Scaffolding Conceptually Driven Genomics Education

让大学生在课堂上进行真实的研究可以促进科学思维的发展。然而，在一个教学实验室与20名或更多的学生，在学生成功的开放式研究问题的限制因素是教师可用性为真实的时间，个性化的脚手架（引导学生到更高层次的思考和复杂的问题解决有关的学生的研究问题）。这个项目是测试的假设，适度脚手架学生的研究过程中，精心设计的网络界面工具，“探索基因组学的上下文接口”（EGCI），可以支持课堂教学，促进真正的基因组学研究，只有少量的教师输入。EGCI为学生提供了一种迭代方式，可以使用一系列基因组学工具选择提出和解决生物学有趣问题的策略。它旨在帮助学生培养以下能力：1）定义可以用数据解决的生物学有趣的问题，2）将基因与生物学功能联系起来，3）分析数据，包括质量方面，4）开发基于文献的重要定量方法的理解，以及5）通过将文献，课堂知识和数据分析结合在一起来彻底测试可行的假设。本项目的具体研究目标是：1。确定本科生的科学思维能力如何通过课程背景下的真实研究经验来提高; 2.分析脚手架在支持学生研究成功中的作用; 3.为基于计算机的开放式研究的支架确定可推广的组件。 这些正在探索使用混合方法的研究方法，收集数据的特点：1）个别学生的技能水平的课程之前，通过课程的发展之前，具体的任务，并遵循分配，2）学生的行为在分配（包括结构化观察;学生反思;和EGCI网络度量的分析），和3）由教员完成的脚手架（包括教员的结构化观察和反思）。智力优势：基因组学教育是启动这项工作的理想平台，因为基因组学是现代科学的重要前沿，为学生提供了使用大型数据集的机会;并允许在多个组织层次上构建生物学问题。Chamaecrista（paraecpea）和Aiptasia（共生珊瑚的模型），被选为这项初步工作的生物体，是理想的测试对象，因为它们受到全球气候变化和进化的威胁，在科学上很重要，而且，对于本科生项目来说，最重要的是，有现成的基因序列和适当的支持分析工具。更广泛的影响：识别脚手架软件的一般元素，支持真实的学生研究规模增加了机会，在许多机构的本科生发展更高层次的，科学的思维能力，满足国家的需要。所有的课程材料，评估工具，和EGCI的可编辑的形式正在免费提供通过教学基因组学网站。 这项工作正在两个不同的机构进行-一个将基因组学纳入整个课程（卡尔顿），另一个有独特的基因组学和生物信息学课程（瓦萨），从而将这项工作的适用性扩大到其他机构。

Engaging undergraduate students in authentic research in the classroom can enhance development of scientific thinking. However, in a teaching laboratory with 20 or more students, a limiting factor in student success with open-ended research problems is instructor availability for real time, individualized scaffolding (guiding students to higher-level thinking and complex problem solving related to the student's research problem). This project is testing the hypothesis that by moderately scaffolding the student research process a carefully designed web interface tool, the "Exploring Genomics in Context Interface" (EGCI), can support classroom instruction and facilitate authentic research in genomics with only a modicum of faculty input. The EGCI provides an iterative way for students to choose strategies for asking and addressing biologically interesting questions using a range of genomics tools. It is designed to help students develop the ability to: 1) define biologically interesting questions that can be addressed with data, 2) relate a gene to biological function, 3) analyze data including the aspect of quality, 4) develop a literature-based understanding of important quantitative approaches, and 5) test thoroughly a viable hypothesis by bringing together the literature, classroom knowledge, and analysis of data. The project's specific research objectives are to: 1. determine how undergraduate students' scientific thinking skills are enhanced by an authentic research experience in the context of a course; 2. analyze the role of scaffolding in supporting student research success; and 3. identify generalizable components for computer-based scaffolding of open-ended research. These are being explored using a mixed-methods research approach to collect data that characterizes: 1) the skill level of individual students prior to the course, developed through the course prior to the specific assignment, and following the assignment, 2) student behavior during the assignment (including structured observations; student reflections; and analysis of EGCI webmetrics), and 3) the scaffolding accomplished by the faculty member (including structured observations and reflection by the faculty members). Intellectual Merit: Genomics education is an ideal platform on which to initiate this work because genomics, an important frontier in modern science, provides the opportunity for students to work with large datasets; and allows scaffolding of biological questions at multiple levels of organization. Chamaecrista (partridge pea) and Aiptasia (model for symbiotic corals), the organisms selected for this initial work, are ideal test subjects because they are threatened by global climate change and evolution, are scientifically important, and, most important for an undergraduate project, have readily available gene sequences and appropriate supporting analysis tools. Broader Impacts: Identifying general elements of scaffolding software that support authentic student research at scale increases opportunities for undergraduates at many institutions to develop higher order, scientific thinking skills, meeting a national need. All curricular material, assessment tools, and editable forms of the EGCI are being made freely available for adoption on the Teaching Genomics website. The work is being conducted at two different institutions - one that integrates genomics throughout the curriculum (Carleton) and one with distinct genomics and bioinformatics courses (Vassar), thus broadening the applicability of the efforts to other institutions.