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ERIC Number: EJ1288357
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1470-8175
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
BarcodingGO: A Problem-Based Approach to Teach Concepts Related to Environmental-DNA and Bioinformatics
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, v49 n2 p210-215 Mar-Apr 2021
In this paper, we propose and describe a new approach, named BarcodingGO, to teach environmental DNA and bioinformatics concepts to undergraduate or graduate students in molecular biology-related fields. The learning pipeline proposed here aims to solve a simulated environmental monitoring problem, in which a biodiversity survey of a particular region is needed to assess the impact of an environmental disaster. Biological surveys, in the context of environmental DNA studies, are performed by analyzing the DNA released by organisms living in a specific environment. We proposed a scenario in which quick response (QR) codes represented a given environmental DNA, and they were positioned in a scattered pattern across two regions of the classroom (representing pre and post scenarios for a particular environmental disaster). The QR codes redirect to a page that contained a fictional representation of an animal or a plant. Students then survey the region's biodiversity using QR code scanning applications on their cell phones by "capturing" these organisms as an analogy to the "Pokémon GO" game of the international "Pokémon" franchise. We believe this method (or even an adaptation of it) can be an essential tool to engage students in molecular biology classes. Moreover, this approach can help to teach how modern genomics and bioinformatics tools can be applied to solve real problems in conservation biology.
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A