These 3-hour workshops are hands-on, laboratory sessions during which presenters will share their innovative and successful undergraduate lab exercises with participants. Participants then review these with short form (pdf) or long form evaluations.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Using the case study critical reader (CSCR) tool to teach students key aspects of scientific writing (Julie Collins and Jean Heitz)
Category: Instructional Methods
The Independent Project (IP) is a cornerstone of the introductory biology experience in Botany/Biology/Zoology 152. It provides many students with early experience in professional research labs or in development of a meta-analysis of an open question in the literature. It also helps students gain experience in many critical scientific writing activities. These include but are not limited to: formulating research questions, searching and reviewing the scientific literature in a targeted fashion, extracting data from published articles for use in their own quantitative analyses, articulating scientific ideas in professional format, understanding what makes data comparable, and iterating their writing and editing process. Despite these many benefits, we consistently struggle with several key challenges. In particular, students and TAs alike frequently express frustration with how long it takes for students to really “get” the meta-analysis assignment and to grasp the idea of a “metric.”
To overcome these we used CSCR, an ideal tool for scaffolding the IP project that is flexible enough to allow multiple distinct progressions through the same material (decision branching) and specifically facilitates interactive critical reading (an area where students struggle the most early in this project). Among the learning activities we developed using CSCR are: 1) An adaptation of existing pre-lab assignments for the first three weeks of the course, including how to do a meta-analysis. 2) A case scenario modeled after a student conference with a reviewer. This mimics the Q&A format of these conferences, and it checks student comprehension of the meta-analysis assignment. These were piloted in the 2013–2014 academic year. We find that this tool allows us to:
- Better address the diverse learning needs of our student population (1300/year)
- Provide individualized feedback on assignment comprehension early in the semester, and
- Scaffold more meaningful time-on-task with proven course materials.
Intertidal Ecology – a field exercise (Jan Hodder)
This workshop will be an all-day workshop
Category: Ecology
Field trips to the shore are often just a “look and see” activity. In this field exercise students have the opportunity to not only learn the major intertidal rocky shore animals of the Northeast Pacific but they collect data to test two hypotheses related to diversity and disturbance. Hypothesis 1: The diversity of organisms in the intertidal zone does not differ between low and mid intertidal areas. Hypothesis 2: There is no difference in the number and diversity of organisms living under small and large boulders. The lab examines species-area relationships by looking at animals living under two sizes of intertidal boulder and explores how physical factors (primarily wave action and desiccation) at two intertidal levels influence where organisms live and thus impact the patterns of diversity. Students work in groups to collect data on the types and numbers of organisms found underneath two different size boulders in the low and mid in areas of the intertidal. On return to the lab students extract and compile the data from the field collection and share their data with three other groups. They are then challenged to analyze their data to test the two hypotheses and asked to design a field experiment to determine the relative contributions of surface area and disturbance on species diversity.
Using a standard spreadsheet simulation to test hypotheses about genetic drift and selection (Robert Kosinski)
Category: Evolution, Genetics
This exercise uses physical simulations, numerical simulations, and integrated statistical tests to allow students to explore a wide variety of population genetics topics. After a coin-flipping simulation to demonstrate genetic drift, students use an elaborate Excel spreadsheet that allows both large-population (deterministic) and small-population (stochastic) simulations of allele frequencies. The stochastic simulations use population sizes varying from 4 to 500 organisms. Using the simulations, the students explore the effect of population size and unselective mortality on genetic drift, and then different patterns of selection against deleterious alleles (with emphasis on heterozygote advantage). An unusual feature is that the spreadsheet has three kinds of built-in chi-square tests. The simulations continuously test all populations for deviation from the genotypic ratios predicted by Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Especially when selection is used, students can watch as these chi-squares inflate enormously. Other chi-squares are used to test for significant differences between allele persistence times in different treatments. In most cases, the class is divided into groups, and all members of the same group perform replicate simulations. Using the built-in chi-square tests, every student tests a control group of simulations against an experimental group individually, then the group compiles all their replicates together for a more powerful statistical test, and finally the group result contributes to a class conclusion about the topic explored.
