Prefacethe supplementation of basal culture media with animal serum of different origins is essential for cell growth, metabolism, and to stimulate proliferation ("mitogenic effect"). the sera used most widely are bovine sera of adult or newborn animals, or of fetal origin. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is a cocktail of most of the factors required for cell attachment, growth and proliferation and is thus used as an almost universal growth supplement effective for most types of human and animal (including insect) cells. However, the use of animal serum in cell culture also bears a number of disadvantages. these disadvantages can be seen either from -a theoretical, cell biological point of view, since serum in general is an ill-defined mixture of components in culture media, -from ethical perspectives in terms of animal protection arguments regarding the harvest and collection of FBS from bovine fetuses and -in terms of recent concerns about the global supply versus demand of FBS. As a consequence, a number of strategies were developed to reduce or replace the requirement for FBS in cell culture media. -Furthermore, recent advances in biomedicine, tissue engineering and (adult mesenchymal) stem cell-based therapy demand innovative serum-alternatives of human origin for autologous cell expansion and reimplantation. Also, for the biotechno-
Face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses are part of the panoply of course options available to students and teachers in the twenty-first century. This essay tackles the promise of hybrid courses for enhancing student learning in seminary contexts. The author contends that the introduction of hybrid instruction prompts faculty to revisit questions about pedagogy and improves student learning.
Definitions and CaveatsWhat is a hybrid course? As stated on the "Hybrid Course Website" of the LTC, hybrid courses attempt to integrate the advantages of face-to-face teaching with some of the rewards of Web-based, computer-mediated
When it came time to reevaluate and restructure the introductory year in Christian history and theology, I decided to use a roundtable of student consultants to help me in that work. Our research and reflection focused on the impact of postmodern thinking and learning, feedback from pastors in ministry, a desire to bring appropriate praxis into academically focused courses, and a hope to make greater use of technology. This article discusses the consultative process and sketches out key learnings from student research. Concluding reflections focus on technology, a topical, praxis-oriented approach to teaching, the process of utilizing student advisors, and personal, internal changes that resulted from the project.
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