Biology Course Research Articles

Probing visual literacy skills reveals student conceptions of scale and abstraction with respect to chromosomes.

Molecular biology can be difficult for undergraduate students because course content is often taught using highly-abstract visual representations. Genetic concepts can be depicted with lines, letters, shapes, and symbols, and students need to engage their visual literacy skills to appropriately decipher these abstract representations. We previously found that undergraduate course materials almost always represent chromosomes in abstract forms, such as "X" shapes or straight lines with a dot for the centromere. We hypothesized that students struggle to apply their visual literacy skills to accurately interpret these abstract representations of chromosomes, which may be related to the frequently-documented incomplete or incorrect ideas students have about chromosome structure and function. To explore students' visual literacy related to representations of chromosomes, we conducted 35 semi-structured interviews with students who had taken at least a year of biology courses. We asked them to sketch chromosomes, interpret an abstract representation of chromosomes, and use the abstract representation to answer a question about meiosis. We found that 97% of participants (34 of 35) held conceptual errors related to chromosome structure and function. These conceptual errors were often not evident in participants' verbal definitions of chromosomes and were only revealed in their sketches or explanations of their sketches. We found that participants frequently misinterpreted X-shaped representations of chromosomes, mistook unreplicated homologous chromosomes as separated sister chromatids, and held misconceptions related to the structure and function of centromeres. These findings have implications for how chromosomes are taught in biology courses. We recommend that instructors explicitly discuss the conventions and norms of representing chromosomes as a pathway for increasing students' visual literacy in molecular biology.

Neonatal Hyperthyroidism: Case Report and Literature Review

The onset of Graves' disease during pregnancy exposes the newborn to the risk of neonatal hyperthyroidism due to the transplacental passage of anti-thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor antibodies. We report the case of a child whose mother was diagnosed with Graves' disease during pregnancy. Clinical hyperthyroidism appeared only a few days after birth and was confirmed by hormonal tests. Thanks to treatment with synthetic antithyroid drugs, the child's clinical and biological course was favorable. It is essential to systematically screen for neonatal hyperthyroidism in newborns of mothers with Graves' disease, as the absence of immediate clinical signs after birth does not rule out the diagnosis. The pediatrician must be aware of this thyroid condition even in the absence of an identified maternal history, in order to enable rapid therapeutic management.

A case study of actual versus desired inclusion of community-derived core concepts into neuroscience courses in different disciplines at a large university

Neuroscience is an inherently interdisciplinary and rapidly evolving field. While many universities have neuroscience or related majors, they are highly heterogeneous, and it is unclear how their content aligns with a recent proposal of what ideas make up the field of neuroscience. It is therefore important to document and assess the alignment of neuroscience curricula with core concepts in the field. Recently, a large effort by some members of the neuroscience education community described eight core concepts for undergraduate neuroscience curricula. In this paper, we focus primarily on courses in biology, cognitive science, and psychology at a large university, surveying the recent and current course instructors of these courses to ask them (1) to what extent these community-derived core concepts are incorporated into their classes and (2) to what extent these concepts should be incorporated into their classes. In addition, we map core concepts onto course syllabi. We found that core concepts are well-represented across disciplines, and identified differences between departments' inclusion of core concepts. We found that instructors cover fewer core concepts than they desire, and that two core concepts, “Evolution” and “Gene-environment interactions”, were less frequently addressed across disciplines. We consider barriers to instructors' ability to align course content with core concepts, both within and across disciplines. In this effort, we provide an example of how departments can evaluate their alignment of major requirements with the neuroscience core concepts.

Ten Years of the Synthetic Biology Summer Course at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Summer Course on Synthetic Biology, established in 2013, has emerged as a premier platform for immersive education and research in this dynamic field. Rooted in CSHL's rich legacy of biological discovery, the course offers a comprehensive exploration of synthetic biology's fundamentals and applications. Led by a consortium of faculty from diverse institutions, the course structure seamlessly integrates practical laboratory sessions, exploratory research rotations, and enriching seminars by leaders in the field. Over the years, the curriculum has evolved to cover essential topics such as cell-free transcription-translation, DNA construction, computational modeling of gene circuits, engineered gene regulation, and CRISPR technologies. In this review, we describe the history, development, and structure of the course, and discuss how elements of the course might inform the development of other short courses in synthetic biology. We also demonstrate the course's impact beyond the lab with a summary of alumni contributions to research, education, and entrepreneurship. Through these efforts, the CSHL Summer Course on Synthetic Biology remains at the forefront of shaping the next generation of synthetic biologists.