Demonstrations, skits and props in introductory biology to improve student understanding and engagement (Donna Pattison)
Category: Instructional Methods
In this workshop, a number of demonstrations, skits, and props used to create a more interactive Introductory Biology course will be shared. The key to student success lies in engaging students in their own learning. Finding ways to move from a “sage on the stage” dissemination of knowledge approach to a more dynamic format that requires students to be involved in the learning process is challenging in any setting but is particularly difficult in large enrollment lecture courses. Activities to reinforce the following topics will be covered: specific heat of water, transcription/translation, lipids, and cellular respiration. We will discuss using these activities as a way to clear up student misconceptions and as a platform for teaching study skills in the context of the curriculum. Using a think-pair-share approach in combination with “clickers” or similar response tools to ensure full class engagement and probe the level of understanding of the students will be modeled in this workshop. The activities and techniques discussed in this workshop can be applied in small or large classes and the strategy is applicable to all levels of biology courses.
Laboratories for integrating bioinformatics into the life sciences (Mark Pauley)
Category: Evolution, Molecular Biology
Bioinformatics is a rapidly emerging discipline integrating mathematical and computational techniques with biological knowledge to analyze genetic information. The essential nature of bioinformatics is well recognized in graduate programs, research consortia and biotechnology industries, but exposure to bioinformatics has been slow to reach undergraduate life science curricula and bioinformatics-focused laboratories are not yet widely available nor have they been integrated into resource materials for biology courses either online or through publishers. The goal of this workshop is to present three bioinformatics laboratories that have been developed, assessed and implemented by the authors at Nebraska Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The laboratories use a variety of online bioinformatics tools and real world data and can be used in introductory and intermediate classes. In addition, a version of one of the laboratories has been presented at the high- school level.
Barcoding life: classification of insects (Linda Robinson and Lori Spindler)
Category: Evolution, Molecular Biology
In this workshop, we’ll present an abbreviated version of a multi-week lab where students compare classification of insects based on comparative anatomy using a taxonomic key with classification using a molecular Barcoding technique. Students learn about phenotypic variation and the anatomical diversity of insects using the traditional comparative taxonomic key for classification. However, students also learn that taxonomic expertise is required for classification based on comparative anatomy, and that this type of classification often relies on examination of the adult stage of the life cycle, and requires a whole, intact individual. The DNA barcoding technique requires little expertise, does not rely on examination of certain life cycle stages, and only requires a small sample rather than a whole intact individual. However, the technique is limited in that it’s only useful for already-sequenced organisms. In the first week of the experiment, students attempt to classify their insect to the correct order based on anatomical comparison using a taxonomic key. Students then extract DNA from a leg of their insect, and set up a PCR to amplify the cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) gene. During the second week, students clean up their PCR product, add a sequencing primer, and submit the sample for DNA sequencing. During the third week, students analyze their sequence using BLAST. The two approaches used to classify insects do not always yield the same result, and students learn the strengths and weaknesses of these complementary approaches to organism identification. During the workshop, participants will each classify an insect based on a taxonomic key, and then extract DNA from a leg of their insect and set up a PCR. We will discuss real student results from this experiment, as well as possibilities for modifying the lab based on the needs of the participants.
- Pipet Tip Volume image (ideas from Nicola Neff, Ph.D. and Svetlana Kozik, University of Pennsylvania)
Gene expression patterns in Drosophila embryos using Lac Z transgenes (Cathy Silver Key)
Category: Developmental Biology, Genetics
This laboratory module allows students to have hands-on experience with transgenic organisms that express the lacZ gene in a cell-specific/pattern specific manner as the lacZ gene is under the control of various ‘unknown’ enhancer elements active during Drosophila embryogenesis.
Using the point-centered quarter method to introduce students to the use of geospatial data to field biology (Brian Wainscott)
Category: Ecology
Fieldwork is an often overlooked component of many undergraduate biology courses for several reasons such as large class sizes, lack of resources, time demands, and, sometimes, a lack of field training on the part of biology faculty. In my workshop I will address lack of field training. I have three workshop goals: 1) teach participants how to plan and execute a day in the field, 2) introduce participants to introductory geospatial data and tools (e.g., topographic map, compass, and GPS), and 3) demonstrate how to use the point-centered quarter method to survey tree diversity and health. Although geospatial data can be applied to many different types of biological questions, forest surveys tend to resonate with students and have become increasingly important. Many forests in North America are undergoing rapid changes due to warming climate, alteration of the hydrological cycle, wildfire, and bark beetles. Given the importance of timber to humans and the role forests play in maintaining the biodiveristy of higher elevation communities, assessing tree species diversity and health serves as a contemporary and relevant backdrop to explore the use of geospatial data and tools in biological fieldwork. The field day planning and geospatial skills addressed in the workshop are not limited to tree surveys and are easily transferred to field projects that address other biological questions. This workshop is limited to 16 participants per session.
