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Cyberbiosecurity is an emerging field at the convergence of life sciences and the digital world. As technological advances improve operational processes and expose them to vulnerabilities in agriculture and life sciences, cyberbiosecurity has become increasingly important for addressing contemporary concerns. Unfortunately, at this time, educational opportunities for cyberbiosecurity workforce preparation are limited. Stakeholders' perceptions may help guide cyberbiosecurity workforce preparation efforts and bridge the gap from the classroom to the field. Toward this end, we identified stakeholders in education, private industry, and state agencies in Virginia and sought their input through both an online survey and focus groups. Findings suggest limited awareness and understanding of cyberbiosecurity. Results indicate that both formal and non-formal learning components--including short modules and comprehensive standalone courses--are important for cyberbiosecurity education programming. Stakeholders tied potential success of education programming to systems thinking and collaborative designs. Moreover, results reveal insights into concerns at the convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT), which is central to effective workforce preparation for today's agriculture and life sciences professionals. Continuous interdisciplinary collaboration and academiaindustry partnerships will be critical for developing robust cyberbiosecurity education and securing the future of agriculture.

Students' level of engagement and approach to learning can significantly impact their overall success in a course. This study used the student course engagement questionnaire (SCEQ) to assess the engagement levels of first-year undergraduate students studying three different introductory units (chemistry, biology and nursing) at a regional Australian university. No significant differences in engagement were found between genders, or for students studying different units. One of the most notable factors influencing engagement was student age, with students under 20 years of age scoring significantly less than mature age students across nearly all measures of engagement. Tertiary educators could use several complementary approaches to improve engagement in younger students, including the use of interactive multimedia and social media to connect with students, making the unit content relatable and relevant to students' lives, providing authentic and engaging assessment items, and pursuing interactive approaches to lectures and tutorials. Given that many university students take an introductory science course during their first year, these results are likely to be relevant across a range of disciplines.

To make sound science-related decisions in a global society, individuals must possess a science identity, or see themselves as capable of doing and understanding science. Science identity development begins in school-aged years, when multilingual students (MLs) are often marginalised in the classroom due to language challenges and low expectations placed on them. This descriptive multiple case study explores the science identities expressed by six US high school MLs in their biology classrooms. Data from semi structured interviews were analysed through qualitative coding methods. Secondary data sources included field notes from observations conducted in each student's classroom six times during the school year. Results revealed that all MLs expressed science identity indicators, including feeling like a scientist, having a personal interest in science, and seeing science as related to their worlds. Other important identity indicators were not expressed among all students, such as views of themselves as 'good' science students, doing or using science outside of school, and career aspirations. Over half of MLs cited language as a direct barrier to their science identities. The study makes several contributions to the field of science education, which are detailed. Implications are presented for nurturing MLs' science identities in the formal classroom.

This study investigated how newcomer emergent bilinguals made meaning in two 9th-grade biology classrooms. Methods relevant to naturalistic inquiry were used to collect and analyze data. Findings indicate that newcomers bridged aspects of personal experiences with social competencies valued in classrooms through using heritage languages, engaging as brokers and collaborators, and attempting to realize goals of learning English and content simultaneously. Findings also show that misalignments between social competence and personal experience constrained meaning-making. This study illustrates a need for activities that reflect and expand newcomer resources and experiences, and for activities that can take shape through student participation.

This exploratory study examines an instructional activity in which undergraduate biology students at a Canadian university who, after receiving instruction from an expert science communicator on how to publicly address pseudoscience in online media, were asked to research online a pseudoscientific news of their choice, demonstrate how they would publicly address a pseudoscience-believing audience, and self-assess their communicative performances. An analysis of students' written reflections showed that participation in this activity fostered recognition of the importance of dialogue, with most students adopting an audience-centered (dialogic) stance that took into account the public's interpersonal needs (respect, empathy), communicative needs (comprehensible input) and epistemic needs (scientific knowledge). Yet, inspection of video-recordings of their oral presentations revealed that some students took a combative communicative approach - communicated in ways that suggested a confrontational attitude toward the public that was inconsistent with their dialogic views. Acknowledging interpersonal difficulties associated with the act of implementing their dialogical views, these students stressed the challenging nature of public science communication about fake news. It is argued that, fully developing communicative competence to address fake news requires extended and sustained instruction that allows students to progressively hone their communication skills.

Connections between students and faculty on campus may influence students' sense of belonging, and a greater sense of belonging has a positive effect on student success. We developed a low-cost, faculty-led program of community-building events and implemented the program in the biology department at a small liberal-arts institution with the goal of improving students' sense of community. Student responses to surveys indicated that the majority of students felt connected to faculty and students in the department; however, Black or African American students initially felt a lower level of connection to faculty than did white students. After implementing our series of community-building events, students surveyed reported high levels of satisfaction with the events. Furthermore, there was a trend toward a higher percentage of Black or African American students than white students reporting that they were more likely to reach out to faculty after participating in the community-building events. Thus, our low-cost program improved connections between students and faculty in the biology department. Collectively, our results suggest that academic departments can implement community-building programs to improve students' sense of belonging.

