CourseSource: Resources

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1957

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281

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A CURE-based approach to teaching genomics using mitochondrial genomes

There is an abundance (currently over 1016 DNA bases) of publicly available genetic sequence data and a dearth of trained genomicists to process and interpret it, necessitating more trained bioinformaticians with biological expertise. For...

Courses: Bioinformatics Genetics

proteinsMitochondrial GenomesNuclear GenomesrRNAtRNA

Teaching Tools and Strategies

2563

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213

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0

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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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1722

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316

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0

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Bad Cell Reception? Using a cell part activity to help students appreciate cell biology, with an improved data plan and no loss in coverage

With a veritable myriad of cell parts to cover, it is easy for educators to become locked into marathon presentations that become taxing for both the instructor and the students. While we hope and expect that students master this material, the...

Courses: Cell Biology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

primary literatureprokaryotesCell partsEukaryotesOrganelle functionOrganelles

Lesson

12345

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1871

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2

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A virtual laboratory on cell division using a publicly-available image database

Cell division is a key concept in cell biology. While there are many popular activities to teach students the stages of mitosis, most make use of simple schematics, cartoons, or textbook diagrams. Others engage students in acting out the stages,...

Courses: Cell Biology Science Process Skills

image analysismicroscopymitosisCellular Processes

Lesson

6128

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1235

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A CURE for Salmonella: A Laboratory Course in Pathogen Microbiology and Genomics

Rapid advances in genomics and bioinformatics, the vast amount of data generated by next-generation sequencing, and the penetration of the ‘-omics’ into many areas of biology have created a need for students with hands-on experience with...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Ecology Ecology Microbiology

epidemiologyresearchbioinformaticsgenomicspublic healthAntibiotic Resistant BacteriaSalmonellaDNA sequencingpathogenic bacteria

Science Behind the Lesson

1486

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202

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The Science Behind the ACTN3 Polymorphism

A common polymorphism in the alpha-actinin-3 (ACTN3) gene results in the lack of ACTN3 protein expression in fast twitch muscle fibers in ~16% of the human population (1). This genetic change has been linked with muscle performance in humans (2)...

Courses: Anatomy-Physiology Genetics

protein structure and functionhuman genetic variationskeletal muscle physiology

Lesson

2047

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890

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0

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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

Lesson

5660

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1170

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3

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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

Lesson

5496

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2556

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0

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Exploring the Lytic and Lysogenic Life Cycles of Bacteriophages

The goal of this lesson is to introduce students to the lytic and lysogenic cycles of T4 and lambda bacteriophages, respectively, using student-centered pedagogies. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and are either virulent or...

Courses: Microbiology

bacteriophagesLysogenic cycleLysogenyLytic cycle

Teaching Tools and Strategies

3638

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1720

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0

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A 360˚ View of COVID-19

In March 2020, institutions underwent a massive transition to distance learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With so little time to devise new materials to maximize learning in the new virtual environment, instructors devised a variety of...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Cell Biology Evolution Genetics Immunology Introductory Biology Microbiology Science Process Skills

geneticsImmunologyBiochemistrybioinformaticsmolecular evolutionpublic healthvirusCOVID19

Teaching Tools and Strategies

5685

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186

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0

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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

Lesson

3473

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725

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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

Lesson

248

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21

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Protein Import Into the ER: Understanding Experimental Methods for Old and New Cellular Discoveries

Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is an effective approach for group work in STEM courses. POGIL-style lessons foster active learning because they require students to communicate and co-construct knowledge to solve problems. Here,...

Courses: Cell Biology Science Process Skills

Necessary and sufficientsignal sequenceProtein SynthesistrafficER importTranslocation

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2668

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627

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Learning About Protein Localization: A Lesson for Analyzing Figures in a Scientific Publication

In order to function correctly, proteins must be localized to a specific subcellular location. We have designed this lesson to use data from the primary literature to teach students about the mechanisms cells use to direct proteins to the...

Courses: Cell Biology Science Process Skills

colocalizationimmunofluorescenceProtein localizationsignal sequencessubcellular fractionationwestern blotting

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2900

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507

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0

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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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1507

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531

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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 Biology Genetics Science Process Skills

pathwayscancerMolecular AlterationsRetrospective dataTumorigenesis

Lesson

2152

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667

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Sequence Similarity: An inquiry based and "under the hood" approach for incorporating molecular sequence alignment in introductory undergraduate biology courses

Introductory bioinformatics exercises often walk students through the use of computational tools, but often provide little understanding of what a computational tool does "under the hood." A solid understanding of how a bioinformatics...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Introductory Biology

BLASTmultiple sequence alignmentsequence similarityphylogramZika virusAlgorithmScoring Matrix

Lesson

4914

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495

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Does Organelle Shape Matter?: Exploring Patterns in Cell Shape and Structure with High-Throughput (HT) Imaging

Organelle structure has been studied and visualized for decades; however, publicly available databases that use improved high-throughput microscopy of gene-edited cell lines have recently revolutionized the amount and quality of information now...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Cell Biology Genetics Science Process Skills

modelingcase studymicroscopystructureOrganellesHigh-throughput (HT)Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)Fluorescent microscopyHuman Cell Biology

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9299

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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

Teaching Tools and Strategies

1738

views

326

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0

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SCIENCE/Fiction: Modular Template for Class Design

We present a modular scaffold for designing an introductory seminar using speculative fiction and science papers to welcome university undergraduates to the biology major. A list of twelve possible topics is included, such as Memory, Parasites,...

Courses: Anatomy-Physiology Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Cell Biology Evolution Genetics Introductory Biology Neurobiology