Science should provide students an accurate and contemporary education on genetic influence, particularly how it impacts trait variability and developmental norms. Stories involving familial, racial, and sexual differences routinely appear in the popular media and sales of over-the-counter genetic tests are mounting. Unfortunately, research…

This short paper presents an educational approach to teaching three popular methods for encoding DNA sequences: one-hot encoding, binary encoding, and integer encoding. Aimed at bioinformatics and computational biology students, our learning intervention focuses on developing practical skills in implementing these essential techniques for…

Transcription is the critical first step in expressing a gene, during which an RNA polymerase (RNAP) synthesizes an RNA copy of one strand of the DNA that encodes a gene. Here we describe a laboratory experiment that uses a single assay to probe two important steps in transcription: (1) RNAP binding to DNA, and (2) the transcriptional activity of…

In this article, we describe curricular materials developed to engage undergraduate students in evolutionary thinking around antibiotic resistance using the MEGA-plate experiment (Microbial Evolution and Growth Arena). This elegant and visual experiment, developed by the Kishony Lab, shows the development of antibiotic resistance on the timescale…

This study aims to determine the development and feasibility of biology magazine submaterial inheritance traits as a learning media for class IX junior high school. Engaging and effective learning media can increase students' understanding and interest in the material presented. The research method used is research and development (R&D) using…

Graduates in biology or genetics learn Mendel's laws and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium as students, and they know, use, and sometimes teach these concepts. However, it is unusual to learn about stochastic processes during the graduate studies of these topics, although the applications of Markov chains in the fields of genetics or biology are…

Both nanopore-based DNA sequencing and CRISPR/Cas-based gene editing represent groundbreaking innovations in molecular biology and genomics, offering unprecedented insights into and tools for working with genetic information. For students, reading, editing, and even writing DNA will be part of their everyday life. We have developed a laboratory…

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of the 5E model on the understanding of the molecular genetics concepts taught in general biology. The research had a quantitative focus and a quasi-experimental design, and the participants were 40 undergraduate students from a private university in the west of Puerto Rico, which were…

Modeling is an important tool in science teaching and learning. Constructing a model instead of replicating one is more meaningful and better supports student learning than analyzing premade models (Firooznia 2015; Gouvea and Passmore 2017; Takemura and Kurabayashi 2014). Models include physical replications of a scientific phenomenon or analyzing…

This study aimed to examine the impact of a context-based relating, experiencing, applying, cooperating, and transferring (REACT) strategy on the scientific reasoning (SR) abilities of tenth grade students. A mixed-method approach and convergent embedded experimental design were used. One hundred thirty-one students participated in the study in…

It is 157 years since Mendel presented his results on hybridisation in peas to the Brünn Society for Natural Science. The discipline of genetics has dramatically changed since then, with technological advancements revealing multifactorial causation and trait variability. Whilst none of this complexity featured in the discovery of classical…

In recent years, single-subject experimental courses have not been able to meet the demands of the comprehensive development of life sciences. This study is based on two fundamental disciplines, molecular biology and metabolomics, with the analysis and intervention of tumor-related genes as the starting point. A comprehensive experimental course…

In the context of England, secondary biology education is dominated by sub-organismal systems, such as physiology, often to the detriment of evolution & ecology and impeding an integrated understanding of biology. This paper proposes a framework that teachers could use to help them consider how the learning of physiological and developmental…

Understanding genetics, an important topic in the study of biology, is critical for scientific literacy in agriculture, health, and forensic investigations. However, it has been observed that teachers find genetics difficult to teach and pupils do not perform well in it. Teachers can use expository teaching or active learning methods, but the…

Teaching chemistry and biology students about biologics design remains challenging despite its increasing importance in pharmaceutical development. Monoclonal antibodies, commonly called mAbs, are the most popular biologics. They have been developed into drugs to treat various diseases in the past decades. Multiple challenges exist for designing…