DNA Markers for Fast Plants to Teach Scientific Thinking

描述(由申请人提供)： 挑战领域12：科学、技术、工程和数学教育(STEM)。具体挑战主题12-OD-104，STEM教育的创新方法。我们的目标是开发一个本科生物实验模块，它比目前可用于教授科学思维和吸引学生的材料更好，但在执行过程中足够简单，以至于教师可能会在招生人数较多的低级生物学课程中采用它(在这些课程中，科学思维的教学往往是不足的)。我们将开发的具体材料是快速植物的DNA标记(快速循环油菜)和一个名为快速植物实验室亲子鉴定的实验室模块。在这个实验中，学生们将进行配对以产生亲子关系纠纷，然后使用DNA标记来识别后代的父亲。快速植物是专性异交者(不自花授粉的植物)，使用的品系在遗传上是多样化的，因此学生获得的数据准确地反映了人类的基因数据。虽然还有其他DNA分析和亲子鉴定模拟可用，但我们的材料将是不同的，因为学生的体验将是实际的实验。学生们将使用活的有机体，而不是准备好的样本。为了促进真正的实验，我们将开发具有DNA标记多态的快速植物菌株，以便班上的每个学生都能获得独特的结果，这将挑战他们的分析思维能力。为了确保教师实际使用我们的实验模块，我们将设计标记(PCR-RFLP和VNTR)和附带的协议，以便在典型本科生教学实验的时间和预算限制下执行工作。在我们开发了这些材料之后，我们将在我们大学的生物学入门课程中对它们进行试点评估，作为学生的实验体验。我们假设我们的实验模块将更适合使用学习循环教学方式。学习循环法已经在包括遗传学在内的各种学科中进行了严格的有效性测试，并被发现是有效的。我们的贡献是开发允许大学生物教师使用这种方法进行教学的材料。这项建议是针对具体挑战主题12-OD-104，即科学、技术、工程和数学教育的创新方法。我们项目对人类健康的意义在于培训下一代健康专业人员和知情的消费者。本科生科学教育，特别是在入门阶段，往往不能吸引学生或教授科学推理，而是强调死记硬背，但我们将开发的材料将吸引学生并促进科学推理的教学。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Challenge Area 12: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (STEM). Specific Challenge Topic 12-OD-104, innovative approaches to STEM education. Our goal is to develop an undergraduate biology laboratory module that is superior to materials that are currently available for teaching scientific thought and engaging students, yet is simple enough in its execution that instructors will be likely to adopt it in large enrollment lower level biology courses (where the teaching of scientific thought is most often deficient). The specific materials that we will develop are DNA markers for Fast Plants (rapid cycling Brassica rapa) and a laboratory module called the Paternity Testing with Fast Plants Lab. In this lab, students will conduct matings to create a paternity dispute and then use DNA markers to identify the father of the offspring. Fast Plants are obligate outcrossers (the do not self-pollinate) and the strains used are genetically diverse, so the data that the students obtain accurately reflects human genetic data. While there are other DNA analysis and paternity testing simulations available, our materials will be distinct in that the student's the experience will be actual experiment. Students will be working with live organisms rather than prepared samples. To facilitate true experimentation, we will develop Fast Plant strains with polymorphism for the DNA markers so that each student in a class can obtain unique results that will challenge their analytical thinking skills. To make sure that our lab module is actually used by instructors, we will design the markers (PCR-RFLP and VNTR) and accompanying protocols so that work can be performed under the time and budget limitations of a typical undergraduate teaching lab. After we develop these materials, we will perform a pilot assessment of them as a lab experience for students in our university's introductory biology course. We hypothesize that our lab module will be better suited to use the the Learning Cycle style of teaching. The Learning Cycle method has been tested rigorously for its effectiveness in a variety of disciplines, including genetics, and found to be effective. Our contribution is to develop materials that allow a college biology instructor to use this method for teaching. This proposal is in response to Specific Challenge Topic 12-OD-104, innovative approaches to science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. The human health significance of our project is in the training of the next generation of health professionals and informed consumers. Undergraduate science education, especially at the introductory level often fails to engage students or teach scientific reasoning, but rather emphasizes rote memorization, but the materials we will develop will engage students and facilitate the teaching of the scientific reasoning.