Flipped instruction--the replacement of traditional in-class lecture with at-home, multimedia instruction--continues to grow in popularity. The existing evidence to support its effectiveness in K-12 science classrooms lacks substantial quantitative data to warrant such an enthusiastic embrace. The objective of this study was to clarify the relationship between flipped instruction and student learning in a high school classroom context, as well as to understand the interactions between students and technological tools that took place during flipped instruction. This quasi-experimental mixed-methods study compared learning outcomes in high school Biology students (N= 303) who experienced a flipped lesson to those of peers who experienced a control, traditional lecture-based lesson on the same topic. Average gains from pre-test to post-test were significantly higher for flipped students. Flipped students' completion of the out-of-class online learning activity was particularly important. Interview data suggest that the multimedia nature of the online activity, as well as its convenience, contributed the significant gains of flipped students.

The integration of ideas, defined as the process by which students organize and connect new knowledge for deeper understanding, is essential for lifelong learning. (Government of Canda, Employment and Social Development Canada, 2017; Rateau, Kaufman, & Cletzer, 2015). Integration across sub-disciplines in biology requires an understanding of organizational scales (molecular to ecosystems) and time frames (physiological to evolutionary), and how they inter-relate. The challenge lies in allowing students opportunity to integrate knowledge, given that sub-disciplines are taught in relative isolation through individual courses. To promote integration, we designed a poster assignment in which ~700 students in three foundation courses worked together (130 groups) to investigate empirical research in multiple subdisciplines. While a major goal was to enrich understanding by integrating knowledge, we also sought to develop transferable skills (e.g. teamwork, information literacy). Hence, this cross-course assignment provides benefits that exceed that of equivalent assignments in individual courses; we believe that "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts." Assignment grades indicated that the majority (81%) of students successfully met or exceeded our expectations. This assignment lends support to the positive impact of learning communities, is easily adapted to other disciplines, and aligns with calls for educational reform advocating for curiosity-driven learning (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011; Bradforth et al., 2015).

This study aimed to adapt the Get Set2 quiz and design a diagnostic quiz for implementation under assumed knowledge admissions into university science degrees. The GetReady Quiz that was designed, comprised five modules benchmarked against the high school curriculum in Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology. The significance of this study stems from the development of an alternate approach to support students, with deficiencies in mathematical skills, who enter university STEM programmes with recommended foundational knowledge in mathematics and science. A mixed-mode research methodology was employed in which quiz design was coupled with implementation and evaluation with a pilot study. The GetReady Quiz design featured five discipline modules in Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology, with progression of question difficulty. Knowledge gaps and apparent difficulties for some students with conceptual understanding were evident. Students displayed a realization of their lack of knowledge by reporting that completion of the GetReady Quiz helped them identify areas for revision. The findings indicated that the GetReady quiz was appropriate for assumed knowledge self-diagnosis for commencing students. Approaches to diagnostic testing, such as the GetReady Quiz, should be recommended, if not compulsory, for university students who commence study with STEM assumed knowledge admission.

The purpose of this paper is to present an argument for why there is a need to re-envision the underlying culture of undergraduate biology education to ensure the success, retention, and matriculation of Black students. The basis of this argument is the continued noted challenges with retaining Black students in the biological sciences coupled with existing research that implicates science contexts (i.e., the cultural norms, values, and beliefs manifesting through policies and practices) as being the primary source of the challenges experienced by Black students that lead to their attrition. In presenting this argument, we introduce the Re-Envisioning Culture Network, a multigenerational, interdisciplinary network comprised of higher education administrators, faculty, staff, Black undergraduate students majoring in biology, Black cultural artists, community leaders, and STEM professionals to work together to curate and generate resources and tools that will facilitate change. In introducing the REC Network and disseminating its mission and ongoing endeavors, we generate a clarion call for educators, researchers, STEM professionals, students, and the broader community to join us in this endeavor in fostering transformative change.

Educational efforts to promote effective oral science communication at the undergraduate level tend to reinforce strategies related to impression management. Students are taught tactics that can be used to create the impression of competent science communication without reflectively considering epistemological beliefs. Deeper aspects of oral science communication, including underlying epistemic functions, are overlooked. In this article, we examine an undergraduate biology course that includes student reflection about the nature of science communication. Rather than treating science communication as a task of impression management, we prompted students to reflect on their views of science communication. Our findings show that students' oral performances while they give presentations aligned with their personal views of what it means to communicate scientifically. Viewing science communication primarily as a verbal craft (i.e., an activity with a specialized verbal design) encouraged students to make effective use of verbal strategies during presentations. By contrast, students' tendency to overlook visual communication in scientific exchanges led to visual performances in need of improvement. Our findings highlight the need for instructional approaches that offer students opportunities to engage in reflective discussions about what it means to communicate scientifically.

