Recent reforms in K-16 science education advocate for the integration of science content and practice. However, engaging students in authentic science practices can be particularly challenging for certain subjects such as evolution. We describe Avida-ED, a research-based platform for digital evolution that overcomes many of the challenges associated with using biological model organisms in the classroom. We then report the findings of a nationwide, multiple-case study on classroom implementation of Avida-ED and its influence on student understanding and acceptance of evolution. We found that engagement in lessons with Avida-ED both supported student learning of fundamental evolution concepts and was associated with an increase in student acceptance of evolution as evidence-based science. In addition, we found a significant, positive association between increased understanding and acceptance. We discuss the implications of supporting reform-based pedagogical practices with tools such as Avida-ED that integrate science content with authentic science practice.

There are forces at the local, state, and national levels that have worked to delegitimize the teaching of evolution and, in some cases, to legitimize the teaching of religious theory. Despite scientific evidence, public opinion, and even legislation, these forces have continued to influence, and in some cases block, the teaching of evolution in public schools. Proponents for the teaching of religious theory in schools have been defeated in the courts many times but have continued to find new ways to insert their ideology into the U.S. education system. Strategies for avoiding controversy, confronting misinformation, and distinguishing science from faith are provided at the end of this article.

Current reform efforts at all levels of biology education advocate for the integration of science content and practices and emphasize the importance of phenomena-driven inquiry. We describe an instructional sequence for teaching evolution by natural selection that addresses these goals by engaging students in parallel selection experiments with biological and digital model organisms. These activities address multiple learning objectives in the AP Biology Curriculum Framework and the Next Generation Science Standards while engaging students in authentic science practices to learn about natural selection. We also report results from pre and post assessments in an AP Biology class which demonstrate students' learning gains and increased acceptance of evolution.

The missing link argument is a common challenge raised by students to evolutionary theory; it notes that the majority of evolutionary transitions are not represented in the fossil record. A typical response is to present examples of fossils that have a combination of ancestral and derived traits, but I argue that this approach is largely ineffective because it does not address the broader question of whether the fossil record accords better with evolutionary theory than with creationist narratives. A better response is to agree that the fossil record is largely incomplete because fossilization is rare, and to direct the conversation toward addressing how a rich, yet incomplete, collection of evidence can be reasonably interpreted. Evolutionary theory and creationism pose starkly different expectations about trends in fossil diversity, and evolution is strongly supported while creationism is not.

Evolution is foundational to biology but is controversial for many undergraduate students. Although evolution and religion are potentially compatible, students' perceived conflict between their religious beliefs and evolution can negatively affect their acceptance of evolution. In a previous study, we found that illustrating the potential compatibility of religion and evolution decreased the number of students who perceived a conflict between religion and evolution by 53 percent. However, in the previous study, the instruction on the potential compatibility of religion and evolution took a significant amount of instructional time, which could be a barrier for implementation. In this current study, we condensed the instruction illustrating the potential compatibility of religion and evolution to six minutes. By conducting qualitative analyses on data gathered from ten students who perceived a conflict before the evolution module, we found that eight of these students reduced their level of perceived conflict after the evolution module. We identified eight distinct aspects of the evolution instruction that students stated reduced their perceived conflict, including that the instructor did not force student acceptance of evolution, the instructor was respectful of students with multiple viewpoints on evolution, and students experienced a greater exposure to evolution content.

Evolution education in the United States remains controversial and challenging. This is in part due to the difficulty educators face when tryingto overcome students' preexisting beliefs about evolution, which can bias assimilation of information and inhibit learning. We propose that the most effective way to overcome such belief persistence is through an engaging, hands-on inquiry approach that mimics the scientific process used to study evolution. Although this teaching approach, known as authentic science, has gained recognition for its effectiveness in the classroom, it has not been widely applied to teach evolution. We describe how an authentic science approach can be used to teach evolution by natural selection, and provide a formula for the development of such programs. Following this blueprint, we developed a program using Trinidadian guppies and implemented it in 7th grade classrooms in Colorado. Pre- and post-program assessments revealed significant increases in both the understanding and acceptance of evolution among participants. Authentic science experiments using locally adapted populations of live organisms may be able to overcome belief persistence and improve student understanding of evolution.

Evolution education poses unique challenges because students can have preconceptions that bias their learning. Hands-on, inquiry approaches can help overcome preset beliefs held by students, but few such programs exist and teachers typically lack access to these resources. Experiential learning in the form of self-guided kits can allow evolution education programs to maximize their reach while still maintaining a high-quality resource. We created an inquiry-based kit that uses live Trinidadian guppies to teach evolution by natural selection using the VIST (Variation, Inheritance, Selection, Time) framework. Our collaborative team included evolutionary biologists and education specialists, and we were able to combine expertise in evolution research and inquiry-based kit design in the development of this program. By constructing the kits with grant funds slated for broader impacts and maintaining them at our university's Education and Outreach Center, we made these kits freely available to local schools over the long term. Students and teachers have praised how clearly the kits teach evolution by natural selection, and we are excited to share this resource with readers of The American Biology Teacher.

Understanding evolutionary change requires an integrated understanding of genetics and evolution, as well as interrelating concepts from different levels of biological organization. However, students' knowledge about genetics and evolution often remains compartmentalized, and students struggle with thinking across levels. Thus, we present a classroom simulation of how selection affects both phenotypes and genotypes, which helps students distinguish between different levels of biological organization (i.e., phenotype and genotype) and track changes in phenotypes to changes in allele frequencies.

This classroom exercise aims to help students understand the three Ps of genetic complexity: polymorphic, polygenic, and pleiotropic. Using coin flips and dice rolls, students are able to generate the genotype and phenotype of a random individual. From there, students find a mate for this individual and determine the phenotype of their offspring. The randomness generated by the coin and dice mechanics illustrates the principles of independent assortment and segregation, variable gene expression, and environmental effects.

The tree of life provides a fundamental roadmap to understanding biodiversity, yet requires integration across scales of the biological hierarchy and a unique set of tree thinking skills. This combination can be challenging for undergraduates at the introductory level because of their preconceptions regarding distinct fields of biology compounded by the unique structure of phylogenetic trees. To address these two challenges while providing an undergraduate research opportunity, we developed an activity for introductory biology students that integrates molecular, organismal, and evolutionary biology. This activity relies on woody plant identification, comparative morphology, and DNA sequence analysis to teach students how to reconstruct and interpret phylogenetic trees. After building separate phylogenetic hypotheses using morphological characters and molecular data, they compare their results with a master Tree of Trees to identify instances of homology and homoplasy. After delivering this activity, the majority of students scored the activity as “helpful to very helpful” in increasing their understanding of these concepts. Overall, we deliver a framework for developing comparable Tree of Trees-type activities that leverage students' interests in familiar organisms and requires them to span scales of the biological hierarchy while improving their tree thinking skills.