Using iPads to enhance students’ presentation skills and attitudes towards biology (Mark Walvoord and Mariëlle Hoefnagels)
Category: Instructional methods
The hands-on, collaborative, and investigative nature of the biology lab makes it an ideal setting for students to learn course material and develop critical thinking skills. Since traditional undergraduate students entering our universities are digital natives, biology teaching laboratories should integrate technologies that are already foundational to the students’ lives and interactions (Prensky, 2010; Tessier, 2013). From a cognitive psychology standpoint, this integration should allow students to more readily connect the new biology information that they are learning to pre-existing information and contexts, allowing for easier recall and deeper learning. To this end, we planned the use of a classroom set of iPads during multiple regular laboratory activities of an introductory, non-major biology course during the fall 2013 and spring 2014 semesters. These activities directed students to use iPad apps to compile and present information, build concept maps, and view cell division information followed by self-assessment quizzes. To assess student usage, we surveyed students prior to the first activity to measure their attitudes towards the use of iPads to learn biology. After the last activity of each semester, we surveyed students again to determine any changes in attitudes and to correlate those with laboratory and course grades.
During this workshop, participants will work through a selection of lab activities in which iPad apps were used. Discussion will center on the laboratory learning objectives, the research study findings, and advantages and disadvantages of using this technology to learn biology.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Campus tree-mapping (Susanne Altermann)
Category: Ecology
Students apply vegetative plant morphology terms to the problem of mapping the distribution of a single tree species on a college campus. Students first learn plant vegetative morphology terms through drawing a variety of leaves and then participating in a leaf treasure hunt in groups outdoors. A dichotomous key to common trees is introduced, and after some practice with the key, student groups are assigned a tree species and a campus map to annotate for the sites where the assigned tree species grows.
Using American robins (Turdus migratorius) to demonstrate concepts of behavioral ecology in introductory biology courses (Kimberly Bolyard and Tamara L. Johnstone-Yellin)
Category: Ecology
In this two to three hour lab, students investigate the costs, benefits, and trade-offs of foraging in groups. Students ask whether American robins (Turdus migratorius) are more likely to forage alone or in groups during the spring breeding season. Students evaluate this question by investigating whether robins are more likely to perform a prey strike if they are alone or if they are in a group. They also examine the trade-off that might exist between foraging and anti-predator vigilance. This experiment can be conducted anywhere large spaces are available for robin foraging, on campus or off, and require only binoculars and stopwatches. We offer additional questions including statistical analysis for upper level ecology students.
Forensics, a summative laboratory experience (Arthur Buikema)
Category: Ecology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Pedagogy and Assessment, Physiology
We asked what terminal laboratory exercise can we devise so students will revisit what they have learned during a fall semester laboratory course and have fun doing so? This was important because about 15% of our students no longer take a second semester of laboratory and this number is increasing. To address our concerns, we designed a 3 week forensic exercise that met five objectives while presenting students with new critical thinking challenges. Students were required to: 1) reuse laboratory techniques: e.g., pH measurement, microscope, and balances; 2) revisit the types of data generated previously from earlier experiments: e.g., pH and DNA; 3) deal with new data (some of which is faulty); 4) collaborate on team work; and 5) develop professional presentation skills. The landscape for this exercise is southwestern Virginia and students are asked to determine the cause of the death of a young pregnant woman who went hunting and fell out of a deer stand. There are six suspects and 13 sets of data including plant and suspect DNA, decayed leaf samples, human and animal hair samples, fingerprints, tire tracks, soil samples, blood type data, entomological data, boot prints, phone records, suspects’ statements and a medical examiner’s report. The students are asked to determine potential cause of death and to defend their conclusions in a group presentation to their classmates. A rubric for grading is given to each student to grade not only their own group work, but the presentations of other groups in their class. The student challenge is that there is no correct answer for this assignment. This assignment is conducted by about 1400 students in 60 laboratory sections.
