Although closed-note exams have traditionally been used to evaluate students in undergraduate biology classes, open-note exams are becoming increasingly common, though little is known about how ...students prepare for these types of exams. We investigated student perceptions of and their preparation habits for online open-note exams in an undergraduate biology class, as compared to their previous experiences with closed-note exams in other classes. Specifically, we explored the following research questions: (1a) How do students perceive open-note exams impact their exam scores, their anxiety, the amount they studied, and the amount their peers studied? (1b) How do these perceptions impact performance outcomes? (2a) How do students prepare for open-note exams? (2b) How do these preparation methods impact performance outcomes? Results demonstrate students perceived increased exam scores, decreased exam-anxiety, decreased study time spent personally, and decreased study time spent by their peers for open-note exams, as compared to past experiences with closed-note exams. Open-ended survey responses analyzed through first- and second-cycle analyses showed students adapted their study habits by focusing on note preparation and broad conceptual understanding rather than rote memorization. Using linear mixed effects models to assess student performance, we found students who focused on understanding, note preparation and using external resources outperformed students who did not report those study habits. As institutions shift towards flexible and scalable assessments that can be used in face-to-face or online environments, the use of open-note exams can promote effective study habits and reward higher-order thinking with intentional guidance from the instructor.
Science textbooks communicate fundamental discoveries and serve as platforms showcasing role models for students. However, the scientists represented across undergraduate textbooks do not reflect the ...demographic makeup of the student population reading those materials. We recommend a series of changes within curricula to challenge the stereotypical identity of science.
The insulin and insulin-like signaling (IIS) network regulates cellular processes including pre- and postnatal growth, cellular development, wound healing, reproduction, and longevity. Despite their ...importance in the physiology of vertebrates, the study of the specific functions of the top regulators of the IIS network, insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs), has been mostly limited to a few model organisms. To expand our understanding of this network, we performed quantitative gene expression of IGF hormones in liver and qualitative expression of IGFBPs across tissues and developmental stages in a model reptile, the brown anole lizard (
). We found that lizards express IGF2 across all life stages (preoviposition embryos to adulthood) and at a higher level than IGF1, which is opposite to patterns seen in laboratory rodents but similar to those seen in humans and other vertebrate models. IGFBP expression was ubiquitous across tissues (brain, gonad, heart, liver, skeletal muscle, tail, and regenerating tail) in adults, apart from IGFBP5, which was variable. These findings provide an essential foundation for further developing the anole lizard as a physiological and biomedical reptile model, as well as expanding our understanding of the function of the IIS network across species.
The insulin and insulin-like signaling (IIS) network is an important mediator of cellular growth and metabolism in animals, and is sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature and ...resource availability. The two main hormones of the IIS network, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), are present in all vertebrates, yet little is known regarding the responsiveness of IGF2 in particular to external stimuli in non-mammalian animals. We manipulated diet (low or high quantity of food: low and high diet group, respectively) in adult green anole (Anolis carolinensis) females to test the effect of energetic state on hepatic gene expression of IGF1 and IGF2. The absolute expression of IGF2 in female green anoles was 100 times higher than that of IGF1 regardless of diet treatment, and IGF1 and IGF2 expression interacted with post-treatment body mass and treatment, as did the expression of the purported housekeeping genes glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (EEF2). The low diet group showed a negative relationship between body mass and gene expression for all genes, whereas the relationships between body mass and gene expression in the high diet group were either absent (in the case of IGF1) or positive (for all other genes). After accounting for total change in mass, the low diet group expressed IGF2, GAPDH and EEF2 at higher levels compared with individuals in the high diet group of a similar change in mass. These results illustrate that expression of IGF1 and IGF2, and of the housekeeping genes is affected by energe-tic status in reptiles.
Addressing the challenges facing society and the world will require an understanding of the biases and limitations of science. To combat these challenges, here, we advocate for the incorporation of ...ideologically aware (IA) material into postsecondary biology curricula. IA materials communicate to students how biases, assumptions, and stereotypes inform approaches to and outcomes of science. By engaging with IA materials, student awareness of the impact of science on social problems is expected to increase. In this paper, we situate this IA approach with two other pedagogical approaches that incorporate societally relevant content: culturally relevant pedagogy and socioscientific issues. We then call for research to test ways of supporting instructor implementation of IA material, to evaluate the impact of IA topics on student academic and sociopsychological outcomes, and to explore how to implement IA material in different cultural and social settings. Throughout, we focus on IA topics in the context of postsecondary biology classrooms but encourage the incorporation of IA materials across scientific disciplines and educational settings. Our hope is that greater inclusion of IA materials will create more transparent, scientifically accurate, and inclusive classrooms.
•Resistance exercise forces investment into muscle growth.•Mechanisms of exercise response are poorly understood in non-humans.•IIS is most likely implicated in exercise response.•Sprint training ...affects IGF1, IGF2 and EEF2 expression.•IIS, and pathways connected to it, react in a size-dependent manner.
