A Review of Undergraduate Evolution Education in U.S. Universities: Building a Unifying Framework

Despite a considerable amount of scientific evidence, evolution is still a highly controversial issue in American education. This review analyzes studies that investigate the relationship between evolution education, the nature of science, and religious beliefs in U.S. universities. We performed a comprehensive literature search focusing on publications that analyzed and compared at least two of the following constructs: understanding of evolutionary theory (ET), acceptance of ET, instruction in ET, prior exposure to ET, religious beliefs, understanding the nature of science, and understanding of scientific theories. Here, we examine publications for consistent relationships among constructs across studies and discuss the most commonly cited education strategies for teaching evolution in higher education. Based on the literature, we find that instruction has a significant and positive effect on acceptance and understanding of ET; acceptance and understanding, however, are not directly related. We also find that the relationship between acceptance of ET and religious beliefs is unclear and needs further research. Through reviewing 15 published studies, we find that the primary problems associated with undergraduate evolution education research are: small sample size, varying methodologies, lack of statistical analysis, inappropriate use of constructs, and lack of continuity among studies. This review exposes the need for a unifying framework and development of experts in this field to investigate and understand the factors that affect evolution education at U.S. universities.     

BioManager: the use of a bioinformatics web application as a teaching tool in undergraduate bioinformatics training

The completion of the human genome project, and other genome sequencing projects, has spearheaded the emergence of the field of bioinformatics. Using computer programs to analyse DNA and protein information has become an important area of life science research and development. While it is not necessary for most life science researchers to develop specialist bioinformatic skills (including software development), basic skills in the application of common bioinformatics software and the effective interpretation of results are increasingly required by all life science researchers. Training in bioinformatics is increasingly occurring within the university system as part of existing undergraduate science and specialist degrees. One difficulty in bioinformatics education is the sheer number of software programs required in order to provide a thorough grounding in the subject to the student. Teaching requires either a well-maintained internal server with all the required software, properly interfacing with student terminals, and with sufficient capacity to handle multiple simultaneous requests, or it requires the individual installation and maintenance of every piece of software on each computer. In both cases, there are difficult issues regarding site maintenance and accessibility. In this article, we discuss the use of BioManager, a web-based bioinformatics application integrating a variety of common bioinformatics tools, for teaching, including its role as the main bioinformatics training tool in some Australian and international universities. We discuss some of the issues with using a bioinformatics resource primarily created for research in an undergraduate teaching environment.     

高等院校环境科学专业实验课程体系的建设与思考

实验教学效果直接影响本科生实践能力的培养,建立一套科学合理的适合环境科学专业本科生的实验课程体系意义重大。文中主要介绍了厦门大学环境科学专业以系统性、综合性、模块化的方式建立了一套“基础→专业→综合”的实验课程体系。在加大实验室建设投入,加强实验室管理等软硬件设施配套的情况下,实验课程体系不断完善,培养的学生能够满足人才培养的目标和社会需求。本文通过阐述该实验课程体系的建立、完善及成效,以期为相关院校提供借鉴。     

“微生物学”一流课程教学改革与实践

“微生物学”课程是酿酒工程、生物工程、生物技术等专业的必修课程,也是一门重要的专业核心课程。基于培养具有科学探究能力的创新型人才的教学目标,我们教学团队深入改革“微生物学”课程,建设一流本科课程。通过贯彻“以学生为中心”和“科研反哺教学”的教学理念,深入挖掘课程育人价值,开展课程思政建设工作,建设慕课(massive open online course, MOOC)平台“微生物学”课程线上教学全套资源,构建“夯实基础-解构问题分析训练-研讨课”的教学模式,改进学生学习模式,改革学习过程评价体系,以及指导学生参加科创竞赛等教学改革实践,全面提高学生的科学探究能力,为社会储备具有科学探究能力的创新型人才,为工科院校建设一流课程提供借鉴。     

Inquiry-based training improves teaching effectiveness of biology teaching assistants

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are used extensively as undergraduate science lab instructors at universities, yet they often have having minimal instructional training and little is known about effective training methods. This blind randomized control trial study assessed the impact of two training regimens on GTA teaching effectiveness. GTAs teaching undergraduate biology labs (n = 52) completed five hours of training in either inquiry-based learning pedagogy or general instructional “best practices”. GTA teaching effectiveness was evaluated using: (1) a nine-factor student evaluation of educational quality; (2) a six-factor questionnaire for student learning; and (3) course grades. Ratings from both GTAs and undergraduates indicated that indicated that the inquiry-based learning pedagogy training has a positive effect on GTA teaching effectiveness.     

Teaching and Research at Marine Stations: Present Priorities, Future Directions

SYNOPSIS. A conflict exists at many universities today betweenthe demand to maintain a competitive position as a researchinstitution, contributing to the rapidly advancing scholarshipin science, and the need to provide available and sympatheticcommunication between undergraduate students and the most vigorousfaculty. This conflict is especially apparent at marine stations.A marine station is usually geographically and politically isolatedfrom the main campus with its advantage of size and opportunitiesto obtain and share sophisticated equipment used in today'sscience. There is also a historical trend of smaller teachinglaboratories evolving into larger research-oriented facilities.And, financial support is not as readily available for researchand education in natural history and whole animal biology, idealsubjects for study at marine stations, as it is for some otherfields. In this presentation I examine the following questions:1. What is the role of teaching at marine stations today? 2.What are some of the current pressures that conflict with thisrole? and 3. What are some solutions to these conflicts? I approachthese questions from my experience as a teacher and researchscientist at a small marine station which has been concernedwith undergraduate teaching. I propose that marine field stationsof diverse sizes and roles, both teaching and research, canbe and should be supported financially and that this supportof diversity will return strong health to marine science nationallyand internationally.     

