Pedagogical Design

 
Hypothesis Course Goals  Conveying Content   Building Process

Hypothesis:

I tested the hypothesis that engagement of students in specific research projects that allow them to experience activities that science professionals routinely perform will

1) promote student interest in and mastery of sophisticated science content
2) help students develop scientific process skills
3) help students gain closer familiarity with scientific culture

I prefixed such projects as "mock experiential" because through diverse role-playing experiences in these projects, students link classroom learning with the practice of science in the scientific community. 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Course Goals:

Content:

1. Understand why and how cells are the units of life and why you should care about cells
2. Appreciate that cells hold the key to both human health & human disease 

Process:

3. Increase student engagement in the world of contemporary biology research
4. Increase student understanding of the scientific discovery process and how to think scientifically
5. Increase student ability to communicate science effectively both orally and in written form
6. Increase student ability to collaborate with peers and integrate individual talents



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Conveying Content:

Most of the course's content is conveyed via classroom lectures and discussions. As a primary textbook, I use Essential Cell Biology in near entirety. For one week near the beginning of the semester, students take full instructional responsibility to discuss The Double Helix, two primary articles, and an essay reflecting Rosalind Franklin. Together, these works examine the fundamental discoveries that established the central dogma of molecular biology and the scientific culture of that time. I provide content packets for every classroom session, so that instead of taking notes, students listen, ask questions, and initiate discussions. To evaluate proficiency, I conduct numerous quizzes and two exams. The projects described later also provide content by requiring students to research topics learned in the classroom in considerable depth. 



 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Building Process:

Process skills are imparted via five laboratory experiments during the first half of the course and  five mock experiential research projects during the second half . Students perform experiments from five laboratory modules as showwn in the syllabus. Each year, one of these lab modules is expanded into an investigative lab carried out over multiple weeks; the others remain single session labs. Evaluation of laboratory work involves traditional and non-traditional components. As traditional assessment, I grade student laboratory notebooks twice for completeness, organization, data presentation and analysis, and strength of discussion. As non-traditional assessment, I require that students only write one report in the form of a primary research article for the multiweek investigative lab (further elaborated as the fifth mock experiential research project  (5th project ).



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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