CRISPR (also known as CRISPR-Cas9) is a powerful biotechnology tool that gives scientists unprecedented access to the genetic makeup of all living organisms, including humans. It originally evolved as an adaptive immune system in bacteria to defend against viruses. When artificially harnessed in the laboratory it allows scientists to accurately and precisely edit genes, almost as if using a word processor. In mice, CRISPR has already been used to treat diabetes, muscular dystrophy, cancer, and blindness. CRISPR has made cultured human cells immune to HIV, and a variety of CRISPR experiments involving human embryos are well under way. But CRISPR is not limited to biomedical applications. It is also revolutionizing the food industry and many areas of biological research. This article provides science educators a broad and up-to-date overview of CRISPR, including its discovery, application, and bioethical challenges. It is imperative that science educators help prepare students, both majors and nonmajors, for this compelling new era of biology.

Data collected in many biology laboratory classes are on ratio or interval scales where the size interval between adjacent units on the scale is constant, which is a critical requirement for analysis with parametric statistics such as t-tests or analysis of variance. In other cases, such as ratings of disease or behavior, data are collected on ordinal scales in which observations are placed in a sequence but the intervals between adjacent observations are not necessarily equal. These data can only be interpreted in terms of their order, not in terms of the differences between adjacent points. They are unsuitable for parametric statistical analyses and require a rank-based approach using nonparametric statistics. We describe an application of one such approach, the Kruskal-Wallis test, to biological data using online freeware suitable for classroom settings.

The process of meiosis is an essential topic that secondary and postsecondary students struggle with. The important meiosis-related concepts of homology, ploidy, and segregation can be described using the DNA Triangle framework, which connects them to the multidimensional nature of DNA (chromosomal, molecular, and informational levels). We have previously established that undergraduate biology students typically fail to describe and/or link appropriate levels to their explanations of meiosis. We hypothesize that students' understanding mirrors the resources they are given – in other words, textbook figures often lack many of the important connections that experts include when talking about meiosis. Prior work showed that text in meiosis chapters typically fails to include many concepts that experts consider important, so we examined how textbook figures present meiosis concepts. We found that almost all textbook representations include the chromosomal level of DNA, but few include the other levels, even to illustrate concepts that are rooted in informational and/or molecular levels. In particular, the molecular level of DNA was absent from nearly all introductory textbook figures examined, and the informational level was seldom depicted in mid/upper-level textbook figures. The previously established deficits in text portions of textbooks are clearly not compensated by their accompanying illustrations.

A consistent challenge for undergraduate instructors is how to properly and objectively assess students who cannot attend regularly scheduled exams. Though many alternatives exist, perhaps the most common strategy is to allow students to take a makeup exam at a different time. Many instructors avoid this option for fear of the students gaining an unfair advantage in their exam preparations. I assessed student performance on makeup exams in relation to their typical performance on other exams throughout the course, to determine if there was any signal of score improvement or decline on makeup exams. I analyzed the data in regard to when students took the makeup exam, what their excuse for missing the regularly scheduled exam was, and the type of course in which they took the makeup. Students' makeup-exam scores were not significantly different from their regular-exam scores, though students who took a makeup due to a school-sponsored activity scored worse than students taking a makeup due to family emergencies or illness. While this research cannot definitively state that makeup exams do not provide some sort of advantage to student scores, it suggests that if students are trying to “game the system,” at the very least, they aren't winning.

CRISPR (also known as CRISPR-Cas9) is a powerful biotechnology tool that gives scientists unprecedented access to the genetic makeup of all living organisms, including humans. It originally evolved as an adaptive immune system in bacteria to defend against viruses. When artificially harnessed in the laboratory it allows scientists to accurately and precisely edit genes almost as if using a word processor. In mice, CRISPR has already been used to treat diabetes, muscular dystrophy, cancer, and blindness. CRISPR has made cultured human cells immune to HIV, and a variety of CRISPR experiments involving human embryos are well under way. But CRISPR is not limited to biomedical applications. It is also revolutionizing the food industry and many areas of biological research. It is imperative that science educators help prepare students for this compelling new era of biology. This article presents wet and dry lab simulations to help introduce high school and undergraduate students to CRISPR-based gene editing technology.