While formative assessments (FAs) can facilitate learning within undergraduate STEM courses, their impact likely depends on many factors, including how instructors implement them, whether students buy-in to them, and how students utilize them. FAs have many different implementation characteristics, including what kinds of questions are asked, whether questions are asked before or after covering the material in class, how feedback is provided, how students are graded, and other logistical considerations. We conducted 38 semi-structured interviews with students from eight undergraduate biology courses to explore how various implementation characteristics of in-class and out-of-class FAs can influence student perceptions and behaviors. We also interviewed course instructors to provide context for understanding student experiences. Using thematic analysis, we outlined various FA implementation characteristics, characterized the range of FA utilization behaviors reported by students, and identified emergent themes regarding the impact of certain implementation characteristics on student buy-in and utilization. Furthermore, we found that implementation characteristics have combined effects on student engagement and that students will tolerate a degree of "acceptable discomfort" with implementation features that contradict their learning preferences. These results can aid instructor reflection and guide future research on the complex connections between activity implementation and student engagement within STEM disciplines.

Science as an enterprise has been and continues to be exclusionary, perpetuating inequities among whose voice is heard as well as what/whose knowledge is recognized as valid. Women, people of color, and persons with disabilities are still vastly outnumbered in science and engineering by their White, male counterparts. These types of imbalances create a gatekeeping culture of inequity and inaccessibility, particularly for traditionally underrepresented students. Science classrooms, especially at the undergraduate level, strive to mimic the broader practices of the scientific community and therefore have tremendous potential to perpetuate the exclusion of certain groups of people. They also have, however, the potential to be a catalyst for equitable participation in science. Utilizing pedagogies of empowerment such as culturally responsive science teaching (CRST) in undergraduate classrooms can mitigate the gatekeeping phenomenon seen in science. Teaching assistants (TAs) engage in more one-on-one time with students than most faculty in undergraduate biology education, yet minimal pedagogical training is offered to them. Therefore, training for improved pedagogical knowledge is important for TAs, but training for CRST is critical as TAs have broad and potentially lasting impact on students. This study explores the ways in which undergraduate biology TAs enact CRST. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, this study examined TAs' reflections, observation field notes, semistructured interviews, and focus groups to develop themes surrounding their enactment of CRST. Findings from this study showed that undergraduate biology TAs enact CRST in ways described by four themes: "Funds of Knowledge Connections," "Differentiating Instruction," "Intentional Scaffolding," and "Reducing Student Anxiety." These findings provide new insights into the ways undergraduate science education might be reimagined to create equitable science learning opportunities for all students.

Teaching and understanding evolution is challenging because students must synthesize several biological processes that are traditionally taught separately. We developed a set of free online lessons and activities centered on a single evolutionary phenomenon -- why deer mice have different fur colors in different subpopulations -- to help high school students better understand how these different biological processes, operating at different scales, work together to influence a single organismal trait. Through scaffolded investigations, guiding questions, model building, and pointed analysis, students learn how ecology, cellular biology, molecular biology, genetic inheritance, and population genetics all work together to influence a shift in fur color over time. Using an innovative multilevel simulation, students manipulate and examine these different processes from the population level all the way down to the DNA level. In this article, we describe the lessons and materials we have developed for high school biology students. We outline the learning goals and highlight the major components of the technology and activities in each lesson. We then provide information on how to access our curricular and support materials, and conclude with user feedback from our pilot testing.

Evaluation of student learning is of paramount importance to the educational community and allows reflection on program successes and weaknesses; however, best practices are hotly debated. This project designed and implemented an assessment system in which an identical, mixed-format assessment was given to all levels of students in the Georgia Gwinnett College biology program at the start of the semester for academic years 2014-15, 2015-16 and Fall of 2016. The assessment contained multiple choice and free-response questions, and evaluated lab reports from core courses in the biology program. This system allows for longitudinal assessment of students, provides quick results for timely action, and can allow analysis of interesting demographic questions. We found student achievement on program goals was lower than previously assessed and student performance on multiple choice questions was higher than free-response questions. There was a modest, but temporary, gain in performance on the ability to effectively communicate science. Additionally, males outperformed their female counterparts and Hispanics underperformed their non-Hispanic peers.

This paper describes the structure and activities of READ (Reading Effectively Across the Disciplines), a pilot initiative to improve students' critical reading skills, disciplinary literacy and academic success. READ employs a multimodal design that consists of faculty training in disciplinary literacy instruction and curricular enhancement, development and implementation of active reading assignments and assessments, peer-led team learning, and the dissemination of discipline-specific teaching and learning resources on an Open Lab site to provide an interactive teaching and learning environment for students and faculty. Empirical evidence of the initial effectiveness of the pilot in three gateway courses in Biology, Electromechanical Engineering Technology, and Marketing showed improvement in student pass rates after implementation of reading strategies and instructional approaches that guide students through the reading process.

