18th Annual ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators

doi:10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.298

18th Annual ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus Baltimore, Maryland June 2–5, 2011

ASMCUE POSTER SESSIONS

Session A

Author Presentations: 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM

Session B

Author Presentations: 10:15 AM – 11:15 PM

Session C

Author Presentations: 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

COURSE DESIGN

1-A

Community-oriented Parasitological Survey in a Medical Parasitology and Mycology Course for Medical Students in a Central American University as a Teaching Strategy to Improve Learning

T.G. Ascencio.

Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado, San Salvador, El Salvador.

2-B

E-solutions for Access to Literature for University Students in Kenya

H.I. Boga.

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.

3-C

A Study of Students Studying Nature: Understanding Attitudes Towards Nature and Sustainability among Students at an Urban Community College

C.P. Colon.

Kingsborough Community College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY.

4-A

Micro- and Nano-space Explorations of Health and Disease: A Microscopy-enabled Microbiology and Infectious Disease Adult Education Program for K–12 Teachers at the University of Southern Maine (USM)

G. Fletcher, K.D. Moulton, J.L. Jamison, J. Gaynor, L. Flower, V.M. Serio Jr., T. Baumgarten, A.-K. Ng, G. LaSala, and S.M. Duboise.

University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME.

5-B

Understanding, and Using, Predictors of Student Achievement in First-year Biology in Course Re-design

C.M. Graham, W.R. Huddleston, H.D. Addy, and J. Stallard.

University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

6-C

An ASM-UTF Experience: Enhancing Student Teaching through a K–12 Microbiology Project

P.A. Bodak¹, N. Cerqueira², and C. Iftode¹.

¹Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ and ²Salem County Vocational and Technical High School, Woodstown, NJ.

7-A

Investigating Student Learning when Biotechnology Lab Partners are of Different Academic Levels

H.B. Miller, D.S. Witherow, and S.B. Carson.

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

8-B

Training LSAMP STEM Undergraduates in Microbiology Using the HHMI Mycobacteriophage Isolation Program as a Summer URM

R. Ovalle.

Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY.

9-C

Comparing Knowledge Surveys with Traditional Assessment Methods in Undergraduate Cell Biology, Genetics, and Molecular Biology Courses

M.L. Pedulla and K. McElroy.

Montana Tech of the University of Montana, Butte, MT.

10-A

Multiplying Efforts in Latin America – The ASM-UNESCO Workshop on Microbiology Education 2010

V.B. Rajal¹, J. Ortellado², and T. Peterson³.

¹Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina; ²Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay; ³American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC.

11-B

Facilitated Partnerships as a Vehicle for Curricular Reform

L.B. Regassa and M. Bennett.

Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA.

12-C

Proven Strategies for Re-training University Educators in Biotechnology in Developing Countries: An Integrated Short Course Approach

S.V.A. Uzochukwu¹, A. Ochem², P. Keese³, I. Ingelbretcht⁴, J. Campbell-Tofte⁵, and N. Esiobu⁶.

¹University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria; ²International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Cape Town Component, South Africa; ³Office of Gene Technology Regulator, Canberra, Australia; ⁴International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria; ⁵Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; ⁶Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL.

13-A

Microbiology for Future Urban Ecologists: The Challenge of Evaluation of Student Learning

D.L. Vullo, S. Ramírez and A. Zalts.

Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento, Los Polvorines, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

14-B

Teaching Microbiology to Future Chemists: How to Evaluate Students Properly?

D.L. Vullo, V. Castilla, and M.B. Wachsman.

Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

15-C

Collaborative Research Endeavors Provide Relevant, Sophisticated Laboratory Experience for Diverse Undergraduate Populations

A. White¹, L.M. Temple², S. Stcokwell², E. Day-Miller³, and R. Puffenbarger⁴.

¹Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke, VA; ²James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA; ³Bridgewater Educational Associates, Bridgewater, VA; ⁴Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA.

HANDS-ON PROJECTS

16-A

Authentic Research Experiences: Genome Sequencing as a Pedagogical Tool in a Community College

M.G. Bangera¹, J. Ellinger¹, A. Gargas², R. Jeffers¹, C. Shelley¹, L. Thomashow³, and D. Weller³.

¹Bellevue College, Bellevue WA; ²Symbiology LLC; ³USDA-ARS Root Disease and Biological Control Unit, Washington State University, Pullman WA.

17-B

Gene Annotation for the Masses: How 140 Under-graduate Students Annotated Genes fromPseudomonas fluorescensR124, a Novel Cave Isolate

B.V. Bowling. S.C. Linn, P.J. Schultheis, M.D. Barton, M.A. Petronio, and H.A. Barton.

Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY.

18-C

Integrated Molecular Biology Research Experience Promotes Active Learning

M. Choudhary.

Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX.

19-A

Engaging Students in Novel Research in an Introductory Biology Laboratory Course

B.J. Gasper, L.N. Csonka, D.J. Minchella, G.C. Weaver, O.A. Adedokun, and S.M. Gardner.

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

20-B

Integrative Approach to Undergraduate Research and Bioinformatics

B. Henderson-Dean and H. Schneider.

The University of Findlay, Findlay, OH.

21-C

Is itE. coliO157:H7? Using Bioinformatics to Develop and Test Hypotheses

J.R. Klein.

Northwestern College, St. Paul, MN.

22-A

A Semester-long Molecular Biology Laboratory Exercise Examining Functional Selection (Evolution) of Viral RNA Enhances Student Engagement and Aptitude

D.B. Kushner.

Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.

23-B

Hot CACAO: Annotation of Gene Function with Gene Ontology as an Undergraduate Intercollegiate Competition

B.K. McIntosh¹, V. Khodiyar², R. Lovering², D.P. Renfro¹, D.A. Siegele¹, A. Zweifel¹, and J.C. Hu¹.

¹Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas and ²University College London, London, England.

24-C

Adapting Undergraduate Microbiology Labs to Include Research Projects

T.R. Muth and C. McEntee.

City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY.

25-A

Introduction to Biotechnology Research: The Cloning of the Known Genes inBacillus subtilisby Student Designed Primers

P.P. Pun.

Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL.

STUDENT LEARNING

26-B

Quality of the Click: Evaluating the Effect of High Cognitive Level Clicker Questions on Student Thinking and Learning

D.K. Anderson.

St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI.

27-C

Learning Concepts in Metagenomics through an Evolving Dictionary of Terms and Conceptual Maps L.M. Casillas-Martinez¹, M. Cancel-Sanchez¹, and C.

Rios-Velazquez².

¹University of Puerto Rico–Humacao, Humacao, Puerto Rico and ²University of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

28-A

Aseptic Technique in the Clinical Environment: Demonstration of Need

A. Rowell, C. Bezotte, and D. Talenti.

Elmira College, Elmira, NY.

29-B

Comparing the Impact of a Case Study on Student Learning for Biology Majors vs. Pre-Nursing Students

C.A. DeBoy.

Trinity Washington University, Washington, DC.

30-C

Classroom-based Science Research at the Introductory Level: Changes in Career Choices and Attitude

D. Dunbar and M. Harrison.

Cabrini College, Radnor, PA.

31-A

Do Students Know what they Know? Student Meta-cognition in Introductory Biology

C.L. Fata-Hartley and A.M. McCright.

Michigan State University, Lyman Briggs College, East Lansing, MI.

32-B

Assessing the Impact of Student Response Systems on Pedagogy and Learning Outcome in a Cell and Molecular Biology Course

K.F. Hung and M. Menze.

Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL.

33-C

Doesa Gaming Approach Improve Basic Microbiology Learning in Vocational School Students?

Z.C. Karahan, A.M. Aytug Kosan, and M. Demiroren.

Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.

34-A

Characterizing Student Use and Perceptions of Instructional Objectives in Freshman Life Science Courses

J.A. LaMack.

Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI.

35-B

Utilizing Team-based Learning in Microbiology for Medical Students: A Pilot Study

C.A. Mohammed.

Manipal University, Manipal, India.

36-C

Student Learning and Development is Enhanced by Research Experiences in the Classroom

S.C. Nold.

University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI.

37-A

Examination of the Progress towards Cognitive Development in Engineering and Science Students Enrolled in Biology Courses

J.B. O’Connor.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN.

38-B

A Comparison of Microbiological Laboratory Skills of Students with Online versus Traditional Preparatory Laboratory Experiences

N.T. Parker and L. Zimmerman.

Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA.

39-C

In-class Voting Provides Information Beyond Immediate Measurement of Student Understanding

R.S. Pearlman, R.E. McCarty, and R. Shingles.

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.

40-A

Assessing Undergraduate Laboratory Research Education via a Virtual Research Community-based Platform

J.N. Rampersad, D. Ammons, and R. Carlson.

University of Texas–Pan American, Edinburg, TX.

41-B

Comparing Student Learning Outcomes in Onsite versus Online Delivery of a Clinical Microbiology Course

C.E. Roote, B.J. Brown, and S.M. Zamule.

Nazareth College, Rochester, NY.

42-C

Producing New Forms of Engaging: High-benefit Assessment for Undergraduate Science Students

S.L. Rowland and I. Wood.

University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

43-A

Determinants of Student Success in a Hybrid Microbiology Course

H.M. Seitz.

Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS.

44-B

Using Self-assessment to Increase Student Metacognition and Learning Gains

A.M. Siegesmund.

Pacific Lutheran University, WA.

45-C

Previous Exposure to Topics in a Test Format Yields Initial Improvement on Exam Scores for Those Topics in an Introductory Biology Course

S.K. Sullivan and N. Ponder.

Louisiana State University of Alexandria, Alexandria, LA.

46-A

Assessing Improvement in Student Data Analysis Skills in a Microbiology Course for Allied Health Majors

K. Walton.

Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO.

47-B

The Use of Team-based Learning in a Non-majors Human Genetics Course

K.L. Zoghby.

University of Richmond, Richmond, VA.

TEACHING APPROACHES

48-C

The Use of Personal Narrative Case Studies to Facilitate Team-based Learning in an Allied Health Microbiology Course

J.R. Bess.

Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL.

49-A

The Use of Contemporary Novelsasa Tool for Engaged Learning in the Undergraduate Microbiology Classroom

C.K. Bieszczad.

Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH.

50-B

Preliminary Results of Using Scientific Teaching in an Undergraduate Medical Bacteriology Course

J.P. Caruso.

Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.

51-C

Discussion Boards as a Means of Promoting Student Engagement, Formulating Fact-based Opinions about Scientific Advancements, Communicating Scientific Findings with the Public, and Creating Citizen Scientists

L.A. Cuchara.

Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT.

52-A

Printed Identification Key or Web-based Identification Guide: An Effective Tool for Species Identification?

T.E. dela Cruz, M.V. Pangilinan, and R. Litao.

University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines.

53-B

Improving Student Outcomes in Introductory Majors Biology: Popular Media

J.R. Geiser.

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI.

54-C

The Use of Primary Literature in the Freshman Biology Laboratory

M.J. Hanophy.

St. Joseph’s College, Brooklyn, NY.

55-A

Novel Intensive Use of Primary Literature is Effective in Diverse Student Cohorts, Extending the C.R.E.A.T.E. Approach

S.G. Hoskins¹ and L.M. Stevens².

¹City College of the City University of New York, New York, NY and ²University of Texas, Austin, Austin, TX.

56-B

Reading Primary Research Articles Improves Literacy Skills in an Introductory Biology Course

J.K. Krontiris-Litowitz.

Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH.

57-C

Modeling Real-life Decision-making Actively Engages Students in Primary Literature Analysis

B. Marintcheva.

Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA.

58-A

Promoting Students’ Understanding of Scientific Research through Asynchronous Online Discussions

M.V. Mawn and C. Gleason.

SUNY Empire State College, Saratoga Springs, NY.

59-B

Your Students Don’t Knowthe First ThingAbout Meiosis!

D.L. Newman, C.M. Catavero, and L.K. Wright.

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY.

60-C

Guided Worksheet Discussion Sessions Improve Student Success and Understanding of Complex Phenomena in an Introductory Biology Course

J.T. Olimpo and P.A. Shields.

University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

61-A

Using Student Evaluations to Improve Teaching and Learning

A.R. Pendleton.

Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, GA.

62-B

Incorporating Primary Research Articles into Case Studies to Stimulate Research-oriented Learning

B.B. Quimby.

University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

63-C

Web-based Tutorial Support for Academic Success in Anatomy and Physiology

M. Tawde and A. Nguyen.

Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY.

64-A

Writing-to-learn Activities as a Measure of Ecological Literacy

A.M. Wallace¹ and M. Balgopal².

¹Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, MN and ²Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.

65-B

Student-driven Modeling Exercise Reveals Gaps in Knowledge and Reasoning about Chromosome Structure and Behavior

L.K. Wright and D.L. Newman.

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY.

COURSE DESIGN

1-A Community-oriented Parasitological Survey in a Medical Parasitology and Mycology Course for Medical Students in a Central American University as a Teaching Strategy to Improve Learning

T.G. Ascencio. Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado. San Salvador, El Salvador.

Despite medical advances, parasitic diseases remain a serious public health problem, particularly in developing countries where they cause anemia, malnutrition and cognitive problems. Antiparasitic drugs are available for treatment, but community is also an important tool for prevention and control. By introducing a Community-oriented Parasitological Survey to our Medical Parasitology and Mycology course (PMM), in the third year of the medical career, we hypothesized that exposing students to a real-life situation would help them to acquire knowledge and skills required in their professional practice. The PMM enrollment course of 40 students, 20 yrs old approximately, was divided into subgroups of eight students and one teacher. The project ran during the first eight weeks of the course, and was conducted in five steps: 1) project promotion (posters display, brochures etc.); 2) educational lectures to the community; 3) macro and microscopic stools examination; 4) treatment, provided by the university clinic to those parasitized; and 5) satisfaction survey, applied after the activity was finished. Forty-nine university employees were involved in the survey: 25% of them were free of parasites. Of the remaining 75%, 10% had mix protozoan trophozoite infection (four Amoebae sp., and one Giardia intestinalis) and 61% had cystic stages of the same parasites. Additionally, 4% had larval stages and helminthes eggs. During the survey 71% of participants received educational talks and 77% considered excellent the project realized by the students. The experience was valuable because: 1) students learned that the cystic stage is the important form for dissemination of these diseases, and, equally important, that the cyst-carriers are usually asymptomatic; 2) good teacher-student relationships developed during and after the survey; and 3) it was requested that the activity be extended to the other university campus next year to allow more students to practice and to provide health education to the university community.

2-B E-solutions for Access to Literature for University Students in Kenya

H.I. Boga. Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.

Lack of access to current and relevant literature has been the biggest hindrance to quality education in Africa. Generations of university students and their tutors have had to use outdated books for teaching and research. Journal subscriptions were always too expensive and out of reach for most universities, and students had at times to move from one library to another looking for up-to-date relevant literature, the same way the Maasai would move around looking for pasture and water for their cattle during the dry season. The speed with which scientific information is currently being generated requires that students in Africa must access the information differently. The Research for Life programs supported by WHO, UNEP, and FAO in collaboration with major publishers give free access to journals, e-books and other information materials for scientists and students in the developing countries, up to 2015. Other tools, that require subscription at a minimal fee, include the PERii-INASP Program for enhancement of Research Information, which also provides access to millions of scientific materials to developing countries. These tools have come in handy in the teaching of microbiology, by increasing access to major books and important journals. The Research for Life and PERii-INASP programs, however, require access to stable high-speed Internet, which is still a luxury in Africa. To complement this, other e-resources we have deployed successfully include The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEEAL) and the E-Granary Digital Library, which give access to many journals, including many covering microbiology and related disciplines. These two tools do not require Internet access and are useful where access to high-speed Internet is a challenge. This has greatly improved the quality of teaching and of research output.

3-C A Study of Students Studying Nature: Understanding Attitudes Towards Nature and Sustainability among Students at an Urban Community College

C.P. Colon. Kingsborough Community College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY.

