CourseSource: Resources

Lesson

220

views

28

downloads

0

comments

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 student participation by demonstrating the relevance of...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

urban ecologyPrescribed fireEcosystem Servicesecological restorationwoody encroachmentrangeland ecology

LessonPlus

1123

views

236

downloads

0

comments

Keep It Shrimple: An Adaptable Student-Driven Research Project for the Introductory Biology Laboratory

A challenge in introductory biology laboratory courses is to provide students with authentic, engaging research opportunities that allow them to take ownership of their experiments. We present a nine-week introductory biology module that allows...

Courses: Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

hypothesis testingexperimental designanimal behaviorbrine shrimp

Teaching Tools and Strategies

3341

views

1656

downloads

0

comments

A 360˚ View of COVID-19

In March 2020, institutions underwent a massive transition to distance learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With so little time to devise new materials to maximize learning in the new virtual environment, instructors devised a variety of...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Cell Biology Evolution Genetics Immunology Introductory Biology Microbiology Science Process Skills

geneticsImmunologyBiochemistrybioinformaticsmolecular evolutionpublic healthvirusCOVID19

Lesson

2755

views

408

downloads

0

comments

Moths and Frogs and E. coli, Oh My!: Agent-based Modeling of Evolutionary Systems

In evolution classrooms, introducing and reinforcing the idea of genetic drift and random selection can be challenging, as can be reinforcing appropriate mental models of evolution. Agent-based models offer students the opportunity to conduct a...

Courses: Bioinformatics Ecology Ecology Evolution Science Process Skills

modelingEvolutionecologyagent-based modelingGenetic Driftenvironmental scienceNatural Selectioncompetitive coevolutionsimulation modelingevolutionary reasoning

Lesson

2213

views

555

downloads

0

comments

Follow the Sulfur: Using Yeast Mutants to Study a Metabolic Pathway

Students are frequently overwhelmed by the complexity of metabolic pathways and they think they have "learned" the pathway when they have memorized the individual reactions. This laboratory lesson helps students to understand the...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Genetics Introductory Biology Microbiology Science Process Skills

SelectionyeastMetabolismcysteinemediamethioninemutantPathwaysulfur

Lesson

2220

views

569

downloads

0

comments

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 mechanisms cells use to direct proteins to the...

Courses: Cell Biology Science Process Skills

colocalizationimmunofluorescenceProtein localizationsignal sequencessubcellular fractionationwestern blotting

Lesson

2482

views

907

downloads

0

comments

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 that investigates the foraging behavior of sciurid...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

foragingbehaviorbehavioral ecologySciuridSquirrelSquirrel-NetTrade-offVigilance

Lesson

2338

views

463

downloads

0

comments

Harnessing the Power of the Immune System: Influenza Vaccines

Because most people have been infected by and/or immunized against influenza, students should know how the immune system responds to the infection and how vaccines protect against disease. Vaccines have played an instrumental role in disease...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Immunology Science Process Skills

VaccinesInfluenzaImmunizationVaccine efficacy

Lesson

5652

views

969

downloads

0

comments

Mapping a Mutation to its Gene: The "Fly Lab" as a Modern Research Experience

Although genetics is an invaluable part of the undergraduate biology curriculum, it can be intimidating to students as well as instructors: Students must reduce their reliance on memorization and dive deep into quantitative analysis, and...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Genetics Science Process Skills

geneticsbioinformaticsdrosophilachi-square analysiscomplementation mappingmode of inheritancethree-point mapping

Lesson

1148

views

393

downloads

0

comments

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 we provide images and videos of foraging...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

linear regressionexperimental designPlant-insect interactionsSymbiosisForaging behavior

Lesson

1663

views

265

downloads

0

comments

Interactive Video Vignettes (IVVs) to Help Students Learn Genetics Concepts

Many video resources exist to teach Mendelian genetics, but most consist of passive delivery of information rather than active construction of knowledge by users. We have created two interactive video vignettes (IVVs) that can be used together or...

Courses: Genetics Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

genotypephenotypeallelespedigreedominanceHardy-Weinberg equilibriumInheritance

Lesson

2090

views

644

downloads

0

comments

Using Zebrafish in a Developmental Biology Lab Course to Explore Interactions Between Development and the Environment

Important learning outcomes for biology students include the ability to develop experiments as well as pull together concepts across their coursework. The field of developmental biology, especially environmental influences on development...

Courses: Developmental Biology Science Process Skills

toxicologymorphogenesisorganogenesis

Lesson

1612

views

561

downloads

0

comments

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 their work. This cycling and mixing of conceptual...

Courses: Science Process Skills

statisticssample sizeBiological variation

Lesson

2907

views

868

downloads

0

comments

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 objectives embedded in a semester-long upper-level biology...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Science Process Skills

datacitizen sciencecommunityBiodiversitySpecieshypothesishabitat

Lesson

2440

views

662

downloads

0

comments

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 an inquiry-based lab module to introduce students...

Courses: Ecology Ecology Evolution Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

data analysisnatural historyphylogenyBiodiversitymammalsAllen's RuleBergmann's Ruleecogeographymuseum research

Lesson

2527

views

173

downloads

0

comments

Gotcha! Which fly trap is the best? An introduction to experimental data collection and analysis

Collecting data from experimental observations is an important component of the scientific process; likewise, the analysis of the data is essential to understanding the observed trends and patterns from any experiment. Allowing students to...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

data analysisexperimental designdata collectionfruit fliesfly traps

Lesson

10770

views

1652

downloads

2

comments

A virtual laboratory on cell division using a publicly-available image database

Cell division is a key concept in cell biology. While there are many popular activities to teach students the stages of mitosis, most make use of simple schematics, cartoons, or textbook diagrams. Others engage students in acting out the stages,...

Courses: Cell Biology Science Process Skills

image analysismicroscopymitosisCellular Processes

Lesson

1491

views

532

downloads

0

comments

A Close-Up Look at PCR

The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a fundamental laboratory technique that allows for the amplification of many copies of a desired DNA target sequence. Despite its prevalence, undergraduate students often have poor comprehension about the...

Courses: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Genetics Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

PCRDNA replication

Lesson

3515

views

255

downloads

0

comments

Learning to Pipet Correctly by Pipetting Incorrectly?

Beginning undergraduate students in biology need basic laboratory, data analysis, and science process skills to pursue more complex questions in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). To this end, we designed an introductory...

Courses: Introductory Biology Science Process Skills

statisticslaboratorypipetting

Lesson

2198

views

384

downloads

0

comments

Bad Science: Exploring the unethical research behind a putative memory supplement

As members of society, students must be able to evaluate scientific claims across a wide variety of media to make sound decisions about health and wellness. However, students - and most members of society - struggle to evaluate the quality of...

Courses: Science Process Skills

bioethicsevaluationPseudoscienceRecognizing bad scienceScience process skills