Development of a Year-long, Research-based Laboratory Integrated within Core Genetics and Cellular & Molecular Biology Courses

该项目将一个为期一学期的基于研究的分子生物学实验室课程扩展和丰富为一个新的为期一年的以研究为基础的课程，强调实验设计和实施、数据解释以及书面和口头演示技能作为课程的组成部分。为期一年的方法已经试行，初步评估研究表明，完成两个学期系列课程的本科生取得了显著的学习成果。为期一年的课程将由所有生物学专业的学生完成，分成两门课程：遗传学(BIO231)和细胞与分子生物学概论(BIO335)。在这两门课程中，实验室涵盖的特定内容区域将主要反映各自的家长课程；在BIO231课程中，学生将开发和改进实验方法，以进行和分析微阵列实验，以研究渗透胁迫对酵母细胞的影响。这些数据将作为BIO335下一学期的路线图，他们将克隆与渗透胁迫有关的候选基因，并最终设计和进行基于细胞的功能分析，以测试整个学期产生的假设。该项目还试点增加了服务学习选项，这是一个为纽约市有高度需求的学校服务的科学推广计划，作为课程的一个特色。INTELLECTUAL优点：这些修订后的课程的学生使用跨学科的方法，依靠现代基因组、分子和细胞生物学方法，包括RNA-Seq技术，来回答定义明确的生物学问题。在所有科技、经济和经济领域，跨学科方法日益受到重视。此外，写作部分代表了一种趋势，这一趋势开始成为提高学生学习收益的有效方式。这个项目的评估结果应该增加已知的改善本科生物实验室的有效方法，并使学生和教职员工从引入研究型学生实验室中受益。正在使用教育考试服务机构生物专业实地测试的学生成绩比较来评估对学生学习的影响，并使用调查和重点小组以及写作作业来评估学习和态度的变化。更广泛的影响：服务学习部分的试点增加了该项目的更广泛的影响。该项目正在参与洛帕托博士的治愈调查，从而有助于建立一个关于研究型学生实验室结果的国家数据库。通过区域和国家研讨会以及学科年度会议和出版物广泛传播结果。该项目由生物科学局和本科教育司教育和人力资源局联合资助，作为他们支持本科生物学教育愿景和变革的努力的一部分

This project expands and enriches a semester long research based molecular biology laboratory course into a novel year-long research based curriculum that emphasizes experimental design and execution, data interpretation, and written and oral presentation skills as integral components of the course. The year-long approach has been piloted and preliminary assessment studies demonstrate significant learning gains by undergraduate students completing the two semester series. The year-long program will be completed by all biology majors and will be spread over two courses: Genetics (BIO231) and Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology (BIO335). In both courses, specific content areas covered in lab will predominantly reflect the respective parent courses; during BIO231 students will develop and refine experimental methods to conduct and analyze a microarray experiment to study the effects of osmotic stress on yeast cells. These data will be used as a roadmap in the following semester in BIO335, where they will clone candidate genes involved in osmotic stress and ultimately, design and conduct cell-based functional assays to test hypotheses generated throughout the term. The project also pilots the addition of a service learning option, a science outreach program to serve high-need schools in New York City, as a feature of the course.INTELLECTUAL MERIT: Students in these revised courses employ an interdisciplinary approach, relying upon modern genomic, molecular and cell biology methodologies, including RNA-Seq technology, to answer a well-defined biological question. Interdisciplinary approaches are increasingly being emphasized in all STEM disciplines. In addition the writing component represents a trend that is beginning to emerge as an effective way to improve student learning gains. The results of the evaluation of this project should add to what is known about effective ways to improve undergraduate biology laboratories and for students and faculty to profit from introduction of research-based student laboratories. Comparison of student scores on the Educational Testing Service Major Field Test in Biology are being used to assess effects on student learning, along with the use of surveys and focus groups, as well as the writing assignments to assess both learning and attitudinal changes. BROADER IMPACTS: Piloting of the service learning component adds to the broader impacts of this project. The project is participating in the CURE survey of Dr. Lopatto, thus contributing to a national data base concerning the outcomes of research-based student laboratories. Results are being widely disseminated through regional and national workshops and disciplinary annual meetings and publications.This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts toward support of Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education