The research objectives in this study are twofold. First, in order to better serve the educational needs of diverse urban students, I sought to better understand their relationships to nature, and to learn to what extent they feel connected with and committed to nature and sustainability. The second objective was to assess how student attitudes changed as a result of taking several classes (Ecology for biology majors and People and the Environment for non-majors). While it is assumed that urban students feel disconnected from nature and display apathy towards environmental issues, this assumption has not been adequately tested among urban students at a junior college. It is also naively assumed that increased awareness of environmental issues leads to greater concern and involvement, but often the opposite effect is observed, due to a natural tendency to tune out when confronted with overwhelming bad news. The hypothesis was that student’s attitudes and reported behaviors would change towards greater environmental awareness and concern on a personal level, while their sense of environmental urgency and intended or reported actions might well decline. The research design entails use of pre- and post-semester questionnaires, which were compared using a T-test (p = 0.05). To this end, portions of a statewide questionnaire administered to high school students in Wisconsin (which was created through the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Environmental Education at the College of Natural Resources) were modified. This instrument was extensively tested for internal validity and modifications were approved by its authors. Preliminary data analysis was conducted on the portion of total questionnaires administered in which a student completed both a pre- and a post-semester questionnaire (n = 23). These data indicated that out of 52 paired questions, three showed a significant change. Of these, two showed the expected increase in environmental concern and one showed a decline. For example, students showed an increased interest in reading about nature or the environment (p = 0.01), and students showed an increased conviction that “an individual working on their own can contribute to the solutions of environmental problems” (p = 0.05); however, they showed a decline in their level of concern about the issue of deforestation (p = 0.04). Data from an additional five questions approached significance, four of them indicating a change in attitude towards greater environmental concern. Overall, it appears that students showed greater concern for issues that related to them personally, while potentially showing a decline in concern regarding issues far beyond their realm of control. These findings indicate a need to modify the course to include more elements of student empowerment. This information will also serve as a baseline for others seeking to design environmental education materials for urban students at a two-year school. Findings will also be compared to similar studies of students from other demographic groups. A focus group will be conducted to provide greater resolution to the findings. Additional data from the spring semester will be added to this ongoing investigation.

4-A Micro- and Nano-space Explorations of Health and Disease: A Microscopy-enabled Microbiology and Infectious Disease Adult Education Program for K–12 Teachers at the University of Southern Maine (USM)

G. Fletcher, K.D. Moulton, J.L. Jamison, J. Gaynor, L. Flower, V.M. Serio Jr., T. Baumgarten, A.-K. Ng, G. LaSala, and S.M. Duboise. University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME.

The basic hypothesis of the USM Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) project is that adult education for K–12 teachers revealing the unseen world of microbiology and providing new skills and tools for microscopic observation in their classrooms can positively impact teaching of scientific observation and concepts across curricula that emphasize literacy and numeracy more than science. Microscopy is a gateway to unseen worlds, but requires many K–12 teachers to expand their knowledge, skills, and understanding to effectively use microscopy in their classrooms. The project’s summer institutes and weekend workshops emphasize use of light microscopy and USM electron microscopy facilities. The project provides training and light microscopes with digital cameras and USB interfaces to elementary and middle school teacher participants. Programs during three years have had content themes and curriculum goals related to microbiology. Cumulatively, a total of 61 teachers (45 females and 16 males) have participated in summer institutes and academic year workshops and 21% have participated in more than one program offering. Daily pre-test results improved typically by 17–20% in post-tests administered at the end of the two week summer institutes. Cumulatively, 46 microscopes have been provided to teachers. Follow-up annual reunions, classroom visits, and evaluation surveys indicate unanimity in belief that the teacher education programs have been worth the time and effort required of participants. Self reports and classroom outreach show that teachers across K–12 grades are incorporating greater use of microscopy into their classroom work as a result of their experiences at USM. The USM SEPA project has connected with teachers across K–12 grades in southern Maine. Through providing high-quality adult education experiences for teachers with diverse interests the project has achieved a primary goal of revealing directly to K–12 teachers, with minimal abstraction, the biological entities and molecular processes at micro- and nano-scales that dramatically impact human health.

5-B Understanding, and Using, Predictors of Student Achievement in First-year Biology in Course Redesign

C.M. Graham, W.R. Huddleston, H.D. Addy, and J. Stallard. University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Course redesign is often motivated by a general feeling of dissatisfaction in either the learning process or the learning outcomes of a course. Using student and faculty survey responses and the extensive literature showing the value of inquiry-based pedagogies over traditional approaches, the University of Calgary has engaged in a redesign of its first-year biology courses. The present biology courses are traditional in content and teaching approach, and incorporate limited active-learning opportunities during lecture. The two newly designed courses, Energy Flow in Biological Systems, and DNA, Inheritance and Evolution, will be sequential concept-based courses that emphasize the integration of key concepts from biomolecules to the biosphere. In order to more clearly understand the factors influencing student success in first-year biology in the meaningful redesign of these courses, a mixed-methods investigation of our current courses was completed. Pre- and post-tests focused on three key areas of biology, aligned with the content of current and redesigned courses: evolution and natural selection; DNA and information and energy flow in biological systems. Student motivations and study approaches were assessed using the ASSIST survey (pre-course) and the SETLQ (post-course). Pre-tests scores from 753 students indicated no statistical difference between pre-course knowledge of evolution (56% ± 0.07; 42 perfect scores) than for DNA (53% ± 0.07; 14 perfect scores) or energy (43% ± 0.05; 0 perfect scores). Student improvement, measured using normalized change, increased most on conceptual understanding of evolution (<c> = 0.53 ± 0.02): normalized change scores for components testing knowledge of DNA (<c> = 0.31 ± 0.01) and energy (<c> = 0.35 ± 0.01) were lower. The strongest predictors of student success, based on achievement on the lecture component of the course, were pre-test scores (p < 0.0001) and a deep approach to learning (p = 0.047). High surface learning scores were negatively correlated with achievement (p = 0.021). The results of this study will be used to inform, guide, and investigate the effectiveness of the curriculum redesign.

6-C An ASM-UTF Experience: Enhancing Student Teaching through a K–12 Microbiology Project

P.A. Bodak¹, N. Cerqueira², and C. Iftode¹. ¹Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, and ²Salem County Vocational and Technical High School, Woodstown, NJ.

Universities develop the teaching skills of their education majors through a combination of lecture-based courses and practicum classes. In such a curricular structure, students are involved in a full teaching activity for just one semester, typically in their senior year. Therefore, additional prospects to enrich and strengthen the students’ teaching abilities are extremely valuable. This presentation reports the instruction benefits of the ASM Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship (ASM-UTF) as they resulted from a collaborative experience between a junior student in biology and secondary education at Rowan University, a faculty member in the Biological Sciences Department at Rowan University, and a science teacher from the Salem County Vocational and Technical High School, NJ. The project sponsored through this fellowship was designed for K–12 students, who, for the duration of one semester, tested various “eco-friendly” alternatives to the standard anti-bacterial cleaners and, in the process, became acquainted with the goals of the green movement. With guidance and feedback from both mentors, the Rowan student designed and tested the experimental component of the project, developed lesson plans for the lecture component, and generated assessment tools to evaluate students’ learning. Progress of the ASM student fellow with respect to the quality of instruction and the teaching materials was measured through assessment by the mentors and surveys administered to the high school students. From the exit evaluation given to the ASM student fellow, we learned that the gains of the ASM-UTF training she perceived were the opportunities to: 1) implement various teaching strategies, 2) develop the ability to control the class, 3) learn time management, 4) develop self-confidence, and 5) receive feedback from mentors. We are conducting a survey to determine the extent to which the ASM-UTF experience contributed to the enhancement of the student’s performance in her clinical practice compared to her peers’. Furthermore, we plan to assess the impact of other teaching projects similar in scope to the ASM-UTF.

7-A Investigating Student Learning when Biotechnology Lab Partners are of Different Academic Levels

H.B. Miller, D.S. Witherow, and S.B. Carson. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

Peer learning is effective when used in a variety of disciplines, including biology. It has also been applied to laboratory-based courses where students often work as partners. The NC State Biotechnology Program offers laboratory-intensive courses to students at both undergraduate and graduate levels. In “Manipulation and Expression of Recombinant DNA,” students are separated into undergraduate and graduate sections for the laboratory component. Preliminary data show that 86% of graduate students surveyed prefer to pair with other graduate students and 69% of undergraduate students prefer to pair with other undergraduate students. However, retention of main ideas in a peer-learning environment has been shown to be greater when partners have dissimilar abilities. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that there will be enhanced student learning when lab partners are of different academic levels, rather than at the same academic level. In Fall 2010, lab partners were of the same academic level: in Spring 2011, lab partners were of different academic levels. During both semesters, students had the same lecture material and completed the same cloning project. They also generated thought-provoking questions related to the course material and discussed the answers with their lab partner and surrounding peers during each laboratory session. Results from anonymous surveys given in Fall 2010 show that 82% of all students agreed that answering discussion questions posed by their peers aided in their learning, while only 46% agreed that generating the questions aided in their learning. Final results of student perceptions of this peer-learning activity and of laboratory partners, along with data indicating any gains in higher-level learning, will be presented. Additionally, results of student assessments such as lab report and exam grades will be reported to address whether undergraduate and/or graduate student learning was enhanced when laboratory partners were of different academic levels.

8-B Training LSAMP STEM Undergraduates in Microbiology Using the HHMI Mycobacteriophage Isolation Program as a Summer URM

R. Ovalle. Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY.

HHMI is sponsoring a teaching/research program at colleges across the U.S., where freshmen and sophomores participate in a one-semester lab class where they isolate, amplify, and DNA fingerprint mycobacteriophages from soil samples in a 14-week semester. The goals of the HHMI program are: 1) to supply advanced labs with mycobacteriophages for basic and applied research, and 2) to give STEM undergraduates an opportunity to do authentic research that leads to publication at an early stage of their careers. Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) is an outreach program dedicated to the training of STEM minority students. One of the LSAMP programs is partnering minority students with research mentors in summer internships. LSAMP requires a project that can be completed eight weeks. To enhance both programs, we hypothesized that 1) the HHMI 14-week mycobacteriophage isolation program can be converted into an eight-week summer research workshop, and 2) the eight-week workshop can train minority students to a level of proficiency equivalent to a full semester class. A pilot program based the HHMI mycobacteriophage discovery lab was run for CUNY-LSAMP (NYC-LSAMP) at Brooklyn College. Ten undergraduates and two graduate students participated in the program. Evaluation of progress within the workshop was measured by the students’ demonstrating proficiency in learning and performing new lab techniques and by summarizing their progress by producing summaries in journal format. The students were required to learn new lab techniques such as culturing mycobacteria, DNA extraction, endonuclease digestion, and agarose gel electrophoresis, and to handle lab equipment such as mechanical pipetters, within eight weeks. The students were also required to write weekly summaries, culminating with public poster and oral presentations at the end of the summer session. The students isolated and purified 12 viruses from soil samples collected in Brooklyn and Manhattan. They also partially characterized their viruses by DNA fingerprinting. The students met all the internal assessment criteria (competence in lab work and ability to report results publicly) by the end of the workshop. External assessments are still ongoing. Thus far, four students have represented their posters at regional conferences across the U.S.; five students enrolled in an elective class Bioinformatics in fall 2010, and they continued with Applied Bioinformatics in spring 2011, at Brooklyn College. This study showed that the HHMI lab program could be run as an eight-week summer workshop, and LSAMP minority undergraduates were able to achieve the same scientific results as majority students participating in the HHMI program. The pilot program can be replicated at other minority-serving institutions for summer research training of minority students.

9-C Comparing Knowledge Surveys with Traditional Assessment Methods in Undergraduate Cell Biology, Genetics, and Molecular Biology Courses

M.L. Pedulla and K. McElroy. Montana Tech of the University of Montana, Butte, MT.

Knowledge surveys allow an instructor to assess student preparedness, teaching effectiveness, and overall learning gains. To achieve these goals, a knowledge survey of the important concepts that our students are expected to learn in a course is administered at the start and end of the semester. The key feature of the knowledge survey is that students do not provide answers to specific questions; rather, they rate their ability to answer the questions. Here is the scheme:

Mark an “A” as response ONLY if you feel confident that you can now answer the question sufficiently for graded test purposes. Mark a “B” response to the question if you can now answer at least 50% of it or if you know precisely where you could quickly get the information needed and could return here in 20 minutes or less to provide a complete answer for graded test purposes.

We assigned a score (0 to 5) for each question by the following formula.

The score was measured before and after the semester (Fall 2008, 2009, and 2010) for Molecular Biology, and Molecular Biology Lab; and before and after the semester (Spring 2009 and 2010) for Genetics, and Genetics Lab. Significant increases in student scores occurred during every semester; validation was achieved because chapters not covered did not show increases. Two different versions of Molecular Biology Laboratory were taught, and gains in student learning were compared between students of the different laboratories. Starting in 2011, new methodologies (e.g., clickers and scan sheets) were used to collect the student data. Pre-surveys were given for the current semester (Spring 2011) in Genetics, and in Genetics Lab and Cell Biology Lecture courses; post-surveys will be given in May. In addition to the knowledge survey, Cell Biology students were given a pre-assessment test in January 2011, which will be administered again in May. Comparison of learning gains between the two assessment methods will be made.

10-A Multiplying Efforts in Latin America – The ASMUNESCO Workshop on Microbiology Education 2010

V.B. Rajal¹, J. Ortellado², and T. Peterson^{3. 1}Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina; ²Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay; ³American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC.

The ASM-UNESCO Workshop on Microbiology Education (WS) was a one-day workshop to train a select group of educators from developing countries in Latin America (LA) in new pedagogical resources and techniques available through ASM. The WS was organized in conjunction with the 2010 Latin American Congress on Microbiology and inspired by the ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE). This pilot effort was conducted by two LA microbiology professors who received similar training through the ASMCUE-UNESCO Leadership Grant for International Educators (Colorado, May 2009) and one ASM staff person. Twenty-one educators from eight LA countries participated in the WS. The project consisted of two parts. The first part included pre-WS tasks using a distance learning platform called Moodle, where participants discussed challenges and experiences in microbiology education. It was determined that microbiology educators from across LA face similar challenges to engaging their students and imparting a critical scientific foundation. The second part was an on-site WS held September 27, 2010, in Montevideo, Uruguay, where participants received hands-on training in new web-based resources and methods. Innovative classroom activities, to be implemented in their home institutions, were developed in groups and tested on each other.

An anonymous participant survey was conducted at the end of the WS. Eighty-four percent said that the training was highly relevant and scored the WS between good and excellent. One hundred percent ranked the instructors, lectures, and compliance with expectations between good and excellent. Eighty-nine percent stated that they will be able to implement the new teaching activities in their home institutions. However, 53% noted that more time was needed for practical activities to reinforce their understanding of the information.

The poster will describe the common challenges expressed by participants, the educational tools and activities identified to overcome them, and the practical format of the WS, which will enable participants to replicate the training at their home institutions. This viral outgrowth of the WS would constitute a major success of the initiative.

11-B Facilitated Partnerships as a Vehicle for Curricular Reform

L.B. Regassa and M. Bennett. Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA.

The Molecular Biology Initiative (MBI) Program partners biology graduate student fellows and in-service high school teachers from rural school districts in southeast Georgia, with the intent of using these partnerships to positively impact the high school science curriculum and to provide professional development for the fellows. Throughout the year-long commitment, teachers are assisted with molecular biology and other advanced laboratory skills, content, and resources; while the expert-novice teams work together to develop and introduce hands-on, inquiry-based activities.

Mixed-method quantitative and qualitative tools were used to evaluate program impact on participants, and included pre/post attitudinal surveys (graduate students, in-service teachers, high school students), pre/post-tests covering basic molecular biology concepts (in-service teachers, high school students), high school classroom observations, and interviews.

The program has positively impacted all participants. Fellow attitudinal surveys indicated that 75%–100% of the graduate students credited the program with enhanced communication, leadership, time management, organizational, and teamwork skills. All high school teachers increased their content knowledge and confidence with laboratory skills, based on pre/post survey and test results. High school students in biology classes with MBI fellows showed 12% to 23% increases for five of six tested concepts; non-MBI classes showed no significant increases. Finally, students in classes with MBI fellows showed a 5%–9% net increase in students that agreed with statements concerning the positive impact of biotechnology or the need to “use your mind” when doing science, as compared to students in classes without MBI fellows. Qualitative interview and observational data substantiated these results.

Overall, the MBI-facilitated partnerships enhanced the graduate student educational experience, provided professional development for partner teachers, and generated learning gains for high school students through hands-on, inquiry-based activities.

