In this work, we present the results of an undergrad student from the perspective of its first approach as a principal researcher in a project. In order to gain practical experience, one of the options for students that have interest in pursuing a postgraduate program corresponds to a research stay in a laboratory of their selected field…

Undergraduate laboratory exercises addressing aspects of cancer biology such as increased cell proliferation, gain-of-function signaling mutations and tumour formation often rely on tissue culture or even small mammal models. Many departments have limited or no access to these tools, and even well-equipped departments face logistical problems when…

This chapter provides an overview on how the use of Virtual Reality apps and related activities enhanced student learning in conjunction with a low-tech, team-based, active learning assessment. Our approach for integrating emerging immersive technology in a Cell Biology class, a first of its kind at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, was…

There is a collective agreement about the necessity of content knowledge (CK) as a prerequisite for pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). However, most PCK models lack explanatory power because of the missing link between CK and PCK. Thus, the study firstly attempts to develop a theoretical model that consists of knowledge of students' learning…

The protection of earth's biodiversity requires a sophisticated understanding of how human activities can affect the relative abundances of species in natural ecological communities. Here, we report on an introductory biology laboratory activity in which students quantified biodiversity while investigating one of the most important controls on the…

Conrad Hal Waddington's epigenetic landscape is now a central paradigm in evolutionary developmental biology. This article proposes that it should be adopted into middle-years (ages 11-16) biology curricula as a way of visualising the interactions of the genome with the environment. The epigenetic landscape is explained, with some biographical…

Although many studies demonstrate that online education is as good as face-to-face education with regard to learning gains, course grades, and other near-term metrics, there is a major gap in exploring the long-term outcomes of online vs. face-to-face education, particularly in STEM programs. In this study, the effect of course delivery method on…

In the Fall of 2016, we created an integrated introductory biology/chemistry course for first-semester students at Wellesley College. This course was designed to meaningfully integrate chemistry and molecular cell biology while also building community and fostering mentorship both inside and outside the classroom. Here, we describe the assessment…

Core chemistry ideas can be useful tools for explaining biological phenomena, but students often have difficulty understanding these core ideas within general chemistry. Connecting these ideas to biologically relevant situations is even more difficult. These difficulties arise, in part, from a lack of explicit opportunities in relevant courses for…

Australia-wide consensus was reached on seven core concepts of physiology, which included homeostasis, a fundamental concept for students to understand as they develop their basic knowledge of physiological regulatory mechanisms. The term homeostasis is most commonly used to describe how the internal environment of mammalian systems maintains…

Research has shown improved reading following visual magnocellular training in individuals with dyslexia. Many studies have demonstrated how the magnocellular pathway controls visual spatial attention. Therefore, we have investigated the relationship between magnocellular pathway and visual spatial attention deficits in dyslexia in order to better…

With the benefits of low cost, energy efficiency, and environmental protection, photocatalytic hydrogen production is considered to be the most promising technology for the development of a clean and sustainable society. However, the utilization of photocatalytically generated hydrogen is not very common yet. Therefore, tertiary education urgently…

Several educational trials on handling viruses and or virology have been reported. However, given their small size, direct visualization of these viruses under a microscope has been rarely performed. The so-called "giant viruses" are larger than other viruses with a particle size greater than 200-300 nm. This enables their direct…

Among the basic aims of education, raising students as individuals that have the knowledge regarding the field as science literates and relate and reflect this knowledge to their daily life takes part. For this purpose, the curriculum and lessons should be given importance to daily life. At this point, in order for teachers to be able to include…

This sequence of labs was developed for an upper level undergraduate cell biology course at Fairfield University. The labs are based on the use of the K562 human erythroleukemia cell line, a model system that is exceptionally amenable to an undergraduate cell biology lab course due to its ease of maintenance and propagation and usefulness for…