Skip to Main Content
Powered by QUBES
Text Search:
Applied Filters
    Essay
    752

    views

    128

    downloads

    1

    comments

    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 BiologyIntroductory Biology

    Evolutionfitnessprocess of sciencetree of lifemetacognitionlanguagemisconceptionsTerminologyTheory
    Lesson
    1280

    views

    404

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Teaching the Biological Relevance of Chemical Kinetics Using Cold-Blooded Animal Biology
    This lesson plan was created to support non-chemistry major students in making connections between chemical kinetics and biological systems. Chemical kinetics is often viewed by students as an abstract topic, and one that is limited only to...

    Courses: Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    kineticsMetabolismEctothermPoikilotherm
    Lesson
    3579

    views

    505

    downloads

    0

    comments

    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: EcologyEcology Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Professional Development and Career PlanningProfessional Development and Career Planning Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    population ecologywildlife managementpopulation estimationsciuridaeSquirrel-Net
    Lesson
    924

    views

    275

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Population Ecology of the Northern Spotted Owl
    The mathematical modeling of populations utilizing field-collected demographic data is an important component of lab curricula in a variety of undergraduate biology lab courses. During the global pandemic brought about by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in...

    Courses: EcologyEcology Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology

    demographyCommunity Ecologypopulation ecologyconservation biologylife tables
    Lesson
    2281

    views

    475

    downloads

    0

    comments

    A Lesson on Matter and Energy at the Organismal Scale: Linking Patterns and Processes Across Diverse Taxa
    Pathways and transformations of energy and matter (PTEM) are a conceptually challenging but essential component of biological literacy. Curricular gaps about PTEM nevertheless remain; although lessons targeting PTEM at small scales (chemical,...

    Courses: EcologyEcology Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology

    plantsenergyAnimalsfungimatterorganismal scale
    Lesson
    3164

    views

    1094

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Squirreling Around for Science: Observing Sciurid Rodents to Investigate Animal Behavior
    Hands-on research experiences are important opportunities for students to learn about the nature of inquiry and gain confidence in solving problems. Here, we present an inquiry-based lesson plan that investigates the foraging behavior of sciurid...

    Courses: EcologyEcology Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    foragingbehaviorbehavioral ecologySciuridSquirrelSquirrel-NetTrade-offVigilance
    Lesson
    2796

    views

    701

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Teaching Biodiversity with Museum Specimens in an Inquiry-Based Lab
    In response to the growth of biology datasets and broad efforts to digitize data, an increasingly important skill for science students is the management and analysis of large datasets. We designed an inquiry-based lab module to introduce students...

    Courses: EcologyEcology EvolutionEvolution Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    data analysisnatural historyphylogenyBiodiversitymammalsAllen's RuleBergmann's Ruleecogeographymuseum research
    Essay
    1221

    views

    178

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Squirreling from Afar: Adapting Squirrel-Net Modules for Remote Teaching and Learning
    The shift from face-to-face instruction to remote teaching and learning has proven to be a challenging endeavor for many reasons, including lack of time, resources, and inspiration. Lab courses, the "hands-on" portion of many curricula,...

    Courses: EcologyEcology Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    online learningbehavioral ecologyCUREsRemote teachingfield ecologySquirrelSquirrel-Net
    Lesson
    2641

    views

    575

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Linking Genotype to Phenotype: The Effect of a Mutation in Gibberellic Acid Production on Plant Germination
    Basic concepts in genetics and plant development are often taught in lecture courses without a lab component. This approach provides students with the content knowledge, but fails to make connections to research opportunities and real-world...

    Courses: Cell BiologyCell Biology Developmental BiologyDevelopmental Biology GeneticsGenetics Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Plant BiologyPlant Biology

    geneticsdevelopmentmutationgerminationplantmodel organismGenotype/PhenotypeHormoneSeed
    Lesson
    3928

    views

    454

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Is Earth Currently Undergoing a Sixth Mass Extinction?
    The five Phanerozoic mass extinctions were central in shaping biodiversity on Earth today. Due to increasing biodiversity losses, there is debate about whether we are currently undergoing a sixth mass extinction. To help students better understand...

    Courses: EcologyEcology EvolutionEvolution Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology

    conservationBiodiversityextinctionMass ExtinctionDeep Time
    Lesson
    2876

    views

    1007

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Building Trees: Introducing evolutionary concepts by exploring Crassulaceae phylogeny and biogeography
    Teaching evolutionary theory is foundational for all biological sciences and a key aspect of overall science literacy. The conceptual framework for understanding evolution relies on thinking clearly about evolutionary trees (phylogenetics) and how...