A lesson on the scientific method using termite behavior (Anthony Curtis)
Category: Ecology, Instructional Methods, Pedagogy and Assessment, Physiology
In this guided-inquiry laboratory exercise, students observe a striking termite behavior; termites will follow an ink line, but not one drawn with a pencil. The students generate hypotheses, manipulate variables, collect data, and use statistical analysis to support or refute their hypotheses about termite behavior. Over the following week or so, students work collaboratively to create a presentation of their findings, present them to the class, and participate in peer review of their work using a web-accessible rubric (e.g. Google Doc) during the presentations. Typically, students use their handheld smart devices (e.g. cell phone, tablet, notebook and laptop computers, etc.) to take pictures and record video of the experiment. Presentations are cataloged, stored, and made available to students for future reference using a Learning Management System (LMS) (e.g. Moodle), and is part of their ePortfolio of undergraduate work. This activity is intended for general education students at the freshman or sophomore level, and perhaps biology majors early in their program of study. It can be completed in two, two-hour lab periods. Although the internet is replete with this termite experiment, the activity presented here combines statistical analysis to support claims made about this phenomenon.
A versatile, inquiry based enzyme lab; theinhibition of acetylcholinesterase from bean beetles by an organophosphate insecticide and factors that modulate this inhibition (Fardad Ffiroonzia and Hector Fermin)
Category: Biochemistry, Physiology
Here we present a flexible enzyme lab that can lend itself to a multi-session investigative approach. We use an enzyme assay to look at the effect of the organophosphate insecticide malaoxon on the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the bean beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. Malaoxon inhibits the activity of AChE and interferes with neuronal activity. The procedure involves a crude protein extraction and a colorimetric assay to determine enzyme activity. The procedure is also used to investigate whether the inhibition by the insecticide is competitive or non-competitive. These lab exercises tie in several topics together: data processing and presentation, enzymatic reactions and enzyme inhibitors, cell-cell signaling, and biological applications to industry and their potential ecological consequences. This system can be used to introduce long-term projects on which students can focus in the ensuing lab sessions. Examples include investigating whether different food sources (cowpeas, mung beans, and adzuki beans) affect sensitivity of AChE to malaoxon, and whether there are differences in sensitivity of AChE extracted from different strains of the beetles to the insecticide. In 2-3 regular lab periods, students can learn about the biology of the beetles, start their own cultures, learn the basic enzyme assay, and investigate the inhibitory effect of malaoxon and its mode of inhibition, before moving on to long-term projects. The types of projects outlined here can be performed in multiple sessions of regular three-hour lab periods. The projects can be treated as inquiry-based or as guided-inquiry, depending on the goals of the instructor and the department curriculum. Such longer-term projects focusing on individual topics can benefit the students’ laboratory experience by enhancing the students’ interest and inquiry into the topic at hand, as well as enhancing the needed critical thinking skills.
Conversion Immersion: Adapting labs for online or on-campus use (Gillian Gass and Jennifer Van Dommelen)
Category: Instructional Methods
When teaching biology in both online and on-campus environments, it quickly becomes apparent that while both domains offer their own opportunities for teaching and learning, both domains also have some unique and some shared challenges when it comes to involving students in practical work. The kinds of subject-specific knowledge, reasoning, and skills that we want students to practice, however, remain constant. A high-quality lab is usually one that captures these elements, and if we have such a lab in place in one environment, it makes sense to start from there when trying to build an equivalent lab for use in the other environment.
In this workshop, we will work with participants to help them convert their labs for use in a new domain. We will present examples of labs that we have cross-developed for our on-campus and online versions of Introductory Biology, using them to illustrate what we consider to be the most important considerations and decisions when adapting. Participants will work together with the workshop presenters to identify the most easily-adaptable aspects of their own labs, to work on solutions for more challenging aspects, and to identify the most valuable goals of the practical work that should be maintained regardless of setting. Ideally, beginning this cross-adaptation will set up a dynamic equilibrium between the two domain-specific versions of the lab, with lessons learned from offering a lab in both domains resulting in ongoing changes to both lab versions.
Participants will be contacted in advance so that they can submit the lab they plan to work on adapting, and should plan to emerge from the workshop with a good start on this project, as well as with an appreciation of the connections and contrasts between on-campus and online practical work in biology.
