Abstract
Knowledge of genomics is an essential component of science for high school student health literacy. However, few high school teachers have received genomics training or any guidance on how to teach the subject to their students. This project explored the impact of a genomics and bioinformatics research pipeline for high school teachers and students using an introduction to genome annotation research as the catalyst. The Western New York-based project had three major components: (1) a summer teacher professional development workshop to introduce genome annotation research, (2) teacher-guided student genome annotation group projects during the school year, (3) with an end of the academic year capstone symposium to showcase student work in a poster session. Both teachers and students performed manual gene annotations using an online annotation toolkit known as Genomics Education National Initiative-Annotation Collaboration Toolkit (GENI-ACT), originally developed for use in a college undergraduate teaching environment. During the school year, students were asked to evaluate the data they had collected, formulate a hypothesis about the correctness of the computer pipeline annotation, and present the data to support their conclusions in poster form at the symposium. Evaluation of the project documented increased content knowledge in basic genomics and bioinformatics as well as increased confidence in using tools and the scientific process using GENI-ACT, thus demonstrating that high school students are capable of using the same tools as scientists to conduct a real-world research task.
Highlights
With the continuing expansion of genomic databases, discovery of rare disease-causing genetic variations and reports of drug efficacy-genotype associations, genomics has ever-increasing relevance to everyday life
Beginning in 2013 and funded by a 3-years NSF Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Grant, we developed the Western New York Genetics in Research Partnership (WNYGRP)
The valuable partnership relationships developed have continued to expand since completion of the ITEST project described here and continue for the foreseeable future through another recently funded project
Summary
With the continuing expansion of genomic databases, discovery of rare disease-causing genetic variations and reports of drug efficacy-genotype associations, genomics has ever-increasing relevance to everyday life. Grades 9–12 biology teachers were trained on the use of the Genomics Education National Initiative-Annotation Collaboration Toolkit (GENI-ACT)1 This innovative technology experience increased high school students’. Teachers were asked to complete two sets of 10 True/False questions to assess their knowledge of bioinformatics and genome annotations at the start and end of the summer training workshop. Student content knowledge was projected to increase by the end of program in the intervention group, or those students receiving training on the GENI-ACT modules. In independent t-tests, Intervention students significantly increased their content knowledge of bioinformatics and gene annotation by the end of the project, while comparison students did not, on both Set 1, t(173) = 3.19, p = 0.002 and Set 2, t(173) = 8.40, p < 0.001. Other teacher and student perspectives on performing gene annotations as a part of this project are available in an NSF STEM For All Video Showcase presentation (Videohall, 2016)
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