Two studies investigated children's and their parents' reasoning about their mental and bodily states during the time prior to biological conception--"preexistence." Prior research has suggested that, in the absence of a religious script, children display untutored intuitions that they existed as largely disembodied emotional beings during preexistence. This research explored whether children who are being taught a formal theological doctrine about preexistence initially display similar default intuitive tendencies and whether these facilitate acquisition of the specific formal religious doctrine that they are learning. Adult (N = 38) and 7-to 12-year-old (N = 59) members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints judged whether their mental and bodily capacities functioned during preexistence. Results showed that by 11-to 12-years of age, children's responses increasingly aligned with their parents' doctrinally-accurate beliefs that they had a full range of mental states (i.e., epistemic, emotions, desires) and certain bodily capacities (i.e., perceptual, external body parts) during preexistence. However, at all ages, children deviated from their parents' theologically-correct views, with children showing greatest consistency in privileging emotions as the continuous core of personhood. Findings converge with afterlife research to support conclusions that, across cultures, children are "intuitive eternalists" about psychological states. However, their intuitive tendencies also act as constraints on formal religious theory-building by primarily expediting the acquisition of those aspects of religious doctrine that are intuition-consistent not the doctrine as a whole. The process of becoming theologically correct therefore takes time and effort suggesting parallels to the process of acquiring formal scientific accuracy.

Biological organisms function as the result of a multitude of complex physical systems all interacting with one another at different length scales and over different time scales. At stages of education below university undergraduate level, this complexity often prevents the discussion of physics within a biological context, subtly implying that the two fields are completely distinct from one another. With science becoming steadily more interdisciplinary at the level of research, this distinction can therefore be quite counterproductive, and potentially even misleading for students with regard to the nature of the scientific method. To explore the interplay between biology and physics with prospective STEM students, we present a series of formal teaching activities utilising a novel piece of experimental equipment we have designed called BioNetGrid. We are able to use BioNetGrid to cover a range of physical concepts at an introductory level, such as Hooke's law, springs in series and parallel, Poisson's ratio, elastic modulus and energy distribution. These can be presented together with specific biological systems as examples, such as biopolymer networks, enabling a discussion of the importance of biophysics in research at an earlier stage in a student's academic career.

The present study examines the exemplification practices of a university biology instructor during a semester-long course. Attention is given specifically to how the instructor approaches "memorable exemplification"--classroom episodes identified by students as a source of memorable learning experiences. A mixed-method research approach is adopted wherein descriptive statistics is combined with qualitative multimodal analysis of video recordings and survey data. Our findings show that memorable experiencing of examples may depend on a multiplicity of factors, including whether students can relate to the example, how unique and extreme the example is, how much detail is provided, whether the example is enacted rather than told, and whether the example makes students feel sad, surprised, shocked, and/or amused. It is argued that, rather than simply assuming that all examples are equally effective, careful consideration needs be given to how exemplification can serve as an important source of memorable science learning experiences.

Hierarchical structure and mechanics are crucial in biological systems as they allow for smaller molecules, such as proteins and sugars, to be used in the construction of large scale biological structures exhibiting properties such as structural support functionality. By exploring the fundamental principles of structure and mechanics at the macroscale, this general theme provides a clear insight into how physics can be applied to the complex questions of biology. With a focus on biopolymer networks and hydrogels, we present a series of interactive activities which cover a range of biophysical concepts at an introductory level, such as viscoelasticity, biological networks and ultimately, hierarchical biomechanics. These activities enable us to discuss multidisciplinary science with a general audience and, given the current trends of research science, this conceptualisation of science is vital for the next generation of scientists.

Science student development of creative thinking ability is not sufficiently promoted and can even be inadvertently discouraged by current methods of instruction. Aimed at addressing this issue, the present study examined an undergraduate biology course in which scientific content instruction and creative drawing were integrated through use of authorised cheat sheets (personalised visual aids that students draw to bring for consultation during course examinations). Through a mixed-method analysis, we sought to identify the forms of student cognition that resulted, and how effective this pedagogical strategy was in promoting student creativity. Results indicate predominance of intermediary levels of student creative performance centred on the alteration of ideas and images encountered during the course (83% of drawings). In contrast, creation of original and novel images was considerably less frequent (only 6% of drawings). Authorised cheat sheets were found to be effective as a pedagogical tool for promoting student creativity in the form of structured imagination. Rather than limitless and unconstrained, the resulting student creativity was structured (constrained) by existing conceptual knowledge. Illuminating the relationship between pedagogical tools in a science classroom and students' emergent creativity, the present study underscores the critical need for educators to support student development as future creative professionals.

Evolutionary theory is the central unifying theory of the life sciences. However, acceptance and understanding of the theory have been found to be lacking in the general public, high school, and university populations. Prior research has linked low acceptance of the theory to a poor knowledge base in evolution, to the nature of science, and to conflicts with certain religious beliefs. The purpose of the present study was to measure the acceptance rate of the theory of evolution among students enrolled in science major biology courses in Texas community colleges. This research sought to begin to fill a gap in the knowledge base concerning acceptance of the theory of evolution among community colleges. To achieve the goal, the researcher gave students at five Northeast Texas community a combined survey consisting of: 20 Likert scale questions measuring acceptance of evolutionary theory, 10 multiple choice questions measuring basic knowledge of the theory, and a series of demographic questions assessing students' prior experience in high school with evolutionary theory and creationism. This article will focus on the findings from the MATE and KEE and their implications for science education at the K-12 and postsecondary levels. Data collected were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 22 to discover the relationships between the various independent variables and the dependent variable of the acceptance level of the theory of evolution.