12-C Proven Strategies for Re-training University Educators in Biotechnology in Developing Countries: An Integrated Short Course Approach

S.V.A. Uzochukwu¹, A. Ochem², P. Keese³, I. Ingelbretcht⁴, J. Campbell-Tofte⁵, N. Esiobu^{6. 1}University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria; ²International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Cape Town Component, South Africa; ³Office of Gene Technology Regulator, Canberra, Australia; ⁴International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria; ⁵Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; ⁶Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL.

In most developing countries, scientists who are otherwise highly talented lack competence in modern molecular biology principles and techniques. As a result, their graduates are poorly equipped for contemporary scientific research. It was rationalized that intensive short courses with lectures and laboratory work spanning fundamental to applied topics, presented to faculty of similar background, would allow for maximal learning outcomes. The planning, curriculum development, pedagogic approaches, and very successful outcomes of 10 years of dedicated effort in building human capacity in modern biotechnology in Nigeria will be presented. Between 2000 and 2009, thirteen one- to two-week courses with various molecular biology emphases were organized. Scientists of the Biotechnology Centre of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, teamed up with Nigerian Diaspora (scientists) practicing in developed countries and International Scientists in Nigeria to develop relevant course curricula and manuals, and taught the intensive courses. Active learning and hands on exercises were employed in the lectures and laboratory practical work covering fundamentals of molecular biology – gene structure, gene cloning, gene expression and analysis, and DNA manipulation, as well as extraction and purification of proteins. Assessment of learning outcome was based on responses to questions before and after the course as well as peer evaluations of team projects and presentations. The courses were funded by various international organizations. Over 500 scientists from 46 tertiary institutions were trained. While the vast majority of graduates were Nigerians, others were from Togo, Argentina, Benin, Ghana, Iran, Cameroon, and Rwanda. Condensed intensive courses were relatively inexpensive platforms compared to the impact created. Post-course assessment and research proposals presented by participants at the end of courses showed 40–80% improvement in grasp of contemporary molecular biology techniques and applications. Additional impact of these effective grass-root capacity building courses includes revision of biotechnology curricula in Nigerian universities, and establishment of policy to guide it by the National Universities Commission. Competent manpower can be generated in a short time, in a cost-effective manner, using the approach described herein.

13-A Microbiology for Future Urban Ecologists: The Challenge of Evaluation of Student Learning

D.L. Vullo, S. Ramírez and A. Zalts. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento, Los Polvorines, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Urban Ecology (UE) is a non-traditional career and the first of its kind in Argentina. Professionals in UE should be prepared for positions either in government or private institutions for the sake of environmental benefits. Topics in Microbiology, taught in the courses Chemistry III (C3) and Environmental Chemistry (EC), are important for students’ future careers in urban waste management. Integrated theoretical-practical classes, based on case studies, are implemented to stimulate the interest in experimental work. As a result, several UE students got involved in our research activities.

In C3, main concepts on biological molecules and an integrated view of microbial metabolism were presented, together with laboratory exercises. Partial exams, consisting of solving problems using any bibliographic material that students considered useful, were done in less than three hours. The idea was to train the students to look for the necessary information, using adequate sources, and to apply it in the solution of a specific problem. This type of evaluation was difficult for the students, since they were used to repeating information. Also, integration of recently and previously learned concepts was a challenge that they had not yet overcome, and in which they needed improvement.

In EC, after C3, biodegradation and biotransformation of xenobiotic compounds, metal-microbe interactions, and bioleaching were studied to introduce bioremediation processes. In this case partial exams were taken at home, with a two-week deadline. In these evaluations, interpretations of figures and/or tables extracted from research articles were requested, together with elaboration of the conclusions at which the real authors could have arrived. The main obstacle here proved to be lack of an intensive dedication to developing a good interpretation of the proposed case studies.

The aim of these progressively more difficult evaluations is to develop the abilities to read critically and to interpret experimental data. Although much student effort is required, the student progress is apparent.

14-B Teaching Microbiology to Future Chemists: How to Evaluate Students Properly?

D.L. Vullo, V. Castilla, and M.B. Wachsman. Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

General and Industrial Microbiology (GIM) is a semiannual obligatory course for Chemistry majors in the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. GIM is structured with six and four hours per week of laboratory and theoretical classes, respectively. Up to 2009, the global evaluation consisted of two laboratory and two theoretical tests, graded from 1 to 10, with 5 being the passing mark. If the average of all their tests was above eight, with no score lower than six, students passed the course without a final exam. The biggest barrier to learning was the microbiological lab-work that ended the course. Students were failing to integrate it with what went before. To improve the learning of experimental microbiology, changes in the evaluation of practical skills were implemented in 2010: students now sit a unique and integrating laboratory exam at the end of the course, and also give an oral lecture in midterm about the isolation of different groups of microorganisms from natural sources. The lecture is evaluated by teams of two students. The evaluating team must approve of the lecture presentation, but this qualification is not included in the student’s final average. Results of student surveys have revealed that they agree with this new evaluation modality, which has helped them to understand the relationship between the different experimental approaches learnt. However, they objected to the exclusion of the oral presentation from the average mark, and their perception was that laboratory subjects were not considered has having the same relevance as theoretical ones. We concluded that the oral presentation and the unique lab exam allowed a deeper comprehension of experimental methodology and a better training in result analysis, rather than ability to reproduce whatever had been taught. We propose to incorporate the lecture evaluation into the final average of each student, as an improvement in this scheme for 2011.

15-C Collaborative Research Endeavors Provide Relevant, Sophisticated Laboratory Experience for Diverse Undergraduate Populations

A. White¹, L.M. Temple², S. Stcokwell², E. Day-Miller³, and R. Puffenbarger^{4. 1}Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke, VA; ²James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA; ³Bridgewater Educational Associates, Bridgewater, VA; ⁴Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA.

Community colleges (CC) are serving a growing percentage of entering college students, including disproportionately more disadvantaged and diverse students; however they are often challenged by having fewer resources than four-year institutions. To address these concerns, James Madison University partnered with Virginia Western Community College in an initiative to introduce a collaborative, inquiry based approach to science education at both the CC and university levels, using microarray technology as the teaching context. A major aim of this multifaceted project was to create a consortium of institutions where learning materials, teaching strategies, and assessment tools could be implemented. We hypothesize that if faculty are provided with training in the use of state-of-the-art technology and the resources to implement it, more diverse student populations will be reached and educational outcomes will be positively impacted.

The first annual workshop for regional faculty was held at JMU. This workshop brought genomics and proteomics experts to the region and provided a forum for consortium members to meet, share experiences, and celebrate accomplishments. Attendees participated in wet lab activities as well as in formal didactic sessions. Faculty were trained in constructing assessment instruments.

A total of five leaders and nine faculty from three universities, three CC, and one private high school participated in the workshop. Techniques demonstrated at this workshop were incorporated into four CC courses, one high school governor’s school course, one public high school course, and two university courses. All participating faculty made additions or modifications to their curriculums, based on the workshop. The project was presented at the VCCS science peer-group meeting. Assessment tools administered after one semester showed that microarray technology was new to 33 of 34 students and students reported ease of conducting the experiments and interpreting results.

The collaborative workshop was successful in the goal of disseminating new classroom and laboratory techniques based on microarray theory and practice. There is considerable interest in the region by other faculty, who will be applying for next workshop, to be held in June, 2011.

HANDS-ON PROJECTS

16-A Authentic Research Experiences: Genome Sequencing as a Pedagogical Tool in a Community College

M.G. Bangera¹, J. Ellinger¹, A. Gargas², R. Jeffers¹, C. Shelley¹, L. Thomashow³, and D. Weller^{3. 1}Bellevue College, Bellevue, WA; ²Symbiology LLC; ³USDA-ARS Root Disease and Biological Control Unit, Washington State University, Pullman, WA.

Students in community colleges have difficulty perceiving themselves in the role of a scientist and have little or no knowledge of the research environment. This project is aimed at testing whether a one-quarter immersion in authentic research experiences increases their knowledge of the realities of research and their confidence in visualizing themselves as scientists. We compared our pedagogical method against a standard laboratory course that is a prerequisite for all allied health students and for the ComGen research course.

In addition to the standard assessment of lab notebook maintenance and journal club summaries and presentations (using rubrics developed at Bellevue College), students’ self-perceptions and their transferable skills were assessed. Student learning (and self-perception of that learning) is assessed through a variation on the pre-post CURE (Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience) survey, the gold-standard pre-post assessment for undergraduate research experiences. Students are assessed qualitatively through an end-of-term written reflection. They are asked to reflect on: 1) how useful specific course components (including journal club and lab) were as learning activities, 2) whether their conceptions of themselves as scientists changed over the course of the term, and 3) how the various course components contributed to their view of themselves as scientists.

Student learning was also assessed using a survey tool where faculty who received the ComGen students after their research experience compared them to their student peers who had gone through the standard course work.

These methodologies yielded data showing ComGen students showed better development of skills and confidence as compared to their peers. For example, in the category “Tolerance for obstacles faced in the research process,” ComGen students scored 73% compared to 29%. Receiving faculty also documented differences between ComGen students and their peers with ratings for ComGen students as better or far better in categories such as Self-confidence (71%) and self-efficacy (75%).

17-B Gene Annotation for the Masses: How 140 Undergraduate Students Annotated Genes from Pseudomonas fluorescens R124, a Novel Cave Isolate

B.V. Bowling. S.C. Linn, P.J. Schultheis, M.D. Barton, M.A. Petronio, and H.A. Barton. Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY.

Our observational study tested the feasibility of effectively incorporating authentic research using bioinformatics tools into a large (approximately 140 students), multi-section genetics course with multiple instructors. The learning module was conducted in collaboration with funded research to examine genomic adaptation to a cave environment using Pseudomonas fluorescens R124, an isolate from an orthoquartzite cave on Mt. Roraima, Venezuela. A region of the genome was suspected to have participated in horizontal gene transfer (HGT) based on variance in tetranucleotide usage compared to the rest of the genome. Using the Joint Genome Institutes’ Integrated Microbial Genome Annotation Collaboration Toolkit (IMG-ACT), students were each assigned one predicted gene from within the putative HGT region. While each student had their own unique gene, the genes were located close together facilitating group interaction. During the four-week annotation process students were exposed to contemporary comparative genomics methodologies including multiple sequence alignment, conserved domain identification, phylogenetic analysis, ortholog neighborhood comparison, and operon identification. Student learning was assessed via a mid-project quiz, data and written analysis included in the wiki lab notebook, and a final presentation. Preliminary results suggest that students performing well in more traditional aspects of the lab also performed well on the gene annotation project and were energized by the authentic aspect of the work. However, students that struggled with the traditional course material were not only inhibited by their weak knowledge base, but were also overwhelmed by the independent nature of the project and the requirement to analyze diverse types of data. We will describe the experiences of the students, instructors, and researchers in this endeavor to incorporate authentic research and genomics concepts into the course. Our future work will focused on the hypothesis that by incorporating authentic research data students are more engaged and have a deeper understanding of prokaryotic genetics and genomics.

18-C Integrated Molecular Biology Research Experience Promotes Active Learning

M. Choudhary. Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX.

Integrated research experiences for undergraduates are beneficial for a higher level of critical thinking and learning. This study provided such an experience by allowing students to develop a foundation of the basic organization of promoter structure, coding function, and termination element within a gene transcription unit. My hypothesis was that an integrated molecular approach would provide students with a better understanding of concepts in molecular genetics and laboratory methods. Analysis of ctrA gene (Cell cycle Transcriptional Regulator) in Rhodobacer sphaeroides was carried out using the combined approaches of molecular biology and bioinformatics. Ten peer-reviewed research articles on methods that have been previously used for similar research were posted on the blackboard. Each group of students designed and discussed experimental protocols. The molecular module included preparing the genomic DNA, performing polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and analyzing and sequencing the PCR product. The bioinformatics component consisted of tools for DNA and protein searches, codon and amino acid analysis, and promoter analysis. Students were required to set up proper controls to validate the experimental method. Each group successfully amplified the ctrA gene, sequenced the PCR product, and analyzed the DNA sequence using tools available on NCBI. The laboratory helps students enhance their understanding of gene structure and function, laboratory technical skills, and writing and reviewing manuscripts. The average project score was 80%, compared to the average score of 65% from the previous year (when this approach was not employed). Also, the average test score on the exam that covered molecular genetics was 74%, compared to the average test score of 63% on the exam that covered mendelian genetics (which does not employ this integrated approach). The newly developed laboratory modules will be shared with instructors interested in adding this integrated approach into their courses.

19-A Engaging Students in Novel Research in an Introductory Biology Laboratory Course

B.J. Gasper, L.N. Csonka, D.J. Minchella, G.C. Weaver, O.A. Adedokun, and S.M. Gardner. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

We are in the second year of the implementation of a Microbiology Laboratory Module developed for first-year biology students at Purdue University to combine genuine research experience with traditional content and skills-based laboratory curriculum. The research portion of the module consisted of a classic forward genetic screen to generate mutations that affect the regulation of the transport ProP protein in the model bacterium Salmonella typhimurium. Students worked in groups to design the specific experimental question and direction within the bounds of the project. They successfully generated mutations and showed that the mutations were linked to the proP gene using classical linkage analysis. The precise nature of each mutation was identified by DNA sequence analysis. Students were then encouraged to hypothesize how these mutations might have resulted in the selected phenotype and to propose downstream experiments to test their hypotheses. Focus group interviews and survey results show the module successfully provided students with an introduction into real scientific research, specifically building a strong foundation in classical genetic, molecular, and bioinformatic techniques. At the same time, the module ensured that all students were equipped with the basic skill-set standards found in the established laboratory curriculum. Respondents rated the course as a whole and as a learning experience and the amount they gained relative to effort put into the course a perfect score of 5 out of 5 (excellent). The Critical thinking Assessment Test (CAT) is being administered to students at the beginning and end of the spring 2011 semester to measure improvements in critical thinking and real-world problem-solving skills. Attitudinal pre/post semester surveys are also being employed to compare student experiences in this lab to those of students taking the traditional lab. To date, this approach to introductory laboratory instruction has been extremely successful with novel, research-quality data being generated by the students in one semester. Student, instructor, and research partner engagement and satisfaction have been high.

This work was supported by a NSF grant from the Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES) program.

20-B Integrative Approach to Undergraduate Research and Bioinformatics

B. Henderson-Dean and H. Schneider. The University of Findlay, Findlay, OH.

A liberal arts education fosters an environment that induces analysis, critical thinking, computation, and communication. Often liberal arts colleges use separate courses to teach different skill sets; however, many institutions are beginning to look at more collaborative and integrative techniques to teach the same skills. The University of Findlay’s computer science and biology departments have implemented an approach to facilitate the teaching of basic computer skills and to also promote the bioinformatics discipline.

The biology course designed a semester-long study on antibiotic resistance patterns in the Blanchard River in Hancock County, Ohio. The course required environmental sampling, culturing, molecular techniques, and bioinformatics tools. The computer science class aided in data sheet design, table and figure creation, and general presentation of results. The student groups collaborated by means of face-to-face class sessions, Google Docs, and Blackboard communities. The projects resulted in poster presentations at a regional science conference and a newspaper article highlighting the project.

Students in both classes were asked to complete evaluation rubrics of their teams at the end of the semester, and computer students were asked to complete a reflection after the biology students responded to their first drafts. The biology students learned new applications of data collected in the lab as a springboard for bioinformatics inquiry. Likewise, the computer students recognized the place of their skills within research teams. They learned to apply the skills being learned to real-world problems and to work with realistic assignment conditions, including unclear directions and changing requirements from the teams they were trying to support. In spite of the challenges, including matching up classes, and students questioning the “fuzzy” assignments, there were positives for students, faculty, and potential employers who will get students with a greater appreciation of the value of collaboration, applied knowledge, and computer skills as an enabling tool.

21-C Is it E. coli O157:H7? Using Bioinformatics to Develop and Test Hypotheses

J.R. Klein. Northwestern College, St. Paul, MN.