A summer course in cancer for high school students-an update on lessons taught and lessons learned

BackgroundPrevious graduate students and postdoctoral associates from the University of Florida Health Cancer Center, in partnership with the University of Florida Student Science Training Program, implemented a cooperative learning curriculum, providing high school students with a broad overview of cancer topics over six weeks over the summer. To address discussions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic on student autonomy, we report lessons learned and outcomes of a cancer biology and therapeutic curriculum modified for a collaborative learning environment.MethodsThis pre-post longitudinal observational study conducted in 2023 on a cancer biology and therapeutics course evaluated students’ knowledge retention and general awareness and opinions in cancer research. A structured survey was employed for data collection, using learning assessment surveys and the Likert scale ranging from 1 to 10, with 10 being highly likely.ResultsStudent performance tracked over a 7-year period indicated consistency in performance between years. Post-assessment analysis revealed significant improvements in student benchmark understanding, notably in their ability to define cancer in one sentence (p = 0.0407), identify cancer therapies (p = 0.0040), and recognize cancer hallmarks (p < 0.0001). An increased trend in median response to the likelihood of pursuing cancer research (p = 0.8793) and the possibility of pursuing cancer research (p = 0.4874) were also observed, although not statistically significant. Moreover, feedback from participating students indicated that “the educational activities at the end of class (e.g., escape room, case studies)” and “learning about cancer and getting to work in groups…” the curriculum fostered a positive educational learning environment.ConclusionStudents generally retained the course material presented and upheld a positive perception of the course. Incorporating opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, especially when introducing or discussing complex issues like cancer, may benefit student autotomy.

PSVII-28 A comparative analysis on student learning using DNA barcoding in undergraduate biology courses

Abstract DNA barcoding is a growing field and is increasingly used to identify animal and plant specimens down to the species level. This type of molecular work is beneficial for animal science students for its use in identifying insect pests or bacterial infections. However, it is equally important for students outside of STEM concentrations to be exposed to molecular work to develop a better understanding of science and combat the growing distrust in science. The overall goal of this project was to train non-molecular biologists in DNA barcoding using active learning techniques. The objectives of the present study were to 1) expose two groups of students (BSCI145 and BSCI467) to molecular lab work, particularly DNA barcoding, 2) effectively communicate how molecular methods can be applied to ecological purposes, and 3) demonstrate that this molecular method can be used for university-level education at two scales. We hypothesized that students at both the 100 and 400 level would exit this experience with a proportionally deeper understanding of how DNA barcoding works and an appreciation for its applications as a result of the hands-on module. We did not expect there to be a significant barrier between the ability to learn this molecular method of 100 and 400 level students. To assess these hypotheses, students in both courses were given a survey at the beginning and end of the semester with the same or very similar questions to observe how their knowledge of DNA barcoding did or did not change. One semester of BSCI145 and 2 semesters of BSCI467 were sampled (n = 24 100 level students, n = 84 400 level students). Surveys were collected anonymously and evaluated using rubrics to assess “correctness”. An ANOVA revealed statistically significant effects from both the course level (P = 0.004) and the survey scores (P = 0.001), indicating that both course level and basal knowledge contribute to explaining the variance in learning. Additionally, Tukey HSD test results displayed students in BSCI 145 exhibited a significantly greater mean learning change when compared with both BSCI 467 2022 and BSCI 467 2023 (P = 0.008 and P = 0.006 respectively). Finally, a linear regression analysis displayed a significant negative relationship between pre-survey scores and mean learning change (β = -0.850, P = 0.001). This means that students with a greater initial learning reference point will not increase in learning as much when compared with students with a decreased initial learning reference point. In conclusion, we accept our hypotheses that students at different academic levels with different backgrounds can successfully learn molecular techniques when provided hands-on modules. This is relevant to education and extension when working with individuals who may not know hard science.

