Bi 112: Gene Expression
The process of how DNA is used to build a protein product, can be tricky for students. We ask them to use new vocabulary and abstract ideas to describe this process. I find students get caught up in the pieces and miss the bigger picture of how the pieces fit together. I decided to address the UDL principles of Engagement, specifically fostering community and collaboration, as well as Representation, illustrate through multiple media. This activity also includes multiple means of expression, using physical action to demonstrate the processes of gene expression
For this capstone project, I decided to develop a directed learning activity as an additional learning resource for my students. This is completed in class in small groups, after students have been introduced to the concept at home via a recorded lecture on transcription and translation.
On the second lecture meeting, we begin by using these cards (cut out) to place the steps of gene expression in order, while identifying important molecules and practicing describing the processes. Answers are recorded on a separate sheet, and students work in pairs. After reviewing the steps and important molecules, we physically act out the process of gene expression. This physical representation also allows students to review their knowledge of cell structures and the endomembrane system.
How it works:
Students are introduced to the protein shh, which stands for sonic hedgehog protein
Using the walls of the class as the plasma membrane, students are assigned to act as one of the organelles used in the process of producing shh
The instructor leads the acting out, beginning by prompting students to collaboratively decide where to place the relevant organelles (themselves) within the cell. This reinforces the connection between structure and function of cell structures, discussed in a previous week.
Props, such as a box to act as a vesicle, and print outs are coordinated by the instructor as students work together to move through the process of gene expression
Using the review questions attached, students draw out the process they acted out, as well as apply their knowledge to new scenarios involved in gene expression.
What worked, what needs to be improved
This multimodal approach seemed to be overall, very effective. While students haven't taken their summative assessment on this topic yet, their formative assessments indicated they initially have a solid understanding of this process. The acting out was initially awkward, but by leaning into the humor of it, students seemed to enjoy the process while getting the opportunity to "see" how these processes fit together with what they've learned previously about cell structures.
While I do not teach a DPR designated course, aspects of the DPR seminar series are present in all of my courses. The aspect which resonates with me the most, which I will address here, is how we see the unequal distribution of power within science and healthcare impacting our current society and discipline. Towards the beginning of the Principles of Biology series, a three class sequence for students majoring in a biological sciences or related field, we investigate the historical context and scientific thinking which Darwin was steeped in as he was developing his hypothesis of natural selection being a driving force of evolution. I approach this topic using a jig-saw style activity, having each group investigate and draw conclusions about each the major contributions of each scientist, which they then share out to the larger group. Once we've established who the major players are and why they're important, I push my students to think about the societal influences at play as well. Through leading questions and discussions, I help my mostly white students realize that all the people we've talked about are white, and they're all men from European countries. I approach this discussion with humility, being open with the fact that I am imperfect and am still developing my repetoire of tools to discuss issues of race and oppression, and acknowledging that I am doing so from a place of priviliege myself. This conversation, especially because it occurs early in the term, helps set the tone for students to critically analyze the societal context of scientific knowledge as we move through other topics throughout the course sequence.
I facilitated a community of practice focusing on how cognitive biases regularly hinder us in our everyday lives, including as learners, and explored mechanisms to overcome those biases or use them to our advantage as educators. Thinking 101 by Woo-kyoung Ahn was the text we utilized, while pulling in relevant primary literature papers for each meeting. I was particularly drawn to the causal attribution bias section, the idea that as humans, we have a tendency to incorrectly attribute the outcome of an event to irrelevant factors. I regularly see this happening in my students, particularly around assessments. As many of my students are new to thinking and learning in a scientific setting, and the expectations of science courses are often more rigorous than previously experienced for first term students, testing anxiety runs rampant. While I have several pre-test activities that I use to help students learn how to alleviate testing anxiety prior to the exam, for our purposes here I am discussing a reimagined exam wrapper that I developed with the causal attribution error in mind to help students process their perception and performance of the exam, as well as help them think ahead for how to learn from those experiences. When students concentrate on things within their control, like their study habits, they feel more empowered and confident because they know they are taking concrete steps to prepare. This sense of control can alleviate feelings of helplessness, a common contributor to anxiety.
A key facet to equitable teaching practices is being clear about learning expectations, as well as how to achieve them. I aim to make the hidden culture and expectations of college visible, to remove barriers that students with less experience or social capital associated with college learning may experience. Attending The Great Teaching Seminar (June 2024) provided me with an opportunity to reflect and receive feedback on one of the practices I use to make hidden expectations of learning explicit, and I decided to share out how I show students my exam writing practice, and how they can use this same formula in all of their classes to predict what types of questions will be on an upcoming exam. To do this, I first introduce students to Bloom's taxonomy. I created a handout with question stems that are specific to this class to help students see how each level of the taxonomy could appear as an exam question specific to the concepts we cover. After discussing and learning about Bloom's, students break into groups to write questions at the remembering and understanding level, each group is specific to a content topic. We then use these questions as the basis for a review game which we play in class.
During the Great Teaching Seminar, feedback and ideas I received from other participants included:
Having students use the questions they write to create a quizlet deck for everyone to study from later
Having students use the questions to build a study guide as a group google doc
Reflection on exam questions: having students review the exam, determine the Bloom's level, and assess why they answered the question how they did. What was difficult or easy about the question?
All of these appeal to me to implement in my classes, however I am particularly drawn to the group google doc idea as this will be the most accessible way to collect their knowledge for future studying purposes.
the sessions from NW Bio 2024 was led by a biology instructor from Clatsop Community College showcasing her experience redesigning her general biology class around themes for each major unit. For example, she utilized zombies as a theme to explore what it means to be alive, energy drinks to learn about what energy is and how cells transform energy from one form to another. The particular implementation she used was something I would be interested in pursuing when teaching a BI 10x class in the future, however it requires some modification for use in BI 112, which is the class I most often teach. As BI 112 is more structured and geared specifically for preparation for the Anatomy and Physiology series, we have less time to explore topics outside of human biology and healthcare. However, I see this idea of themes aligning with some case studies I've already developed, and bringing these case studies into my classes for each unit as opposed to one at the end of the term to tie together the big themes of the class. I have redesigned my course to run in fall 2024 with each week centering on a question which helps students intersect that week's concepts, often abstract and detached, to something relevant to their lives. For instance, when we discuss osmosis, bringing in sports drinks and providing space for students to explore the components of sports drinks that make it isotonic to the blood, and what happens during exercise that requires electrolytes be replenished. A grounding in everyday phenomenon is key here.