Hypothesis-driven Computational Genomics: Engaging Students in Lab Protocols and Bioinformatics via Inquiry

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This project is utilizing three interdisciplinary courses to educate students in the realms of genomics, molecular evolution, and the bioinformatics analyses of genes and genomes. Students participating in these courses come from several majors, departments, and colleges, providing a diverse multidisciplinary environment with great potential for peer learning. While developing hypotheses, students are gaining hands on skills in DNA sequence analysis in the Molecular Ecology Laboratory and Bioinformatics courses. They analyze metagenomic datasets that they helped to generate, using these to test hypotheses about microbial ecology, symbiosis, and the roles of microbes in digestion and nutrition.This thematic strategy is expected to actively engage students in the learning process, helping them to develop as critical-thinkers who understand the scientific method. To measure the success of this approach, students are answering a series of questions about their impressions and perceived understanding of bioinformatics throughout the sequence. They are also being tested on their knowledge of bioinformatics at the beginning and end of the sequence. Assessments of students taking all three courses, one or two of the courses, or none of the courses are being compared to determine the program's impact. Successful completion of the sequence is producing students who are highly qualified for careers in bioinformatics, having worked with the types of datasets that bioinformaticians routinely analyze. The generation and analysis of high throughput datasets is modernizing bioinformatics education at Drexel, and the three-course sequence (and case-study based approach) is expected to serve as a model for other institutions.