Mathematics provides us with tools to capture and explain phenomena in everyday biology, even at the nanoscale. The most regularly applied technique to biology is differential equations. In this article, we seek to present how differential equation models of biological phenomena, particularly the flow through ion channels, can be used to motivate…

It has been shown that many people do not understand how scientific knowledge is built and accepted, even after scientific education. One way to deal with this problem is through teaching about the Nature of Science (NOS). NOS can be understood as a pedagogical construct aiming to foster the understanding of the main characteristics of scientific…

Explaining biological phenomena requires understanding how different processes function and describing interactions between components at various levels of organization over time and space in biological systems. This is a desired competency yet is a complicated and often challenging task for undergraduate biology students. Therefore, we need a…

When students use metacognition, they can more effectively problem solve on their own and in groups. Most metacognition studies have focused on individual learners while a few studies have begun to explore the metacognition learners use in social settings. Little is known about the comparison between how an individual student may use metacognition…

Biological interactions and associations underlie life's processes at every level of organization. Here, we present a classroom activity that allows students to visualize and understand the connections within almost any biological system, from cell functions to ecological relationships. We recommend that instructors implement this activity to…

The central dogma of molecular biology describes the transfer of genetic information from nucleic acids to proteins and stipulates that the system cannot work in the reverse direction. As a fundamental principle in biology, the dogma is as influential as it is controversial. Some commentators have debated the central dogma's empirical accuracy…

This study is the first phase of an on-going study. It shows the first implementation of a teaching-learning sequence designed to facilitate the understanding of the notion of a living being in initial teacher training using modelling approaches. It aims to analyse the knowledge progression of the participants (N=51) through a retrospective…

Live cell imaging is a standard technique in experimental biology that enables the observation of isolated cells and tissue slices in real time and the testing of cellular responses to changes in buffer composition. However, most live cell imaging devices require the use of dedicated microscopes and/or specialised stage adaptors, and come at a…

Learning Cell Biology is challenging for both sighted and visually impaired students due to its abstract nature and reliance on bidimensional depictions in textbooks, which often fail to capture the biological complexity of cell structures and functions. To implement inclusive learning environments and address the shortage of learning materials…

Big ideas in science education are meant to be interpretive frameworks that empower student learning. Unfortunately, outside of the broad conception of scientific evaluation, there are few theoretical explanations of how this might happen. Therefore, we contribute one such explanation, an instructional concept called integrative analysis wherein…

In a typical undergraduate biology curriculum, students do not dive into research until they first wade through large amounts of content. Biology courses in the first few years of the college curriculum tend to be lecture-based and exam-based courses. As a result, science students are mainly exposed to content knowledge--not the skills scientists…

This study aims to determine misconceptions about interphase, a basic phase in the cell cycle and to address those misconceptions. Meristem cells in plants, stem cells in animals, spermatogonia and oogonia cells, and some cells with partial regeneration ability do not lose dividing ability. However, normal tissue cells other than these are in the…

The Joint Educational Project's (JEP) STEM Education Programs at the University of Southern California (USC) present an elementary-level curriculum centered on the science of stem cells in partnership with Dr. Adam MacLean, an Assistant Professor of Quantitative and Computational Biology at USC for the broader impacts of a National Science…

We present here two accessible ways for enhanced understanding of complex biological structures and their function in undergraduate Biology and Biochemistry classrooms. These methods can be applied for in-class instruction as well as for remote lessons, as they are cheap, easily available and easy to implement. LEGO® bricks and MERGE CUBE based…

In this study, it was aimed to examine the visual content and expressions in the texts in the "Cell Divisions" unit in the 10th Grade Biology textbook of the Ministry of National Education, Secondary Science High School, taught in the 2022-2023 academic year, in terms of scientific content. The data sources of the research, in which the…