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    Teaching Tools and Strategies
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    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
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    Using a Sequential Interpretation of Data in Envelopes (SIDE) approach to identify a mystery TRP channel
    This lesson sought to engage students in data interpretation and to encourage critical thinking about neurophysiology in the context of temperature sensation. A family of receptors called Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels are activated...

    Courses: Anatomy-PhysiologyAnatomy-Physiology Cell BiologyCell Biology NeurobiologyNeurobiology

    Cell communicationChannel specificity and activationLimitations of tools of Cell BiologyNeuronal Signaling
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    Exploring Miracle Fruit: An Undergraduate Laboratory Exercise on Experimental Design
    In recent years, undergraduate biology and biochemistry curricula have seen an increase in the use of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). CUREs maximize potential student gains when students take an active role in experimental...

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

    sensory systemspHProtein shapeTaste
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    Using a Primary Cell Culture Model to Study the Neural Extracellular Matrix
    The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides structural support to cells, but also has key roles in mediating cell adhesion, cell signaling, and differentiation. While this topic is discussed in the lecture setting, it is not heavily studied in...

    Courses: Cell BiologyCell Biology NeurobiologyNeurobiology

    Neural extracellular matrixPerineuronal netPrimary neuronal culture
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    Sequences and Properties of Gluten Proteins From Different Grains: A Virtual-Friendly Protein Laboratory
    The COVID-19 pandemic has forced much university instruction into virtual modes. As a result, many laboratory courses have either dropped content altogether or replaced hands-on activities with simulations and “dry” labs. Our goal was...

    Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyBiochemistry and Molecular Biology BioinformaticsBioinformatics

    protein structure and functionProtein sequenceintermolecular forcesBiomacromolecules
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    A Kinesthetic Modeling Activity to Teach PCR Fundamentals
    Most molecular biology and biological sciences students understand that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to amplify DNA. However, we have found that some students experience conceptual misunderstandings, a lack of detailed comprehension...

    Courses: GeneticsGenetics Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    PCR
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    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: NeurobiologyNeurobiology

    neuron physiologyspatial summationsynaptic integrationtemporal summationthreshold
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    The Developmental Origins of Mythology: A Pandemic-Inspired Innovative Developmental Biology Laboratory Exercise
    From an experiential, hands-on perspective, the Developmental Biology Laboratory is easily amenable to a wide range of undergraduate-friendly experiments. Thus, pivoting to a virtual laboratory during the COVID-19 pandemic required significant...

    Courses: Developmental BiologyDevelopmental Biology

    gastrulationaxis formationlimb developmentchimeramidline
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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 BiologyDevelopmental Biology

    experimental designC. elegansCre/LoxPFate mapheart developmentheart regenerationmousereporter constructzebrafish
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    Building a Model of Tumorigenesis: A small group activity for a cancer biology/cell biology course
    The multistep nature of tumorigenesis is a foundational concept in the context of Cancer Biology. Many students do not appreciate the complex nature of cancer development nor do they understand how scientists are able to unravel the molecular...

    Courses: Cell BiologyCell Biology GeneticsGenetics Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    pathwayscancerMolecular AlterationsRetrospective dataTumorigenesis
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    Modeling Strep Throat Detection, Infection, and Spread Using an SIR Model and the Vensim Simulation Software
    The overarching goal of this lesson is to provide students with an opportunity to gain experience making and using biological models. Biological modeling can be used to investigate complex, real-world problems so that predictions can be made about...

    Courses: Cell BiologyCell Biology ImmunologyImmunology Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology MicrobiologyMicrobiology

    infectious diseasebiological modelingSIR model
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    Single Cell Insights Into Cancer Transcriptomes: A Five-Part Single-Cell RNAseq Case Study Lesson
    There is a growing need for integration of “Big Data” into undergraduate biology curricula. Transcriptomics is one venue to examine biology from an informatics perspective. RNA sequencing has largely replaced the use of microarrays for whole...

    Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyBiochemistry and Molecular Biology BioinformaticsBioinformatics Cell BiologyCell Biology GeneticsGenetics Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology

    bioinformaticscancertranscriptomicshigh-throughputData wranglingSingle cell RNA sequencingq
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    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 BiologyIntroductory Biology Professional Development and Career PlanningProfessional Development and Career Planning

    backward designlearning goalscourse design
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    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 BiologyBiochemistry and Molecular Biology BioinformaticsBioinformatics

    bioinformaticsDNA sequenceRNAseqgene expression
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    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 BiologyBiochemistry and Molecular Biology Cell BiologyCell Biology

    genomicstranscriptionsignaling
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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: EcologyEcology GeneticsGenetics Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology NeurobiologyNeurobiology

    role of science in society
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    Cell Signaling Pathways - a Case Study Approach
    Signaling and gene expression are fundamental to cell biology and developmental biology. Although these topics are highly interrelated, they typically appear in separate units in a course. We use a series of short problem-based learning exercises...

    Courses: Cell BiologyCell Biology Developmental BiologyDevelopmental Biology

    signal transductiongene expressionCell communicationgenetic disordersregulation of enzyme activity
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    Follow the Sulfur: Using Yeast Mutants to Study a Metabolic Pathway
    Students are frequently overwhelmed by the complexity of metabolic pathways and they think they have "learned" the pathway when they have memorized the individual reactions.  This laboratory lesson helps students to understand the...

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

    SelectionyeastMetabolismcysteinemediamethioninemutantPathwaysulfur
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    Investigating the Function of a Transport Protein: Where is ABCB6 Located in Human Cells?
    One of the challenges of teaching Cell Biology is helping students understand important research methods used to study cells.  The goal of understanding cell biology methods is especially challenging in courses without a laboratory...

    Courses: Cell BiologyCell Biology

    ABC transporter familyDifferential centrifugationImmunoblottingImmunofluorescence assayProtein localizationPurifying organellesSDS-PAGE
    Teaching Tools and Strategies
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    The Pipeline CURE: An Iterative Approach to Introduce All Students to Research Throughout a Biology Curriculum
    Participation in research provides personal and professional benefits for undergraduates. However, some students face institutional barriers that prevent their entry into research, particularly those from underrepresented groups who may stand to...

    Courses: Developmental BiologyDevelopmental Biology GeneticsGenetics Introductory BiologyIntroductory Biology Science Process SkillsScience Process Skills

    epigeneticsundergraduate researchmendelian inheritanceSelf-EfficacyCUREsnature of scienceResiliencecurriculum strategiesreprogramming