Pathways over Time: A Research Project for the Introductory Biology Laboratory

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This project is developing a multi-section introductory laboratory class that incorporates an authentic research project with a focus on comparative genomics. The course, BI204 - Investigations in Molecular Cell Biology, is teaching students the core concepts and competencies of scientific literacy, as articulated in the recent NSF/AAAS sponsored report, Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action. The research project involves groups of students studying the functional conservation of a metabolic pathway involved in methionine synthesis using complementation in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to test the functional conservation of the genes in evolutionarily divergent species. During the course of the project, students are using the primary scientific literature, databases, and online bioinformatics tools, while becoming familiar with the basic techniques used in molecular cell biology and microbial genetics. A variety of curriculuar materials are being developed during the project and made available to the community over the Internet. Materials include a student handbook and an instructor's handbook. The student handbook is being updated on an annual basis, and previous versions archived to the eScholarship@BC repository for digital preservation. The instructor's handbook is expected to be important in sustaining the project at Boston College and in transferring the project to other institutions. The project also includes the design and implementation of a data-sharing site that students use to post and discuss their experimental results throughout the semester. The data-sharing site is being designed using a platform that utilizes open source code, so that the design can be shared with other educators. This project also includes a graduate teaching assistant training program that stresses active learning, attention to diversity, and the importance of assessment in instruction.This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts toward Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education