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了专门的研究实验室，暑期研究所和学术学位课程的快速增长。个别生物学家，工作组，和国家研究网络正在集中精力将基因组学和生物信息学课程整合到本科课程。本计画的第一个目标是：（1）将基因组学与生物资讯学的评估项目与工具整合成单一、可自由存取且使用者友善的格式;（2）归纳现有评估的效度与信度数据;（3）建构、评估与修正一套补充性的基因组学评估工具，涵盖知识、影响、表现与师资评估四个领域;（4）通过SERC、DANSER项目和FIRST项目传播这一基因组学教育概念清单;（5）通过使用巴纳德学院新开发的、HHMI资助的跨学科基因组学课程作为测试案例，实地测试清单项目的实用性、有效性和普遍性。混合方法（即，定量和定性）的准实验设计被用来评估课程干预的影响在巴纳德。以下五种方法正在使用，使用纵向研究设计，以评估基因组学课程相对于传统生物学课程的影响：（1）Likert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）CTT（批判性思维测试），和（5）半结构化，转录的口头采访，由一个独立的研究人员。这些数据允许对结果进行方法上的三角测量。该项目的目标二的首要研究问题是：4年本科基因组学课程途径是否产生显着不同的表现技能，态度，知识和处置生物研究相比，传统的4年生物学途径的女性科学的学生？

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?