Development of Research-Oriented Undergraduate Physiology and Neurobiology Courses

生物学教学正在经历一场范式转变；从死记硬背到合作解决问题；从“烹饪书”实验室到探究式实验室体验。本基金的目标是发展两门高等本科生物学课程-动物生理学和神经生物学-利用实验研究的概念和范例，提高学生对生理问题的理解和解决能力，并加强学生对研究的理解。每门课程都将实验研究的设计和解释整合到实验室、讲座和问题集中，适当地利用最新技术和传统方法。在实验室中，指导原则是以适当的方向再现研究的各个方面，包括实验问题的选择、假设的形成、实验设计、数据收集和分析以及结果的交流。人类和动物实验室的数量将限制在三个，以便有必要的时间来探索实验过程和科学内容。实验室的一个特点将是计算机模拟和“动手”实验的补充使用。学生将首先使用计算机模拟来测试他们的假设，并熟悉潜在的生理内容，然后进行类似的“动手”实验，在这些实验中，他们的模拟经验将使他们专注于技术上的成功。在课堂上，将教授实验原理及其实验基础，并使用电脑动画来说明实验设计和方法。习题集将强化和整合课堂和实验室的概念，使用实验设计作为协作解决问题的设置。这些课程可能有助于弥合缺乏研究和解决问题的入门生物学课程与教师实验室中原创的独立学生研究之间的差距。

The teaching of biology has been undergoing a paradigm shift; from rote memorization in lecture to collaborative problem solving; from "cook-book" laboratories to inquiry-based laboratory experiences. The goal of this grant is to develop two upper-level undergraduate Biology courses the University - Animal Physiology and Neurobiology - that use concepts and paradigms from experimental research to improve student understanding of and ability to solve physiological problems, and to enhance student understanding about research. Each course will integrate the design and interpretation of experimental research into laboratory, lecture and problems sets, making appropriate use of both recent technology and traditional approaches. In laboratory the guiding principle will be to reproduce all aspects of research with an appropriate level of direction, including selection of experimental problem, hypothesis formation, experimental design, data collection and analysis, and communication of results. The number of laboratories, both human and animal, will be limited to three to allow necessary time to explore both the experimental process and the scientific content. A feature of the laboratories will be complementary use of computer simulations and "hands on" experiments. Students will first use computer simulations to test their hypotheses and acquaint themselves with underlying physiological content and then conduct similar "hands on" experiments, in which their experience with simulations will allow them to focus on technical success. In lecture, both the principles and their underlying experimental basis will be taught, using computer animation to illustrate experimental design and methods. Problem sets will reinforce and integrate concepts from lecture and laboratory, using experimental design as a setting for collaborative problem solving. These courses may help bridge the gap between introductory biology courses lacking in research and problem solving, and original independent student research in faculty laboratories.