CourseSource: Resources

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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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3549

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263

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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-Physiology Cell Biology Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

microscopyAnatomySymbiosisMetabolismbleachinginvertebratedinoflagellate

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1793

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342

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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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2795

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701

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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: Ecology Ecology Evolution Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

data analysisnatural historyphylogenyBiodiversitymammalsAllen's RuleBergmann's Ruleecogeographymuseum research

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3135

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367

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Developing Decolonial Consciousness in Biology Students Through Critical Reflection Assignments

There is a growing call to decolonize curricula in academia, including in scientific disciplines. In the biology classroom, this includes highlighting a diverse array of scientists and illuminating injustice and exploitation carried out by...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Science Process Skills

primatessocietyZoologyantiracismdecolonizingstudent activismmuseum science

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2280

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475

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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: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology

plantsenergyAnimalsfungimatterorganismal scale

Lesson

5093

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347

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Learning to Pipet Correctly by Pipetting Incorrectly?

Beginning undergraduate students in biology need basic laboratory, data analysis, and science process skills to pursue more complex questions in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). To this end, we designed an introductory...

Courses: Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

statisticslaboratorypipetting

Teaching Tools and Strategies

808

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143

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Graphical Organizers as Course Road Maps: Using a geologic timescale in a history of life course

Both major and non-major biology students lack understanding of important evolutionary events, how they are spaced in time, and how they relate back to the earth system. Graphical organizers like concept maps and timescales are popular tools that...

Courses: Evolution

Evolutionecologyextinctionadaptive radiationdiversification

Lesson

4060

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482

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A Classroom Intervention to Reduce Confirmation Bias

STEM students are often unable to recognize cognitive bias in their own disciplines, and simply describing cognitive bias to students has shown to be insufficient to improve critical thinking. However, habitual metacognitive techniques show...

Courses: Science Process Skills

biasprocess of sciencemetacognitionConfirmation BiasCognitive Bias

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754

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115

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A Momentum-First Approach to Newton’s Second Law

Students frequently struggle with seeing the connection between forces and motion in introductory physics. This lesson is part of a combined momentum and kinematics unit that first teaches Newton’s second law as a statement of conservation...

Courses: Introductory Physics: Calculus-Based

group workMomentumNewton's Laws

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2389

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279

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Escape Zoom!: Reviewing Introductory Evolution Content Using an Escape Room Format

Reviewing and integrating key concepts and learning goals at the end of a biology course can be overwhelming to students and instructors alike. Often end-of-term review sessions in preparation for final exams are heavily based on memorization, and...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Genetics

Evolutionartificial selectionSpeciationextinctionsexual selectionphylogenetic treesmechanisms of evolution

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2321

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227

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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 Biology Bioinformatics

protein structure and functionProtein sequenceintermolecular forcesBiomacromolecules

Science Behind the Lesson

3080

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161

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Science Behind the Lesson: It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Biomechanics!

Active flight is a specialized mode of movement found in insects, birds, and mammals. The anatomy, morphology, physiology, and ecology of flying taxa has changed over evolutionary time. Researchers have proposed several hypotheses about the...

Courses: Anatomy-Physiology Ecology Ecology

EvolutionecologybatphysiologyAnatomybiomechanicsbirdFlightinsect

Teaching Tools and Strategies

1733

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325

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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

geneticscell biologyneurosciencesystems biologyScience Fiction

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2113

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309

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Debating Conservation: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Introductory Biology Classes

Role-playing activities in the classroom promote students’ critical thinking, research, and communication skills. We present an activity where students debate a current controversy in conservation. In our case study, students debate the...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology

Restorationtrophic cascadeecosystem function

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5062

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667

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How Do Kidneys Make Urine From Blood? Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches to Filtration, Secretion, Reabsorption, and Excretion

The function of the kidneys is to help maintain a constant internal environment (homeostasis) by regulating the volume and chemical composition of the blood. This regulation occurs via three fundamental processes: filtration, secretion, and...

Courses: Anatomy-Physiology Introductory Biology

collecting ductexcretionglomerular filtration rate (GFR)nephron tubulereabsorptionrenal corpusclesection

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4360

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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: Ecology Ecology Genetics Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

EvolutionconservationGenetic DriftSpeciationNatural SelectionBiological species conceptgene flowMorphological species conceptPhylogenetic species concept

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958

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Exploring the Broader Impacts of Science and Society in an Active Learning Environment

Science and society have always been intertwined. Today, scientists are increasingly encouraged to interact with the public by conducting transparent and participatory engaged scholarship, as opposed to the prevailing one-way transfer of...

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

active learningsocietyScience CommunicationscienceBroader impactsPublic engagement

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4283

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1458

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Evaluating the Quick Fix: Weight Loss Drugs and Cellular Respiration

One key to student success in introductory and cell biology courses is a foundational knowledge of cellular respiration. This is a content area in which students often harbor misconceptions that make cellular respiration particularly challenging...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Cell Biology Introductory Biology

data analysisCellular RespirationElectron Transport ChainEnergy transformationsMitochondriaOxidative phosphorylationWeight loss drugs24-dinitrophenol (DNP)

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1284

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352

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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