Pathways over Time: A Research Project for the Introductory Biology Laboratory

这个项目正在开发一个多部分的入门实验课程，其中包含一个真正的研究项目，重点是比较基因组学。这门名为BI204 -分子细胞生物学研究的课程，教授学生科学素养的核心概念和能力，正如最近NSF/AAAS赞助的报告《本科生物学教育的愿景与变化：行动呼吁》中所阐述的那样。该研究项目涉及学生小组，研究利用出芽酵母酿酒酵母的互补作用，研究涉及蛋氨酸合成的代谢途径的功能保护，以测试进化不同物种中基因的功能保护。在项目过程中，学生将使用主要的科学文献、数据库和在线生物信息学工具，同时熟悉分子细胞生物学和微生物遗传学中使用的基本技术。在该项目期间，正在开发各种课程材料，并通过互联网向社区提供。材料包括学生手册和教师手册。学生手册每年更新一次，以前的版本存档到eScholarship@BC存储库进行数字保存。教师手册在维持波士顿学院的项目和将项目转移到其他机构方面预计是重要的。该项目还包括设计和实现一个数据共享网站，学生可以在这个网站上发布和讨论他们整个学期的实验结果。数据共享网站正在使用一个利用开放源代码的平台进行设计，这样设计就可以与其他教育工作者共享。该项目还包括一个研究生助教培训计划，强调主动学习，关注多样性，以及教学评估的重要性。该项目由生物科学理事会、生物基础设施司和教育和人力资源理事会、本科教育司共同资助，作为他们为实现本科生物学教育的愿景和变革所做努力的一部分

This project is developing a multi-section introductory laboratory class that incorporates an authentic research project with a focus on comparative genomics. The course, BI204 - Investigations in Molecular Cell Biology, is teaching students the core concepts and competencies of scientific literacy, as articulated in the recent NSF/AAAS sponsored report, Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action. The research project involves groups of students studying the functional conservation of a metabolic pathway involved in methionine synthesis using complementation in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to test the functional conservation of the genes in evolutionarily divergent species. During the course of the project, students are using the primary scientific literature, databases, and online bioinformatics tools, while becoming familiar with the basic techniques used in molecular cell biology and microbial genetics. A variety of curriculuar materials are being developed during the project and made available to the community over the Internet. Materials include a student handbook and an instructor's handbook. The student handbook is being updated on an annual basis, and previous versions archived to the eScholarship@BC repository for digital preservation. The instructor's handbook is expected to be important in sustaining the project at Boston College and in transferring the project to other institutions. The project also includes the design and implementation of a data-sharing site that students use to post and discuss their experimental results throughout the semester. The data-sharing site is being designed using a platform that utilizes open source code, so that the design can be shared with other educators. This project also includes a graduate teaching assistant training program that stresses active learning, attention to diversity, and the importance of assessment in instruction.This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts toward Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education