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
    Why Meiosis Matters: The case of the fatherless snake
    A compelling reason to learn something can make all the difference in students’ motivation to learn it.  Motivation, in turn, is one of the key attitudes that drives learning.  This story...

    Keywords: meiosismitosissex determinationAsexual reproductionParthenogenesis

    8839

    views

    1136

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Science “Fails”: A Bank of Historical Examples for Learning From Failure in Science
    Learning from failure is critically important to the processes of scientific inquiry, discovery, and invention. However, students are not routinely taught how to reflect on, learn from, and...

    Keywords: metacognitionScience process skillsLearning from failurepower and privilegestudent wellbeing

    4601

    views

    774

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    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

    3269

    views

    245

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    "Got Algae?" A Sorting Game for Introducing the Weird and Wonderful Diversity of Algae
    Algae are a fascinating and diverse organismal group, with global ecological importance, a storied evolutionary history and deep connections to both contemporary and historical human societies. Yet...

    Keywords: phylogenyBiodiversityphotosynthesisalgaeseaweedmonophyly

    3201

    views

    705

    downloads

    2

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Visits to the writing center and office hours provide students structured reflection and low-stakes feedback on scientific writing in an Introductory Biology course
    Effective written communication of scientific concepts is a critical, but difficult skill for undergraduate STEM majors to acquire. Oftentimes, the grades of lab reports are negatively impacted by...

    Keywords: scientific writingwater qualityanalysis of results

    544

    views

    107

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    The Inside and Outside the Body
    The Inside and Outside the Body activity helps students develop a conceptual understanding of anatomical barriers such as skin and mucus membranes that separate internal cells and fluids from the...

    Keywords: structureAnatomybarriers

    1858

    views

    276

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Using Synthetic Biology and pClone Red for Authentic Research on Promoter Function: Genetics (analyzing mutant promoters)
    Students often memorize the definition of a transcriptional promoter but fail to fully understand the critical role promoters play in gene expression.  This laboratory lesson allows students...

    Keywords: bacteriasynthetic biologygene regulationtranscriptionstudent researchcentral dogmacloningpromoterreporter gene/protein

    2886

    views

    671

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Learning the Landscape: An Active and Applied Lesson on Landscape Ecology for General Ecology Courses
    Landscape ecology is an important subtopic of ecology. As a field, it is inherently interdisciplinary and provides opportunities to teach not only content, but transferable ecological and...

    Keywords: landscape ecologyspatial scaleecosystem managementHabitat fragmentation

    625

    views

    14

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Go Extinct! An Award-Winning Evolution Game That Teaches Tree-Thinking as Students Pursue the Winning Strategy
    Evolutionary trees communicate both the diversity and unity of life, a central and important scientific concept, as highlighted by the Vision and Change undergraduate biology education movement....

    Keywords: phylogeneticsnatural historyBiodiversitycladogramCommon ancestorEvolutionary treeLand vertebratesMonophyletic cladeTetrapods

    2405

    views

    389

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Mock Drug Activity Enhances Student Learning About the Challenges of HIV/AIDS Therapy
    While traditional didactic coursework is important for learning about the scientific aspects of HIV/AIDS, it is difficult to convey social aspects of the epidemic. Due to effective drug therapies,...

    Keywords: drug resistanceRetrovirusViral replication

    1135

    views

    139

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    CRISPR/Cas9 in yeast: a multi-week laboratory exercise for undergraduate students
    Providing undergraduate life-science students with a course-based research experience that utilizes cutting-edge technology, is tractable for students, and is manageable as an instructor is a...

    Keywords: bioinformaticsPCRphenotypingCRISPR/Cas9gene editingcloningGenotypingRestriction enzyme

    3111

    views

    1104

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Bacteria to Brains in Backyard Coyotes: An Interdisciplinary Pedagogical Case Study
    Our interdisciplinary pedagogical case study explores the differences between rural and urban coyotes at the levels of organismal and community ecology. The focus is on how coyotes’ gut...

    Keywords: dietanimal behaviorimmune systemmicrobiomeNervous systemgut-brain axisImmunoReachdysbiosisCoyoteCytokines

    2666

    views

    309

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Walkabout: An Easy to Use, Experiential Learning Activity for Applying Abstract Concepts to the Real-World
    Students can have difficulty recognizing examples of course concepts in the real-world. They particularly struggle with phenomena that are ambiguously defined, have mimics, or are hard to...

    Keywords: data gatheringgreen technologyobservations

    5329

    views

    137

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Integrating Community Ecology Into the Study of Parasites: Exploring the Effect of Host Behavior on Parasite Transmission Rates
    Organismal life cycles are often presented as a set of facts to memorize in undergraduate biology courses. This approach is cognitively demanding for students and fails to convey how central life...

    Keywords: statisticsspecies interactionsQuantitative reasoninggraphsCommunity EcologyParasitologyfood webs

    2577

    views

    212

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Role of Crop Genetic Diversity on Pathogen Impact: The Tale of Two Pathogens
    Introductory genetics courses are part of the core curriculum in many different fields, including plant breeding, animal science, biology, microbiology, and natural resource management. Concepts...

    Keywords: plant pathologygenetic diversityDisease TriangleModes of Reproduction

    2539

    views

    215

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Teaching Cancer Biology Through a Lens of Social Justice
    The biology classroom is not separate from the greater context of society; social issues can and should be presented in connection with the content. Here we present an example of antiracist...

    Keywords: assessmentcancersocial justicePOGILAlignmentPublic ExamPublic

    4539

    views

    698

    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

    1577

    views

    588

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    The Comics Project: Synthesizing and Communicating Science with Comics
    Students, especially non-science majors, often see science as abstracted from their daily lives. Moreover, students often struggle to translate scientific concepts into everyday language in order...

    Keywords: communicating scienceScience & Societycomics

    766

    views

    167

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Marsh Madness: Using Video Games and a Case Study to Explore Food Webs and Ecosystem Services in Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve
    As the complexity and interconnectedness of our world increases, we are continually expected to be capable of complex, non-linear thinking in order to successfully tackle and solve the challenges...

    Keywords: food webssystems thinkingGame Based LearningEcosystem Servicessocio-ecological networks

    6074

    views

    253

    downloads

    1

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    BioVEDA Curriculum: An Approach to Link Conceptual and Quantitative Understanding of Variation During Experimental Design and Data Analysis
    When performing a biological investigation, experts constantly cycle between conceptual and quantitative modes of thinking, integrating their understanding in both worlds to make decisions about...

    Keywords: statisticssample sizeBiological variation

    1846

    views

    570

    downloads

    0

    comments

    0

    adaptations

    Close

    Home

    Search