Collaborative Research: Educational Assessment Tools For Genomics And Bioinformatics Education

基因组学和生物信息学的进步导致专门的研究实验室、暑期研究所和学术学位项目的迅速增加。个别生物学家、工作组和国家研究网络正将他们的注意力集中在将基因组学和生物信息学课程整合到本科课程上。这个项目的第一个目标是：(1)将基因组学和生物信息学评估项目和工具组合成一个单一的、可自由访问的和用户友好的格式；(2)总结现有测量的有效性和可靠性数据；(3)在四个方面构建、评估和修订一套补充的基因组学评估工具：知识、情感、表现和教师评估；(4)通过SERC、Danser项目和第一个项目传播这份基因组学教育概念表，以及(5)以巴纳德学院新开发的HHMI资助的跨学科基因组学课程为测试案例，对问卷项目的实用性、效度和普适性进行现场测试。采用混合方法(即定量和定性)的准实验设计来评估巴纳德学院课程干预的影响。采用纵向研究设计，使用以下五种方法来评估基因组学课程相对于传统生物学课程的影响：(1)利克特量表问卷，(2)学生评估学习收获(SALG)匿名在线工具，(3)内容知识的概念图，(4)批判性思维测试(CTT)，以及(5)由独立研究人员进行的半结构化、转录的口头访谈。这些数据允许对结果进行方法学三角测量。本项目目标二的首要研究问题是：与传统的四年制生物学课程相比，四年制的本科基因组学课程路径是否会在生物研究方面产生显著不同的表现技能、态度、知识和性格？

Advances in genomics and bioinformatics have led to the rapid proliferation of dedicated research laboratories, summer institutes, and academic degree programs. Individual biologists, working groups, and national research networks are focusing their attention on the integration of genomics and bioinformatics lessons into undergraduate curricula. The first goal of this project is to: (1) assemble genomics and bioinformatics assessment items and tools into a single, freely-accessible, and user-friendly format; (2) summarize validity and reliability data for existing measures; (3) construct, evaluate, and revise a suite of supplemental genomics assessment tools in four areas: knowledge, affect, performance, and faculty assessment; (4) disseminate this genomics education concept inventory through SERC, the DANSER project, and the FIRST project, and (5) field test the inventory items for utility, validity, and generalizability by using a newly developed, HHMI-funded interdisciplinary genomics curriculum at Barnard College as a test case. A mixed-methods (i.e., quantitative and qualitative) quasi-experimental design is being used to assess the impact of the curriculum intervention at Barnard. The following five methodologies are being employed, using a longitudinal study design, to assess the impact of the genomics curriculum relative to the traditional biology curriculum: (1) a Likert-scale questionnaire, (2) the Student Assessed Learning Gains (SALG) anonymous online instrument, (3) concept mapping of content knowledge, (4) the CTT (Critical Thinking Test), and (5) semi-structured, transcribed oral interviews by an independent researcher. These data permit methodological triangulation of results. The overarching research question for goal two of this project is: Does a 4-year undergraduate genomics curriculum pathway produce significantly different performance skills, attitudes, knowledge, and dispositions toward biological research compared to a traditional 4-year biology pathway in women science students?