Seeing is Believing: Unification of Biology Curriculum

这项建议的目的是使戴维森学院生物系能够执行其新的使命和愿景声明(见附录V)，并统一细胞和分子课程。学生将使用相差显微镜进行定量测量，用适当的控制设计实验，解释和交流他们的结果。这种“亲身实践”的方法也将扩展到非专业的实验室课程(所有学生的毕业要求)。此外，学生将利用显微镜和图像分析设备进行独立研究，让他们通过实验获得更真实的体验来学习未知。课程的统一是基于在所有的细胞和分子实验课程中使用异柠檬酸脱氢酶(IDH)作为模型酶。这种统一将使学生能够看到如何用不同的方法来处理共同的蛋白质，从而提取不同类型的信息。例如，IDH在发育中的胚胎中何时何地表达？为了回答这个问题，学生们将使用相差显微镜和图像分析来测量IDH的表达，这是由有色产物的形成确定的。这将与生物学、遗传学和生物化学入门课程的实验相结合，这样学生就可以看到学生们经常认为是独立和无关的学科之间的协同作用--“眼见为实”。此外，统一的概念已经在教职员工之间发起了几次合作，以开发新的调查实验室。直接的影响将是那些选修这些课程的学生，他们开始将生物视为相互关联的知识的连续体。这将对其他生物系产生长期影响，这些系也可以利用我们的创新来统一他们的课程。最终结果将是一大批学生，他们通过做令人兴奋和信息丰富的实验来学习，这些实验揭示了对生物学的理解比个别课程所能提供的要大得多。

The objective of this proposal is to enable the Davidson College Biology Department to implement its new mission and vision statements (see appendix V) and to unify the cell and molecular curriculum. Students will use phase contrast microscopes to make quantitative measurements, design experiments with appropriate controls, interpret and communicate their results. This "hands-on" approach will extend to non-majors laboratory courses (a graduation requirement for all students) as well. Furthermore, students will conduct independent research with the microscopes and image analysis equipment allowing them a more realistic experience to learn the unknown by conducting experiments. The unification of the curriculum is based upon using isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) as a model enzyme in all cell and molecular laboratory courses. This unification will enable students to see how different approaches to a common protein can extract different kinds of information. For example, where and when is IDH expressed in a developing embryo? To answer this question, students will use phase contrast microscopy and image analysis to measure the expression of IDH as determined by the formation of a colored product. This will be integrated with experiments in introductory biology, genetics, and biochemistry so students can see the synergy between disciplines that students often think of as separate and unrelated--"seeing is believing." In addition, the unifying concept has initiated several collaborations among faculty to develop new investigatory labs. The immediate impact will be on students who take these courses and begin to see biology as a continuum of knowledge that is interrelated. The long-term impact will be on other biology departments which can use our innovations to unify their curricula too. The ultimate outcome will be a population of students who learn by doing experiments that are exciting and informative and which reveal an understanding of biology that is larger than can be provided by individual c ourses