Integrating research into a molecular cloning course to address the evolving biotechnology landscape

Abstract

The rapid development of molecular biotechnology presents a curricular challenge for educators trying to provide students with relevant coursework. A comprehensive biology education should also include opportunities for students to develop intellectual and technical skills through authentic research experiences. Integrating relevant and interesting research projects into their classes, however, can be a challenging task for instructors. To address these varied demands, we redesigned our existing molecular cloning course to incorporate an independent research project assessing calcium signaling. In the revised course, students use traditional and recombination‐based cloning strategies to generate bacterial and mammalian expression vectors encoding CaMPARI, a novel fluorescent calcium indicator. Bacterially‐expressed CaMPARI is used in protein quantification and purification assays. Students must also design their own research project evaluating the effect of chemotherapeutic agents on calcium signaling in a mammalian system. Revised and novel labs were designed to be modular, facilitating their integration into the course over 2 years. End‐of‐semester student evaluations were compared between years revealing a significant difference in students' perception of the course's difficulty between years. This change in attitude highlights potential pedagogical considerations that must be examined when introducing new material and activities into existing courses. Since calcium signaling is important for cellular process across diverse species, instructors may be able to develop research projects within their respective areas of interest. Integration of authentic research experiences into the curriculum is challenging; however, the framework described here provides a versatile structure that can be adapted to merge diverse instructor interests with evolving educational needs.

Biotechnology: knowledge, perception and future in Saudi Arabia

“…The rapid development of biotechnological fields, however, presents a curricular challenge for educators trying to provide students with relevant coursework [35]. our study recommends that educators and curriculum developers create a frequently updated bridge between biotechnology education and practice.…”

Integrating Bioinformatics Tools Into Inquiry-Based Molecular Biology Laboratory Education Modules

“…Lecture topics are directly related to the project-based laboratory sequence. For example, students learn about different types of screening methods and then perform three of those methods (i.e., restriction digestion, PCR screening, Sanger sequencing) ( Garcia et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Reasons for additional rounds of Development include activities not working as intended, or assessments revealing that scaffolding of the material was insufficient to achieve the learning objectives. Through the 5D process, MBLEMs have been created and disseminated over the years ( Witherow and Carson, 2011 ; Srougi and Carson, 2013 ; Ott and Carson, 2014 ; Lentz et al, 2017 ; Chen and Goller, 2020 ; Goller and Ott, 2020 ; Samsa et al, 2020 ; Garcia et al, 2021 ), ranging in topics from protein-protein interactions, signal transduction to metagenomics. This model has proven effective as demonstrated by the successful achievement of student learning outcomes and technical skills acquisition in these courses as assessed from quantitative course data (i.e., lab reports, exams, lab notebooks, and projects) and through analysis of qualitative student survey data.…”

Using Metabolic Engineering to Connect Molecular Biology Techniques to Societal Challenges

“…As a BIT course, it is designed to teach students cutting-edge technical skills that can be applied in academic research or in industry. The prerequisite for enrolling in lab modules is the completion of a semester-long lab-based molecular biology course ( Carson et al, 2019 ; Garcia et al, 2020 ). As technology changes, BIT courses are regularly redesigned and updated to reflect current research and molecular biotechnology tools.…”