Integration of Bioinformatics into a Biology Curriculum

将生物信息学整合到生物学课程中

• 批准号: 0836869
• 负责人: Bruce Wightman
• 金额: $ 8.59万
• 依托单位: Muhlenberg College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-12-01 至 2011-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0836869&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Integration; Bioinformatics; into; Biology; Curriculum

The Muhlenberg College Departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics and Computer Science are jointly integrating bioinformatics into multiple biology and biochemistry courses at three levels: introductory, intermediate, and advanced. There are two major educational goals for this project: 1) to improve undergraduate sophistication about bioinformatics, and 2) to increase the mathematical content in the biology and biochemistry curricula. The project is serving approximately 200 biology, biochemistry and neuroscience majors each year. One introductory biology course, three intermediate level biology laboratory courses, and three advanced courses in biology and biochemistry are introducing new bioinformatics components or are expanding and improving existing components. Laboratory curricula feature multiple-week investigative experiences that build on existing experimental schemes. The curricular goals are being supported by a new genomics and proteomics core laboratory facility that features real-time PCR and 2-D gel electrophoresis. In addition, multiple laptop computers are enabling students in introductory and upper-level courses to work on challenging problems in smaller discussion sections and laboratories. The new computers allow instructors to explore computational applications, and the underlying mathematics, more effectively in the classroom. Faculty development, in the form of a one-time week-long inter-disciplinary on-site bioinformatics course, is supporting the curricular goals, inspiring faculty in the use of the new technology, and encouraging collaboration among biologists, biochemists, and computational scientists. The increased faculty expertise and interdisciplinary collaboration is also resulting in undergraduate research projects in bioinformatics or projects that rely on bioinformatics as an integral tool within the research design. Intellectual Merit: The project adapts and implements published curricular suggestions for improving undergraduate education in biology and bioinformatics. The over-arching mission is to educate more quantitatively-literate biology students. Faculty development, the potential for new collaborations in courses and student research, and the new laboratory core facility itself are having a significant impact on the local science environment. The value of bioinformatics as a tool for improving quantitative instruction and the specific instructional schemes themselves are being assessed through student surveys and other instruments as appropriate. Broader Impact: Familiarity with basic bioinformatics and computational approaches is increasingly a necessity for professionals in a range of areas related to the life sciences. The assessment of curricular outcomes from the project is being disseminated broadly to provide a reference point for the development of similar strategies and projects at other undergraduate institutions.

穆伦贝格学院的生物学、化学、数学和计算机科学系正在将生物信息学与三个层次的多个生物学和生物化学课程结合起来：入门、中级和高级。该项目有两个主要的教育目标：1）提高本科生对生物信息学的复杂性，2）增加生物学和生物化学课程中的数学内容。该项目每年为大约200名生物学、生物化学和神经科学专业的学生提供服务。一门生物学入门课程，三门中级生物学实验室课程和三门生物学和生物化学高级课程正在引入新的生物信息学组件或正在扩展和改进现有组件。 实验室课程以建立在现有实验计划基础上的多周调查经验为特色。课程目标得到了一个新的基因组学和蛋白质组学核心实验室设施的支持，该设施具有实时PCR和2-D凝胶电泳。此外，多台笔记本电脑使学生能够在入门和高级课程中在较小的讨论部分和实验室中解决具有挑战性的问题。新的计算机允许教师在课堂上更有效地探索计算应用和基础数学。教师发展，在为期一周的跨学科现场生物信息学课程的形式，是支持课程目标，激励教师在使用新技术，并鼓励生物学家，生物化学家和计算科学家之间的合作。教师专业知识和跨学科合作的增加也导致了生物信息学的本科研究项目或依赖于生物信息学作为研究设计中不可或缺的工具的项目。智力优势：该项目适应并实施已公布的课程建议，以提高生物学和生物信息学本科教育。首要的使命是教育更多的生物学学生。教师的发展，在课程和学生研究的新合作的潜力，以及新的实验室核心设施本身正在对当地的科学环境产生重大影响。 生物信息学作为改进定量教学的工具的价值以及具体教学计划本身正在通过学生调查和其他适当手段进行评估。更广泛的影响：熟悉基本的生物信息学和计算方法越来越成为与生命科学相关的一系列领域的专业人员的必要条件。该项目的课程成果评估正在广泛传播，为其他本科院校制定类似战略和项目提供参考点。