Biology Teaching and Learning

Students in an interdisciplinary undergraduate introductory course were required to complete a group video project focused on nutrition and healthy eating. A mixed-methods approach to data collection involved observing and rating video footage of group work sessions and individual and focus group interviews. These data were analyzed and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the assignment in light of two student learning outcomes and two student development outcomes at the University of Minnesota. Positive results support the continued inclusion of the project within the course, and recommend the assignment to other programs as a viable means of promoting both content learning and affective behavioral objectives.

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The guidance of axons to their targets represents a key stage in the assembly of the nervous system, linking the early inductive interactions that establish neuronal identity to the later steps of synapse formation. Neurons are required to extend axons through a variety of cellular environments, and the task of perceiving, integrating, and responding to the myriad signals present in the immediate vicinity of the axon falls to the growth cone, a sensory and motor apparatus located at the distal tip of the developing axon. Attempts to unravel the mechanisms of axonal guidance have centered on four main issues: the cellular strategies used to influence the rate of extension and the orientation of growth cones; the nature of molecules in the local environment of the axon that control growth cone behavior; the identity of receptors on the surface of growth cones that respond to these guidance cues; and the intracellular machinery that integrates multiple extracellular signals to produce the coordinated and directed response of growth cone navigation.

The NRC framework for science education and the NGSS have created a need for additional research on and development of curricula that involve both modern modeling tools and engineering practices. This is especially the case for biology education, which traditionally include neither. We describe a quasi-­‐ experimental design study to test the effectiveness of model-­‐based instruction focused on the concepts of natural selection and population ecology that makes use of Excel modeling tools (MBI-­‐E). The overarching storyline of the 4-­‐week curriculum unit revolves around an engineering design task of controlling an invasive species. Diverse model-­‐based activities are woven throughout the unit, beginning with storyboards and data tables, and gradually moving to graphs and equations in Excel. The study takes place in the Midwest within ten high schools teaching regular level introductory biology classes, with implementing teachers and matched schools using traditional instruction....