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Search
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Using Seafood Traceability to Teach the Complexities of Natural Resource Management and Sustainability
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- Describe challenges of tracing seafood through the supply chain.
- Provide different definitions for the term "sustainable".
- Describe the limitations of consumer-driven natural resource management incentives.
- Provide examples of science and technological innovations relevant to fisheries management.
- Identify different stakeholders in the seafood supply chain.
- Explain the characteristics of data collection and research that can strengthen the effectiveness of using science to guide policy.
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BioMap Degree Plan: A project to guide students in exploring, defining, and building a plan to achieve career goals
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to...- Identify their values and interests.
- Identify careers that align with their values and interests.
- Identify academic programs and co-curricular experiences that will prepare them for a career.
- Create the first draft of a BioMap Degree Plan to support achievement of their career goals.
- Articulate how their undergraduate academic experience will prepare them for their future career.
- Use professional communication skills
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It's a bird! It's a plane! It's biomechanics!
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- identify and define forces that act on an object in flight.
- understand the definition of Newton’s third law of motion, which states that with every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and apply this principle to explain pressure differences and lift generation.
- generate hypotheses about animal flight efficiency based on examining morphology (anatomy).
- generate hypotheses correlating wing size and performance during flight.
- apply their understanding of wing designs and wing relationships to total mass.
- compare flight principles among animals to understand the co-evolution in several animal groups.
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Teaching the Biological Relevance of Chemical Kinetics Using Cold-Blooded Animal Biology
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- Predict the effect of reaction temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction
- Interpret a graph plotted between rate of a chemical reaction and temperature
- Discuss chemical kinetics utilizing case studies of cold-blooded animals
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Exploring the March to Mars Using 3D Print Models
Learning Objectives- Students will be able to describe the major aspects of the Mars Curiosity Rover missions.
- Students will be able to synthesize information learned from a classroom jigsaw activity on the Mars Curiosity Rover missions.
- Students will be able to work in teams to plan a future manned mission to Mars.
- Students will be able to summarize their reports to the class.
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Using Synthetic Biology and pClone Red for Authentic Research on Promoter Function: Genetics (analyzing mutant...
Learning Objectives- Describe how cells can produce proteins at the right time and correct amount.
- Diagram a bacterial promoter with −35 and −10 elements and the transcription start site.
- Describe how mutational analysis can be used to study promoter sequence requirements.
- Develop a promoter mutation hypothesis and design an experiment to test it.
- Successfully and safely manipulate DNA and Escherichia coli for ligation and transformation experiments.
- Design an experiment to verify a mutated promoter has been cloned into a destination vector.
- Design an experiment to measure the strength of a promoter.
- Analyze data showing reporter protein produced and use the data to assess promoter strength.
- Define type IIs restriction enzymes.
- Distinguish between type II and type IIs restriction enzymes.
- Explain how Golden Gate Assembly (GGA) works.
- Measure the relative strength of a promoter compared to a standard promoter.
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A first lesson in mathematical modeling for biologists: Rocs
Learning Objectives- Systematically develop a functioning, discrete, single-species model of an exponentially-growing or -declining population.
- Use the model to recommend appropriate action for population management.
- Communicate model output and recommendations to non-expert audiences.
- Generate a collaborative work product that most individuals could not generate on their own, given time and resource constraints.
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Make It Stick: Teaching Gene Targeting with Ribbons and Fasteners
Learning Objectives- Students will be able to design targeting constructs.
- Students will be able to predict changes to the gene locus after homologous recombination.
- Students will be able to design experiments to answer a biological question (e.g., "Design an experiment to test if the expression of gene X is necessary for limb development").
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The Comics Project: Synthesizing and Communicating Science with Comics
Learning Objectives- Students will be able to use the CRAAP Test to evaluate the quality of various sources of scientific information.
- Students will be able to discuss the relationship between science and society.
- Students will be able to draw simple comics to communicate scientific information.
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Chilling in the Cold: Using Thermal Acclimation to Demonstrate Phenotypic Plasticity in Animals
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- Describe how the scientific method can be used to answer real-world problems.
- Define the basic components of an experiment.
- Predict how tolerance of extreme temperatures and phenotypic plasticity may influence individual fitness and ultimately shape the evolution of organisms.
