EvoBeaker: Simulation software for teaching evolutionary biology

生物科学（61）。这个CCLI教材开发概念验证项目解决了学生更好地理解进化论的需要。它通过构建和测试EvoBeaker来实现这一目标，EvoBeaker是一个用于在本科阶段教授进化生物学的原型计算机模拟程序。因为进化发生在超出日常经验的长时间和空间尺度上；由于进化生物学的动手实验不能在典型的课堂环境中进行，许多学生很难理解进化理论的关键概念。EvoBeaker软件允许学生在模拟人群和社区中进行基于探究的实验，从而允许他们探索从等位基因到系统发育树的进化是如何在各个层面上进行的。本项目评估EvoBeaker在减少学生对进化论关键概念误解方面的有效性。特别是，它探讨EvoBeaker是否澄清了自然选择是如何工作的，以及它是否帮助学生理解可以分析进化变化的不同层次之间的关系（即，在基因组、个体、种群、系统发育树的层次上）。

Biological Science (61). This CCLI Educational Materials Development proof-of-concept project addresses the need for students to better understand evolution. It does this by constructing and testing EvoBeaker, a prototype computer simulation program for teaching evolutionary biology at the undergraduate level. Because evolution takes place over extended periods of time and at spatial scales that are beyond everyday experience; and because hands-on experiments in evolutionary biology cannot be conducted within a typical classroom setting, many students have difficulty understanding the key concepts underlying evolutionary theory. The EvoBeaker software allows students to conduct inquiry-based experiments on simulated populations and communities, thus permitting them to explore how evolution works at various levels, from alleles to phylogenetic trees. This project evaluates the effectiveness of EvoBeaker in reducing common student misconceptions about key concepts in evolution. In particular, it explores whether EvoBeaker clarifies how natural selection works, and whether it helps students to understand the relationship between the different levels at which evolutionary change can be analyzed (i.e., at the level of the genome, the individual, the population, the phylogenetic tree).