You are here: Home / Resources / Browse Resources

Open. Adaptable. Free.

Resources created by our members and partners.

The QUBES platform hosts hundreds of teaching materials, reference materials, and cloud-based software free to use and adapt using open Creative Commons licenses.

Text Search:
Applied Filters
    An Inquiry-Based Project Added to Traditional Labs: Hands-On Fish Awareness Research in Freshwater Systems Conducted by First-Year Biology Students
    This project involves students in an inquiry-based project added to the introductory biology laboratory course for majors in fall 2019. Research has shown that student engagement in authentic...

    Keywords: Evolutionbehaviorichthyology

    2626

    views

    61

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Discovery and Invention: A Reflection on Representation in Science
    Despite increased awareness of the lack of equity and inclusion in the STEMM classroom, lessons on DEI topics are treated as separate to the scientific curriculum being taught. Rarely are...

    Keywords: EquityDiversity and Inclusionantiracism

    723

    views

    76

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Using Current Events to Teach Written, Visual, and Oral Science Communication
    Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals need the skills to communicate with both technical and public audiences, but formal training in these skills is often lacking....

    Keywords: communicationscientific writingstorytellingaudiencecurrent events

    1002

    views

    171

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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...

    Keywords: population ecologypopulation modelingdiscrete generationpopulation management

    1207

    views

    337

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    The 4-Minute Summary: Helping students recall, recap and explain the big picture... and much more!
    Actively engaging students during a lecture class can come through many formats.  The 4-Minute Summary is a versatile pedagogy that can be readily applied to any class format (e.g.,...

    Keywords: active learningDiscussionLarge classSummary

    2590

    views

    242

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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...

    Keywords: colocalizationimmunofluorescenceProtein localizationsignal sequencessubcellular fractionationwestern blotting

    2531

    views

    597

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Knowing your own: A classroom case study using the scientific method to investigate how birds learn to recognize their offspring
    Understanding the scientific method provides students with a necessary foundation for careers in science-related fields. Moreover, students can apply scientific inquiry skills in many aspects of...

    Keywords: scientific methodNatural Selectionbrood parasitism

    3354

    views

    519

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Splicing it Together: Using Primary Data to Explore RNA Splicing and Gene Expression in Large-Lecture Introductory Biology
    At the heart of scientific ways of knowing is the systematic collection and analysis of data, which is then used to propose an explanation of how the world works. In this two-day module, students...

    Keywords: gene regulationtranscriptiongene expressioncentral dogmarepressoralternative splicingmRNA processingActivatorTranscription factors

    3360

    views

    484

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    "I Really Enjoy These Annotations:" Examining Primary Biological Literature Using Collaborative Annotation
    Critically reading and evaluating claims made in the primary literature are vital skills for the future professional and personal lives of undergraduate students. However, the formal presentation...

    Keywords: Stem cellsAdult neurogenesisCRISPR gene editing

    4199

    views

    423

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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...

    Keywords: EvolutionmutationcompetitionNatural Selectionregulationstructure and functionreproductive fitnessgenotype to phenotypehomologs

    3140

    views

    251

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Teaching Advanced Concepts in Regulation of the Lac Operon With Modeling and Simulation
    Success in biochemistry and other life science courses requires that students understand important biological concepts. One of these concepts is how gene regulation ensures that homeostasis is...

    Keywords: gene regulationinducible operonProkaryotic cellPhosphoenolpyruvate transferase system (PTS)

    4100

    views

    405

    downloads

    1

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Bringing Pasteur Back to Life: Studying the Biochemistry of Yeast Fermentation Through Discussion Groups and an At-Home Lab
    This hands-on, student-centered biochemistry lesson introduces beginner biochemistry students to the techniques of effectively reading and discussing primary literature, identifying fundamental...

    Keywords: primary literatureexperimentationyeastMetabolismFermentationRespirationequilibrium

    3320

    views

    225

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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...

    Keywords: geneticsorganismal biologybioinformaticstaxonomyDNA Barcodingspecies concepts

    1719

    views

    215

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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...

    Keywords: plantsenergyAnimalsfungimatterorganismal scale

    2043

    views

    457

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Using Images of Foraging Leaf-Cutter Ants to Teach Linear Regression
    This lesson offers students a realistic, open-inquiry research experience, even when lab or field research is not possible. We first introduce students to leaf-cutter ants and how they forage. Then...

    Keywords: linear regressionexperimental designPlant-insect interactionsSymbiosisForaging behavior

    1354

    views

    410

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    My Dog IS My Homework: Exploring Canine Genetics to Understand Genotype-Phenotype Relationships
    To facilitate understanding of the fundamental genetic concept of the genotype-phenotype relationship in our introductory biology students, we designed an engaging multi-week series of related...

    Keywords: gel electrophoresissequence analysiscanine geneticsdeoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)dog coat morphologygenotype and phenotypemutationsPolymerase chain reaction (PCR)single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)

    3581

    views

    1201

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Discovering Prokaryotic Gene Regulation by Building and Investigating a Computational Model of the lac Operon
    The ability to construct and reason through a biological system is an important skill to develop in science education. This level of understanding forces students to recognize the interrelatedness...

    Keywords: prokaryotesgene regulationLac Operoninducible operon

    2041

    views

    246

    downloads

    1

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Implementing active learning approaches into an upper-division biology course
    In this essay, we present our strategy for implementing active learning strategies into an upper division course on Human Genetics. Our principal goal was to shift from a traditional didactic...

    Keywords: human biologyPedigree analysisRare genetic diseases

    752

    views

    104

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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...

    Keywords: group workMomentumNewton's Laws

    610

    views

    70

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Drawing “Octo-Pines”: Ice-Breaker Active-Learning Activities to Introduce Drawing-to-Learn in Biology
    Drawing has been advocated as a technique to develop visual literacy and observational skills in biology students. To increase student motivation and confidence to draw in our course, we developed...

    Keywords: Zoologydrawingdrawing-to-learnice breaker

    1859

    views

    338

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Close

    Home

    Search