSource: Resources

Teaching Tools and Strategies

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An Interactive Protocol for In-Classroom DNA Extraction

Using commonly available materials, this tool allows students to extract DNA, exploring DNA chemistry and the principles of experimental design and execution. We take a “Choose Your Own Adventure” approach encouraging students to...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Genetics Introductory Biology

geneticsDNAbiochemical structure and function

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Using Comics to Make Science Come Alive

Students often see science as a fragmented set of facts to be memorized, rather than concepts and processes that are relevant in their everyday lives. This is especially true for non-science majors, who represent the vast majority of all college...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Genetics Introductory Biology Neurobiology

role of science in society

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A first lesson in mathematical modeling for biologists: Rocs

Using a fictitious population of Rocs, a mythical species of giant raptor, students accomplish two broad objectives: 1) they undertake the process of building a first mathematical model of a population, and 2) they begin to develop their...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

population ecologypopulation modelingdiscrete generationpopulation management

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Advancing Global Learning Through a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Module on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)

An increasingly interconnected world presents opportunities for globally relevant curricula in the classroom. Implementing collaborative online international learning (COIL) modules within medium-sized courses can take advantage of this...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Plant Biology

Collaborative Online International LearningGlobal LearningPlants and SocietyUnited Nations Sustainable Development GoalsMedicinal PlantsPhytochemicalsPlant Natural Products

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The Inside and Outside the Body

The Inside and Outside the Body activity helps students develop a conceptual understanding of anatomical barriers such as skin and mucus membranes that separate internal cells and fluids from the external environment. This short exercise prepares...

Courses: Anatomy-Physiology

structureAnatomybarriers

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Fragile States: A Case Study Exploring Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry Through the Lens of Fragile X Syndrome

This case aims to strengthen students’ understanding of molecular biology concepts through study of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). Students begin by learning the cause and phenotypes of FXS and related conditions. Students then apply genetics...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Genetics

gene regulationtranscriptiontranslationFragile X syndrometriplet repeat expansionsex linkagemetabolic pathway

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The Comics Project: Synthesizing and Communicating Science with Comics

Students, especially non-science majors, often see science as abstracted from their daily lives. Moreover, students often struggle to translate scientific concepts into everyday language in order to communicate to their communities what they have...

Courses: Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

communicating scienceScience & Societycomics

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Helping Students to Overcome STUMPS: Scientific terms undermined by meanings peripheral to science

Many terms and phrases that are ubiquitous in everyday use have very different meanings in science. As a result, biology students often hold prior conceptions that are difficult to change. In this essay, I refer to such problematic terms as...

Courses: Introductory Biology

Evolutionfitnessprocess of sciencetree of lifemetacognitionlanguagemisconceptionsTerminologyTheory

Teaching Tools and Strategies

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A Customizable Inquiry-Based Statistics Teaching Application for Introductory Biology Students

Building strong quantitative skills prepares undergraduate biology students for successful careers in science and medicine. While math and statistics anxiety can negatively impact student learning within biology classrooms, instructors may reduce...

Courses: Introductory Biology

introductory biologyQuantitative reasoningInclusive teachingauthentic inquiryInferential statisticsInstructional scaffolding

Teaching Tools and Strategies

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Lateral Transfer Maps as a Metacognitive Tool in First Year STEM Courses

We introduce the Lateral Transfer Map (LTM), a tool for students to actively and visually explore the transfer of ideas, skills, and concepts across concurrent coursework. The LTM is an extension of a concept map, replacing interconnected concepts...

Courses: Professional Development and Career Planning Science Process Skills

concept mapmetacognitionfirst-year studenttransfer

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Helping Students to Metacognitively Read Scientific Literature With Talking to the Text

Reading primary scientific literature enhances students’ understanding of material, increases their self-efficacy, and critical thinking skills. However, scientific articles often present multiple challenges to the students, the first among...

Courses: Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

scientific literaturereading comprehensionmetacognitionScience process skillsTalking to the TextDense Scientific Texts

Teaching Tools and Strategies

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"Boost your evolution IQ": An evolution misconceptions game

Students often enter introductory biology courses with misconceptions about evolution. For example, many students believe that traits arise when a species needs them or that evolutionary processes are goal-oriented. To address these and other...

Courses: Evolution

Evolutionactive learningNatural Selectiongroup workmisconceptions

Teaching Tools and Strategies

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Drawing flowcharts of lab protocols helps students prepare for biology labs

With the publishing of the Vision and Change report, we know it is best practice to include authentic research experiences in our undergraduate science lab classes. One big challenge in teaching so-called "wet lab" classes is figuring...

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

laboratorymolecular biologyUndergraduateprotocolflowchart

Teaching Tools and Strategies

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In-class peer grading of daily quizzes increases feedback opportunities

Educators are familiar with evidence of the benefit that frequent and immediate feedback provides to our students, regardless of class size. We also often find ourselves in a situation where we do not have enough time planned or TA support...

Courses: Introductory Biology

foundational knowledgegraphical interpretationtechnical terms

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Using Current Events to Teach Written, Visual, and Oral Science Communication

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals need the skills to communicate with both technical and public audiences, but formal training in these skills is often lacking. In the nine-hour unit presented here, students...

Courses: Science Process Skills

communicationscientific writingstorytellingaudiencecurrent events

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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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The Impact of Diet and Antibiotics on the Gut Microbiome: Distance Education Variant

The goal of this article is to describe a variation of an active learning exercise that was previously published by the same author under a similar title. The variation describes modifications instructors can use to make the exercise suitable for...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Microbiology

microbiomenutritionbacterial metabolitesgut bacteriahost response

Teaching Tools and Strategies

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Preparing Student Study Guides through Peer Collaboration in the Technological Era

Incorporating active learning exercises into large lecture courses is particularly challenging, especially when it comes to examination preparation materials. Traditionally, study guides are used as a tool to guide student learning and review...

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

active learningDiscussionStudy Skills

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A Remote Introductory Biology Lab Using Backyard Birdwatching to Teach Data Analysis and Communication

Asking questions, designing experiments, collecting data and interpreting those data, and communicating the results are some of the most important concepts an undergraduate biology lab can teach students. When the SARS-CoV2 pandemic forced our...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

ecologydata analysisdata collection

Teaching Tools and Strategies

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Walkabout: An Easy to Use, Experiential Learning Activity for Applying Abstract Concepts to the Real-World

Students can have difficulty recognizing examples of course concepts in the real-world. They particularly struggle with phenomena that are ambiguously defined, have mimics, or are hard to distinguish from other phenomena. Students can better...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Science Process Skills

data gatheringgreen technologyobservations