Developing Bean Beetles as a Model System for Undergraduate Laboratories

生物科学（61）该项目的目标是开发一种糙豆甲虫，作为生态学、进化生物学和动物行为学的研究型本科实验室的模型系统。毛豆甲虫（Callosobruchus maculatus）是现有的最易驯化、最健壮和最便宜的动物系统之一，但在研究实验室之外并未广泛使用。项目小组正在设计和分发一本手册，以培养教师在本科实验室中使用豆甲虫的专业知识，并就如何使用基于探究的教学法实施学生主动学习的练习向教师提供具体建议。此外，项目团队正在设计、试点测试和传播五个以探究为基础的实验，涉及生态学、进化生物学和动物行为学，以豆甲虫为模型系统。知识MeritC。Maculatus提供了一个独特的机会，可以采用一个在研究界积极使用的模型系统，并将其发展成一个易于适应的模型系统，用于本科水平的教学实验室。此外，为促进以探究为基础的生态学、进化生物学和动物行为的实验室实验教学而开发的材料是拟议项目的组成部分。评估包括对学生学习内容和方法的几种不同测量，以及由教师在适当的专业会议上参加研讨会的教师对已开发的教师资源的评估。更广泛的影响实验室实验的发展涉及受过研究方法训练的本科生助理。此外，参与实验开发和试点测试的大多数学生都来自莫尔豪斯学院，这是一所HBCU，因此增加了在生态学、进化生物学和动物行为学领域代表性不足的少数民族的参与。在这个项目中开发的材料通过一个专门的网站（www.beanbeetles.org）、讨论本科STEM教育问题的研讨会和年度会议上的演讲，以及在本科STEM教育社区的期刊上发表。

Biological Sciences (61)The goal of this project is to develop a species of bruchid bean beetle as a model system for inquiry-based undergraduate laboratories in ecology, evolutionary biology, and animal behavior. The bruchid bean beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus, is among most tractable, robust and inexpensive animal systems available but is not widely used outside of research laboratories. The project team is designing and disseminating a handbook that develops faculty expertise in using bean beetles in undergraduate laboratories, with specific advice to faculty on how to implement the exercises for active student learning using inquiry-based pedagogies. Additionally, the project team is designing, pilot testing, and disseminating five inquiry-based experiments in ecology, evolutionary biology, and animal behavior that use bean beetles as a model system.Intellectual MeritC. maculatus provides a unique opportunity to take a model system that is actively used in the research community and develop it into a readily adaptable model system for teaching laboratories at the undergraduate level. In addition, the development of materials for promoting the teaching of inquiry-based laboratory experiments in ecology, evolutionary biology, and animal behavior is integral to the proposed project. Evaluation includes several different measurements of student learning of content and methodologies, and appraisal of the developed faculty resources by faculty participants at workshops at appropriate professional meetings.Broader ImpactsThe development of the laboratory experiments involves undergraduate student assistants who are trained in research methodology. In addition, the majority of the students involved in the development and pilot testing of the experiments are at Morehouse College, an HBCU, thus increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in the areas of ecology, evolutionary biology, and animal behavior. The materials developed in this project are disseminated through a dedicated website (www.beanbeetles.org), workshops and presentations at annual meetings that address undergraduate STEM education issues, and publication in journals of the undergraduate STEM education community.