A Student-Driven, Technology-Intensive Lab Design for Teaching Neuroscience, Molecular Genetics, and Developmental Biology

 

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2015, Volume 36

Audrey J. Ettinger & K. Joy Karnas

Abstract

The project described here builds on a four year collaborative effort (2010-2013) at Cedar Crest College that has been previously presented at this meeting; students involved in the Molecular Genetics course collaborated with students from either the Developmental Biology or Diseases of the Nervous System courses to conduct a research-based, multi-week project using microarrays to measure changes in gene expression in chicken embryos or neurons following chemical exposure. The project described here extends the methodology, incorporating more current technology (e.g. PCR-based arrays), and broadening the overall focus to include electrophysiology. Overall, this multidimensional laboratory encourages student creativity in the design of the initial project and follow-up confirmatory studies, models collaborative efforts used real-world laboratory studies, extends student learning beyond the scope of a single course, and helps students realize the connections between biology subdisciplines. Students have been involved in the redesign of the lab activities from protocol development to implementation, as have faculty at neighboring institutions. The ultimate goal of this effort is to disseminate lab protocols to other institutions as a viable methodology for teaching development, neuroscience, and molecular biology in college lab courses.

Keywords:  developmental biology, gene expression, molecular genetics, interdisciplinary, electrophysiology, cross-curricular, neuroscience

University of Oregon (2014)