Molecular Technology Laboratory, An Undergraduate Course To Modernize the Biology Curriculum

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Biological Sciences (61) An understanding of the methods used in molecular biology and their application to other areas of biology is critical to the student graduating with a biology degree. Field biology, population biology, evolutionary and organismal biology, physiology and cellular biology all use molecular techniques. The Biology Department has recognized the need to modernize its curriculum, which traditionally has emphasized field and organismal biology, but lacked instruction focusing on molecular biology. Recently the biology department hired new faculty to fill this void in their curriculum. As a result, two new courses dedicated to molecular technology, a molecular biology lecture course and a molecular laboratory course, are now offered. The Molecular Technology Laboratory course adapts the methods presented in "Unraveling DNA: Molecular Biology for the Laboratory" to the current needs of this open-ended, inquiry based investigative laboratory. The first seven weeks of instruction is devoted to the introduction of standard methods in molecular technology. The remainder of the course is devoted to a project involving the cloning of a gene. Working in teams of 3 or 4, students design and carry out experiments to clone the gene, and then demonstrate that the correct gene has been cloned. At the end of the semester, both written and oral reports are presented. This part of the course is designed to engage students to develop and use problem solving and critical thinking skills. In addition to the revised Molecular Biology curriculum, this project has also lead to the infusion of molecular biology across the curriculum such that students are now introduced to the basic laboratory and molecular biological research techniques as Freshmen and Sophomores that are revisited in Genetics laboratory and ultimately in the Molecular Biology course. Consequently, the introduction of molecular techniques across the curriculum and the development of a sophisticated dedicated molecular biology laboratory has strengthen the whole biology curriculum and improved student performance as they transition to graduate school, professional programs or employment.