Investigating Issues in the Laboratory

2014 ◽  
Vol 76 (9) ◽  
pp. 609-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krissi M. Hewitt ◽  
Lori J. Kayes ◽  
David Hubert ◽  
Adam Chouinard
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Population Biology ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Reform Initiatives ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Invasive Crayfish ◽  
Recent Reform ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

Recent reform initiatives in undergraduate biology call for curricula that prepare students for dealing with real-world issues and making important links between science and society. In response to this call, we have developed an issues-based laboratory module that uses guided inquiry to integrate the concepts of animal behavior and population biology into an issue of both local and global relevance. The issue associated with this module is “What should be done about invasive crayfish?” Students investigate plausible reasons why crayfish are often successful invasive species through hypothesis testing, collection of behavioral data on live crayfish, and quantitative reasoning. Students also consider economic and environmental impacts of invasive species on local and global ecosystems. We implemented this module in a large introductory biology course and conducted survey research to evaluate the module’s potential to serve as an interesting and valuable learning experience for undergraduate biology students.

scholarly journals Differences in Metacognitive Regulation in Introductory Biology Students: When Prompts Are Not Enough

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. ar15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Dangremond Stanton ◽  
Xyanthe N. Neider ◽  
Isaura J. Gallegos ◽  
Nicole C. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Metacognitive Knowledge ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Metacognitive Development ◽  
Metacognitive Regulation ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

Strong metacognition skills are associated with learning outcomes and student performance. Metacognition includes metacognitive knowledge—our awareness of our thinking—and metacognitive regulation—how we control our thinking to facilitate learning. In this study, we targeted metacognitive regulation by guiding students through self-evaluation assignments following the first and second exams in a large introductory biology course (n = 245). We coded these assignments for evidence of three key metacognitive-regulation skills: monitoring, evaluating, and planning. We found that nearly all students were willing to take a different approach to studying but showed varying abilities to monitor, evaluate, and plan their learning strategies. Although many students were able to outline a study plan for the second exam that could effectively address issues they identified in preparing for the first exam, only half reported that they followed their plans. Our data suggest that prompting students to use metacognitive-regulation skills is effective for some students, but others need help with metacognitive knowledge to execute the learning strategies they select. Using these results, we propose a continuum of metacognitive regulation in introductory biology students. By refining this model through further study, we aim to more effectively target metacognitive development in undergraduate biology students.

scholarly journals Oxford Nanopore sequencing in a research-based undergraduate course

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zeng ◽  
Christopher H. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Nanopore Sequencing ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Novel Technologies ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Oxford Nanopore ◽  
Sequencing Method ◽  
Excellent Tool

AbstractBackgroundNanopore sequencing is a third generation genomic sequencing method that offers real time sequencing of DNA samples. Nanopore sequencing is an excellent tool for teaching because it involves cutting-edge sequencing methods and also helps students to develop a research mindset, where students can learn to identify and resolve problems that arise during an experiment.ResultsWe, as a group of undergraduate biology students, were able to use nanopore sequencing to analyze a sample of pupfish DNA. We were able to accomplish this without computer science backgrounds and only some basic DNA extraction training. Although there were issues, such as inconsistent results across runs, we found it useful as a research learning experience and an application of the skills we learned.ConclusionsAs students, it was exciting to be able to experience this technology first hand and apply what we learned in the classroom. Nanopore sequencing holds potential for DNA sequencing of large fragments in real time. It allows students to be acquainted with novel technologies and the theories behind them. However, as with all new techniques, it does not have the same established support, and when students run into difficulties while using nanopore sequencing, it is often difficult to identify what went wrong.

scholarly journals Student Association of Lecture Content with the Five Core Concepts of Biology: Novel Results from an Introductory Biology Course

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyriaki Chatzikyriakidou ◽  
Marie-Janelle Tacloban ◽  
Kassandra Concepcion ◽  
John Geiger ◽  
Melissa McCartney
Keyword(s):  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Biological Phenomena ◽  
Core Concepts ◽  
Introductory Biology Course ◽  
Student Association

Challenges in integration of concepts persist among undergraduate biology students. The 5 core concepts (5CCs) of biology presented in Vision and Change provide a comprehensive, concept-based description of the knowledge of biology, summarized in five main biological scales and five overarching principles that dictate natural biological phenomena and processes.

scholarly journals Visualizing Cancer: A Transdisciplinary Art and Biology Collaborative