Bioinformatics is used extensively by researchers and is an area that students need to become competent in, especially considering rapid advances in genome sequencing projects. Just as in any inquiry-based lab, bioinformatics is most meaningful when students learn the tools while using them to test hypotheses. With this goal in mind, an activity was designed for students to learn how to use some specific bioinformatics tools both in developing a hypothesis and then in testing whether the hypothesis is correct. In this activity, students are asked to design a PCR-based diagnostic test for E. coli O157:H7 by identifying a gene that is specific to this pathogenic strain. To do this, students are provided a set of unknown gene sequences that they identify by performing BLAST searches at NCBI. They review the function of the gene products and they develop hypotheses about which might be unique to O157:H7. They then test their hypotheses by using the integrated microbial genomes (IMG) system to search specific bacterial genomes for each gene. The impact of this activity on student learning was assessed by giving students a pre- and post-test on 12 key terms and concepts covered in the activity. Some of the terms tested their understanding of the biology of the situation (pathogenesis and specific protein function) while others tested their understanding of PCR and the bioinformatics tools employed. There was a significant increase in student scores after completing the activity. In addition, when students were asked to describe their overall impressions of the activity, comments revealed an appreciation for the power and scope of genomic sequence databases and bioinformatics tools. These results show that the activity was successful in teaching both bioinformatics and general microbiology concepts related to pathogenesis and enzyme function. Of additional practical significance is that this purely computer-based activity is a useful substitute for a lab on molecular methods for microbial identification when such a lab is not possible due to cost or time. Furthermore, it is an activity that could be incorporated into online learning.

22-A A Semester-long Molecular Biology Laboratory Exercise Examining Functional Selection (Evolution) of Viral RNA Enhances Student Engagement and Aptitude

D.B. Kushner. Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.

My research asks “what makes a viral RNA infectious?” As it can be hard to connect RNA structure to function through site-directed mutagenesis (predicting secondary and/or tertiary RNA structure a priori is challenging), my lab uses an in vivo selection approach based on in vitro SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment) to use movement in plants in order to recover functional viral RNAs from a large pool of mutants. Multiple rounds of selection identify the most functional viral RNA(s). While several undergraduates work in my research lab, I sought for more students to contribute to this research and gain practical skills; therefore, I designed the lab component (three hours, once weekly) of my semester-long RNA biology course such that students perform the first two rounds of SELEX of regions of a viral RNA. As the lab work directly connects to my lab’s original research on a question with an unknown outcome, the students indicate that they are excited by the work (9.36 ± 0.84 on a 0–10 scale; 10 = strongly agree) and become invested in the experience. By performing two rounds of SELEX, the students get to repeat molecular methods, and report that repetition reinforces their learning and helps them build confidence in their lab abilities (8.71 ± 0.91). Similarly, students also have appreciated that they did not learn a “technique-per-week” without context, but rather were able to understand why certain techniques were used for certain molecular tasks (9.07 ± 1.49). Results from a 19-question multiple-choice quiz indicated increased comprehension on lab-related material (pre 5.71 ± 2.79; post 12.86 ± 2.57). Methods learned included infection of plants with viral RNA, extraction of RNA from plant leaves, reverse transcription, PCR, gel electrophoresis, purification of DNA from agarose, kinase reactions, cloning via blue-white screening, DNA miniprepping, restriction enzyme-analysis of putative clones, and DNA sequencing analysis (alignment and comparison). Details regarding timeline of methods and results of student assessment (understanding of methods and experimental context) and an attitudinal survey will be presented.

23-B Hot CACAO: Annotation of Gene Function with Gene Ontology as an Undergraduate Intercollegiate Competition

B.K. McIntosh¹, V. Khodiyar², R. Lovering², D.P. Renfro¹, D.A. Siegele¹, A. Zweifel¹, and J.C. Hu^{1. 1}Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, and ²University College London, London, England.

Projects to integrate genome bioinformatics with undergraduate teaching have mostly focused on annotation of complete genomes. However, this is just the first step in annotation, and teaching genomics should extend beyond gene models to teach students how genome databases annotate gene functions. We hypothesized that undergraduate students could make valuable contributions to community-editable databases and developed CACAO (Community Assessment of Community Annotation with Ontologies) to test this hypothesis. CACAO is a project to couple functional annotation to undergraduate education by having students read papers and identify inferences about gene function that can be expressed using the controlled vocabulary of Gene Ontology. Annotation is done as an open activity on the Internet using the GONUTS (http://gowiki.tamu.edu) website. Students not only perform annotation; they also do peer evaluation of annotations by other teams either at the same institution or at multiple institutions. We have already completed two cycles in the Spring and Fall semesters of 2010. The first involved only Texas A&M undergrads, while the second included two teams of master’s students from University College London. The first two rounds were well received by the students, who enjoyed the competitive aspects of CACAO as well as the sense that they were making real contributions to important biological databases. Here, we will describe CACAO methods and outcomes through round three from Spring 2011, which involves teams from Texas A&M, Miami University, University of North Texas, Michigan State, Penn State, and Nilton Lins University (Manaus, Brazil). We will describe pre- and post-completion surveys and rubrics that assess learning, analysis of the quality and quantity of student annotations and challenges, and support for new institutions who want to participate in CACAO. Formative assessment is performed throughout the project by experienced biocurators, who provide feedback on a subset of each student’s annotations. So far this round, formative assessment has shown that roughly half the students had high-quality annotations, but missed potential additional annotations from the same paper. The other half of students had either accurately and completely annotated a particular paper or added incorrect annotations. In addition to our surveys, the students are evaluated by self, peer, and coaches assessments using a scalar and written form. We will explain how CACAO is evolving over time to improve learning outcomes and how CACAO practice has been influenced by our participation in ASMCUE.

24-C Adapting Undergraduate Microbiology Labs to Include Research Projects

T.R. Muth and C. McEntee. City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY.

We have modified the traditional undergraduate microbiology lab at CUNY Brooklyn College to a hybrid format that emphasizes authentic research projects. Our objectives are to improve students’ understanding of, and ability to use, principles, methods, and instruments common in current microbiological research. We hope to create a setting where students gain confidence and become excited about science and research. We have developed projects that examine urban microbial communities using PCR-based methods and metagenomic analysis of 16S rDNA. The experiments will be carried out each semester and over time we will have a longitudinal set of data on urban microbial communities that will allow the projects to include questions of community stability and dynamics. Students will be able to look at seasonal influences on microbial communities and, by comparison to older records in the literature, they may be able to look for the influence of global climate change on the microbial communities. To determine the impact of the modified lab we test on knowledge of the principles and techniques, and ask questions that require students to interpret data, to design experiments, and to describe controls for hypothetical experiments. We are using surveys to determine if the modified labs have a positive influence on students’ attitudes toward science and research. Our initial survey results suggest that students in the modified labs are more comfortable evaluating data and have a greater appreciation for scientific research. The data also show that students in the modified lab were more likely to work in a faculty research lab after completing the lab compared to students taking the traditional microbiology lab. Initial findings using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test suggest that the modified lab format resulted in modest increases in critical thinking for students taking the lab early (second- and third-year students) and for male students. We are now using a more specialized critical thinking assessment (the Critical thinking Assessment Test developed at Tennessee Technological University) that we believe is better suited to our project.

25-A Introduction to Biotechnology Research: The Cloning of the Known Genes in Bacillus subtilis by Student Designed Primers

P.P. Pun. Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL.

Our course in model systems was a novel approach to train student researchers rather than to have them perform “cookbook” experiments. Research skills were taught in the first eight weeks, including statistics, growing and extraction of previous constructed clones from a gene bank, and sequencing and assembly with known genes using bioinformatics. Students wrote weekly mini research proposals based on the experimental results of the laboratory. Analysis of primary literature helped students to develop their writing skills. Each group of two students then designed primers to clone a chosen gene from the known genome sequence of the Bacillus subtilis, which culminated in a research proposal to clone the genes for future genetic studies with their designed primers.

Students carried out their experimental designs in the last eight weeks, which included DNA extraction, using PCR to obtain the chosen genes and cloning them by using pCR4-TOPO cloning kit, screening of DNA from the clones by restriction analysis, and DNA-sequencing by automated DNA sequencers. The resulting sequences were assembled and aligned with closely similar sequences obtained from a BLAST search. In six student groups, five genes were successfully cloned: sigD, trpF, cspD, arsR, and motB. Another gene, iolE, was isolated successfully by PCR.

Composite class performance on writing, synthesis of information, data analysis, and presentation, as well as philosophical integration, were very good (1/3) or outstanding (2/3). Responses to the student survey of “the value of this course” came out to 1.5 on a 5-point scale with 1 being far above and 5 being below average. One student group plans to present their results at the 2011 Student Symposium of the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area. Another student will work on a related summer project based on his interest gained in this course. Student comments include “This class contributed immensely to my understanding of Biology. It is the most valuable course I have taken thus far because it taught me to be a scientist instead of simply understanding science,” and “The experiment we did was really interesting and it was great to learn all the necessary steps to do our own research.”

STUDENT LEARNING

26-B Quality of the Click: Evaluating the Effect of High Cognitive Level Clicker Questions on Student Thinking and Learning

D.K. Anderson. St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI.

A positive correlation between clicker use (with a type of questioning strategy and/or other active learning methodology) and student engagement has been demonstrated. Less clear is the impact clicker use has on student learning; some studies reveal positive gains, others have found no gain attributable to the use of clickers in the classroom. To investigate the impact of using high versus low cognitive level clicker questions on student learning, I divided a nonmajors human biology course into eight teachable units. In the first unit (skeletal system), students were exposed only to low cognitive level clicker questions during lecture time, and in the second unit (muscular system), student understanding was assessed using only high cognitive level clicker questions. Four to five multiple choice clicker questions were used per class session. This pattern was repeated for a total of four units per exam. On the exam, students answered a mix of low and high cognitive level questions for each topic. Question format included multiple choice and short answer essay. There was no significant correlation between the percentage of high/low cognitive level questions answered correctly and the level of clicker questions practiced for a particular topic. Students were generally more successful answering low cognitive level questions in class and on exams (67%–90% correct vs. 31%–53% correct, respectively). Other clicker studies that showed no learning gains suggest that students may focus on the “rightness” of specific answers instead of focusing on the reasoning involved. This is consistent with my results. To encourage students to build thinking skills while constructing knowledge, these results suggest it may be best to direct student attention to the logic, and expose students to a progression of clicker questions, all based on the same concept.

27-C Learning Concepts in Metagenomics through an Evolving Dictionary of Terms and Conceptual Maps

L.M. Casillas-Martinez¹, M. Cancel-Sanchez¹, and C. Rios- Velazquez^{2. 1}University of Puerto Rico–Humacao, Humacao, Puerto Rico, and ²University of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

Due to the lack in knowledge and practical experiences in areas such as Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering during secondary school, students begin college with misconceptions and limited skills and knowledge, which affects their understanding of emerging disciplines such as Proteomics and Metagenomics. Using eight main topics ranging from identification of novel genes to more advanced topics such as Paleogenomics, an introductory pilot course in Metagenomics was designed. Active learning in the course was fostered by students’ oral presentations, which were assessed using a rubric supplemented with hands-on workshops about basic technologies used in introductory metagenomic studies. To assess learning during the workshops we used a pre and post test. Instead of imposing ideas to the students we designed a series of activities where the learner was able to reconstruct their inaccurate notions (i.e., conceptual change) using twelve core Metagenomics concepts. Two main strategies (Dictionary of Terms and Conceptual Maps) were used to compare how conceptual terms changed during the course and proposed activities. Diagnostic, formative, and final evaluations were used to analyze if the change of concepts was effective. The pre/post tests showed an increase in knowledge of 38% (93%–55%) after the hands-on workshops. Students’ explanations of concepts and theories during their oral reports improved in accuracy, as did the selection of terms used for the descriptions. Students showed superior achievement in describing and relating the Metagenomic core concepts using the Conceptual Map activity. The final evaluation revealed a 93% versus 77% effectiveness when the Conceptual Map activity and Dictionary of Concepts activity were compared. In the oral presentations, 85% of the students scored between good and exceptional. The highest scores were reported in student organization (89%), and the use of language (85%). We have shown that basic metagenomics can also be learned by the students’ knowledge self-assessment using a dynamic and evolving dictionary of terms and a concept map.

28-A Aseptic Technique in the Clinical Environment: Demonstration of Need

A. Rowell, C. Bezotte, and D. Talenti. Elmira College, Elmira NY.

Nosocomial infections are a major problem found in clinical settings. Use of proper aseptic techniques can effectively lower the level of contamination and infection. Therefore, aseptic techniques are a critical part of health care, protecting patients and healthcare professionals. Students are invariably instructed in proper aseptic technique, but the following-through is often lacking. We hypothesized that evidenced-based research could be used as the basis for active learning, and that by participation in such activities students would gain knowledge and understanding of aseptic techniques and concepts.

A student research project was used as the inspiration for active teaching and learning designs. The class self-learning activities occurred following presentation of the research project. The research involved investigation of bacteria on clothing and essential equipment used by nursing students entering clinical experiences. The goal was to evaluate student utilization of learned aseptic techniques and to demonstrate the ability of clothing and equipment to act as vectors. Samples included stethoscopes, identification badges, and scrub uniforms. Primary colonies isolated included Staphylococcus, Bacillus, and Clostridium.

Presentation of research results to students allowed correlation of their behaviors with outcomes. Students then reinforced their knowledge and worked to refine behaviors by establishing their own active learning sets to target skills and understanding of aseptic concepts. Applications included skits demonstrating proper/improper techniques, community teaching videos, and posters demonstrating disease transmission patterns. This allowed students to self-evaluate and analyze their behaviors, to motivate behavioral changes.

Students reported gains in understanding of the need for aseptic processes from participation in this activity and reported being challenged to think critically about its significance to patient care (career goals of the majority of enrolled students). This on-going study follows nursing students completing their clinical experiences. We continue to assess student learning through additional samplings and self-evaluation surveys. The key point is to see if their participation influences their behavior in the clinical environment.

29-B Comparing the Impact of a Case Study on Student Learning for Biology Majors vs. Pre-Nursing Students

C.A. DeBoy. Trinity Washington University, Washington, DC.

Trinity Washington University offers pre-nursing and upper-level microbiology courses. To elucidate the most effective pedagogy for each population, assessment data from concepts taught with and without case studies from each course were compared. The hypothesis was that students in both courses would score higher on assessments for concepts presented though a case study compared to concepts taught without one. For both courses a case study written by Andrea C. Wade, published in the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, University at Buffalo, State University of NY, was adapted. Students investigated the causative agent of a skin disease for which evidence suggested a staphylococcus infection. Assessment data indicated that 83% and 75% of 18 pre-nursing students identified diseases caused by Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, respectively. In comparison, an average of 79% of pre-nursing students correctly answered questions for concepts not presented via case studies. Assessment from biology majors taking upper-level microbiology indicated that 77% of 13 students could distinguish the genera and 85% could identify diseases caused by both genera. In contrast, 43% and 23 % of the students correctly answered questions about pathogenic mechanisms for Staphylococcus vs. Streptococcus, respectively. In comparison, an average of 64% of students correctly answered questions for concepts taught without a case study. Therefore, this case study was effective for teaching biology majors to differentiate specific genera and to identify the diseases each causes, but not for teaching mechanisms of pathogenicity. Additionally, a novel case study based on a Shigella outbreak was developed for the upper-level microbiology course as a tool to teach about gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae. One hundred percent of the students correctly answered related assessment questions. In conclusion, using case studies improved assessment scores for biology majors, but not for pre-nursing students. The sample size is too small to make generalized statements and further data will be collected for further analyses.

30-C Classroom-based Science Research at the Introductory Level: Changes in Career Choices and Attitude

D. Dunbar and M. Harrison. Cabrini College, Radnor, PA.

Our study is focused on how classroom-based research at the introductory level, using the phage genomics course as the model, shows evidence that students learn the process of science as well as how scientists practice science. We assessed students using anonymous Likert-like pre- and post-course surveys in which they indicated either the degree to which they agreed with various statements or their degree of interest. The survey results were analyzed using the independent groups’ t-test. Differences were interpreted as significant at the significance level of p < 0.05. To gain further insight into students’ survey responses, we conducted one student focus group during the final week of class and a second, follow-up focus group, of the semester after students had completed the course. To analyze students’ focus group responses, we used a directed content analysis of these qualitative data to identify recurring themes. The most notable outcome of our work is the change in student interest in considering different career choices such as graduate education and science in general. This is particularly notable because previous research has described how research internships clarify or confirm rather than change undergraduate decisions to pursue graduate education. We hypothesize that our results differ from previous studies of the impact of engaging in research because the students in our study are still early in their undergraduate careers. Our work builds upon the classroom-based research movement and should be viewed as encouraging to the Vision and Change movement advocated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Science Foundation, and other undergraduate education stakeholders.