Locomotor performance is a key predictor of fitness in many animal species. As such, locomotion integrates the output of a number of morphological, physiological, and molecular levels of organization, yet relatively little is known regarding the major molecular pathways that bolster locomotor performance. One potentially relevant pathway is the insulin and insulin-like signaling (IIS) network, a significant regulator of physiological processes such as reproduction, growth, and metabolism. Two primary hormones of this network, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) are important mediators of these processes and, consequently, of life-history strategies. We sprint-trained green anole (Anolis carolinensis) females to test the responsiveness of IGF1 and IGF2 hepatic gene expression to exercise training. We also tested how sprint training would affect glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (EEF2). The former is a crucial enzyme for glycolytic function in a cell, and the latter is necessary for protein synthesis. Resistance exercise forces animals to increase investment of resources towards skeletal muscle growth. Because IGF1 and IGF2 are important hormones for growth, and GAPDH and EEF2 are crucial for proper cellular function, we hypothesized that these four genes would be affected by sprint training. We found that sprint training affects IGF and EEF2 expression, such that larger sprint-trained lizards express hepatic IGF1, IGF2, and EEF2 to a lesser extent than similarly sized untrained lizards. These results demonstrate that the IIS, and pathways connected to it, can react in a size-dependent manner and are implicated in the exercise response in reptiles.
While science has profound social impacts, we often teach biology as removed from societally debated issues. Here, we address this gap in biology education through the implementation of novel ...materials that promote ideological awareness (IA). Using mixed-method analyses, we explore students' perceptions of the relationship between science and society, as well as their attitudes toward and knowledge of IA in biology. We found students that received the IA curriculum reported relationships between science and society that aligned with the IA activities, such as providing solutions to societal problems and combating misinformation. Additionally, we discovered a preference for IA materials over a traditional curriculum, with persons excluded because of their ethnicity and race (PEERs) reporting greater approval than non-PEERs. Although we found that the IA curriculum did not result in significant gains in science identity, engagement in biology, or science community values, we did find that students gained awareness of IA topics through a task in which they named as many scientists as possible. Specifically, IA students displayed a 300% increase in the frequency of named scientists from minoritized backgrounds compared with the traditionally taught students. We encourage instructors to incorporate IA materials into their curricula as we move toward more diverse, equitable, and inclusive teaching practices.
Synopsis
Early exposure to course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in introductory biology courses can promote positive student outcomes such as increased confidence, critical ...thinking, and views of applicability in lower-level courses, but it is unknown if these same impacts are achieved by upper-level courses. Upper-level courses differ from introductory courses in several ways, and one difference that could impact these positive student outcomes is the importance of balancing structure with independence in upper-level CUREs where students typically have more autonomy and greater complexity in their research projects. Here we compare and discuss two formats of upper-level biology CUREs (Guided and Autonomous) that vary along a continuum between structure and independence. We share our experiences teaching an upper-level CURE in two different formats and contrast those formats through student reported perceptions of confidence, professional applicability, and CURE format. Results indicate that the Guided Format (i.e., a more even balance between structure and independence) led to more positive impacts on student outcomes than the Autonomous Format (less structure and increased independence). We review the benefits and drawbacks of each approach while considering the unique elements of upper-level courses relative to lower-level courses. We conclude with a discussion of how implementing structured skill-building can assist instructors in adapting CUREs to their courses.
Understanding the relationship between science and society is an objective of science education and is included as a core competency in the AAAS
guidelines for biology education. However, traditional ...undergraduate biology instruction emphasizes scientific practice and generally avoids potentially controversial issues at the intersection of biology and society. By including these topics in biology coursework, instructors can challenge damaging ideologies and systemic inequalities that have influenced science, such as biological essentialism and health disparities. Specifically, an
highlights how ideologies and paradigms shape our biological knowledge base and the application of that knowledge. Ideologically aware lessons emphasize the relationship between science and society with an aim to create more transparent, scientifically accurate, and inclusive postsecondary biology classrooms. Here we expand upon our ideologically aware curriculum with a new activity that challenges undergraduate biology students to consider the impacts of healthcare disparities. This lesson allows instructors to directly address systemic inequalities and allows students to connect biomedical sciences to real-world issues. Implementing an ideologically aware curriculum enables students to challenge prevailing worldviews and better address societal problems that lead to exclusion and oppression.
Despite the investment of public resources to fight staggering suicide rates among veterans, we know little about how veterans and service members in crisis communicate suicidal ideations, and what ...interventions they are willing to receive. We aim to identify communication and suicide intervention preferences of veterans and service members in times of crisis. Descriptive statistics were used to explore veterans communication of suicidal ideations. While 89.9% of participants indicated they were willing to speak to someone when having thoughts of suicide, less than 26% of participants indicated they were willing to bring up their thoughts with a crisis line or veterans organization. Rather, they indicate that family members (62.2%) and military friends (51.1%) would be their primary outreach. Logistic regression was used to determine whether or not preferred interventions varied by participant demographic characteristics. While the majority of participants indicated they were willing to allow intervention (88.6%), no one method was accepted by the majority of the population. The most accepted means of communication was to proactively contact a friend or family member about general life struggles (32.6%) or suicide-specific concerns (27.5%). Many participants were open to receiving resources (42.0%), suicide-specific mental health treatment (36.3%), and some sort of lethal means safety intervention (19.1%-26.4%). The age, marital status, and veterans status of participants significantly impacted what interventions they were willing to allow. We discuss the implications of these findings and the need for evidence-based, multimodal interventions in order to assist veterans in need.
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