To succeed, undergraduate science students need to both acquire knowledge, and learn to apply it effectively. Here a novel 1st year undergraduate module (incorporating blended learning, applied bioinformatic skills and scientific posters) is described and its effectiveness evaluated (quantitatively and qualitatively). The aims were to engage students and teach applied skills through a process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL) based project, utilising common online tools. Given a nucleotide entry and utilising the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) platform students had to identify a specific human syndrome. Students then retrieved and summarised key scientific data, presenting it as a scientific poster. The module effectiveness was demonstrated by the students ability to acquire knowledge (content) and apply it (process), by finding and extracting data from online databases. Assessment included evaluation of the students ability to analyse, visualise and explain acquired data as a scientific poster. Module evaluation used qualitative students surveys and quantitative assessment (pre- and post-module, multiple-choice quiz, assessing content or process specific knowledge). The module led to a significant increase in students applied, process specific, knowledge and enhanced their learning experience. This module demonstrates a successful method for incorporating applied learning into an undergraduate module, developing multiple applied professional skills.

The authors present the individual and collective results of a university-wide initiative to institutionalize a hybrid pedagogical approach--Creative Inquiry--across multiple academic disciplines. The program is intended to systematically combine inquiry-guided learning and creative thinking in order to further enhance the depth and breadth of pedagogical transformation. This transformation is explored using a series of case studies drawn from courses in nursing; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); the social sciences; and the humanities, as well as institutional-level assessments. They then, in turn, draw upon these cases to consider effective strategies for designing, disseminating, and assessing organizational change.

We provide a protocol for rapid DNA extraction from spiders suitable for undergraduate practical sessions. Students who were previously naïve to the theory and laboratory technique of DNA barcoding were successfully able to extract and recover 29 DNA sequences from 16 species of small spiders in the family Linyphiidae. We anticipate that with careful selection of specimens, undergraduate students could participate in sessions which both benefit their professional development and further taxonomic understanding across a variety of organisms.

Research into the efficacy of modules featuring dynamic visualizations, case studies, and interactive learning environments is reported here. This quasi-experimental 2-year study examined the implementation of three interactive computer-based instructional modules within a curricular unit covering cellular biology concepts in an introductory high school biology course. The modules featured dynamic visualizations and focused on three processes that underlie much of cellular biology: diffusion, osmosis, and filtration. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to assess knowledge growth across the unit. A mixture Rasch model analysis of the post-test data revealed two groups of students. In both years of the study, a large proportion of the students were classified as low-achieving based on their pre-test scores. The use of the modules in the Cell Unit in year 2 was associated with a much larger proportion of the students having transitioned to the high-achieving group than in year 1. In year 2, the same teachers taught the same concepts as year 1 but incorporated the interactive computer-based modules into the cell biology unit of the curriculum. In year 2, 67% of students initially classified as low-achieving were classified as high-achieving at the end of the unit. Examination of responses to assessments embedded within the modules as well as post-test items linked transition to the high-achieving group with correct responses to items that both referenced the visualization and the contextualization of that visualization within the module. This study points to the importance of dynamic visualization within contextualized case studies as a means to support student knowledge acquisition in biology.

This study examines discrepancies between geoscience career knowledge and biology career knowledge among Mississippi science teachers. Principals and in-service teachers were also surveyed about their perception of geoscience careers and majors. Scores were higher for knowledge of what biologists do (at work) than about what geoscientists do. Career knowledge was enhanced by race, where African American teachers perceived higher biology career knowledge and lower geoscience career knowledge than other races; however, the difference was not significant. Teachers also rated their personal knowledge of 12 of the 2010 Earth and Space Science Content Strand topics. Perceived knowledge of geoscience concepts was significantly less than knowledge of more environmental topics. Race was not significant, but differences between the two topics were enhanced by race. Perceived knowledge of geoscience topics was also significantly lower among female educators across all ethnicities. Because of the lack of Earth science classes taught before college and the demonstrated gaps in geoscience career knowledge even among science teachers, strengthening geoscience career awareness as well as increasing geoscience content knowledge among science teachers would be useful overall, as well as in attempts to enhance diversity in the geosciences.

This study investigates the relationship between performances on the speaking component of the TOEFL iBTTM with performances on academic oral assessment tasks. For the academic tasks, we recorded and transcribed the performances of five local and five high-achieving international undergraduate students on oral assessment tasks in core first-year subjects in three faculties, a total of thirty students. For the TOEFL speaking tasks, we transcribed the performances of six high scoring students from mixed language backgrounds on the two independent and four integrated speaking tasks of the TOEFL iBTTM. On the basis of an analysis of the rhetorical moves characteristic of the two speaking contexts, we conclude that while the moves characteristic of the TOEFL tasks are largely represented in the academic tasks, there are also some differences across the two contexts. These findings both support and challenge the domain definition inference of the TOEFL iBTTM validity argument.

Striving to better understand exemplification, this study examines the types of animal behavior references (anthropomorphic/non-anthropomorphic) and taxonomic groups featured in the examples given by an undergraduate biology instructor during a semester-long course. It is reported that instruction was dominated by anthropomorphic examples of mammals and birds. Further, these dominant examples were found to bias the conceptual knowledge acquired by students who showed a tendency to conceive of nonhuman conduct in terms of mammalian and avian action. It is argued that extending biological exemplification practices beyond mammals and birds is essential to help students develop deep conceptual knowledge and an unbiased appreciation of life.