It’s Personal and Pedagogical: Peer Learning Assistants Use Multiple Strategies to Support Student Learning in College Biology Courses

It’s Personal and Pedagogical: Peer Learning Assistants Use Multiple Strategies to Support Student Learning in College Biology Courses

Histopathological spectrum of ovarian tumours

Background: Ovarian neoplasms include wide spectrum of various tumors, which differ in their histo-morphological features, also in their biological behaviour, tumorigenesis, clinical course, and prognosis. Aim of the study was to study the histopathological features of various ovarian tumors and correlate preoperative serum CA125 tumor marker level with histopathological types. Also to study fallopian tubes for fallopian tube precursor lesions such as serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC) in serous carcinoma ovary. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study of the 80 specimens of ovarian tumors was conducted in department of pathology, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose medical college Jabalpur (M.P.). The relevant data of the patients was collected and analysed as per designed proforma. Results: Out of 80 cases; majority cases 22 (27.5%) were seen in a 31-40 years age group, followed by 41-50 years age group 18 cases (22.5%). Youngest patient was 7 years old and oldest patient was 88 years old, forming the range of 7 years to 88 years. Epithelial tumors were the most common category, followed by germ cell tumors, sex cord stromal tumors and metastatic tumors. Benign tumors were much higher than borderline and malignant tumors mature cystic teratoma was the most common tumor encountered, followed by mucinous cystadenoma. The commonest malignant tumor was serous carcinoma followed by mucinous carcinoma. Conclusions: Ovarian neoplasms constitute a wide spectrum of tumors therefore exact categorization is important to adopt appropriate treatment protocols for the proper management of the patient. Histopathological examination is the gold standard for diagnosis and categorization of ovarian neoplasm.

Increased Student Employment Is Associated with Inferior Biology Exam and Course Performance

Increased Student Employment Is Associated with Inferior Biology Exam and Course Performance

Preservice science teachers’ cognitive structures regarding the cell and its organelles

Learning the cell, one of the basic subjects of science education, by preservice teachers in a comprehensive way is important for making sense of its vital activities and teaching the subject in a meaningful way in the future. The study aimed to determine preservice science teachers' cognitive structures related to the cell and its organelles before and after the Biology course. The study group consists of 32 preservice science teachers. The single-group interrupted time series design was adopted in the study. Data were collected through the word association test. As a result of the data analysis, it was determined that some organelles could not be associated with other organelles, there was no knowledge about the peroxisome organelle before the intervention. It was observed that more comprehensive and interrelated cognitive structures were formed after the intervention and the peroxisome organelle was also added to this structure.

Examining and Supporting Mechanistic Explanations Across Chemistry and Biology Courses.

Causal mechanistic reasoning is a thinking strategy that can help students explain complex phenomena using core ideas commonly emphasized in separate undergraduate courses, as it requires students to identify underlying entities, unpack their relevant properties and interactions, and link them to construct mechanistic explanations. As a crossdisciplinary group of biologists, chemists, and teacher educators, we designed a scaffolded set of tasks that require content knowledge from biology and chemistry to construct nested hierarchical mechanistic explanations that span three scales (molecular, macromolecular, and cellular). We examined student explanations across seven introductory and upper-level biology and chemistry courses to determine how the construction of mechanistic explanations varied across courses and the relationship between the construction of mechanistic explanations at different scales. We found non-, partial, and complete mechanistic explanations in all courses and at each scale. Complete mechanistic explanation construction was lowest in introductory chemistry, about the same across biology and organic chemistry, and highest in biochemistry. Across tasks, the construction of a mechanistic explanation at a smaller scale was associated with constructing a mechanistic explanation for larger scales; however, the use of molecular scale disciplinary resources was only associated with complete mechanistic explanations at the macromolecular, not cellular scale.

Student Perspectives of Success and Failure in Biology Lecture: Multifaceted Definitions and Misalignments.

Investigating definitions of success and failure among introductory biology students is essential for understanding what underlies their self-efficacy; a student who gets a B on an exam may lose self-efficacy if they define failure as anything less than an A. Yet, whether students have the same definitions for success as they have for failure in these classes is unknown, nor how those definitions relate to course performance. To better understand student definitions for success and failure and their implications, this mixed-methods study collected survey data from students in two introductory biology courses about their definitions of success and failure and their self-reported grades. Coding of open-ended responses revealed four broad themes related to both success and failure: Performance, Content, Preparation, and Attitude. Although there were common themes in how students defined success and failure overall, individual students often (65%) described success or failure in relation to different standards. We also found some definitions of success and failure were predicted by grades. These results highlight the complexity of building self-efficacy in introductory biology and suggest the need for greater awareness and acknowledgment of the different standards students use to judge their success and failure.