31-A Do Students Know what they Know? Student Metacognition in Introductory Biology

C.L. Fata-Hartley and A.M. McCright. Michigan State University, Lyman Briggs College, East Lansing, MI.

Metacognition, knowledge about and regulation of one’s learning, is associated with meaningful learning and academic success. This work is focused on assessing student regulation of cognition in introductory college biology courses with the goal of creating interventions to improve metacognition. A two-part questionnaire with close-ended and open-ended responses was developed to assess several aspects of learning regulation including study strategy selection, confidence in strategy selection, self-assessment of learning, and prediction and postdiction of exam performance. Questionnaires were administered before and after exams in two different sections (with different instructors) of an introductory organismal biology course during the fall semester in 2010. Preliminary analysis of the close-ended responses from one set of questionnaires (n = 90) revealed higher-order metacognitive skills were related to better exam performance. Prediction and postdiction accuracy were positively correlated with exam score (r = 0.343, p < 0.01 and r = 0.556, p < 0.001, respectively). A weak correlation between exam score and selection of higher-order metacognitive study strategies was observed (r = 0.186, p = 0.078). Interestingly, confidence in study strategy selection was related to exam scores. Complete analysis of the remaining data will allow us to examine differences between instructors as well as differences associated with the specific concepts being assessed on the exams. Qualitative analysis of the open-ended responses will reveal student reasoning driving study strategy selection. Additionally, the same questionnaire will be administered in the second course of the introductory biology sequence, cell and molecular biology, during the spring semester in 2011. Many of the same students will be enrolled in this course, allowing us to evaluate changes over time and differences in student approaches for organismal biology compared to cell and molecular biology. It is expected that complete analysis of this data will provide the foundation for strategies to improve student metacognition.

32-B Assessing the Impact of Student Response Systems on Pedagogy and Learning Outcome in a Cell and Molecular Biology Course

K.F. Hung and M. Menze. Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL.

While the benefits of student response systems (SRS), also called “clickers,” have been reviewed, the results are not always convincing to individual instructors due the differences in subject matter, course format, student demography, and actual implementation. The benefits of using SRS in each course should be assessed independently to validate the predictions made based on general trends. In a Cell and Molecular Biology course in Fall 2009, Spring 2010, and Fall 2010, some undergraduate students were asked to use an SRS system to complete in-class quizzes, while others were not. Students from SRS-using groups were presented a small set of questions (four items) as a quiz in each class on the major concepts for that lecture, on two occasions. First, students answered the set of four questions at the beginning of class. Then, after the lecture portion pertaining to the topic, each question was repeated. This generated the Pre- and Post-Lecture scores for these quizzes. Some of these quiz questions also appeared on tests that students, from both control and experimental group, took. Students also filled out an anonymous survey on their self-assessment of how the SRS affected their learning. There are two hypotheses for this experiment: 1) the SRS can measure immediate student learning that results from lecture, and 2) using an SRS will improve student learning. To assess the first hypothesis, results from the Pre- and Post-Lecture quizzes will be analyzed for statistically significant increase in correct responses. To assess the second hypothesis, test results from the regular lecture sections will be compared to the test results from SRS-using sections. Preliminary analyses showed that statistically significant improvement in immediate student learning and overall course performance (p < 0.01) are found in SRS-using sections, while survey results indicated that students who used SRS believed that it helped their learning process. In the context of this course, the use of “clickers” allows for immediate assessment of student learning that results from the lecture and it enhances overall learning outcome.

33-C Doesa Gaming Approach Improve Basic Microbiology Learning in Vocational School Students?

Z.C. Karahan, A.M. Aytug Kosan, and M. Demiroren. Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.

Ankara University Vocational School of Health, Division of Medical Laboratory Techniques, is a two-year school with about 20 students in each year. “Basic Microbiology” is a theoretical course given in the first term for two hours a week. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of using a gaming approach instead of classroom lectures on basic microbiology learning. For the application of this approach, a two-hour session aiming at teaching the cellular organization of bacteria with respect of its importance on Gram staining properties was chosen. For this purpose the students (n = 19) were divided into two groups. The control group (n = 7) was given a theoretical lesson for two hours as usual. The study group (n = 12) was equally divided into two groups, and each was asked to construct either a grampositive or a gram-negative bacterium by using different stationary items (plasticines, papers, glass beads, strings, etc.). Pre-, post- and retention tests (two months after the lesson), as well as questionnaires of perception, were given to each group. The differences between the test scores of the control and study groups were investigated by Kruskal Wallis H, Mann-Whitney U, and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests. The groups did not differ in pre-test (p = 0.57), post-test (p = 0.57), and retention test scores (p = 0.09). Both groups’ scores significantly improved after the lesson (p = 0.018 and 0.002 for the control and the study groups, respectively). Although the retention test scores were higher in the study group, the difference between the post- and retention tests was not statistically significantly in either group (p = 0.39 and 0.58). When the questionnaires were compared, the learning process was found to be more effective (p = 0.02), and the lesson more motivating (p = 0.014), positively reinforcing (p = 0.04), and dynamic (p = 0.003) in the study group. When a gaming approach was used, the students were observed as more motivated and more actively involved in the learning period, and their knowledge sustained longer. As a result, we believe that a gaming approach can be used on a larger scale, for bigger study groups, in microbiology teaching.

34-A Characterizing Student Use and Perceptions of Instructional Objectives in Freshman Life Science Courses

J.A. LaMack. Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI.

Instructional objectives have long been used in undergraduate education to communicate with students a list of learning expectations, which students often use as they prepare for tests. Well-accepted guidelines for the writing of instructional objectives dictate that they be specific and amenable to assessment. The objective of this study was to characterize student expectations regarding instructional objectives on entering a freshman-level course in cell biology and genetics and to assess performance on tests relative to the number and specificity of provided objectives. An entrance survey revealed all students expected to be given learning objectives and a majority (96.3%) planned on using them. A smaller majority (74.1%) expected to perform at an A or B level in the course simply by memorizing responses to learning objectives. Learning objectives for units 1, 2, and 3 in the course came from the textbook (broad learning objectives, BLO), while the instructor created more specific learning objectives (SLO) for the fourth unit. Student performance on questions relating to the units with SLO was compared to performance on questions from the units with BLO. Questions for the four chapters were at similar cognitive levels (a mixture of knowledge and comprehension) according to Bloom’s Taxonomy. Students performed significantly better on exam questions for the SLO unit (83.6% correct) compared to the BLO units (60.8%, 57.1%, 69.0%, respectively; p < 0.01 for each versus SLO, based on paired t-tests with Bonferroni correction applied), indicating that the more specific learning objectives may have helped students perform better on the exam in this preliminary study. Future studies will examine whether student dependence on learning objectives will diminish as the course progresses simply from exposure to a mixture of BLO and SLO in a course. It is hypothesized that these students will develop their ability to self-identify specific concepts that are important, making them more independent learners.

35-B Utilizing Team-based Learning in Microbiology for Medical Students: A Pilot Study

C.A. Mohammed. Manipal University, Manipal, India.

Team based learning (TBL) is increasingly being explored in medical education due to the degree of student engagement it generates. We hypothesized that by adopting TBL, a learning environment that stimulates give-and-take interaction within and between student groups would be created. This would prepare medical students to get the best out of clinical encounters, requiring teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving.

A pilot study was undertaken to implement TBL in microbiology at the Melaka Manipal Medical College (MMMC), India, and to study its impact. A total of 107 students enrolled in the second-year medical course participated in this study. Three TBL sessions were designed in the Respiratory Block, which consisted of pre-reading assignments, readiness assurance tests, group analysis of patient cases, and a facilitator-led discussion.

Student performance was assessed during the TBL sessions and block examinations. A comparison of the student scores obtained for the lecture topics and TBL topics was made. Students were also asked to respond to a questionnaire that probed the relevance of TBL in relation to learning environment, engagement in the learning process, team work, critical thinking, and academic performance.

Student scores obtained to the questions on TBL-related topics were found significantly higher when compared to scores obtained in a lecture or PBL topics (p value < 0.05). Students opined that TBL enhanced teamwork (85.9%), retention of the subject matter (84.1%), and critical thinking abilities (81.3%). A majority (90.6%) of them found themselves engaged in the learning process during TBL.

TBL is an effective educational approach for courses with large student-to-faculty ratios. Our experiences demonstrate that medical students approve TBL as an active learning strategy. TBL has also improved team work and examination performance in our academic setting.

36-C Student Learning and Development is Enhanced by Research Experiences in the Classroom

S.C. Nold. University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI.

Most undergraduate researchers participate in apprenticeship-style training with a faculty member. Unfortunately, the number of students who can participate is often limited by faculty time and resources. One alternative is to integrate authentic research experiences into the classroom laboratory (classroom research), exposing larger numbers of students to the process of scientific discovery while furthering the faculty member’s research program. Apprenticeship-style training has been shown to improve student learning and development, but the effects of classroom research are not as well documented. To test the hypothesis that classroom research results in learning gains equal to apprenticeship-style training, students participating in a first-year Cell and Molecular Biology course spent the semester extracting, cloning, and sequencing bacterial genes from a phosphorous-impacted watershed. Student learning and development was then measured using the publicly available Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience instrument (D. Lopatto, Grinnell College). Students in the research-intensive course (n = 42) scored more favorably on 19 of 21 (90%) survey items regarding learning gains than students in a traditional course (n = 81) and all other students taking the survey (n = 1081). Classroom research students also scored more highly than those receiving apprenticeship-style training (n = 2709) for 12 of the 21 (57%) survey items. The number of students considering graduate school in the sciences also doubled after the research-intensive course, from 21% to 45%. Interestingly, significant gains were seen in students who reported that “creativity does not play a role in science,” perhaps reflecting the instructor-chosen research topic and approach. Overall, classroom research experiences positively affected student learning and development and compared favorably to apprenticeship-style training. These results underscore the benefits of integrating research activities into the classroom experience while exposing large numbers of students to the process of scientific discovery.

37-A Examination of the Progress towards Cognitive Development in Engineering and Science Students Enrolled in Biology Courses

J.B. O’Connor. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN.

This study examined the intellectual development and critical thinking skills in students enrolled in courses in the general biology sequence over a three-year period. The study stems from a noted decline in student performance in the third course in the general biology sequence compared to the first course. Also, student attitudes towards the third course were poor. The third course is more challenging as it includes in-class activities to foster critical thinking, with many additional application-level questions (according to Bloom’s taxonomy) on the exams. The hypotheses for this study were: 1) the introduction of study skills into the first course would help improve student performance and development of critical thinking skills in the third course and 2) these lessons may foster intellectual development. To test these hypotheses, study skill exercises (note-taking, concept mapping, asking and answering questions, self-evaluation) were introduced into one of four sections in Fall 2007, and two of three sections in Fall 2008. A survey to measure student attitudes, confidence, and intellectual development according to the Perry scheme was administered to students in the first and third courses. In addition, grades and performance on critical thinking questions were examined. Data sets were compared using a t-test assuming equal variance. The students introduced to study skills did not statistically differ from the control students in regard to grades in the third course (p = 0.23, 2008; p = 0.31, 2009; p = 0.39, 2010), critical thinking (p = 0.41, 2008; p = 0.35, 2009; p = 0.43, 2010), attitudes (p = 0.31, Q1; p = 0.33, Q2), and confidence (p = 0.42, Q3; p = 0.30, Q4). Students did not differ in intellectual development (p = 0.42) with almost all students placing at the dualism level. Biomedical engineering (BE) majors do not take the third course in sequence but delay the course for a year. As the majority of the students were BE majors (83%, study skills; 72% control), this discontinuity with the introduction of engineering courses may have impacted the results.

38-B A Comparison of Microbiological Laboratory Skills of Students with Online versus Traditional Preparatory Laboratory Experiences

N.T. Parker and L. Zimmerman. Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA.

Determining an appropriate and adequate online (virtual) versus traditional (real) laboratory training is currently of interest and investigation in various disciplines of the biological sciences. Improvements in computer technologies, use of the Internet for online training, and attempts to either completely or partially replace traditional laboratory training with virtual have been attempted with varying success. In this study students’ basic microscopy skills given virtual versus real laboratory training were evaluated. The null hypothesis used stated there would be no difference in proficiency of microscopy skills of students given virtual versus real laboratory training. Assessment of student knowledge and kinesthetic skills proficiency and competency was determined during midterm and final lab practical work. The number of students per laboratory section ranged from 15 to 18 participants. A rubric totaling 30 points was used to assess students’ knowledge and kinesthetic skills, comparing groups with virtual or real training, and objectively to evaluate standard microscopy skills: mounting, centering, focusing, and magnification. Students with virtual training averaged 21 points versus an average of 27 points with real training. Comparison of scores by Student’s t-test determined differences between groups at a p value of 0.05, suggesting students with only virtual laboratory preparation did demonstrate differences between groups when kinesthetic skills were evaluated. The null hypothesis was rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis that there would be difference in proficiency of microscopy skills of students given virtual versus real laboratory training.

39-C In-class Voting Provides Information Beyond Immediate Measurement of Student Understanding

R.S. Pearlman, R.E. McCarty, and R. Shingles. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.

In-class voting allows students to vote on questions asked during class, and to see their communal answers graphed immediately. We use in-class voting (“clickers”) in our introductory biology courses to make our class of roughly 300 students more interactive. We found that in-class voting reveals information beyond immediate measurements of student understanding.

First, we determined that student attendance is a predictor of a student’s eventual course grade in our introductory biology courses. We used in-class voting records to generate attendance figures for the semester. We found a linear relationship between class attendance and final course grades (for grades ranging from A to D). Moreover, in our surveys, students self-report that in-class voting improved their knowledge of the key course learning objectives. Second, we showed that class attendance is poorer for freshmen whose course grades are covered. During the fall semester, freshman grades are covered: final course grades appear on the transcript as either “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.” In the spring semester, letter grades (A–F) are used. We found that the average attendance of the freshmen in our courses in 2008–2009 was poorer in the semester in which grades were covered (80.8%) than in the following semester (85.6%). This difference is statistically significant according to an unpaired, two-tailed t-test, and is not present in our sophomore control group. Finally, our class is large enough that our daily voting frequencies accurately tracked an influenza outbreak in Baltimore in 2009. Overall daily voting frequencies steadily dropped just as campus health officials began to report the first confirmed cases of influenza. Attendance rebounded in early December.

In-class voting results can inform larger pedagogical issues facing instructors of large lecture courses.

40-A Assessing Undergraduate Laboratory Research Education via a Virtual Research Community-based Platform

J.N. Rampersad, D. Ammons, and R. Carlson. University of Texas–Pan American, Edinburg, TX

The importance of STEM education to this nation’s future has been broadly recognized. A fundamental component of STEM education is undergraduate laboratory research (ULR). Because of its importance, substantial resources have been devoted to ULR; however, tools to assess whether ULRs have achieved their desired outcome are either underdeveloped or lacking altogether. Thus, tools are desperately needed to determine if ULRs are achieving their desired outcome. To address this need, we have developed an innovative software tool called Student Research Organizer (SRO), which manages and provides detailed documentation of the student’s ULR within a virtual research community, as well as providing an assessment platform for deploying assessments within the community. The strength of this approach is that students’ perceptions and gains can be correlated with the details of their documented ULR experience. New assessment instruments (Science Self-Efficacy, Science Anxiety, Science Interest/Motivation, and Science Career Awareness) and student perception surveys (Remuneration/Internships/Scholarships, Perceived Gains/Benefits of the experience, and utility of the SRO software) have been recently added to the SRO platform. The instruments and surveys are being piloted in Spring 2011 at the University of Texas–Pan American (a primarily undergraduate Hispanic-serving institution). Initial responses from the Remuneration/Internships/Scholarships survey reflect an unexpected trend in the area of Remuneration/ Scholarships. Of the students who stated that they had done research in a professor’s laboratory during the Fall/Spring semester (n = 10) or during the Summer (n = 7), all said that they would have done research without receiving financial support. Eighty-nine percent (n = 28) of the respondents believed that the research being conducted at UTPA was of the same quality/importance as at other universities and 69% (n = 26) felt that giving scholarships/internships preferentially to students of a particular ethnicity/race caused animosity amongst students of different races.