This study describes the development and implementation of an iterative diagnostic and intervention routine designed to elicit and quantitatively describe aspects of student metacognition, affect, and study habits in a first-year undergraduate biology course. The Student Metacognition, Affect, and Study Habits (SMASH) inventory is a student-centered questionnaire implemented in tandem with summative assessments and an exam wrapper. SMASH differs from published metacognition instruments by serving the dual purposes of both diagnostic tool and intervention designed to promote metacognitive practice through repeatedly and explicitly linking student attitudes and malleable behaviors to a specific course and to course performance. Exploratory factor analysis of responses provided to inventory items from students in a first-year introductory biology course identified four underlying constructs: Systematic Study Habits, Social Learning, Perceived Difficulty, and Help Seeking. Regression models indicated that student responses to items in Perceived Difficulty predict performance in the study population, suggesting that even a single implementation of the SMASH inventory can provide valuable information.

A cohort of first-year biology students was surveyed regarding their opinions and viewing habits for live and recorded lectures. Most respondents (87%) attended live lectures as a rule (attenders), with 66% attending more than two-thirds of the lectures. In contrast, only 52% accessed recordings and only 13% viewed more than two-thirds of the available recordings. Respondents regarded lectures as efficient for information delivery (75%), and 89% enjoyed live lectures because they were useful for learning (89%), understanding coursework (94%), and keeping up with the subject (93%). Lecture enjoyment was driven less by entertainment (34%) or interaction with the lecturers (47%), although most students preferred an entertaining lecturer to a factual expert (72%). Exam marks were positively correlated with the number of lectures attended (P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with the number of recordings viewed (P < 0.05), although marks were similar for lecture attenders and nonattenders (P > 0.05). Lecture attenders mostly missed lectures to complete assessments during the same week (68%), whereas nonattenders were more likely to miss lectures due to outside commitments or preference for study from books or recorded lectures (P < 0.001). Recordings were used to replace missed lectures (64%), rather than for revision, and were viewed mostly alone (96%) in one sitting (65%). Only 22% of respondents agreed that some lectures could be replaced by recordings, but 59% agreed with having some videoconference lectures from experts on another campus. Overall, this cohort showed a clear preference for live lectures over recordings, with limited support for synchronous videoconference lectures.

Undergraduate students are increasingly working with academic staff to evaluate and design teaching materials in Higher Education, thereby moving from being passive consumers of knowledge to genuine partners in their education. Here we describe a student partnership project run at the University of Cambridge, which aimed to improve undergraduate biology practical class teaching. Student interns were recruited to act as researchers, pedagogical consultants and producers of teaching resources. Research by the interns revealed that students with limited practical experience at high-school level tended to have lower confidence and more negative responses to first-year university practical classes than peers with more experience. Interns and academics therefore redesigned the workflow for practicals to include online pre- and post-practical tutorials to support understanding and consolidation of laboratory-based material, which included student-produced quizzes and videos. We reflect on the process of building the partnership, and explore the value of partnership approaches in Higher Education.

Although the practice of giving examples is central to the effective teaching and learning of science, it has been the object of little educational research. The present study attends to this issue by systematically examining the exemplification practices of a university professor and his students' learning experiences during a biology lecture on animal behavior. It is reported that the science instructor provided students with a series of procedural, conceptual, and analytical examples. Each type of exemplification was characterized by a unique focus, form and degree of dialogism. These examples promoted student acquisition of specialized scientific language and engagement in varied types of argumentation: inductive reasoning by parallel cases, inductive reasoning by causation, inductive generalization, and deductive reasoning. Furthermore, students' experiences learning from examples were contingent upon their performance of parallel instructional activities such as text reading and note-taking. Based on these findings, we argue for the importance of promoting student development of exemplification literacy (the ability to critically assess the use of examples in scientific communication) and the need for science instructors to provide students with opportunities not only to learn science concepts through examples but also to learn about the nature of scientific exemplification itself.

A pedagogic intervention, in the form of an inquiry-based peer-assisted learning project (as a practical student-led bioinformatics module), was assessed for its ability to increase students' engagement, practical bioinformatic skills and process-specific knowledge. Elements assessed were process-specific knowledge following module completion, qualitative student-based module evaluation and the novelty, scientific validity and quality of written student reports. Bioinformatics is often the starting point for laboratory-based research projects, therefore high importance was placed on allowing students to individually develop and apply processes and methods of scientific research. Students led a bioinformatic inquiry-based project (within a framework of inquiry), discovering, justifying and exploring individually discovered research targets. Detailed assessable reports were produced, displaying data generated and the resources used. Mimicking research settings, undergraduates were divided into small collaborative groups, with distinctive central themes. The module was evaluated by assessing the quality and originality of the students' targets through reports, reflecting students' use and understanding of concepts and tools required to generate their data. Furthermore, evaluation of the bioinformatic module was assessed semi-quantitatively using pre- and post-module quizzes (a non-assessable activity, not contributing to their grade), which incorporated process- and content-specific questions (indicative of their use of the online tools). Qualitative assessment of the teaching intervention was performed using post-module surveys, exploring student satisfaction and other module specific elements. Overall, a positive experience was found, as was a post module increase in correct process-specific answers. In conclusion, an inquiry-based peer-assisted learning module increased students' engagement, practical bioinformatic skills and process-specific knowledge.

