EvolvingSTEM: a microbial evolution-in-action curriculum that enhances learning of evolutionary biology and biotechnology.

ABSTRACT: Evolution is a central, unifying theory for all of life science, yet the subject is poorly represented in most secondary-school biology courses, especially in the United States. One challenge to learning evolution is that it is taught as a conceptual, retrospective subject with few tangible outcomes for students. These typical passive learning strategies lead to student disengagement with the material and misunderstanding of evolutionary concepts. To promote greater investment and comprehension, we developed EvolvingSTEM, an inquiry-based laboratory curriculum that demonstrates concepts of natural selection, heredity, and ecological diversity through experimental evolution of a benign bacterium. Students transfer populations of Pseudomonas fluorescens growing on plastic beads, which

SUBMITTER: Cooper VS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7328067 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature