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    Navigating Proposal Writing and Implementation of an NSF S-STEM Grant Program: Reflections as a First-Time PI
    Recruitment and retention issues are an increasing concern to many institutions nationwide, most especially in regard to underrepresented minority (URM) students enrolled in STEM. It is, therefore,...

    Keywords: Proposal writingGrant managementNSF S-STEM

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    Squirreling Around for Science: Observing Sciurid Rodents to Investigate Animal Behavior
    Hands-on research experiences are important opportunities for students to learn about the nature of inquiry and gain confidence in solving problems. Here, we present an inquiry-based lesson plan...

    Keywords: foragingbehaviorbehavioral ecologySciuridSquirrelSquirrel-NetTrade-offVigilance

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    A "How-to" Guide For Producing Recorded Interviews
    Now that almost every student carries a camera in their pocket, student-created digital media items can be used to supplement curriculum material and as assessment. Although students can easily...

    Keywords: communicationemployabilitygathering data

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    An Interrupted Case Study on Urban Prairie Restoration
    Engaging students in meaningful discussions can be a challenging task for science instructors, especially in introductory courses. The story-telling approach used in case studies can increase...

    Keywords: urban ecologyPrescribed fireEcosystem Servicesecological restorationwoody encroachmentrangeland ecology

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    A Modeling Exercise in Sexual Selection using a Student-Created Bird Species
    Evolution-centered lessons at the undergraduate level can often be jargon-heavy, propagate misconceptions if taught ineffectively, and be uninteresting to students who may not see the relevancy of...

    Keywords: Evolutionfitnesssexual selectionNatural Selectionintersexual selectionmate choice

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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...

    Keywords: photosynthesisepidermal layerleaf anatomymesophyllpalisade parenchymaplant anatomyplant structure functionspongy parenchymaStomata

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    Life Is Just a Game: An Active Learning Activity to Teach Life History Evolution
    A novel activity was designed to introduce students to the concepts of natural selection and life history using an active-learning, constructivist format. It consisted of two parts: 1) a brief...

    Keywords: Evolutionlife historytrade-offsdiversityNatural Selection

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    VISABLI - an RCN-UBE for Visualizations, Interactive Simulations, and Animations for Biology Learning & Instruction (RCN-UBE Introduction)
    Our network improves instructional multimedia design for biology education by fostering communication and collaboration among members of three communities: undergraduate biology instructors,...

    Keywords: RCN-UBE Introduction

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    Video Making Tips for Laboratory Instructors
    Demonstration videos are an excellent way to introduce students to new laboratory techniques, but many available videos are of low quality, too long, lack human diversity, and the main narrator is...

    Keywords: microscopypipettingLab Equipment

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    Differential Gene Expression during Xenopus laevis Development
    In Developmental Biology classes, students are challenged with understanding how differential gene expression guides embryonic development. It can be difficult for students to realize that genes...

    Keywords: gene expressionXenopusearly developmentembryofertilizationin situ hybridization

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    Learning Frameworks Aid Goal-oriented Course Design
    As a new instructor it can be hard to know where to begin. Thankfully, CourseSource's learning frameworks (https://www.coursesource.org/courses) shaped my approach to teaching as a first year...

    Keywords: backward designlearning goalscourse design

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    Medical Student Opinions of a Gross Anatomy Course Aided with Prosection
    Dissection manuals and color atlases are useful tools in the anatomy lab, but do not provide the important three-dimensional (3-D) relationships between structures. For the first time at the...

    Keywords: Gross AnatomyStructure function relationMorphological variationProsected specimen as teaching tool

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    Sex and gender: What does it mean to be female or male?
    This lesson provides three activities to engage non-science major students in a discussion about sex, gender, gender identity, and sex determination. Students prepare for the lesson by reading a...

    Keywords: gendersex determinationgender identitysex

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    Resources for Assessing Educational Interventions in Biology at the Collegiate Level
    Most scientific research is judged based on the quality of controlled experiments and carefully analyzed results. In addition, proper levels of regulation in terms of biosafety and animal usage are...

    Keywords: researchassessmentpedagogylearning gainsIRBregulatory compliance

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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...

    Keywords: Evolutionecologyextinctionadaptive radiationdiversification

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    Pesticides in My Smoothie Bowl?
    Teaching resources, especially active learning pedagogy, are scarce for toxicology compared to what is available for other disciplines. Ecological and human health risk assessment are...

    Keywords: data analysistoxicologychemical toxicityecological risk assessmenthuman risk assessmentpesticide

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    Expanding the Reach of Crop Plants for Food Security: A Lesson Integrating Non-Majors Students Into the Discussion of Food Diversity and Human Nutrition
    University general education (GE) courses host students with various academic backgrounds, interests, and perspectives. Engaging students in GE classes with agricultural issues can be challenging...

    Keywords: cereal graincrop diversitycrop yieldglobal food systemhuman nutritionnutrient qualitypseudocereal grainstaple cropunderutilized crop

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    Does it pose a threat? Investigating the impact of Bt corn on monarch butterflies
    Aspiring scientists know that a hallmark of science is that experiments are repeatable and testable.  However, students do not often get opportunities to explore the replicability of...

    Keywords: ecologyCommunity EcologyBt cornGenetic modificationMonarch butterflies

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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...

    Keywords: primary literatureprokaryotesCell partsEukaryotesOrganelle functionOrganelles

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    A Kinesthetic and Collaborative Activity to Improve Conceptual Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium
    While teaching in large lecture halls, it is challenging even for experienced teachers to hold their students’ attention for the entire class period. Owing to the large enrollment in STEM...

    Keywords: collaborationdemonstrationchemistrykinesthetic learningequilibriumhands-on learning

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