The worry or concern over confirming negative gender group stereotypes, called stereotype threat, is one explanation for women's worldwide underrepresentation in undergraduate science classes and majors. But how does stereotype threat translate into fewer women motivated for science? In this quantitative study with a sample from the US, we use Expectancy Value Theory to examine whether and how stereotype threat concerns might influence women's science identification. To do this, we collected survey data from 388 women enrolled in introductory physics (male-dominated) and biology (female-dominated) undergraduate laboratory classes at three universities. We examined multiple indirect effect paths through which stereotype threat could be associated with science identity and the associated future motivation to engage in scientific research. In addition to replicating established expectancy-value theory motivational findings, results support the novel prediction that one route through which stereotype threat negatively impacts women's science identity is via effects on perceptions about the communal utility value of science. Especially among women in physics who expressed greater stereotype threat concerns than women in biology, science identification was lower to the extent that stereotype threat reduced how useful science was seen for helping other people and society. Implications for ways to create an inclusive learning context that combats stereotype threat concerns and broadens undergraduate women's participation in science are discussed.

We present a practical field exercise for ecology and animal behavior classes that can be carried out on campus, using urban wildlife. Students document an animal's feeding behavior to study its interactions with the surrounding environment. In this approach, an animal's feeding behavior is quantified at experimental food patches placed within its habitat. Following a lecture on foraging ecology and an outdoor discussion about the animals on campus, students formulate questions and hypotheses. Simple statistical analyses are used to construct results and draw conclusions.

Students love learning about animals: how animals behave, what animals eat, why some animals are more dangerous than others are, and why animals look the way they do. In this 5E lesson, students investigate why some animals look the way they do--specifically, the advantages of camouflage and mimicry. What are an animal's advantages of being camouflaged? How do animals become camouflaged? As the former driving questions suggest, this lesson is intended for third-to-fifth grade students to investigate camouflage and natural selection. Second, this 3-day (three 50-min class periods) lesson addresses why some animals mimic more dangerous organisms.

In order to understand how prospective teachers develop knowledge for teaching, researchers must identify the types of knowledge that are integral to effective science teaching. This case study investigated how 4 prospective secondary biology teachers' science teaching orientations, knowledge of science learners, and knowledge of instructional sequence, developed during a post-baccalaureate teacher education program. Data sources included a lesson planning task and two interview-observation cycles during the participants' year-long internship. Over the course of a year, the participants' science teaching orientations were based primarily on their K-16 learning experiences, and were robust and highly resistant to change. The prospective teachers became more aware of student learning difficulties, and therefore, developed more elaborated knowledge of the requirements of learning. They consistently sequenced instruction in ways that gave priority to transmitting information to students. Prospective teachers' development of knowledge of student understanding of science and instructional sequence were congruent with their science teaching orientations. Implications are given for teacher education and future research.

Aging biomarkers may be related to each other through direct co-regulation and/or through being regulated by common processes associated with chronological aging or stress. Klotho is an aging regulator that acts as a circulating hormone with critical involvement in regulating insulin signaling, phosphate homeostasis, oxidative stress, and age-related inflammatory functioning. Both klotho and telomere length are biomarkers of biological aging and decrease with age; however, the relationship between them is not well understood. Here we test the association between klotho levels and the telomere length of specific sorted immune cells among a healthy sample of mothers caregiving for a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; i.e., experiencing higher caregiving stress) or a child without ASD, covarying age and body mass index, in order to understand if high stress associated with caregiving for a child with an ASD may be involved in any association between these aging biomarkers. In 178 caregiving women (n = 90 high-stress mothers of children with ASD, n = 88 low-stress mothers of neurotypical children), we found that klotho levels were positively associated with telomere length in PBMCs (an effect driven by CD4+ and CD8+CD28- T cells) among high-stress mothers of children with an ASD but not among low-stress mothers of neurotypical children. There were no significant associations between klotho and telomerase activity in either group, across cell types assessed here. Our results suggest that klotho levels and telomere length may be associated through a coordinated downregulation of longevity factors occurring under higher stress caregiving conditions.

In this two-part activity, high school biology students examine human karyotyping, sex-chromosome-linked disorders, and the relationship between biological sex and gender. Through interactive simulations and a structured discussion lab, students create a human karyotype and diagnose chromosomal disorders in hypothetical patients, as well as formulate a scientifically based argument distinguishing biological sex from gender. This activity reinforces biology concepts such as DNA structure and function, meiosis, and the inheritance of traits. In their arguments, students integrate prior knowledge with science content. This lesson connects the world of science with issues important in their own lives.

