Lights, Camera, Acting Transport! is an active and unique role-play exercise designed to teach introductory biology students basic concepts of passive and active membrane transport. The activity involves three acts in which students, representing various molecules, ions and components of the plasma membrane, interact to learn the fundamentals of passive transport, primary active transport and co-transport across cellular membranes. This activity was designed in response to observations that many students struggle to understand the basic principles of membrane transport. After consistently observing high levels of student engagement and enjoyment from this activity, we assessed student learning gains from, and attitudes towards, this exercise. Student understanding of membrane transport significantly improved after participation in the activity, and these improvements were largely retained over time. Moreover, students reported positive attitudes towards the activity in terms of perceived learning and enjoyment, and participation in the exercise significantly increased student confidence. We conclude that this activity constitutes an effective and enjoyable instructional tool that appeals to a diverse population of students.
Monica Velarde onto CELL BIOLOGY
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