41-B Comparing Student Learning Outcomes in Onsite versus Online Delivery of a Clinical Microbiology Course

C.E. Roote, B.J. Brown, and S.M. Zamule. Nazareth College, Rochester, NY.

Online education has increased rapidly over the past decade, but how does what students learn through an online course compare to what they learn in the corresponding onsite course? We designed a study to assess learning outcomes in a clinical microbiology course, which was delivered in a traditional onsite format and in an online format by the same instructor during the same semester. We hypothesized that achievement would differ between these formats. Students in both courses were matriculated students of Nazareth College majoring in nursing or biology. They fell roughly in the same age range (19–42). There were a higher percentage of non-traditional students (as defined by age) and nursing majors in the online course. During onsite and online combined laboratory periods, students were asked to complete a brief survey asking their reason for choosing their format and assessing their knowledge of basic microbiology concepts before the material was introduced in the course. The survey assessed students’ knowledge of the structural differences between prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and viruses, and between Gram (+) and Gram (−) cells, and how the causative agent of a disease informs clinical diagnosis and treatment. Students were then assessed again midway through the semester in a graded format in the form of an exam or quiz. A high percentage of students stated that they took the onsite course because they believed they would learn better in that format, but none said that they took the online course because they believed they would learn better in that format. Reasons given for taking the course in the online format included convenience of scheduling or getting closed-out of the onsite course. Survey responses of the midterm data were analyzed using content analysis and show that achievement of learning outcomes for students in the online course do not differ significantly from those in the onsite course. Students will be assessed once more in a formal format at the end of the semester and data from both studies will be compared and presented.

42-C Producing New Forms Of Engaging: High-benefit Assessment for Undergraduate Science Students

S.L. Rowland and I. Wood. University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

As the cost of education rises, college students appear to want shorter, more specialized study programs. The University of Queensland (UQ) is a large, research-intensive, public, Australian university. Many of our undergraduate programs have foundation science courses, but our students are often dissatisfied with these compulsory studies, saying they are “not relevant” to their goals. “Empowered Assessment” (EA) is a term used to describe the practice of giving students choice over the type, mode, and weight of assessment during a program of study. This two-part project aims to develop an EA approach to generalist undergraduate science at UQ; we hypothesize that giving students in science courses an acceptable level of self-direction in assessment will increase their satisfaction and engagement. Part One is a modified ASSIST survey of UQ undergraduate science students. From this survey we aim to get a general picture of student attitudes to, and behaviors associated with, study and assessment (both traditional and empowered). So far we have 496 valid survey responses. Our preliminary analysis indicates a significant proportion of students do not properly understand UQ’s expectations and assessment practices. This includes the hours of study outside class (70% don’t know the UQ expectation), the applicability of assessment criteria (51% think length criteria do not apply to their work), and the accessing of assessment information (25% do not consistently access online course profiles). Encouragingly, however, most students have a positive attitude to academics (60%–80% positive) and they want a shift in teaching practice from transmission to facilitation of learning. Part Two of the project involves asking undergraduates to design assessment items that they see as personally relevant, interesting, rigorous, and “acceptable” as EA tools by their peers. We will present 1) examples of these assessment items (including author reflections for each item) and 2) an analysis of the survey data where we examine the relationships between students’ motivation, study habits, and confidence in EA.

43-A Determinants of Student Success in a Hybrid Microbiology Course

H.M. Seitz. Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS.

In a community college setting the need for online learning environments is growing rapidly. Meta-analyses show that student course grade averages in online environments are equivalent to and sometimes better than course grade averages in traditional lecture courses. However, in my pre-allied-health hybrid (1/3 class time, 2/3 online) microbiology courses, students are not as successful. For example, retention rates are much lower in the hybrid setting than in a traditional setting (74% and 97%, respectively). Further, although course grade averages are similar (81% in hybrid and 84% in traditional sections), course grade distribution indicates higher numbers of Cs, Ds, and Fs in the hybrid sections and higher numbers of As and Bs in the traditional sections. My goal is to understand the differences that exist between hybrid and traditional settings in relation to student retention and course grade distribution. To examine this, students were surveyed in a hybrid and a traditional course and asked about age, previous GPA, hours of work per week, and given the ILS questionnaire (Index of Learning Styles, Richard M. Felder and Barbara A. Soloman). The hybrid and traditional courses had the same instructor and instructional materials available. The data collected suggest average age, previous GPA, and hours of work per week were not different between the two types of sections. Upon examining learning style profiles, however, 65% of successful hybrid students (course completed with a C or better) demonstrated a balanced learning profile, compared with 42% of unsuccessful hybrid students (D, F, or dropped course). In addition, 68% of the visual learners and 87% of the sensing learners were successful in a hybrid environment. These preliminary data suggest that a more balanced learning style may be beneficial to success, and the materials presented in the hybrid course may be geared toward visual and sensing learners. By fully understanding the factors that influence student retention and success in the hybrid environment I hope to ensure that students can be successful regardless of course format.

44-B Using Self-assessment to Increase Student Metacognition and Learning Gains

A.M. Siegesmund. Pacific Lutheran University, WA.

A consistent observation in introductory biology is that students tend to overestimate their strengths as learners. A predicted result is a lack of appropriate study skills and, as a consequence, less-than-desired learning gains in the course. I hypothesized that self-assessment could be used to increase student metacognition and learning gains. Self-assessment has been shown to be an effective tool for increasing student responsibility for learning. A rational extension is that increased responsibility can empower students to make purposeful choices regarding study habits to positively impact course learning gains. Students completed weekly self-assessments in the form of an “Electronic Learning Portfolio (ELP).” These entries required students to reflect on the process of learning (rather than course content) and to periodically diagnose strengths and weaknesses and propose behavioral changes to address weaknesses. Students received weekly feedback on entries and completed a Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) at the beginning and end of the semester and a Student Assessment of their Learning Gains (SALG) at the end of the semester. SALG results indicated that 65% of students had good to great gains in the ability to understand strengths and weaknesses as a learner and 66% of students reported the ELP helped their learning. Increases in metacognitive ability and learning gains were further supported by qualitative SALG data. In contrast, comparison of beginning- and end-of-semester MAI scores did not indicate any significant change in student metacognition. While SALG results suggest that self-assessment can be used to increase metacognition and learning gains, collectively these findings indicate a need for discussion regarding instruments used to measure metacognition. The ability of students to effectively self-assess and regulate their learning has significance not only for success as a student in the biological sciences, but also for success as a lifelong learner.

45-C Previous Exposure to Topics in a Test Format Yields Initial Improvement on Exam Scores for Those Topics in an Introductory Biology Course

S.K. Sullivan and N. Ponder. Louisiana State University of Alexandria, Alexandria, LA.

Students at our small public university (which has minimal selection criteria) tend to enter their introductory science courses with a lack of both content knowledge and study skills. They tend to perform poorly on questions that require anything other than recall and recognition, which comprise the lowest level of the cognitive domain described by Bloom. Therefore objectives for the introductory general biology course include both content goals and the development of higher-order thinking and preparation skills in the students. To help students develop higher-order thinking skills and study methods that would appropriately prepare them for the exams, students were given a pre-test prior to each exam. These were designed to cover some of the same topics as the exam, and to ask questions at the same cognitive level and same style as the exam, containing multiple choice, fill in and short answer questions. Pre-tests were given, graded and returned at least one week prior to the exam. It was hoped that this would help the students prepare for the exam by showing them weaknesses in their preparation and by giving them added, lower-stakes, practice in answering questions that required analysis, application, or synthesis. Grading remarks included suggestions for improvement of their answers. Exams contained topics that were covered on the pre-tests and topics that were not covered on the pre-tests. Questions were asked at low and mid cognitive levels for each topic. The hypothesis was that students would perform better on higher-order-thinking questions that had been previously presented on pre-tests than on topics to which they had not previously been exposed. Conversely, no difference would be expected for the lower-order-thinking questions. Further, as students improved their thinking and preparation skills, it would be expected that the skills would carry over into topics that they had not covered on a pretest, though in this case we would expect less of a difference between their success on topics covered or not covered on pre-tests at the end of the semester. Preliminary results from a single semester class of 48 students indicated no significant difference between scores on questions that required lower-level thinking skills that covered topics that were and were not covered on the pre-test. However, on questions requiring higher-order thinking, students performed significantly (p = < 0.001) better on questions on topics that had been covered on the pre-test. Analysis of subsequent exams did not show a significant improvement on topics covered on the pre-tests.

46-A Assessing Improvement in Student Data Analysis Skills in a Microbiology Course for Allied Health Majors

K. Walton. Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO.

The ability to understand and interpret data is a critical aspect of scientific thinking. However, although data analysis is quite often a focus in biology majors classes, many textbooks and lab manuals for allied health majors or general studies classes are primarily content-driven and do not include significant amounts of data in the form of graphs and figures showing experimental data. In my lower-division allied health majors microbiology class, I aimed to determine whether exposing these students to data from primary journal articles would improve their data analysis skills. Students were given four assignments that required them to analyze data. The first assignment was a case study that included a figure from a journal article, while later assignments required students to read a short journal article and answer questions about multiple figures or tables. In the assignments, data were represented as line or bar graphs, photographs of electrophoresis gels, and flow charts. A pre- and post-test was designed incorporating the same types of figures to assess whether the assignments resulted in a quantifiable improvement in students’ data analysis skills. All questions on the test included “I don’t know” as an answer choice to help determine whether students were guessing. The mean class score showed a small but significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test (50.4% correct versus 58.1% correct, p < 0.001 by paired t-test). Interestingly, there were less than half as many “I don’t know” responses on the post-test than the pre-test, suggesting that students were more willing to engage with the data and attempt an answer after completing the series of assignments. Although scores on the post-test remained relatively low, the significant improvement in student scores supports the conclusion that a relatively small number of assignments through the semester resulted in a significant improvement in data analysis abilities in this population of students.

47-B The Use of Team-based Learning in a Non-majors Human Genetics Course

K.L. Zoghby. University of Richmond, Richmond, VA.

Active learning teaching pedagogies have been shown to improve student learning in both majors and non-majors science courses. The challenge for the instructor has been to create a learning environment that has moved away from the traditional lecture format into one which uses primarily some form of active learning strategies. These types of activities range from something as simple as think-pair-share to the highly structured classroom based on the team-based learning model created by Michaelsen et al. There is considerable investment on the part of the instructor to create a team-based learning classroom, therefore it is helpful to determine if learning gains are truly greater for students, and therefore worth the time and energy to convert courses to this modality. A non-majors Human Genetics course was transformed using the team-based learning framework. The validated Genetics Literacy Assessment instrument was used at the beginning and the end of the semester to measure content knowledge. The students took the exam individually and in their teams both times. At the beginning of the semester, the average individual score (n = 19) was 62.3% and the team score was 80.0% (a significant difference with p = 0.0128). At the end of the semester, the individual average (n = 18) was 85.1% and the team average was 93.5% (not significant, with p = 0.1531). This result was surprising and, given the small sample size, further analysis and comparisons need to be made. A possible explanation of the results could be that student-centered learning leads to the students’ becoming better at critical thinking and problem-solving on their own. The averages on the GLAI from the beginning of the semester to the end indicate an overall increase in the students’ content knowledge (p < 0.0001), but can this learning be attributed to the use of teams in the classroom? Future comparisons will be made using the GLAI at the beginning and end of a genetics lecture-based course. Team-based learning is an effective pedagogy, well received by the students in the classroom.

TEACHING APPROACHES

48-C The Use of Personal Narrative Case Studies to Facilitate Team-based Learning in an Allied Health Microbiology Course

J.R. Bess. Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether team-based learning, with the use of personal narrative microbiology case studies, could enhance student learning outcomes. The hypothesis investigated whether connections would be developed between content knowledge and practical health-care applications utilizing a team-based learning approach. Students were given a microbial disease-based case study to read in advance of the class meeting. During class, students participated in a three-part activity including an individual readiness assurance quiz, a team quiz addressing the same topics, and an overall class discussion. Using this approach, students scored a mean of 79.6% on the individual quiz (n = 161), while team quiz grades improved to 91.3%. Students were observed using knowledge from previously covered textbook chapters, discussing previous experience in the health-care field, or information gained through personal experiences. The class discussion brought teams back to solid ground and provided them with a brief, focused lecture on the topics addressed. When students were surveyed about their perspectives on case study use in the classroom, 98.1% of students agreed that the case studies helped them understand key concepts within the traditional lecture material. Students showed high interest in these medical detective stories and class attendance for case study days was markedly improved (78.9% attendance) compared to non-case study days immediately preceding (72.7% attendance, p = 0.001) and following (70.2% attendance, p = 0.002). The assigned case studies connect and mutually reinforce individual work, team work, and class discussions. This team-based learning approach shifted students toward application and integration of learned factual information instead of rote memorization. By using these exciting case studies with team-based learning, students became accustomed to relating content knowledge to real-life situations and acquired skills that will benefit them greatly as they enter the health-care field.

49-A The Use of Contemporary Novels as a Tool for Engaged Learning in the Undergraduate Microbiology Classroom

C.K. Bieszczad. Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH.

Microbiology is a very content-dense course at the undergraduate level. Students are introduced to the fundamental principles of microbiology and the impact microbes have on human health. Several of the topics that are focused on include microbe morphology, growth, metabolism, and diversity. Students sometimes have difficulty applying the knowledge gained in the course to the real world beyond this basic thinking: microbe A causes this particular disease. In an effort to engage students and help them to broaden their critical thinking skills, I have used several contemporary novels about microbes in my course. Students are given a list of books to choose from in which a microbe is a main character. This list includes such books as The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, The Cobra Event by Richard Preston and Outbreak by Robin Cook. Students are put into groups based on book choice (three or four per group). At the end of the semester-long microbiology course, each group gives a class presentation. They must draw from what they have learned in the course to: 1) identify the role of microbes in the novel (What is the microbe [structure/function] and its role in the plot?), 2) discuss the plot and determine the likelihood of the scenario in the novel’s actually occurring, and 3) discuss their reaction to the novel. Students are encouraged to be original in their presentations. Some have made short movies and performed skits about the plot while others have made bioterrorism handouts for the class. After completing the assignment, the students have said that it forced them to think about microbes more deeply and on a whole new level. They had to connect what could be, based on what they learned in class, and what is purely fiction. Students are able to apply their knowledge of microbial morphology, growth, and metabolism to the scenarios in the stories. They are able to analyze the descriptions and characteristics of the microbe central to the plot to determine the likelihood of its actual existence. In the case where students have chosen a nonfiction novel, they are able to fully understand the virulence and lethality of the microbe. Many nursing students in this course apply this knowledge to their everyday lives in the appreciation and use of universal precautions with patients. This assignment engaged and excited them. They came to appreciate the knowledge gained in the course and they often read other books on the list purely for pleasure and then discussed them amongst themselves regarding feasibility of the plots. In sum, the incorporation of contemporary novels about microbes engages students, improves critical thinking skills and greatly heightens enthusiasm in an undergraduate microbiology course.

50-B Preliminary Results of Using Scientific Teaching in an Undergraduate Medical Bacteriology Course

J.P. Caruso. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.