The development of scientific and quantitative reasoning skills in undergraduates majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an objective of many courses and curricula. The Biology Department at James Madison University (JMU) assesses these essential skills in graduating biology majors by using a multiple-choice exam called the Natural World-9 (NW-9). NW-9, comprised of measures of Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning, contains items developed by faculty at JMU to assess the impact of the General Education program on the development of scientific and quantitative reasoning skills in a content-independent manner. We discuss methodology we used to involve faculty in determining the generalizability of NW-9 to assess the objectives of the biology curriculum and setting standards to interpret student achievement on NW-9. Student performance on NW-9 identified both strong and weak areas in our instruction and suggested that our biology faculty needs to reevaluate methodology for teaching students how to interpret and analyze data. More important, we can close the assessment loop by allowing faculty to participate in the assessment process and meaningfully reflect on student assessment results. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Background: Although males are often the initiators of teen sexual activity, pregnancy prevention programs generally target females. To address this deficiency, the Wise Guys Male Responsibility Curriculum was developed to be delivered to adolescent males in weekly classroom sessions. Methods: Seventh grade participants (n = 124) in the Wise Guys program were compared to randomly selected controls (n = 106) at pretest (baseline), posttest, and 6-month follow-up data points. Comparisons were made on knowledge of sexual behavior and reproductive biology, knowledge of sexually transmitted disease (STD) transmission, desirable attitudes toward sex and appropriate behavior in sexual relationships; and on limited behavioral outcomes, including initiation of sexual activity, and use of condoms and contraception by sexually active adolescents. Results: Wise Guys participants demonstrated greater posttest and follow-up knowledge of sex and reproductive biology (p less than 0.000), greater knowledge of STD transmission (p less than 0.000), and higher rates of desirable attitudes toward sex and appropriate behavior in sexual relationships (p [less than or equal to] 0.013) than controls. Favorable behavioral changes were also reported among sexually active participants at follow-up. Conclusions: The Wise Guys curriculum effectively improves adolescent males' knowledge of sexual behavior and reproductive behavior, and their knowledge of STD transmission, and instills desirable attitudes toward sex and appropriate behavior in sexual relationships. The results also indicate that the curriculum may promote greater condom use and contraception among sexually active males. (Contains 5 tables.)

Process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL), a pedagogical technique initially developed for college chemistry courses, has been implemented for 2 yr in a freshman-level anatomy and physiology course at a small private college. The course is populated with students with backgrounds ranging from no previous college-level science to junior and senior biology, biochemistry, and forensic science majors. Fifty percent of the lectures in the course were replaced with POGIL activities, performed in class by students working collaboratively in small groups. The introduction of POGIL pedagogy into the second half of a two-semester anatomy and physiology course significantly improved student performance on summative evaluations. Overall course scores increased from a mean score of 76% to 89% in the three semesters after POGIL was introduced. Performance on the same multiple-choice final exam rose from a mean of 68% to 88% over the same time period. Most significantly, the rate of students earning a D or F in the course was halved in the first two semesters after POGIL was introduced and was 0% in the third semester. Student satisfaction with the method was high, and most students perceived the value of this form of instruction. (Contains 4 tables and 5 figures.)

The biological processes of photosynthesis and plant cellular respiration include multiple biochemical steps, occur simultaneously within plant cells, and share common molecular components. Yet, learners often compartmentalize functions and specialization of cell organelles relevant to these two processes, without considering the interconnections as well as the significance of the plant as an independent biological system functioning as a nested component within local and global ecosystems. Understanding connections among biological systems at macro and micro levels is important to biological literacy. This study examined preservice elementary teachers' conceptions of photosynthesis and plant cellular respiration, with attention to interconnections and systems. Participants were limited in their understanding of the processes impacting multiple ecological levels, and they held inadequate representations of interconnections between the processes. Participants' views were laden with sociological and egocentric components. They often compared plant functions with analogous human functions. Most participants viewed plants as dependent on humans while having societal use. Justifications for views included nominal knowledge of the processes; experiential authoritarian reasoning; and anthropomorphism. We discuss instructional implications in light of the findings. (Contains 7 figures and 1 table.)

This activity targets students' misconceptions about embryonic and adult stem cells while also addressing an important grades 9-12 science content standard. The authors designed the activity to provide students an opportunity to explore differences between embryonic and adult stem cells prior to formal explanation. The overarching goal of this activity is for students to understand stem cells because they will continue to encounter this topic throughout their lives. (Contains 1 table, 10 figures and 1 resource.)

Our research project was guided by the assumption that students who learn to understand phenomena in everyday terms prior to being taught scientific language will develop improved understanding of new concepts. We used web-based software to teach students using a "content-first" approach that allowed students to transition from everyday understanding of phenomena to the use of scientific language. This study involved 49 minority students who were randomly assigned into two groups for analysis: a treatment group (taught with everyday language prior to using scientific language) and a control group (taught with scientific language). Using a pre-post-test control group design, we assessed students' conceptual and linguistic understanding of photosynthesis. The results of this study indicated that students taught with the "content-first" approach developed significantly improved understanding when compared to students taught in traditional ways. (Contains 8 tables and 2 figures.)