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla McComb ◽  
Gretchen Otto ◽  
Deborah Omans ◽  
Jennifer Garvey ◽  
Philip J Smaldino
Keyword(s):  
Visual Art ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Collaborative Teams ◽  
Art Students ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Visual Model ◽  
Scientific Accuracy ◽  
Thinking Processes ◽  
The University

It would be safe to say that nearly every student enrolled in college knows someone who has been impacted by cancer. After all, cancer killed nearly 8.2 million people worldwide in 2012 (World Cancer Report, 2014). Using this fact as the impetus for change we decided to make cancer the focus of a “transdisciplinary” (Marshall, 2014) collaborative effort to simulate a reciprocal-learning experience between undergraduate biology and visual art students attending a university in Southeastern Michigan. The goal of the 2015 project was to create an active and authentic collaboration utilizing the university visual art and biology curricula. By engaging and connecting scientific and artistic critical thinking processes, we wanted to know: Could we design a class structure that would enable collaborative teams of art and biology students to create a visual model that represents a hallmark of cancer designed so that the model could also stand alone on artistic merit? In other words, could cancer visualization be transformed into works worthy of gallery display while maintaining scientific accuracy? In this paper we discuss the planning, implementation, results, and impact this work has had upon the way we now envision transdisciplinary collaboration.

scholarly journals Developing an Interactive 3D Learning Experience to Help Students Understand Key Regulatory Processes Associated with Glycolysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Mason ◽  
Kevin Brennan ◽  
Samantha Bond ◽  
Leah Lebowicz
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Allosteric Regulation ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Biological Phenomena ◽  
Interactive 3D

Recent recommendations for undergraduate biologyinstruction emphasize teaching foundational biologicalprinciples and helping students transfer these principles tomore complex biological phenomena. These curricularendeavors can be facilitated by the incorporation ofinteractive visualization materials. The following researchproject was developed to explore whether a visualinteractive didactic tool could be developed to improvelearning outcomes for undergraduate biology students onthe topic of allosteric regulation within the context ofglycolysis. The results of this research could be beneficialfor improving the development of interactive applicationsfor science education.

scholarly journals A Problem-Sorting Task Detects Changes in Undergraduate Biological Expertise over a Single Semester

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. ar21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Hoskinson ◽  
Jessica Middlemis Maher ◽  
Cody Bekkering ◽  
Diane Ebert-May
Keyword(s):  
Sorting Task ◽  
Biological Knowledge ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Card Sorting Task ◽  
Disciplinary Expertise ◽  
Novices And Experts ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

Calls for undergraduate biology reform share similar goals: to produce people who can organize, use, connect, and communicate about biological knowledge. Achieving these goals requires students to gain disciplinary expertise. Experts organize, access, and apply disciplinary knowledge differently than novices, and expertise is measurable. By asking introductory biology students to sort biological problems, we investigated whether they changed how they organized and linked biological ideas over one semester of introductory biology. We administered the Biology Card Sorting Task to 751 students enrolled in their first or second introductory biology course focusing on either cellular–molecular or organismal–population topics, under structured or unstructured sorting conditions. Students used a combination of superficial, deep, and yet-uncharacterized ways of organizing and connecting biological knowledge. In some cases, this translated to more expert-like ways of organizing knowledge over a single semester, best predicted by whether students were enrolled in their first or second semester of biology and by the sorting condition completed. In addition to illuminating differences between novices and experts, our results show that card sorting is a robust way of detecting changes in novices’ biological expertise—even in heterogeneous populations of novice biology students over the time span of a single semester.

Being Aware of Your Thinking: Examining Mindfulness and Metacognition in Undergraduate Biology Students

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikah J. Pritchard ◽  
Trisha A. Turner ◽  
Ellen L. Usher ◽  
Faith L. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students

Global Finance after the Crisis: Reform Imperatives and Vested Interests

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1850228
Author(s):  
Wim Naude
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Global Level ◽  
Reform Initiatives ◽  
Global Finance ◽  
Financial Architecture ◽  
Vested Interests ◽  
Recent Reform ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Made In

The global financial crisis of 2008-09 has stimulated a number of re-assessments of global development. But after two years, not much progress has been made in dealing with the deep causes of the crisis. While it is better understood now why the crisis occurred, more progress is needed in terms of financial reform on the global level in order to prevent future financial crises. A remaining challenge is to strengthen the global financial architecture (GFA). This paper focuses on the GFA and its relationship to the global financial crisis. Recent reform initiatives are discussed. Strong resistance against re-regulation of the financial sector is noted, reflecting the general opposition of vested interests to GFA reform.

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