Optional Exam Retakes Reduce Anxiety but may Exacerbate Score Disparities Between Students with Different Social Identities.

Use of high-stakes exams in a course has been associated with gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequities. We investigated whether offering students the opportunity to retake an exam makes high-stakes exams more equitable. Following the control value theory of achievement emotions, we hypothesized that exam retakes would increase students' perceived control over their performance and decrease the value of a single exam attempt, thereby maximizing exam performance. We collected data on exam scores and experiences with retakes from three large introductory biology courses and assessed the effect of optional exam retakes on gender, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in exam scores. We found that Black/African American students and those who worked more than 20 h a week were less likely to retake exams. While exam retakes significantly improved student scores, they slightly increased racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in scores partly because of these differences in participation rates. Most students reported that retake opportunities reduced their anxiety on the initial exam attempt. Together our results suggest that optional exam retakes could be a useful tool to improve student performance and reduce anxiety associated with high-stakes exams. However, barriers to participation must be examined and reduced for retakes to reduce disparities in scores.

Cohort scheduling of freshman exercise physiology majors improves social integration and perceptions of faculty but not academic performance.

Cohort scheduling intentionally places students in the same sections of several classes (e.g., biology, algebra, and writing) with a consistent peer group and is typically done for small groups (<30 students) to enable better interaction among students. The goal of this study was to compare cohort scheduling to traditional scheduling methods among freshmen in a physiology-related program. Outcomes included retention to the university and major, semester grades, and institutional integration and perceived group cohesion. Incoming freshmen (n = 209) were randomized into control (n = 43; scheduled with traditional methods) and intervention (n = 166; coenrolled in first-year seminar course, biology, and medical terminology) groups. Outcomes were collected via surveys or requested from the university registrar. There was no significant difference in the likelihood of retention to the university or major and no differences between groups in pass/fail rates for the first-year seminar or biology courses. At the end of the semester, there were no differences between groups in Perceived Cohesion for Small Groups (P = 0.102) or the Institutional Integration Scale (P = 0.357). However, the intervention group scored higher on the Institutional Integration Scale's subscales related to social integration and faculty. Cohort scheduling did not impact retention to the university or major but improved secondary outcomes related to retention, specifically social integration and student perceptions of faculty.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Compared with traditional scheduling methods, cohort scheduling freshman in physiology programs does not improve retention but improves students' social integration and perceptions of faculty.

It's in the Syllabus: What Syllabi Tell us about Introductory Biology Courses.

Biology education researchers seek to improve biology education, particularly at the introductory level, yet there is little documentation about what is actually happening in introductory biology. To characterize the landscape of learning expectations for introductory biology, we analyzed course-level learning objectives (n = 1108) and course schedules from 188 nonmajor, mixed major, and major introductory biology syllabi. We analyzed syllabi collected from a diverse range of U.S. institution types to uncover insights about instructional design decisions for introductory biology. Our analysis revealed two distinct nonmajor course types: content and issues-based courses. We found syllabi tend to focus on low-cognitive skills and factual content that is essentially a march in step with a typical textbook table of contents, rarely including core competencies or socioscientific issues (SSIs) other than in nonscience major issues-based courses. Our work contributes more evidence that faculty struggle to write course-level learning objectives. Our findings suggest that there is much work to do if Vision and Change are to become more than simply a vision-to be actualized as change-including developing CLOs for introductory biology as a first step toward creating actionable instructional change.

Non-STEM majors COVID-19 vaccine impressions improve, and misconceptions resolve, after podcast assignment.

Misinformation regarding vaccine science decreased the receptiveness to COVID-19 vaccines, exacerbating the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on society. To mitigate the negative societal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, impactful and creative science communication was needed, yet little research has explored how to encourage COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and address misconceptions held by non-Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics majors (referred to as non-majors). We have previously demonstrated that including expert guest lectures in the vaccine module in the non-major introductory biology course helps combat students' vaccine hesitancy. In the present study, we further address how learning about vaccines impacts student knowledge and impressions of the COVID-19 vaccines through a podcast assignment. As a part of this assignment, non-majors created podcasts to address COVID-19 vaccine misconceptions of their choice. We coded pre and post, open-ended essay reflections (n = 40) to assess non-majors' knowledge and impressions of the COVID-19 vaccines. Non-majors' impressions of the vaccines improved following the podcast assignment with more than three times as many students reporting a positive view of the assignment than negative views. Notably, eight of the nine interviewed students still ended the course with misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccines, such as the vaccines being unnecessary or causing fertility issues. In a post semi-structured interview following this assignment, students (n = 7) discussed the impact of looking into the specific misconceptions related to COVID-19 vaccines themselves, including improved science communication skills and understanding of different perspectives. Thus, podcasts can provide opportunities for students to improve engagement in valuable societal topics like vaccine literacy in the non-majors classroom.