- Understand the basic principles of climate change and evaluate how these changes in temperature regimes will impact organisms.
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The ACTN3 Polymorphism: Applications in Genetics and Physiology Teaching Laboratories
Learning Objectives- Test hypotheses related to the role of ACTN3 in skeletal muscle function.
- Explain how polymorphic variants of the ACTN3 gene affect protein structure and function.
- List and explain the differences between fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers.
- List and explain possible roles of the ACTN3 protein in skeletal muscle function.
- Find and analyze relevant scientific publications about the relationship between ACTN3 genotype and muscle function.
- Formulate hypotheses related to the relationship between ACTN3 genotype and skeletal muscle function.
- Design experiments to test hypotheses about the role of ACTN3 in skeletal muscle function.
- Statistically analyze experimental results using relevant software.
- Present experimental results in writing.
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Using Comics to Make Science Come Alive
Learning ObjectivesStudents will- be motivated to learn science related to specific socio-scientific issues.
- learn science that applies to specific socio-scientific issues.
- be able to discuss the relationship between science and society, as well as the biology behind the issue, related to specific socio-scientific issues.
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A Remote Introductory Biology Lab Using Backyard Birdwatching to Teach Data Analysis and Communication
Learning ObjectivesStudents will:- Develop a prediction and a testable hypothesis based on class-collected data
- Use a PivotTable to summarize a complex dataset to address the specific question
- Interpret results of the experiment and summarize the findings in an engaging way
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Data, Distributions, and Hypotheses: Exploring Diversity and Disturbance in the Tallgrass Prairie
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- present and interpret data in a graphical format using an existing long-term data set from a published manuscript.
- identify different sources of variation within a data set and the consequences of grouping biological units into larger entities for the interpretation of results.
- apply transect-based vegetation sampling to estimate plant community composition, richness, and diversity in two different prairie restoration parcels with different burn regimes.
- summarize the transect-based vegetation data in graphs and figures to make comparisons that align with hypotheses and predictions.
- conduct simple statistical analyses to test explicit hypotheses and predictions.
- interpret statistical outputs and infer the biological implications of their results.
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How Many Squirrels Are in the Shrubs? A Lesson Plan for Comparing Methods for Population Estimation
Learning Objectives- Census an animal population in the same study area using three different methods.
- Quantitatively compare estimates of population size and/or density generated by each method.
- Articulate the assumptions of each method and explain how violations of these assumptions may bias the results in a given scenario.
- Select the most appropriate method for estimating population size and/or density for a given species and habitat. Justify this choice by explaining why it will produce more reliable data in this scenario than other methods.
- Possible extension: Predict how a given method will perform in a different habitat or for a different species and test this hypothesis by querying a national dataset.
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Fly Exercise: A Simple Experiment to Test the Physiological Effects of Exercise on a Model Organism
Learning ObjectivesStudents will:- demonstrate understanding of the concept and details of experimental design.
- perform an organic lipid extraction to determine total lipid content.
- quantify enzyme activity, as well as triglyceride, glucose, and glycogen concentrations.
- organize their collected data into spreadsheets for statistical analyses.
- interpret the results to gain insight on the varying effects exercise has on an organism's physiology.
- graphically present their results so that trends can be easily identified.
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Differential Gene Expression during Xenopus laevis Development
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- identify different stages of Xenopus development
- contrast the strengths and limitations of the Xenopus model organism
- explain the process and purpose of in situ hybridization
- compare gene expression patterns from different germ layers or organ domains
- compare gene expression patterns from different developmental stages
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Training future faculty in 30 minutes a week: A modular framework to provide just-in-time professional development to...
Learning ObjectivesTAs will be able to:- design small classroom activities
- design fair quiz and exam questions
- use rubrics to grade assignments fairly and in a timely manner
- offer constructive, actionable feedback on student written work
- compare and contrast context-specific strategies for dealing with student problems
- compare and contrast context-specific time management strategies
- discuss the importance of diversity, evaluate their own implicit biases, and discuss how these could impact their teaching
- compare and contrast different methods of summarizing teaching experience on job application materials
- evaluate their teaching in a reflective manner to develop future teaching goals
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Infectious Chocolate Joy with a Side of Poissonian Statistics: An activity connecting life science students with subtle...
Learning Objectives- Students will define a Poisson distribution.