Since converting a junior-level General Microbiology Course at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to scientific teaching (ST) from traditional lectures (TL) improved student performance, a senior-level Medical Bacteriology course was also changed to ST in Spring 2010. ST uses active learning methods to engage students in the science process, maximizing learning for diverse students and different learning styles. Instead of TL, ST alternates mini-lectures with cooperative learning discussions of central questions, has frequent formative and summative assessments, and aligns all class activities with learning goals. This study’s hypothesis was that using ST would improve student performance in Medical Bacteriology. The ST class used the same text as before but divided the course into five teachable units with broad learning goals. Narrow learning objectives were then set for each class. About 10% fewer slides per class were given as a series of mini-lectures, alternating with three to seven cooperative learning group discussions around an important question/ prediction. Frequent formative and summative quizzes were given by clickers. Many summative quiz questions had cooperative discussions before answers were shown. Exams were nearly identical to TL exams. The ST class used a similar grading rubric, but added ~ 15.4% more total course points (= one exam) for summative quiz points. Course grades were converted to percentage total grades of each type and ST results compared to means of the three prior TL classes. Both grade distributions and percentage total non-credit grades (≤ D+) were tested. The ST class had a significantly better grade distribution (X², p = 0.009) and significantly fewer non-credit grades by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov uniform distribution test than TL class means. An improved grade distribution and fewer non-credit grades (≤ D+) in the ST class, if replicable, suggest ST is better for teaching Medical Bacteriology than TL. This work supports prior General Microbiology results showing improved student performance using ST. Both studies justify expanding ST use to all levels of Biology courses, at FAU and elsewhere.

51-C Discussion Boards as a Means of Promoting Student Engagement, Formulating Fact-based Opinions about Scientific Advancements, Communicating Scientific Findings with the Public, and Creating Citizen Scientists

L.A. Cuchara. Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT.

There is a recognized need for scientists to effectively communicate not only their work but a general understanding of science to the public. Presidential science adviser John Holdren suggested “that everybody in the science and technology community who cares about the future of the world should be tithing 10% of their time to interacting with the public.” Quinnipiac also recently recognized “Responsible Citizenship” (defined as an ability to recognize, analyze, and influence decisions and actions at the local, national, and global community, and to engage as responsible citizens) as one of nine “Essential Learning Proficiencies for the 21st Century.”

To these ends I have implemented a “how to communicate scientific findings effectively to the public” into ALL of my classes. The goal is for students to assimilate “fact-based opinions” so that they can disseminate scientific findings to the general public. For example: why you cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine, why vaccines do not cause autism, etc. The hypothesis of this study was that requiring students to read, summarize, and discuss current science topics would allow them to develop critical thinking skills, enhance their information literacy, and help create “citizen scientists.” To assess, both qualitative and quantitative measures were performed two to four times per semester (10 semesters). Qualitative measurements included the depth and understanding of the topics discussed, the “infectivity” of their posts (how many students responded), and the use of plain language with minimal jargon while still effectively conveying the findings and their significance. Qualitatively, the students improved over the course of the semester. The students excelled quantitatively as evidenced by the number of posts exceeding the requirements (student involvement has consistently been at 250%–300%). In conclusion, students have embraced this pedagogy because they are comfortable with online discussions, can read and summarize on their own time and have time to formulate opinions without being put on the spot in the classroom. Students also keep reading after my class and even after graduation.

52-A Printed Identification Key or Web-based Identification Guide: An Effective Tool for Species Identification?

T.E. dela Cruz, M.V. Pangilinan, and R. Litao. University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines.

Species identification is a crucial step in any taxonomical studies. This is often done with the aid of traditional dichotomous keys. However, with the advent of Internet technology, the use of online databases offers an alternative tool for species identification. In an undergraduate mycology course, we evaluated the preference of sophomore B.Sc. Microbiology students for these identification guides as a tool in taxonomy. Thirty-nine students were given taxonomical descriptions of several species of myxomycetes (slime molds) and were asked to identify these species using a printed identification key and a web-based identification guide. Following completion of the activity, a survey sheet was given to the respondents to rate the instructional materials used. Our research study showed that a majority of the respondents found the web-based ID guide as easily accessible (92%); more complete, as it can be regularly updated (87%); more appealing, as it contains photographs of species (87%); and more user-friendly (72%). However, the students described the printed dichotomous key as more effective in identifying the taxa (95%) and more accurate in its identification (89%). Students found both tools easy and inexpensive to create or develop. Finally, when asked for their preference more students (62%) preferred to use the online database as an identification tool, rather than the printed key (38%). It is suggested therefore from this study that our printed identification keys be made more user-friendly and appealing, since students of today are more inclined to visual stimulus, as shown by their appreciation of and preference for web-based online guides.

53-B Improving Student Outcomes in Introductory Majors Biology: Popular Media

J.R. Geiser. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI.

Many first year college students have not been adequately prepared for success in biological sciences prior to arriving on campus. This results in a 30% failure rate (< C grade) in the introductory major’s course, Molecular and Cellular Biology, that enrolls 300 students each semester. The course is a traditional large lecture course with laboratory and is taken by students intending to major in life science, chemistry, secondary education in a science field, or engineering. Many deficits under instructor control have been addressed in the past decade. Despite these changes, there has not been substantial improvement in student test scores or engagement in course content. Providing students with popular media (videos, Scientific American articles, cartoons) involving biological concepts will improve student outcomes in introductory major’s biology. During one unit of study (one exam) during the fall 2010 semester, students were randomly assigned to one of two groups (transcription, n = 54, or translation, n = 52). Each student was asked to read a popular article, watch a video, and view a cartoon prior to attending the lecture explaining the content of their group name. Student success was assessed by an online survey immediately after viewing required popular media, one-minute papers in class the following day, and a multiple choice exam at the end of the unit. An additional survey, student interviews and a written paper were collected a month later to determine student opinion of the use of popular media in class. No significant difference was observed between the two groups of students when exam scores were compared (student t-test, p < 0.001). Students did not perform better on multiple-choice questions on transcription and translation than they did on questions addressing DNA replication, gene regulation, and mutations. Analysis of the online survey and one-minute papers to assess learning as opposed to grade is still ongoing and will be presented. Providing students with popular media involving biological concepts does not impact learning as measured by exam grade.

54-C The Use of Primary Literature in the Freshman Biology Laboratory

M.J. Hanophy. St. Joseph’s College, Brooklyn, NY.

One of the essential skills students must develop in anundergraduate biology program is the ability to work with primary literature. The ability to assess research critically and to evaluate literature is fundamental to a career in the sciences and students should be introduced to this process as early as possible. Of particular importance is the use of literature in lab reports to provide background information, to support hypotheses, or to help suggest future avenues for research. In our program, first semester freshman biology majors were provided with a list of suggested references for each of their hypothesis-based lab exercises and were asked to incorporate some information from these resources into their formal lab reports.

Formal lab reports from 28 students in two section of freshman biology lab were evaluated for their effectiveness at incorporating and citing primary literature. The use of these sources was rated on a scale of 0 to 3 and student lab reports were tracked throughout the semester. Analysis indicated that there was a direct relationship between success in lecture exams and quizzes and effective use of primary literature in lab reports. More significantly, students whose use of primary literature in improved throughout the semester also demonstrated improvement in lecture exams. Those students who did not learn to effectively incorporate primary literature into their lab reports actually showed a decrease in lecture exam averages throughout the semester.

We have found that this method for introducing students to the use of primary literature has helped to improve student performance in the general biology while also serving as an effective means of introducing students to library research techniques. We are hopeful that this early introduction to research will also lead to improvements in our upper-level courses and senior thesis.

55-A Novel Intensive Use of Primary Literature is Effective in Diverse Student Cohorts, Extending the C.R.E.A.T.E. Approach

S.G. Hoskins¹ and L.M. Stevens^{2. 1}City College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, and ²University of Texas, Austin, Austin, TX.

To counteract difficulties in reading primary literature, we previously developed C.R.E.A.T.E. —Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze data and Think of the next Experiment (Hoskins et al., Genetics 176:1381) for undergraduates at CCNY, a minority-serving Institution. C.R.E.A.T.E. uses intensive analysis of series of papers from individual labs coupled with email surveys of paper authors to demystify and humanize science. CCNY C.R.E.A.T.E. students made significant gains in critical thinking and content integration ability, and also showed improved attitudes about science and scientists. We hypothesized that C.R.E.A.T.E. courses could also be effective in diverse additional student populations and topic areas. We trained faculty from institutions including R1, state, and small liberal arts colleges on C.R.E.A.T.E. pedagogical approaches, and used a suite of assessment tools to evaluate their students. We report findings from one such assessment: an anonymous pre/post Likert-style survey addressing students’ ability to decode and understand journal articles; students’ visualization, data analysis, and active reading abilities; and their understanding of the nature of science.

Courses on all campuses, and in six of seven implementations, showed statistically significant gains (p < 0.05, paired t-test) in students’ ability to read/analyze/understand primary literature and understand the nature and processes of science. Significant change was also seen in the extent to which journal articles influenced students’ understanding of science, and in most groups’ active reading approaches, data analysis ability, and sense of science as a creative process. In addition, faculty on all campuses, interviewed by an outside evaluator, felt the C.R.E.A.T.E. approach produced substantial gains in their students’ understanding of content as well as the nature of science. We conclude that the cost-effective C.R.E.A.T.E. approach is adaptable to multiple courses and can help a wide range of students develop the transferable ability to read primary literature, as they also develop deeper understanding of the nature of science.

56-B Reading Primary Research Articles Improves Literacy Skills in an Introductory Biology Course

J.K. Krontiris-Litowitz. Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH.

Science literacy is key to a successful career in science but reading the primary literature is a challenge for most undergraduate biology majors. This study tested the hypothesis that reading primary research and performing guided assignments can improve students’ science literacy skills in an introductory biology course. During the semester students read five primary research articles on topics associated with course material and submitted homework assignments of six to eight questions for each article. Homework assignments were “scaffolded” to train students to: 1) extract information about the experimental rationale, protocol, data, and conclusions from a journal article; 2) identify and evaluate an experimental protocol and the associated controls; 3) evaluate and interpret results presented in a graphic or tabular format; and 4) learn from the literature. These literacy skills were evaluated on three semester exams and a final exam. The distribution of exam scores for literature-associated questions was higher than for lecture-associated questions on all exams. On exam #1, 5.6% of students scored ≥ 80% on course-associated questions (CQ), while 46.1% students scored ≥ 80% on literature-associated questions (LQ). On exam #2, 20.3% of students scored ≥ 80% on CQ, while 43.9% students scored ≥ 80% on LQ. On exam #3, 10% students scored ≥ 80% on CQ, while 53.8% students scored ≥ 80% on LQ. On a cumulative final exam the mean score for literature-associated questions was higher than the score for course-associated questions (78.3% ± 20.1%, 67.5% ± 12.2%, p < 0.001). Again, on this exam the distribution of exam scores for literature-associated questions was higher than for course-associated questions: 38.5% of students scored ≥ 80% on LQ, while only 10.3% of students scored ≥ 80% on CQ. This study shows that guided assignments using the primary literature can be used to prepare students to read, interpret, and learn from the scientific literature.

57-C Modeling Real-life Decision-making Actively Engages Students in Primary Literature Analysis

B. Marintcheva. Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA.

Analysis of primary literature is a valuable skill for any biologist to have but a challenging one to teach. Primary literature articles are written for the scientific community, using highly specialized language and making assumptions about the background knowledge of the readers. Not surprisingly, undergraduates often find them hard to read and have difficulties engaging in a productive discussion.

I hypothesized that students will be more engaged in primary literature discussion if an article is presented in the context of real-life decision-making process relevant to their health. The approach was used in a 400 level Virology course (n = 20) and took advantage of a report on efficacy of microneedle patches for flu vaccination (Sullivan et al., 2010). The decision-making process was modeled using the following scenario: 1) Students received a request from a friend to help evaluate the effectiveness of recently reported vaccine patch as a replacement of traditional injection vaccination. Each student was given a piece of “Internet news” and a copy of the original scientific paper. 2) After reading the paper, students offered advice to their friend in the format of an “email message.” Subsequent in-class discussion focused on the major findings and conclusions of the article, as well as the importance of science communication skills. Similar format article assignment not involving health-related decision-making process was used as a control.

Student engagement was gauged by monitoring the total number of specific references to experimental data in the writing component (2.5-fold increase), students’ readiness to participate in discussion (5-fold increase) and the total number of student’s comments and/or questions per discussion prompt (3-fold increase). Student attitudes were assessed using Likert scale survey: 1) 90% of the students “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that the assignment “challenges them to think critically about the subject” (70% in the control); 2) 85% of the students found the assignment “beneficial to their learning” (65% in the control), and 3) 100% of the students discussed the subject with at least one person outside the class (30% in the control).

58-A Promoting Students’ Understanding of Scientific Research through Asynchronous Online Discussions

M.V. Mawn and C. Gleason. SUNY Empire State College, Saratoga Springs, NY.

In recent years, a growing number of campuses have moved their instruction to the online environment. This presents unique challenges to science educators since consideration needs to be given to the teaching and learning not only of science content, but also of scientific processes. One approach is to include hands-on experiments, field-based investigations, computer simulations, and related activities in online courses. These activities can engage students in scientific processes as they make predications, observe and collect data, formulate explanations, and communicate their findings. Alternatively, students can interpret the scientific literature through asynchronous online discussions. Such discussions can increase students’ understanding of scientific content and processes, and bridge the gap between textbook and real-world science. This study further explored the use of online discussions to extend students’ understanding of scientific research. We hypothesized that by focusing discussions on specific themes (experimental design, model organisms, and topics in gene expression), students would engage in deeper conversations beyond simple article summaries. Discussion data were collected and analyzed from three sections of an online genetics course (Fall 2010, n = 37). Findings show that students were able to summarize scientific articles and discuss research studies in the context of specific themes. Their postings addressed various aspects of scientific research, including identifying hypotheses, evaluating experimental design, comparing model organisms, and proposing new questions for future research. In addition, on an end-of semester survey, students reported that these discussions greatly supported their learning of scientific content and processes. These findings demonstrate that asynchronous online discussions can promote a broader understanding of scientific research in an online learning environment.

59-B Your Students Don’t Know the First Thing About Meiosis!

D.L. Newman, C.M. Catavero, and L.K. Wright. Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY.

Chromosome structure and behavior are extremely complex topics that are notoriously difficult for students to grasp. We hypothesize that instructors emphasize the same diagrams and terminology repeatedly, without considering why the concepts are so difficult, or effectively clarifying the most confusing points, or meeting them at the right starting point. RIT biology majors receive instruction in the topic of meiosis in at least three separate courses: Introductory Biology (freshman year), Cell Biology (sophomore year) and Genetics (junior or senior year). We administered the same open-ended test questions to students at different levels to see how their understanding compared. We found very little difference between the groups, with 96% of students failing to grasp at least one important feature of meiosis. By coding the responses, we learned that most students had issues with DNA replication. Starting with a precursor germ cell containing unreplicated chromosomes, more than 1/3 of students neglected to show replication at all, and only 12% of students drew a correct representation of replication. Analysis of textbook figures indicates that meiosis is generally presented without any connection to DNA replication or molecular structure, and the diagrams usually start with chromosomes already replicated. Interviews with students indicated that they were unclear on the concepts of “What is a chromosome vs. a chromatid?,” “How do you determine ploidy?,” and “How do homologous chromosomes find each other?,” which all relate to the fundamentals of chromosome structure. We conclude that the typical textbook figure is misleading and the typical lecture does not address the root cause of student misunderstanding. This problem is not resolved as students advance because the essential concepts are not revisited and students are not guided to form conceptual links between chapters in the textbook. We will provide suggestions for instructors to incorporate into their lessons on meiosis to improve learning outcomes. We have already seen dramatic improvement with this approach in our Cell Biology course.

60-C Guided Worksheet Discussion Sessions Improve Student Success and Understanding of Complex Phenomena in an Introductory Biology Course

J.T. Olimpo and P.A. Shields. University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Introductory courses in the sciences, much like similar courses in other disciplines, provide a rich foundation for further study in the field. As such, these courses traditionally explore thematic patterns and phenomena in the domain in extensive breadth and depth – a feature that can often be overwhelming and challenging to novice students. Pre-course survey data from our studies in an introductory biology class indicated that DNA replication and gene expression were among the topics students found most difficult. To address this concern, we designed a series of worksheets on replication and gene expression that required students to approach the material from a more critical perspective by considering higher-order thought questions than those typically found in the existent lecture and laboratory components of the course. We hypothesized that the use of these worksheets would improve student learning and knowledge retention surrounding the above topics. Use of these worksheets was embedded in a small (20–30 minute) discussion session on replication and gene expression led by a graduate teaching assistant (GTA). Following the discussion, a 10-item quiz (five questions each on the aforementioned topics) was given to each student. Post-intervention data indicated that students receiving the intervention (n = 152) performed approximately 1.5–2 times better on the quiz than a control group (n = 162) receiving no worksheets and GTA discussion time (p = 0.018). Furthermore, the quality of the worksheet was found to be not significant (p = 0.670) with regard to performance on content-synonymous portions of the quiz (i.e., students did not perform better on the replication questions because the replication worksheet was “better” than the gene expression worksheet, and vice versa). These results suggest that even brief recitation time with GTAs, when supplemented by active learning activities, can positively augment students’ understanding of core concepts and promote student learning. Additionally, these data suggest that the addition of discussion sections, which are not currently offered for this course at our university, may be beneficial in improving overall student success in the course.

