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…

Heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, exhibit intrinsic contractility in vitro. We found that commercially-available mammalian cardiomyocytes serve as an excellent model system for studying the cytoskeleton and cellular contractility, fundamental topics in undergraduate cell and molecular biology courses. Embryonic rat cardiomyocytes were plated…

To reduce the cost of educational materials needed by students, we generated a no-cost open educational resources (OER) textbook for an undergraduate level cell biology course. Cell biology is part of the curriculum in various undergraduate degrees for science, technology, engineering, and math majors, therefore generation of OER targets a large…

Undergraduate students of a molecular cell biology laboratory class learn basic recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology by engaging in a Genomic Library Construction Project. Significantly, in this lab project students learn experimental design strategy. The challenge for students is to determine the strategy that they can take to efficiently screen for…

In health courses, the students must be familiar with the effects of intravenous solutions on cell volume and function, a topic where there can be learning difficulties and misunderstandings. Since educational games can assist in understanding complex concepts, we created a game relating solution osmolarity and tonicity to red blood cell volume…

In this laboratory exercise, students have an opportunity to evaluate the potential endocrine disrupting abilities of environmental chemicals of their choice using human cell culture. Over the course of 9 weeks, students learn how to aseptically handle and manipulate cells, perform and analyze a cytotoxicity assay and an enzyme-linked…

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…

Within the eukaryotic cell, the actin cytoskeleton is a crucial structural framework that maintains cellular form, regulates cell movement and division, and facilitates the internal transportation of proteins and organelles. External cues induce alterations in the actin cytoskeleton primarily through the activation of Rho GTPases, which then bind…

A broadly applicable semester-long course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE)-inspired organic II laboratory course was developed from an engaging story supported by the current literature surrounding paraben use in consumer products. The project involves the synthesis of brominated parabens followed by an investigation into the…

Concept mapping (CM) can be an effective strategy to facilitate understanding-based learning of complex and abstract scientific content. In our study, we tried to answer two questions that have not yet been clarified: (1) How effective is CM if the learners do not have the textual learning material available when constructing their concept maps…

An optional electronic resource (e-resource) that requiring subscription was offered to 2nd year students studying university cell biology. An online survey attitudes identified cost, the relative (lack) ease of use, and a "general preference", as primary reasons for not utilizing the e-resource. The ability to access graphics, videos,…

This undergraduate laboratory experiment is designed for first-year general chemistry students with the goal of introducing the brilliant colors and magnetic properties of transition metal complexes within a bioinorganic/cell biology context. In the first laboratory period, a coordination complex formed from ferric chloride and maltol is…

Flow cytometry has become an important tool in the life sciences and medical fields, yet there are often few opportunities for undergraduate students to receive training with this type of instrumentation as part of life science curricula at many colleges and universities. We describe a straightforward laboratory exercise designed for a…

Flow cytometry is a versatile and high throughput technique for rapid and efficient biological testing. It requires a high level of conceptual, technical, and analytical skills to properly design experiments, effectively operate flow cytometry machines, and analyze the data. A lack of training and development of any of these three skills can…

While zinc (Zn[superscript 2+]) is a vital ion for cell function and human health, we are still learning about how Zn[superscript 2+] concentration and localization is regulated and the role that Zn[superscript 2+] fluctuations may play in regulating cell signaling and cell fate. Here, we use fluorescent tools to study the interaction between…