- Students will generate a data set on the probability of a T cell being infected with a virus(es).
- Students will predict the likelihood of one observing the mean value of viruses occurring.
- Students will evaluate the outcomes of a random process.
- Students will hypothesize whether a process is Poissonian and design a test for that hypothesis.
- Students will collect data and create a histogram from their data.
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Quantifying and Visualizing Campus Tree Phenology
Learning ObjectivesThe Learning Objectives of this lesson span across the entire semester.- Observe and collect information on phenological changes in local trees.
- Become familiar with a database and how to work with large datasets.
- Analyze and visualize data from the database to test their hypotheses and questions.
- Develop a research proposal including empirically-driven questions and hypotheses.
- Synthesize the results of their analysis in the context of plant biodiversity and local environmental conditions.
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Evaluating the Quick Fix: Weight Loss Drugs and Cellular Respiration
Learning Objectives- Students will be able to explain how the energy from sugars is transformed into ATP via cellular respiration.
- Students will be able to predict an outcome if there is a perturbation in the cellular respiration pathway.
- Students will be able to state and evaluate a hypothesis.
- Students will be able to interpret data from a graph, and use that data to make inferences about the action of a drug.
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To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- Describe the effect of exposure frequency on disease transmission
- Explain the concept of herd immunity
- Defend the importance of vaccines
- Describe the role of vaccination in immunity
- Explain what a direct ELISA is and how it can be used to diagnose infection
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Investigating the Function of a Transport Protein: Where is ABCB6 Located in Human Cells?
Learning ObjectivesAt the end of this activity students will be able to:- describe the use of two common research techniques for studying proteins: SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis.
- determine a protein’s subcellular location based on results from: 1) immunoblotting after differential centrifugation, and 2) immunofluorescence microscopy.
- analyze protein localization data based on the limitations of differential centrifugation and immunofluorescence microscopy.
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A flexible, multi-week approach to plant biology - How will plants respond to higher levels of CO2?
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- Apply findings from each week's lesson to make predictions and informed hypotheses about the next week's lesson.
- Keep a detailed laboratory notebook.
- Write and peer-edit the sections of a scientific paper, and collaboratively write an entire lab report in the form of a scientific research paper.
- Search for, find, and read scientific research papers.
- Work together as a team to conduct experiments.
- Connect findings and ideas from each week's lesson to get a broader understanding of how plants will respond to higher levels of CO2 (e.g., stomatal density, photosynthetic/respiratory rates, foliar protein concentrations, growth, and resource allocation).
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Using Images of Foraging Leaf-Cutter Ants to Teach Linear Regression
Learning ObjectivesStudents will:- form hypotheses based on prior information and their own observations.
- design a scientific study to address a focal hypothesis.
- use image analysis software to generate data from an image set.
- conduct and interpret linear regression analyses.
- present their proposed study and results to peers.
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Harnessing the Power of the Immune System: Influenza Vaccines
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- discuss how the immune system functions to maintain homeostasis of the human body, especially during an influenza infection.
- describe how biological factors, such as sex and age, affect immune system functions.
- propose hypotheses regarding the impact of sex hormones and age on the immune response to influenza and vaccine efficacy based on feedback loops.
- design experiments with mammalian model systems and immunology-based lab assays to test hypotheses.
- analyze primary data that support or refute proposed hypotheses.
- communicate findings through poster presentations in a manner similar to a research conference.
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Teaching epidemiology and principles of infectious disease using popular media and the case of Typhoid Mary
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- Describe the reservoirs of infection in humans.
- Distinguish portals of entry and exit.
- Describe how each of the following contributes to bacterial virulence: adhesins, extracellular enzymes, toxins, and antiphagocytic factors.
- Define and distinguish etiology and epidemiology.
- Describe the five typical stages of infectious disease and depict the stages in graphical form.
- Contrast contact, vehicle and vector transmission, biological and mechanical vectors and identify the mode of transmission in a given scenario.
- Differentiate endemic, sporadic, epidemic, and pandemic disease.
- Distinguish descriptive, analytical, and experimental epidemiology.
- Compare and contrast social, economic, and cultural factors impacting health care in the early 1900s and today.
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Exploring Species Interactions with "Snapshot Serengeti"
Learning ObjectivesStudents will:- Engage in meta-cognitive learning.