61-A Using Student Evaluations to Improve Teaching and Learning

A.R. Pendleton. Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, GA.

The validity and reliability of student evaluations has been well studied. However, few reports provide evidence that faculty can use them for improvement. I hypothesized that faculty can use student ratings to make specific pedagogical changes that improve student perceptions and learning. My own experiences serve as a case study for addressing this hypothesis.

In Fall 2009, I began teaching two Introductory Biology courses at a small college. One course was designed for Biology majors and one was designed for non-Biology majors. Students rated my instruction using the IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction survey instrument. The instrument then grouped ratings according to the course learning objectives that I had chosen, as well as teaching method.

Evaluations identified areas of concern: 1) student perceptions of learning, 2) encouraging student involvement, and 3) structuring classroom experiences. I used this feedback to reflect about pedagogy and make specific changes in two subsequent semesters. These changes included using videos to clarify abstract concepts, categorizing information into tables or lists, and using more relevant and engaging examples. The same survey instrument then gauged improvement in student perceptions. Student learning was assessed by comparing course grades between semesters, relative to overall student achievement (GPAs).

Subsequent evaluations indicated that more students saw quality teaching in both my non-majors’ course (p < 0.01, Cohen’s d = 1.08, n = 39) and my majors’ course (Cohen’s d = 0.34, n = 55). Student course grades also increased relative to GPAs by 15% (majors’ course, Cohen’s d = 0.2) and 72% (non-majors’ course, p < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 0.69). Finally, increased course grades correlated with more students rating their own learning highly in three areas for the majors’ course (p < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 0.84) and in one area for the non-majors’ course (Cohen’s d = 0.27). These results suggest that reflecting upon student ratings of instruction and implementing thoughtful changes based on those ratings are associated with improved student perceptions of learning, as well as improved student learning.

62-B Incorporating Primary Research Articles into Case Studies to Stimulate Research-oriented Learning

B.B. Quimby. University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Research-oriented learning involves addressing problems relevant to current research, learning skills important to scientists, and using higher-order thinking. To introduce research-oriented learning into an upper level Pathogenic Microbiology laboratory course at the University of Maryland (UMD), five primary research articles related to current issues in microbiology and/or research occurring at UMD were integrated into a case study format. In the Fall of 2010, as a pilot study to analyze the effect of these newly designed case studies, two sections of 18 students each were given the five research oriented learning case studies (ROCS = experimental group) and two separate sections of 18 students were given five case studies without primary research articles integrated (case studies previously used in the course = control group). Each graduate teaching assistant (GTA) led one experimental group and one control group to remove the affect of the GTA in the study. The ROCS were more intellectually challenging as indicated by the 89% overall average on the new case studies as compared to the 96% average for the non-ROCS. Interviews with the GTAs indicated that the ROCS stimulated more discussion and more student engagement than the non-ROCS. At the end of the course, 89% of students completing the ROCS reported that the case studies improved their skills in reading graphs and scientific data and 92% agreed that the case studies encouraged them to think critically about science, as compared to 50% and 82%, respectively, for the control group. However, students’ actual ability to analyze graphical data did not change significantly within the two groups or between the two groups as assessed at the beginning and the end of the course. Students were assessed using the HPI concept inventory as a pre- and post-test and this data will also be presented. The preliminary data from this small pilot study suggests that students in an upper level pathogenic microbiology course are capable of research-oriented learning through the analysis of primary research articles.

63-C Web-based Tutorial Support for Academic Success in Anatomy and Physiology

M. Tawde and A. Nguyen. Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY.

This study asked whether web-based tutorial support as supplementary instruction helped pre-nursing students succeed academically. My colleague, Dr. Nguyen, and I teach Anatomy-Physiology (A&P) I and II and General Microbiology, which are pre-requisite classes for most nursing/allied health majors. Our students are highly diverse not only in their ethnic and educational backgrounds, but also in their levels of readiness. Many students lack formal training in science or biology, and many are returning to school after a period of leave. The depth and immensity of the material presented in the biology courses overwhelms these students. Though the enrollment for these classes is heavy, the aforementioned factors lead to high attrition rates. However, one common feature in this new generation of students is their familiarity with and access to the Internet, digital technology, and techno gadgets. We decided to investigate if a Blackboard-based tutorial website would help the students build their knowledge base and thus improve their retention and academic performance. A course-wide tutorial website was set up, linked to Blackboard, and made available to students. The website contained material on topics such as exchange processes, chemical basis of life, macromolecules and their properties. It also had animation, figures about cell structure, organelles and function, microscope and different tissues, and the skeletal system. These topics were covered in laboratory practical #1 and #2. We compared grades of students in A&P I who used online supplemental instruction with those who did not. We analyzed over 900 students across 30+ sections with different instructors, out of which approximately 23% students visited the website >10 times. On average, students who visited the website scored higher than students who did not, although there were students who never visited yet scored high on tests. Likewise, there were students who visited >100 times, yet scored poorly. One caveat is that we do not know the time span of each visit. The fact that students analyzed had different instructors served as an in-built control, as the difference in two groups was independent of the instructors. The exam scores of students who visited for practical #1 and #2 were higher than those of the later two exams. Also, we saw a correlation between students who never visited and those who withdrew from the course. We have identified one potential bias in this study: it may be that only the motivated students accessed this supplementary online instruction, which would help them improve their grades. The less-motivated students, who are the ones more likely to drop out of the class, might not use the supplementary online instruction.

64-A Writing-to-learn Activities as a Measure of Ecological Literacy

A.M. Wallace¹ and M. Balgopal^{2. 1}Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, MN, and ²Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.

Science educators are exploring ways to teach their students to think scientifically about environmental issues. The line between conceptual knowledge and values-based decision-making is nebulous. We developed a writing-to- learn model to facilitate ecological thinking in college students. Previous work showed this model to be effective, although sufficient guidance is essential. The current study involved 13 students in an environmental studies course at a liberal arts college in January 2011. We provided prompts for students to write three in-class essays designed to address their cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains for two case studies: hypoxia and genetically modified crops. Essays were categorized as authentic, objective, subjective, or superficial. Authentic writers demonstrated the ability to recognize dilemmas and potential decisions (and their ecological consequences) in their writing and were deemed to be more ecologically literate. New to this study was the introduction of three pre-post assessments to provide a quantitative measure: the 12-topic, 72-question general ecological assessment (GEA), and two assessments testing ecological thinking skills within scenarios specific to each case study. We hypothesized that authentic writers would show the highest scores in each of these assessments. Ten of 13 students wrote at least one authentic essay in the hypoxia case study. Five of these wrote authentically on all three essays, scoring higher on their post hypoxia assessment (94%) than the others (84%); p < 0.02. They also scored higher on the GEA (74% vs. 69%) but these results were not significant. Essay scores were significantly correlated with the post hypoxia assessment scores (r = 0.6) but not the GEA. Further analysis will include relating each of 12 topics in the GEA to writing performance, a complete analysis of the second case study, and the qualitative analysis of single essays written in response to a third case study of the students’ choosing. Combining these qualitative and quantitative data sets should allow a more comprehensive picture to emerge of each student’s level of ecological literacy.

65-B Student-driven Modeling Exercise Reveals Gaps in Knowledge and Reasoning about Chromosome Structure and Behavior

L.K. Wright and D.L. Newman. Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY.

While most undergraduate biology students can define chromosomes as genetic blueprints required to maintain life, very few understand the deeper concepts relating chromosome structure, function, and behavior to processes such as meiosis. Scientists and biology faculty do not struggle with these same issues, resulting in student confusion and misunderstanding at what biology experts deem perfectly clear. Students receive instruction on the process of meiosis numerous times in middle school, high school, and college, but poor understanding is demonstrable at all levels. Before receiving any more in-class instruction on the topic of meiosis, 80 undergraduates in a sophomore-level Cell Biology course were asked to construct their own models of meiosis in groups of four to six. They made use of manipulative materials for their modeling (e.g., pipe cleaners of various colors, construction paper, markers, string, and colored beads). Each group’s demonstration and explanations were videotaped and coded. Analysis of student models revealed that biology students do not visualize chromosomes as 3-D: all 18 groups tried to recreate 2-D drawings using these 3-D materials. Only one out of 18 groups demonstrated crossing over correctly, and none understood the significance of the molecular interaction for pairing homologous chromosomes. Half of the groups made numerous versions of the same basic model to mimic the “stages” of meiosis as in a textbook figure instead of showing the dynamic process with one set of materials. Students also did not take advantage of the materials to demonstrate distinct properties of chromosomes: the type of chromosome and the parental origin. Few students even mentioned parental origins, and those who did mention it often did not represent homologous pairing correctly (e.g., homologous chromosomes were paired like sister chromatids). This modeling exercise allowed the instructors to elicit prior knowledge and misconceptions about chromosome structure and behavior as the first step in developing a constructivist lesson plan that improved student understanding of meiosis.

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JMBE
ISSN: 1935-7885

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Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education

18th Annual ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus Baltimore, Maryland June 2–5, 2011

COURSE DESIGN

HANDS-ON PROJECTS

STUDENT LEARNING

TEACHING APPROACHES

COURSE DESIGN

1-A Community-oriented Parasitological Survey in a Medical Parasitology and Mycology Course for Medical Students in a Central American University as a Teaching Strategy to Improve Learning

2-B E-solutions for Access to Literature for University Students in Kenya

3-C A Study of Students Studying Nature: Understanding Attitudes Towards Nature and Sustainability among Students at an Urban Community College

4-A Micro- and Nano-space Explorations of Health and Disease: A Microscopy-enabled Microbiology and Infectious Disease Adult Education Program for K–12 Teachers at the University of Southern Maine (USM)

5-B Understanding, and Using, Predictors of Student Achievement in First-year Biology in Course Redesign

6-C An ASM-UTF Experience: Enhancing Student Teaching through a K–12 Microbiology Project

7-A Investigating Student Learning when Biotechnology Lab Partners are of Different Academic Levels

8-B Training LSAMP STEM Undergraduates in Microbiology Using the HHMI Mycobacteriophage Isolation Program as a Summer URM

9-C Comparing Knowledge Surveys with Traditional Assessment Methods in Undergraduate Cell Biology, Genetics, and Molecular Biology Courses

10-A Multiplying Efforts in Latin America – The ASMUNESCO Workshop on Microbiology Education 2010

11-B Facilitated Partnerships as a Vehicle for Curricular Reform

12-C Proven Strategies for Re-training University Educators in Biotechnology in Developing Countries: An Integrated Short Course Approach

13-A Microbiology for Future Urban Ecologists: The Challenge of Evaluation of Student Learning

14-B Teaching Microbiology to Future Chemists: How to Evaluate Students Properly?

15-C Collaborative Research Endeavors Provide Relevant, Sophisticated Laboratory Experience for Diverse Undergraduate Populations

HANDS-ON PROJECTS

16-A Authentic Research Experiences: Genome Sequencing as a Pedagogical Tool in a Community College

17-B Gene Annotation for the Masses: How 140 Undergraduate Students Annotated Genes from Pseudomonas fluorescens R124, a Novel Cave Isolate

18-C Integrated Molecular Biology Research Experience Promotes Active Learning

19-A Engaging Students in Novel Research in an Introductory Biology Laboratory Course

20-B Integrative Approach to Undergraduate Research and Bioinformatics

21-C Is it E. coli O157:H7? Using Bioinformatics to Develop and Test Hypotheses

22-A A Semester-long Molecular Biology Laboratory Exercise Examining Functional Selection (Evolution) of Viral RNA Enhances Student Engagement and Aptitude

23-B Hot CACAO: Annotation of Gene Function with Gene Ontology as an Undergraduate Intercollegiate Competition

24-C Adapting Undergraduate Microbiology Labs to Include Research Projects

25-A Introduction to Biotechnology Research: The Cloning of the Known Genes in Bacillus subtilis by Student Designed Primers

STUDENT LEARNING

26-B Quality of the Click: Evaluating the Effect of High Cognitive Level Clicker Questions on Student Thinking and Learning

27-C Learning Concepts in Metagenomics through an Evolving Dictionary of Terms and Conceptual Maps

28-A Aseptic Technique in the Clinical Environment: Demonstration of Need

29-B Comparing the Impact of a Case Study on Student Learning for Biology Majors vs. Pre-Nursing Students

30-C Classroom-based Science Research at the Introductory Level: Changes in Career Choices and Attitude

31-A Do Students Know what they Know? Student Metacognition in Introductory Biology

32-B Assessing the Impact of Student Response Systems on Pedagogy and Learning Outcome in a Cell and Molecular Biology Course

33-C Doesa Gaming Approach Improve Basic Microbiology Learning in Vocational School Students?

34-A Characterizing Student Use and Perceptions of Instructional Objectives in Freshman Life Science Courses

35-B Utilizing Team-based Learning in Microbiology for Medical Students: A Pilot Study

36-C Student Learning and Development is Enhanced by Research Experiences in the Classroom

37-A Examination of the Progress towards Cognitive Development in Engineering and Science Students Enrolled in Biology Courses

38-B A Comparison of Microbiological Laboratory Skills of Students with Online versus Traditional Preparatory Laboratory Experiences

39-C In-class Voting Provides Information Beyond Immediate Measurement of Student Understanding

40-A Assessing Undergraduate Laboratory Research Education via a Virtual Research Community-based Platform

41-B Comparing Student Learning Outcomes in Onsite versus Online Delivery of a Clinical Microbiology Course

42-C Producing New Forms Of Engaging: High-benefit Assessment for Undergraduate Science Students

43-A Determinants of Student Success in a Hybrid Microbiology Course

44-B Using Self-assessment to Increase Student Metacognition and Learning Gains

45-C Previous Exposure to Topics in a Test Format Yields Initial Improvement on Exam Scores for Those Topics in an Introductory Biology Course

46-A Assessing Improvement in Student Data Analysis Skills in a Microbiology Course for Allied Health Majors

47-B The Use of Team-based Learning in a Non-majors Human Genetics Course

TEACHING APPROACHES

48-C The Use of Personal Narrative Case Studies to Facilitate Team-based Learning in an Allied Health Microbiology Course

49-A The Use of Contemporary Novels as a Tool for Engaged Learning in the Undergraduate Microbiology Classroom

50-B Preliminary Results of Using Scientific Teaching in an Undergraduate Medical Bacteriology Course

51-C Discussion Boards as a Means of Promoting Student Engagement, Formulating Fact-based Opinions about Scientific Advancements, Communicating Scientific Findings with the Public, and Creating Citizen Scientists

52-A Printed Identification Key or Web-based Identification Guide: An Effective Tool for Species Identification?

53-B Improving Student Outcomes in Introductory Majors Biology: Popular Media

54-C The Use of Primary Literature in the Freshman Biology Laboratory

55-A Novel Intensive Use of Primary Literature is Effective in Diverse Student Cohorts, Extending the C.R.E.A.T.E. Approach

56-B Reading Primary Research Articles Improves Literacy Skills in an Introductory Biology Course

57-C Modeling Real-life Decision-making Actively Engages Students in Primary Literature Analysis

58-A Promoting Students’ Understanding of Scientific Research through Asynchronous Online Discussions

59-B Your Students Don’t Know the First Thing About Meiosis!

60-C Guided Worksheet Discussion Sessions Improve Student Success and Understanding of Complex Phenomena in an Introductory Biology Course

61-A Using Student Evaluations to Improve Teaching and Learning

62-B Incorporating Primary Research Articles into Case Studies to Stimulate Research-oriented Learning

63-C Web-based Tutorial Support for Academic Success in Anatomy and Physiology

64-A Writing-to-learn Activities as a Measure of Ecological Literacy

65-B Student-driven Modeling Exercise Reveals Gaps in Knowledge and Reasoning about Chromosome Structure and Behavior