Centuries of practice clearly demonstrate that immunization by means of vaccination reduces the disease burden in human and nonhuman animal species. While the emphasis on individual health and fitness is important, the role of immunization in maintaining the health of entire populations or communities is also important. I developed a simulation that allows participants to actively explore the value of herd immunity in controlling the spread of infectious disease, first by considering how quickly an entire population may become ill if no one has immunity, and then after immunization of 80% of the population. Pretest, posttest, and four-week follow-up questionnaire data collected from nonmajor introductory biology students suggest that active engagement in an activity such as the one described may contribute to longer-term retention of the principles and concepts than presentation by lecture alone.

In an age-appropriate activity developed by a researcher-teacher team working together under the auspices of the American Chemical Science Coaches Program, middle school students at the Greensboro Montessori School (1) learned about the microbiological basis of fermentation, (2) learned about the chemical changes that take place during the fermentation of milk into yogurt, (3) applied this basic knowledge to designing and implementing experiments to test different conditions for culturing yogurt, (4) assessed the outcomes of different culturing conditions, and (5) developed a method for producing yogurt. This exercise includes hypothesis formulation, experimental design, and hypothesis testing and serves as an example of how empirically derived knowledge can be applied to the design of a food product

Evolution explains both the unity and the diversity of all organisms, and developing students' ability to represent and communicate evolutionary relationships is an important component of a complete biology education. We present a series of student-centered, exploratory activities to help students develop their tree-thinking skills. In these activities, students use complementary phenotypic and molecular data to explore how to build phylogenetic trees and interpret the evolutionary relationships they represent. This learning module is designed to engage students in the process of science, provide them with active learning experiences using online bioinformatics tools, and foster their appreciation for the evolutionary connections across the tree of life.

The role of the electron transport chain, its associated proteins, and carrier molecules can be difficult for introductory biology students to understand. Role-playing activities provide a simple, active, cost-effective method for demonstrating and comprehending complex biological processes. This role-playing activity was designed to help introductory biology students learn the role of the electron transport chain in the synthesis of ATP. The activity can be completed within a single class period and, when combined with a post-activity writing assignment, can enhance student understanding of how the electron transport chain functions.

A physical eye model made of a water balloon and a convex lens is described. It can be used to model how an image is formed in the eye as well as shortsightedness and farsightedness. The model is unique in featuring a fluid-filled “eyeball” with “intraocular pressure,” making it a useful tool for teaching about accommodation and glaucoma. Instructional ideas for the model are suggested.

This article details a set of team-based assignments in a college-level integrated English and human biology course. In this semester-long assignment sequence, student teams rotate through a series of activities to create open educational resources for a nonmajors, general education human biology class. These student-generated materials facilitate engagement with course content at high cognitive levels in order to “write the book” for the class. Finally, an end-of-semester synthesis project asks students to compile and present their finished work for wider distribution via student-made websites.

More students are enrolling in STEM short-term study abroad courses, yet the structure of these programs poses pedagogical challenges for faculty needing to cover an entire course in a few weeks. Challenges include lack of pedagogical resources and research; the need to intentionally intervene to structure learning so that students can process, connect, and reflect to promote deeper thinking; little time for preparation or content front-loading; and finding balance between faculty-led instruction and experiential activities. To address these challenges while teaching a short-term study abroad course in Costa Rica, daily guided journaling worksheets (GJWs) fostered learning through intentional writing by sharpening student focus, connecting study abroad experiences with concepts from the texts, capturing thinking, promoting student reflection, and elucidating student concerns. The GJWs incorporated thinking routines, content graphic organizers, and a variety of writing prompts. Overall, the GJWs documented student learning in a format that allowed for prompt assessment and feedback while overcoming some of the challenges related to teaching a short-term study abroad course. With relevant and situational modifications, GJWs can be a beneficial tool for other types of experiential teaching situations such as internships, practicums, co-ops, field trips, laboratory activities, and community-based learning.