Undergraduate scientific research experiences provide students unscripted, active learning opportunities where the students take the lead in inquiry, problem solving, and analysis. Biology and chemistry majors at St. John Fisher College participate in a competitive 10-week summer research experience mentored by a faculty member. Evaluation of the…

With over 1,400 known disease-causing organisms in humans alone, and hundreds of named infections, the realm of Medical Microbiology is both fascinating and intimidating. The wealth of information covered in this subject area often demands much memorization that can be difficult to handle. By integrating key concepts and terminology of this…

Histological assessment of tissues is a critical component of diagnosing diseases and determining disease severity or stage. In order to fully appreciate tissue pathology, an understanding of healthy tissue layers is required. Students traditionally learn this information by memorizing different layers within healthy tissue. This is often a…

Undergraduate students often lack opportunities to comprehend, present, and produce scientific literature as part of their regular curriculum. In courses that have already been already developed, students either analyzed a few journal articles and/or studied disciplinary content typically with the assistance of a textbook. In this study, I have…

Histotechnology is commonly used in medical research, pathological testing, and pharmaceutical development. We designed a three-week, inquiry-based laboratory module that helps prepare students for biomedical careers by teaching them tissue sampling, processing, and imaging. Rats were treated with streptozotocin (a known diabetogen) while control…

As a foundational evolutionary concept, the Hardy-Weinberg principle should be taught enthusiastically in introductory biology courses. In a companion Perspectives paper, I made the case that students are often given limited or incorrect information on the HW principle due to a lack of mastery or confidence on the part of their teachers. The…

The Hardy-Weinberg principle (HWP) is a fundamental model upon which much of the discipline of population genetics is based. Despite its significance, students often leave introductory biology courses with only a shallow understanding of the use and implications of the HWP. I contend that this deficiency in student comprehension is too-often a…

Emphasizing scientific literacy in the core science curriculum promotes informed students within a liberal arts education. In our Introduction to Biology course, which enrolls predominantly humanities majors in their final science course of their academic careers, we designed a project to advance these analytical processes through the deliberate…

Numerous studies have examined the use of active learning methods in undergraduate courses, suggesting that these methods increase learning and retention as well as student engagement. In order to investigate the benefits of particular active learning assignments involving presentations of 3-dimensional simulations in an introductory biology…

We describe a 3-hour session that provides students with the opportunity to review basic lab concepts and important techniques using real life scenarios. We began with two separate student-engaged discussions to remind/reinforce some basic concepts in physiology and review calculations with respect to chemical compounds. This was followed by…

The importance of biodiversity to the health of our planet is increasingly being discussed, not only by scientists, but by the public at large. Therefore, an understanding of how human activities are affecting biodiversity is vital for informed participation in society, and thus it is an important topic for liberal arts education. Here, I present…

We describe a pair of fully integrated courses designed to teach biology to non-majors in a manner that connects authentically to the liberal arts. The co-taught courses were organized around the question: What does it mean to be human? Students investigated this question in the context of three topics: dis/ability, race, and sex and gender. In…

In response to calls for pedagogical reforms in undergraduate biology courses to decrease student attrition rates and increase active learning, this article describes one faculty member's conversion from traditional teaching methods to more engaging forms of practice. Partially told as a narrative, this article illustrates a.) the way many faculty…

In the undergraduate biology laboratory, many freshmen are apathetic towards the content of the course. Curriculum based reader's theater (CRBT) is an instructional method that can increase interest the students in the content of the course while improving student communication, collaboration and understanding. This research is an examination of…

Capstone experiences have high educational impact with a number of approaches for biology. In most capstones, students produce a major project, typically as an undergraduate research experience, with a primary goal to integrate students' learning. At Augustana, our senior biology capstone uses history and philosophy to frame students' reflections…