One of the oldest concepts taught in Biology is that of mitosis and meiosis. After an analysis of retention of concepts for the students in our Genetics and Cell Biology courses, we were surprised to find that the concepts of cell division, especially meiosis, stymied more students than most. There have also been many exercises designed to help students with these sometimes-complicated concepts. I have designed a group exercise that addresses many of the issues with previous exercises including price (the set-up costs approximately $70 for the entire class). Model chromosomes (of an organism with N=3) each containing two genes are randomly assigned alleles. Groups work to assign phenotypes of their choice and then demonstrate how mitosis leads to identical daughter cells. The second part of the exercise uses meiosis to create gametes which are then subject to random mating. The resulting progeny can be modeled classically by drawing, or by use of AI. The exercise is designed to not only present the basics of mitosis and meiosis, but also to introduce independent assortment, random fusion of gametes, and linkage in a fun, interactive environment. Extensions of genetic concepts such as genetic drift, mutation, migration, natural selection, and recombination could also be done using the models.
Keywords: Chromosomes, mitosis, meiosis, modeling, independent assortment, random mating
University of Manitoba (2025)
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