Virtual Reality Immersive Simulations for a Forensic Molecular Biology Course—A Quantitative Comparative Study

Molecular biology is a complex, abstract, subject that can be challenging for higher education students to comprehend. The current manuscript describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of two immersive VR simulations of a DNA lab and a crime scene investigation (CSI) for a forensic molecular biology course in the context of the “TESLA” Erasmus+ project. It illustrates the instructional design and technical aspects of the VR simulations’ development. The experimental study employed a comparative quantitative research design. The guiding research questions examined how instructional modalities (online vs. face-to-face) affect learners’ perceptions of VR-based training in higher education and the key factors influencing learners’ intention for their adoption. Forty-six (n = 46) undergraduate students completed a 17-item questionnaire, which served as the main data collection instrument. Results demonstrate that both online and face-to-face VR-based instruction can effectively convey core concepts, thus challenging the traditional notion that face-to-face interaction is inherently superior. Its implications underscore the potential of VR simulations to supplement or even substitute traditional teaching methods, particularly for complex science subjects.

The Effectiveness of the Problem-Based Learning Model to Enhance Students' Critical Thinking Skills on Conservation Biology Courses

The purpose of this study is to ascertain how the problem-based learning approach affects students' critical thinking abilities in courses on conservation biology. This study design uses a non-equivalent control group in a quasi-experiment. Essay exam questions totaling 10 valid and reliable numbers served as the study's instrument. Pre-test and post-test questions were used to gather data. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistical tests, namely the covariance (ANCOVA) analysis with pretest values as variables at a significance level of 0.05%, were used to evaluate the research data. The IMB 23 SPSS program was utilized for data analysis because the data were homogeneous and regularly distributed. The findings demonstrated that, with a significance value of 0.000 &lt; 0.05, there was a significant difference in the critical thinking abilities of students taught using the conventional model and those taught using the problem-based learning model. The conclusion is that in conservation biology classes, the problem-based learning approach helps students develop their critical thinking skills.

Integration of Local Potential of Way Kambas National Park in Developing HOTS-Based Assessment Content in Biological Conservation Courses

The assessment of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) based on local potential has not been widely used in biological conservation education. Assessments like this aim to encourage students to think critically, analytically, and creatively, as well as familiarize students with solving problems in real contexts, especially in the conservation area of Way Kambas National Park (WKNP) in Lampung. This study aims to identify the local potential of WKNP conservation areas that have the potential to be integrated with the development of HOTS-based assessments in the Biological Conservation Course. The method used in this study is descriptive with a qualitative approach. Interviews were conducted with 6 informants. Triangulation techniques and data interpretation then analyzed the data obtained. The results of this study show that there is a lot of local potential in WKNP conservation area that has the potential to be integrated into the assessment content on 7 biological conservation materials that can be made HOTS-based assessments to hone students' high-level thinking skills.

How students taking introductory biology experience the chemistry content.

Student experiences learning chemistry have been well studied in chemistry courses but less so in biology courses. Chemistry concepts are foundational to introductory biology courses, and student experiences learning chemistry concepts may impact their overall course experiences and subsequent student outcomes. In this study, we asked undergraduate students enrolled in introductory biology courses at a public R1 institution an open-response question asking how their experiences learning chemistry topics affected their identities as biologists. We used thematic analysis to identify common ideas in their responses. We found that while almost half of student respondents cited learning chemistry as having positive impacts on their experiences learning biology, students who struggled with chemistry topics were significantly more likely to have negative experiences learning biology. We also found significant relationships between prior chemistry preparation, student background, and the likelihood of students struggling with chemistry and negative experiences learning biology. These findings emphasize the impact of learning specific content on student psychosocial metrics and suggest areas for biology educators to focus on to support learning and alleviate student stress in introductory biology.