From Gene to Function: A Safe Laboratory Exercise Promoting the Learning of the Central Dogma of Biology for the Undergraduate Biology Curriculum.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Tripepi M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7452718 | biostudies-literature | 2020
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
From Gene to Function: A Safe Laboratory Exercise Promoting the Learning of the Central Dogma of Biology for the Undergraduate Biology Curriculum.
Tripepi Manuela M Clear Morgan M Bondi Jack Lyons JL Brunelli Elvira E Berardi Arianna A
Journal of microbiology & biology education 20200831 2
Similar Datasets
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC3577301 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A growing body of evidence has shown that active learning has a considerable advantage over traditional lecture for student learning in undergraduate STEM classes, but there have been few large-scale studies to identify the specific types of activities that have the greatest impact on learning. We therefore undertook a large-scale, curriculum-wide study to investigate the effects of time spent on a variety of classroom activities on learning gains. We quantified classroom practices and related these to student learning, assessed using diagnostic tests written by over 3700 students, across 31 undergraduate biology classes at a research-intensive university in the Pacific Northwest. The most significant positive predictor of learning gains was the use of group work, supporting the findings of previous studies. Strikingly, we found that the addition of worksheets as an active learning tool for in-class group activities had the strongest impact on diagnostic test scores. This particular low-tech activity promotes student collaboration, develops problem solving skills, and can be used to inform the instructor about what students are struggling with, thus providing opportunities for valuable and timely feedback. Overall, our results indicate that group activities with low barriers to entry, such as worksheets, can result in significant learning gains in undergraduate science.
| S-EPMC6713325 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The goal of our study was to track changes in student understanding of the central dogma of molecular biology before and after taking a genetics course. Concept maps require the ability to synthesize new information into existing knowledge frameworks, and so the hypothesis guiding this study was that student performance on concept maps reveals specific central dogma misconceptions gained, lost, and retained by students. Students in a genetics course completed pre- and posttest concept mapping tasks using terms related to the central dogma. Student maps increased in complexity and validity, indicating learning gains in both content and complexity of understanding. Changes in each of the 351 possible connections in the mapping task were tracked for each student. Our students did not retain much about the central dogma from their introductory biology courses, but they did move to more advanced levels of understanding by the end of the genetics course. The information they retained from their introductory courses focused on structural components (e.g., protein is made of amino acids) and not on overall mechanistic components (e.g., DNA comes before RNA, the ribosome makes protein). Students made the greatest gains in connections related to transcription, and they resolved the most prior misconceptions about translation. These concept-mapping tasks revealed that students are able to correct prior misconceptions about the central dogma during an intermediate-level genetics course. From these results, educators can design new classroom interventions to target those aspects of this foundational principle with which students have the most trouble.
| S-EPMC5134937 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Radiation therapists (RTs) are often required to exercise professional judgement when faced with the ambiguity inherent in professional dilemmas not comprehensively accommodated by the professional Code of Conduct. Clinical educators therefore need to design curriculum that motivates students to apply professional judgement in ambiguous situations. Role play and peer debate enables development of competencies related to professional judgement. The aim of this short communication is to report on the rationale for and integration of peer teaching resources that prompt students to justify, through discussion and debate, the basis of their own judgement and those of their peers.
| S-EPMC9557032 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC7048398 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This paper describes the implementation of the Scientific Literacy in Cell Biology (SLCB) curriculum in an undergraduate biology laboratory course. The SLCB curriculum incorporated the reading and discussion of primary literature into hands-on and collaborative practical experiences. It was implemented in five stages over an 11-week period, during which students were also introduced to the theory and practice of common cell biology techniques. We report on the effectiveness of the course, as measured by pre- and post-course survey data probing students' content knowledge and their level of familiarity, confidence, and experience with different skills pertaining to analyzing (reading, interpreting, and discussing) primary literature. In the spring 2015 semester, 287 (72%) of the 396 students who were enrolled in the laboratory completed both the pre- and post-course survey. The average score on the content questions of the post-course survey was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than the average score on the pre-course survey. Students reported that they gained greater familiarity, experience, and confidence in the skills that were measured. Our findings may aid in reforming higher-education science laboratory courses to better promote writing, reading, data processing, and presentation skills. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education.
| S-EPMC5134951 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC7976778 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The past decade has yielded much success in the identification of risk genes for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with many studies implicating loss-of-function (LoF) mutations within these genes. Despite this, no significant clinical advances have been made so far in the development of therapeutics for ASD. Given the role of LoF mutations in ASD etiology, many of the therapeutics in development are designed to rescue the haploinsufficient effect of genes at the transcriptional, translational, and protein levels. This review will discuss the various therapeutic techniques being developed from each level of the central dogma with examples including: CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) and gene replacement at the DNA level, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) at the mRNA level, and small-molecule drugs at the protein level, followed by a review of current delivery methods for these therapeutics. Since central nervous system (CNS) penetrance is of utmost importance for ASD therapeutics, it is especially necessary to evaluate delivery methods that have higher efficiency in crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
| S-EPMC9931756 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Recent advances in genomics and structural biology have resulted in an unprecedented increase in biological data available from Internet-accessible databases. In order to help students effectively use this vast repository of information, undergraduate biology students at Drake University were introduced to bioinformatics software and databases in three courses, beginning with an introductory course in cell biology. The exercises and projects that were used to help students develop literacy in bioinformatics are described. In a recently offered course in bioinformatics, students developed their own simple sequence analysis tool using the Perl programming language. These experiences are described from the point of view of the instructor as well as the students. A preliminary assessment has been made of the degree to which students had developed a working knowledge of bioinformatics concepts and methods. Finally, some conclusions have been drawn from these courses that may be helpful to instructors wishing to introduce bioinformatics within the undergraduate biology curriculum.
| S-EPMC256976 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In an introductory biology course, we implemented a learner-centered, model-based pedagogy that frequently engaged students in building conceptual models to explain how genes determine phenotypes. Model-building tasks were incorporated within case studies and aimed at eliciting students' understanding of 1) the origin of variation in a population and 2) how genes/alleles determine phenotypes. Guided by theory on hierarchical development of systems-thinking skills, we scaffolded instruction and assessment so that students would first focus on articulating isolated relationships between pairs of molecular genetics structures and then integrate these relationships into an explanatory network. We analyzed models students generated on two exams to assess whether students' learning of molecular genetics progressed along the theoretical hierarchical sequence of systems-thinking skills acquisition. With repeated practice, peer discussion, and instructor feedback over the course of the semester, students' models became more accurate, better contextualized, and more meaningful. At the end of the semester, however, more than 25% of students still struggled to describe phenotype as an output of protein function. We therefore recommend that 1) practices like modeling, which require connecting genes to phenotypes; and 2) well-developed case studies highlighting proteins and their functions, take center stage in molecular genetics instruction.
| S-EPMC4803093 | biostudies-literature