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
    9-005-InvasiveSpeciesModel-ModelingScenario
    This scenario takes students through the development of an invasive species partial differential equation model. Basic models are discussed first, which lead students to eventually develop their...

    Keywords: Invasive Specieslogisticmigrationtraveling wavesdispersion

    320

    views

    275

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Prairie Eco Services (Project EDDIE)
    As densely populated urban areas continue to expand, human activity is removing much-needed greenspaces from our communities; in turn, we are also removing critical buffers that are needed to...

    Keywords: Project EDDIEWater cycle

    642

    views

    441

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Applying phylogenetic tree building in MEGA X to forensic applications for identifying unknown specimens
    This exercise is designed to guide a learner through the construction of phylogenetic trees as a means of addressing research questions in forensic science such as the identification of previously...

    Keywords: taxonomyBioinformatics and GenomicsDNA Barcodinginvertebrate phylogeneticsforensic entomology

    1804

    views

    648

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Introduction to nucleotide sequence analysis and protein modeling in MEGA and PyMol using coronavirus SARS-CoV-2
    Introduction into computational approaches in phylogeny and protein modeling based on coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (caused COVID-19 pandemic). Two self-guided tutorials for standard lab classes of 2.5...

    Keywords: phylogeneticsundergraduate educationbioinformaticsNCBICOVID19coronavirusMEGAPyMolvirtual labPDBprotein modelingSARSSARS-CoV

    1203

    views

    628

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Designing an Asynchronous, Self-Led Aquatic Ecology Field Trip
    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing need to teach students online, aquatic scientists are looking for ways to give students field experiences virtually. Asynchronous, self-led field trips...

    Keywords: observationecosystem structureexploration

    1337

    views

    231

    downloads

    2

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    From Dirt to Streptomyces DNA
    The purpose of this semester-long Lesson is to give students an authentic, course-based undergraduate research experience during which they learn basic and advanced microbiological and molecular...

    Keywords: MetabolismAntibiotic productionrRNA genesSecondary metabolitesStreptomyces

    2233

    views

    464

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Student-Driven Design-and-Improve Modules to Explore the Effect of Plant Bioactive Compounds in Three Model Organisms
    Engaging and supporting introductory level students in authentic research experiences during required coursework is challenging. Plant bioactive compounds attract students' natural curiosity as...

    Keywords: statisticsLabCUREInquiryresearch skillscaterpillardaphniadrugsscience process

    1625

    views

    595

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Developing Data Literacy Skills and Connecting the Student Experience in the Classroom to the Community Through Biodiversity Projects
    Undergraduate education and long-term science literacy are enhanced by integrating data projects with public datasets and creating analysis summaries. Underutilized public datasets are often...

    Keywords: species richnessBiodiversitydisturbanceHabitat rangePopulation abundance

    2718

    views

    534

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Ain't No Mountain Pine Enough: A Case Study of How Mountain Pine Beetles are Affecting Ecosystem Processes
    This case study engages students in generating hypotheses and predictions, analyzing and interpreting data, critically evaluating contrasting results in science, and thinking about feedbacks...

    Keywords: population biologycarbon cyclingSpecies-habitat interactions

    1636

    views

    454

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Biodiversity Show and Tell: An Accessible Activity to Encourage Students to Explore the Tree of Life
    An appreciation of organismal diversity is a requirement for understanding evolution and ecology, and can serve as a source of amazement and wonder that inspires students to enjoy biology. However,...

    Keywords: EvolutionecologyBiodiversity

    2796

    views

    613

    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

    1397

    views

    422

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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

    3426

    views

    907

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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...

    Keywords: EvolutionconservationGenetic DriftSpeciationNatural SelectionBiological species conceptgene flowMorphological species conceptPhylogenetic species concept

    4046

    views

    1180

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Chilling in the Cold: Using Thermal Acclimation to Demonstrate Phenotypic Plasticity in Animals
    The lesson plan described here provides students hands-on, scientific experiences that relate to the globally important issue of climate change and its impacts on animals. Students use the...

    Keywords: scientific methodclimate changephenotypic plasticityfruit fliesaccclimationcold tolerancethink-pair-share

    1619

    views

    337

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Assessing Urban Biodiversity With the eBird Citizen Science Project: A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Module
    The eBird citizen science module takes advantage of technology tools and online resources developed by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (http://ebird.org) to achieve several learning...

    Keywords: datacitizen sciencecommunityBiodiversitySpecieshypothesishabitat

    3179

    views

    906

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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...

    Keywords: data analysisnatural historyphylogenyBiodiversitymammalsAllen's RuleBergmann's Ruleecogeographymuseum research

    2666

    views

    684

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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...

    Keywords: EvolutionecologybatphysiologyAnatomybiomechanicsbirdFlightinsect

    2909

    views

    147

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    It's a bird! It's a plane! It's biomechanics!
    Biomechanics is a discipline that draws from physics and engineering principles to understand the movement and structure of living organisms. It is highly interdisciplinary in nature and can be...

    Keywords: EvolutionecologybatphysiologyAnatomybirdFlightforcesinsect

    1057

    views

    161

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    CURE-all: Large Scale Implementation of Authentic DNA Barcoding Research into First-Year Biology Curriculum
    Growing calls in science education reform have emphasized wide-scale engagement of first-year undergraduate students in authentic research experiences; however, large course enrollments, inadequate...

    Keywords: phylogeneticsbioinformaticsBiodiversityprocess of sciencetaxonomyPCRDNADNA sequencegel electrophoresis

    6031

    views

    3884

    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

    1233

    views

    346

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Close

    Home

    Search