- Develop and conduct an authentic scientific inquiry.
- Generate a testable research question based on observations.
- Evaluate different methods of visualizing data.
- Generate and interpret graphs to answer questions.
- Communicate the results of research and the nature of science in oral and written form.
- Place exploratory research into a larger context of the scientific process.
- Participate in citizen science initiatives.
- Collaborate with peers on a scientific task.
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Exploration of the Human Genome by Investigation of Personalized SNPs
Learning ObjectivesStudents successfully completing this lesson will be able to:- Effectively use the bioinformatics databases (SNPedia, the UCSC Genome Browser, and NCBI) to explore SNPs of interest within the human genome.
- Identify three health-related SNPs of personal interest and use the UCSC Genome Browser to define their precise chromosomal locations and determine whether they lie within a gene or are intergenic.
- Establish a list of all genome-wide association studies correlated with a particular health-related SNP.
- Predict which model organism would be most appropriate for conducting further research on a human disease.
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Necessary and Sufficient? Solving the Mystery of the Mitochondrial Pyruvate Transporter
Learning ObjectivesAfter completing the Lesson, students will be able to:- Differentiate between types of transport across membranes (diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and active transport)
- Determine if proteins are necessary or sufficient for transport of pyruvate across a membrane based on experimental data
- Interpret data obtained from pyruvate transport mutants
- Design an experiment to test a specific hypothesis related to transport across membranes
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BioVEDA Curriculum: An Approach to Link Conceptual and Quantitative Understanding of Variation During Experimental...
Learning ObjectivesTask A Learning Objectives:- Recognize multiple sources of variability in biological experiments (e.g. organismal variation, measurement variation, environmental variation, etc.).
- Design ways to manage relevant sources of variation (e.g. use precise instruments, average measurements, sample a large number of individuals, use controls during experimental design, use different sampling strategies).
- Identify the salient features of graphical representations.
- Recognize that different types of graphical representations are appropriate for representing different types of data.
- Generate graphical representations of data to answer a specific experimental question.
- Develop mathematical expressions for summary statistics (e.g. average, standard deviation) without drawing on conventional resources (e.g. textbooks, internet, course notes).
- Apply summary statistics when representing experimental data and the variation present within that data.
- Derive the relationship between sample size and summary statistics by analyzing a data set.
- Predict statistical significance using graphical representations of two samples.
- Explain how summary statistics are used in the equation for a t-statistic.
- Evaluate statistical significance using a t-statistic.
- Explain the relationship between t-statistics, p-values, and conclusions about significance.
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Using Pathway Maps to Link Concepts, Peer Review, Primary Literature Searches and Data Assessment in Large Enrollment...
Learning Objectives- Define basic concepts and terminology of Ecosystem Ecology
- Link biological processes that affect each other
- Evaluate whether the link causes a positive, negative, or neutral effect
- Find primary literature
- Identify data that correctly supports or refutes an hypothesis
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Does it pose a threat? Investigating the impact of Bt corn on monarch butterflies
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- Apply genetics concepts to a relevant case study of Bt corn and monarch butterflies
- Read figures and text from primary literature
- Identify claims presented in scientific studies
- Evaluate data presented in scientific studies
- Critically reason using data
- Evaluate the consequences of GM technology on non-target organisms
- Communicate scientific data orally
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Modeling the Research Process: Authentic human physiology research in a large non-majors course
Learning ObjectivesStudents will be able to:- Read current scientific literature
- Formulate testable hypotheses
- Design an experimental procedure to test their hypothesis
- Make scientific observations
- Analyze and interpret data
- Communicate results visually and orally
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Doctor in the House: Improving Undergraduate Critical Thinking Skills Through Diagnosing Medical Case Studies
Learning Objectives- Students will be able to evaluate medical information and ask appropriate questions to form a diagnosis.
- Students will be able to identify a specific homeostatic imbalance of the human body and explain how it's addressed in the medical field.
- Students will be able to prepare and present a formal report on a medical diagnosis and treatment.
- Students will be able to apply their prior knowledge to solve an unfamiliar problem and investigate multiple avenues for a potential solution.
- Students will achieve the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) learning outcome: given a disruption in the structure or function of a system, predict the possible factors or situations that might have caused that disruption (i.e., given an effect, predict possible causes) (1).