Integration of Bioinformatics into a Biology Curriculum

Muhlenberg学院生物、化学、数学和计算机科学系正在联合将生物信息学整合到三个级别的多个生物和生物化学课程中：入门、中级和高级。这个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认识；2)增加生物和生物化学课程中的数学内容。该项目每年服务于大约200名生物、生物化学和神经科学专业的学生。一门生物学入门课程、三门中级生物实验室课程和三门生物和生物化学高级课程正在引入新的生物信息学组成部分或正在扩大和改进现有组成部分。实验室课程的特点是在现有实验方案的基础上进行为期数周的调查。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，该实验室设施具有实时聚合酶链式反应和二维凝胶电泳法。此外，多台笔记本电脑使初级和高级课程的学生能够在较小的讨论部分和实验室处理具有挑战性的问题。新的计算机允许教师在课堂上更有效地探索计算应用程序和基础数学。教师发展，以为期一周的跨学科现场生物信息学课程的形式，支持课程目标，激励教师使用新技术，并鼓励生物学家、生物化学家和计算科学家之间的合作。教师专业知识的增加和跨学科合作也导致了生物信息学的本科生研究项目，或者是依赖生物信息学作为研究设计中不可或缺的工具的项目。智力价值：该项目调整和实施了已发表的课程建议，以改善生物和生物信息学的本科教育。最重要的使命是培养更多懂得定量知识的生物学生。教师发展、课程和学生研究方面新合作的潜力，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量化教学和具体教学计划本身的工具的价值正在通过学生调查和其他适当的工具进行评估。更广泛的影响：熟悉基本的生物信息学和计算方法对与生命科学相关的一系列领域的专业人员越来越有必要。该项目对课程成果的评估正在广泛传播，以便为其他本科院校制定类似的战略和项目提供一个参考点。

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.