CourseSource: Resources

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: Ecology Ecology Evolution Genetics Introductory Biology

Evolutionecologymorphologysensory biologycave biologycomparative biologyenvironmental differencesregressive lossstructure and function

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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 Biology Developmental Biology

signal transductiongene expressionCell communicationgenetic disordersregulation of enzyme activity

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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: Ecology Ecology Evolution Introductory Biology

conservationBiodiversityextinctionMass ExtinctionDeep Time

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Role of Crop Genetic Diversity on Pathogen Impact: The Tale of Two Pathogens

Introductory genetics courses are part of the core curriculum in many different fields, including plant breeding, animal science, biology, microbiology, and natural resource management. Concepts involving genes, inheritance, evolution, and genome...

Courses: Introductory Biology Plant Biology Science Process Skills

plant pathologygenetic diversityDisease TriangleModes of Reproduction

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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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Breaking It Down: What Factors Control Microbial Decomposition Rates?

Demonstrating and modeling changes in ecosystem processes in the laboratory classroom can be logistically difficult and expensive. This complexity often leaves little time for students to generate and test hypotheses. Yet, we must foster student...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Microbiology Science Process Skills

data analysishypothesis testingdata visualizationdata managementMicrobial RespirationDecompostionAbiotic ConditionsResults Communication

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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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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

mutationProtein Structureethicscentral dogmahuman disease

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Green Design: How do Leaf Structures Optimize Photosynthesis and Promote Survival?

One of the major learning objectives established by the American Society of Plant Biologists and the Botanical Society of America has students answer the question: How do plant structures enable life functions? This lesson helps students answer...

Courses: Introductory Biology Plant Biology

photosynthesisepidermal layerleaf anatomymesophyllpalisade parenchymaplant anatomyplant structure functionspongy parenchymaStomata

Science Behind the Lesson

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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

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Environmental Injustice: When the Grass is Greener on the Other Side

Environmental pollution is a global threat that is especially prevalent in heavily industrialized and urbanized areas. Pollution can be found in many forms, such as natural and synthetic pollutants from natural and anthropogenic processes. These...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills Toxicology

human healthenvironmental injusticeEnvironmental PollutionSystemic BiasesIdeological AwarenessUrban Ecology and Development

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Targeting Misconceptions in the Central Dogma by Examining Viral Infection

Understanding the central dogma and how changes in gene expression can impact cell function requires integration of several topics in molecular biology. Students often do not make the necessary connections between DNA structure, transcription,...

Courses: Genetics Introductory Biology

datatranscriptionvirustranslationprotein functionmembrane transportPredictions

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Application of a Bacterial Experimental Evolution System to Visualize and Teach Evolution in Action: A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience

Concepts of evolution are typically taught through examples of extremely long timescales, which do not always resonate broadly. Here, we describe a course-based undergraduate research experience tailored for junior and senior undergraduate biology...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Cell Biology Evolution Genetics Microbiology

EvolutionmutationcompetitionNatural Selectionregulationstructure and functionreproductive fitnessgenotype to phenotypehomologs

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Bioinformatics is a BLAST: Engaging First-Year Biology Students on Campus Biodiversity Using DNA Barcoding

In order to introduce students to the concept of molecular diversity, we developed a short, engaging online lesson using basic bioinformatics techniques. Students were introduced to basic bioinformatics while learning about local on-campus species...

Courses: Bioinformatics Introductory Biology

geneticsorganismal biologybioinformaticstaxonomyDNA Barcodingspecies concepts

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Ain't No Mountain Pine Enough: A Case Study of How Mountain Pine Beetles are Affecting Ecosystem Processes

This case study engages students in generating hypotheses and predictions, analyzing and interpreting data, critically evaluating contrasting results in science, and thinking about feedbacks between biota and abiotic ecosystem dynamics. To address...

Courses: Ecology Ecology

population biologycarbon cyclingSpecies-habitat interactions

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Mice, Acorns, and Lyme Disease: a Case Study to Teach the Ecology of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Ebola, Zika, the recall of contaminated lettuce - these are just a few recent outbreaks making headlines. Students should be able to connect what they learn in their biology courses to explain these events happening around them. Unfortunately,...

Courses: Microbiology

epidemiologyEcological changeInfectious disease ecologyReservoirsTransmission cycle

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GMC: Genes, Mutations and Cancer - Group Concept Map Development

It has been shown that active learning strategies used in the classroom can increase student learning and retention of information. We generated an active learning exercise that can be used in the classroom to explore the relationship between...

Courses: Cell Biology Genetics Introductory Biology

mutationcancerCell Division

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A Laboratory Module That Explores RNA Interference and Codon Optimization Through Fluorescence Microscopy Using Caenorhabditis elegans

Scientific research experiences are beneficial to students allowing them to gain laboratory and problem-solving skills, as well as foundational research skills in a team-based setting. We designed a laboratory module to provide a guided research...

Courses: Bioinformatics Cell Biology Developmental Biology Genetics Science Process Skills

microscopyC. elegansquantitative analysisinquiry-based learninggene expressionRNA interferenceCodon UsageLaboratory Module

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Cutthroat trout in Colorado: A case study connecting evolution and conservation

Evaluation of evidence is a key process skill for the core competencies of applying the process of science and using quantitative reasoning. This case study enables upper-division biology students to practice these skills by applying evolutionary...

Courses: Evolution Genetics Science Process Skills

population geneticsphylogeneticsSpeciationdivergencegene flow

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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 Biology Ecology Ecology Evolution Immunology Introductory Biology Microbiology