Using a native landscape to implement undergraduate research in a variety of science for both majors and non-majors – a framework (Susie Holmes, Stacey Kiser, Paul Ruscher, and Gail Baker)
Category: Ecology, Instructional Methods
Incorporating research and writing into undergraduate curricula is recognized as a best practice in science education. Engaging students in firsthand research promotes active learning and opens doors into science careers. Providing research experiences at two year colleges is challenging however models are emerging that present various ways to incorporate research (within classes, capstone experiences) and allow for the variety of budget available for necessary equipment and faculty support. Here we describe how we have designed and incorporated authentic undergraduate research projects into several majors and non-majors biology and environmental science courses at Lane Community College (LCC). Students examine topics of phenology and ecology through a stepwise framework of field sampling in our native landscape setting. Students use our valuable landscape resource as a sustainable means to collect and analyze their own data against site-specific climate data and other variables. Our field-based student research projects gather data that contribute to a broader knowledge of localized research in ecology and link to climate patterns while providing students with unique opportunities to design and implement research and work with genuine data. Activities in this workshop will include a tour of our native plant landscape project (NPLP) and present a step from each course featuring data collection, analysis and visualization.
DNA models for non-majors (and majors!) (Robert Ketchum)
Category: Evolution, Instructional Methods, Molecular Biology
Students build a model of DNA that is quite realistic in terms of the positioning of individual atoms. We refer to this as the big DNA model; it is the DNA Discovery Kit from 3D Molecular Designs. Student groups start with models of phosphate, deoxyribose, and two nitrogenous bases to assemble one nucleotide base pair. Then they assemble a sequence of 12 of these nucleotide pairs and study the molecular features that emerge. They copy the sequence of their big DNA model into a single strand Pop Bead model and lengthen it to 36 bases by adding randomly chosen bases. They compare the Pop Bead sequences produced by different groups. Then, assuming these nucleotide sequences are part of a gene, they convert them into amino acid sequences and consider how expectations differ when protein sequences reflect common ancestry rather than random generation. Several Group Activity Sheets drive the lab activity and the learning.
There will be time during the second half of this workshop for a discussion on how we teach this central topic. Participants who have specific materials they like to use can have a brief (< 15 minutes) time to show what they do in introductory classes, whether majors or nonmajors.
Attack of the killer fungus (Brian Sato)
Category: Molecular Biology, Microbiology
Discovery driven experiments in undergraduate laboratory courses have been shown to increase student learning and critical thinking abilities. This workshop focuses on a lab module involving the nematophagous fungus, Arthrobotrys oligospora, an ecologically relevant organism with potential use as a pest control agent in agricultural settings, and its ability to capture the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The goals of this module are to enhance scientific understanding of the regulation of worm capture by soil dwelling fungi and for students to attain a set of established learning goals. Groups of four students are provided with the experimental background and conduct their own literature search to identify a variable that may affect the efficiency of C. elegans capture. Students develop a hypothesis and conduct an experiment to compare worm survival in the control versus variable condition, writing a lab report in the format of a primary research article. From this experimental module, students were able to produce results that agree with published data as well as add to the existing literature, while demonstrating positive gains regarding the learning objectives.
Workshop attendees will learn about nematophagous fungi, design potential experiments that their students could perform using the established module, and get hands on experience with the organisms and experimental protocol. In addition, we will discuss how to incorporate this module into your lab curriculum along with potential means of assessment to measure student learning.
Exploration and hypothesis testing of population genetics principles through computer simulations (Robert Sheehy)
Category: Ecology, Evolution, Genetics
Adequate coverage of population genetics is difficult due to the ever-increasing breadth of content in most genetics courses. Yet, this field is becoming increasingly important in areas as diverse as anthropology, forensics, ecology, conservation biology and medical genetics. Educators also face the challenge of teaching students to understand stochastic processes, the importance of modeling and to develop and test hypotheses. I present an approach to teaching population genetics that allows students to gain an appreciation for the breadth of the field, while also developing and testing specific hypotheses. This approach uses computer simulation (available online) group exercises and individual projects to introduce students to basic concepts in population genetics. It also provides the opportunity to discuss the importance of modeling in scientific research and for student interaction with stochastic processes.