Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in General Biology

Evolutionary Analysis Laboratory

with Dr. Nick Downey (UWL), and Joel Abraham (SimBiotic)

Testing how well a new EvoBeaker simulation from SimBiotic software teaches students to make predictions from evolutionary theory.

How students learn: Polarity.    

with Dr. Nick Downey, supported by the UWL Center for Teaching and Learning.

For many students, the Cell Biology portion of Introductory Biology is the most difficult portion of the class. This is due, in part, to the abstract nature of the topic itself, but also due to many students failing to comprehend a fundamental principle in the introduction to the topic. This principle is atomic electronegativity, which determines molecular polarity, a fundamental but abstract concept that links basic chemistry with biology. By the end of the introductory course we expect students to understand why a certain molecular is polar, recognize a polar molecule, and apply that information to advanced topics such as protein-membrane interactions. However, students consistently fail to comprehend the basic principle of polarity and therefore fail to correctly apply this concept to more advanced subjects. This gap in understanding then follows them throughout the class and into subsequent biology classes. 

We are designing new lab activities, lecture activities, and take-home assignments that attempt to discover where the stumbling blocks are for students learning this topic and remove those blocks to help students learn.