    Courses: EvolutionEvolution Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology

    EvolutionphylogeneticsTree thinkingbiogeography
    Lesson
    3549

    views

    263

    downloads

    0

    comments

    SEAS CURE: Exploring Coral Biology Across Scales
    Complex biological concepts (like symbiosis and coral biology) that span multiple scales and cross disciplinary boundaries are often difficult for students to understand. This complexity is compounded by the challenges inherent to teaching and...

    Courses: Anatomy-PhysiologyAnatomy-Physiology Cell BiologyCell Biology EcologyEcology Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    microscopyAnatomySymbiosisMetabolismbleachinginvertebratedinoflagellate
    Teaching Tools and Strategies
    1213

    views

    131

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Undergraduates Learn Evolution Through Teaching Kindergartners About Blind Mexican Cavefish
    The development and implementation of a scientific outreach activity comes with a number of challenges. A successful outreach event must match the sophistication of content to the audience, be engaging, expand the knowledge base for participants,...

    Courses: EcologyEcology EvolutionEvolution GeneticsGenetics Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology

    Evolutionecologymorphologysensory biologycave biologycomparative biologyenvironmental differencesregressive lossstructure and function
    Lesson
    2920

    views

    362

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Bacteria to Brains in Backyard Coyotes: An Interdisciplinary Pedagogical Case Study
    Our interdisciplinary pedagogical case study explores the differences between rural and urban coyotes at the levels of organismal and community ecology. The focus is on how coyotes’ gut microbiomes could affect their behavior via...

    Courses: Cell BiologyCell Biology EcologyEcology EvolutionEvolution ImmunologyImmunology Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology MicrobiologyMicrobiology

    dietanimal behaviorimmune systemmicrobiomeNervous systemgut-brain axisImmunoReachdysbiosisCoyoteCytokines
    Lesson
    4360

    views

    1258

    downloads

    0

    comments

    What is Speciation, How Does It Occur, and Why Is It Important for Conservation?
    Speciation provides a framework for classifying biodiversity on Earth and is a central concept in evolutionary biology. To help undergraduate students learn about speciation, we designed a student-centered lesson that uses active-learning...

    Courses: EcologyEcology GeneticsGenetics Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    EvolutionconservationGenetic DriftSpeciationNatural SelectionBiological species conceptgene flowMorphological species conceptPhylogenetic species concept
    Lesson
    2000

    views

    176

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Fly Exercise: A Simple Experiment to Test the Physiological Effects of Exercise on a Model Organism
    Model organisms are commonly used to study and experimentally explore biological processes in ways that are technically or ethically not possible in humans. For this reason, model organisms are an essential component of scientific research and...

    Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyBiochemistry and Molecular Biology Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    exerciseenzyme kineticsmetabolite concentrationmodel speciesphysical activity
    Lesson
    2707

    views

    83

    downloads

    0

    comments

    An Inquiry-Based Project Added to Traditional Labs: Hands-On Fish Awareness Research in Freshwater Systems Conducted by First-Year Biology Students
    This project involves students in an inquiry-based project added to the introductory biology laboratory course for majors in fall 2019. Research has shown that student engagement in authentic research has significant positive impacts on...

    Courses: Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    Evolutionbehaviorichthyology
    Lesson
    414

    views

    32

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Osmosis Through the Lens of Sexual Health
    Osmosis contributes to a range of biological phenomena, from functioning of nephrons in animals to stomatal opening and closing in plants; yet, scientifically simple ideas about osmosis are common. These ideas limit learners’ comprehension...

    Courses: Anatomy-PhysiologyAnatomy-Physiology Cell BiologyCell Biology Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    OsmosisDiffusionsexual healthsocial and cultural embeddedness of scienceinclusive dialogue
    Teaching Tools and Strategies
    1308

    views

    196

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Facilitating Scientific Literacy Through Writing: A Write-to-Learn Assignment for Large Introductory Undergraduate Biology Courses
    Write-to-learn (WTL) assignments have been used in a variety of disciplines to encourage conceptual learning and critical thinking in undergraduate education. These assignments focus on facilitating rather than assessing learning. Conversely,...

    Courses: Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology

    geneticsEvolutionecologyCellsPlants form and functionAnimals form and function
    Lesson
    173

    views

    3

    downloads

    0

    comments

    Exploring Biological Variation and the Value of Natural History Collections Using an Online Lesson
    First-year science students in large-enrollment lecture courses are rarely given opportunities to contribute to science beyond their classroom as part of their curriculum. Meanwhile, natural history museums are eager to engage students and the...

    Courses: Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology

    natural historymuseumBiodiversityalgaeherbariumseaweedcitzen science