What is wrong with ethics review,the impact on teaching anthropology,and how to fix it: results of an empirical study

There is no empirical evidence that ethics review protects anthropologists’ research participants, but there is ample evidence that it is stifling research agendas and reshaping how we teach anthropological research methods, entrenching a positivist, clinical model of what constitutes research. This paper examines the impact of ethics review on student research in Australia, based on interviews conducted at 14 Australian universities. The data clearly show that the risks posed by student research are minor, and vastly overestimated by ethics committees. To avoid problems with ethics committees, we shepherd students into undertaking low‐risk, and consequently low‐impact, research. Many departments are abandoning research‐led teaching altogether because of the obstacle of ethics review. One solution would be to locate ethics discussions in disciplines and departments, radically restructuring the encounter to reconceptualise it as collegial debate about ethics dilemmas rather than ‘ethics review’.     

Broadening the voice of science: Promoting scientific communication in the undergraduate classroom

Effective and accurate communication of scientific findings is essential. Unfortunately, scientists are not always well trained in how to best communicate their results with other scientists nor do all appreciate the importance of speaking with the public. Here, we provide an example of how the development of oral communication skills can be integrated with research experiences at the undergraduate level. We describe our experiences developing, running, and evaluating a course for undergraduates that complemented their existing undergraduate research experiences with instruction on the nature of science and intensive training on the development of science communication skills. Students delivered science talks, research monologues, and poster presentations about the ecological and evolutionary research in which they were involved. We evaluated the effectiveness of our approach using the CURE survey and a focus group. As expected, undergraduates reported strong benefits to communication skills and confidence. We provide guidance for college researchers, instructors, and administrators interested in motivating and equipping the next generation of scientists to be excellent science communicators.     

Elementary and middle level biology topics: a content analysis of Science and Children and Science Scope from 1990 to 2014

Science and Children and Science Scope are peer-reviewed science practitioner journals that publish articles for science educators who teach children of ages 5–10 years and 10–13 years, respectively. As such, these articles are a reflection of the science concepts that are being communicated to science educators. This comprehensive literature review was completed to determine the extent to which the articles included in these journals from 1990 to 2014 focused on biology topics, incorporated other non-science subjects and science disciplines, and encouraged inquiry-based learning. The results indicate that out of the 2701 total articles, 557 (21%) focused on biology. The biology topic covered most often by both journals was animals. The biology topics covered least often were fungi, photosynthesis, respiration and viruses. The findings are taken into consideration and the educational implications for the journals and educators are discussed.     

生物信息学本科人才培养的调研与思考

近年来,生物信息学已经逐步发展成为现代生物学和医学等领域的关键技术方法,社会对生物信息学专业人才的需求不断扩大,生物信息学的本科教育也受到了越来越多的关注和重视。为了探索更加合理的人才培养模式、完善课程设置和教学计划,本文以中美两国开设生物信息学本科专业的高校为对象,分别选取一些代表高校并进行深入调研,对比分析课程设置和人才培养现状。结果显示,生物信息学的跨学科性质在各高校中均得到一定体现,培养学生具有多元化的知识结构已经成为生物信息学人才培养的一项共识。同时,根据调研的结果,也对国内生物信息学本科教育提出一些启发与建议。     

Impact of GDP,Spending on R&D,Number of Universities and Scientific Journals on Research Publications among Asian Countries

Objectives

This study aimed to compare the impact of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, spending on Research and Development (R&D), number of universities, and Indexed Scientific Journals on total number of research documents (papers), citations per document and Hirsch index (H-index) in various science and social science subjects among Asian countries.

Materials and Methods

In this study, 40 Asian countries were included. The information regarding Asian countries, their GDP per capita, spending on R&D, total number of universities and indexed scientific journals were collected. We recorded the bibliometric indicators, including total number of research documents, citations per document and H-index in various science and social sciences subjects during the period 1996–2011. The main sources for information were World Bank, SCI-mago/Scopus and Web of Science; Thomson Reuters.

Results

The mean per capita GDP for all the Asian countries is 14448.31±2854.40 US$, yearly per capita spending on R&D 0.64±0.16 US$, number of universities 72.37±18.32 and mean number of ISI indexed journal per country is 17.97±7.35. The mean of research documents published in various science and social science subjects among all the Asian countries during the period 1996–2011 is 158086.92±69204.09; citations per document 8.67±0.48; and H-index 122.8±19.21. Spending on R&D, number of universities and indexed journals have a positive correlation with number of published documents, citations per document and H-index in various science and social science subjects. However, there was no association between the per capita GDP and research outcomes.

Conclusion

The Asian countries who spend more on R&D have a large number of universities and scientific indexed journals produced more in research outcomes including total number of research publication, citations per documents and H-index in various science and social science subjects.     

Systematic review: External carbon source for biological denitrification for wastewater

Nitrogen mitigation is serious environmental issue around the globe. Several methods for wastewater treatment have been introduced, but biological denitrification has been recommended, particularly with addition of the best external carbon source. The key sites of denitrification are wetlands; it can be carried out with different methods. To highlight the aforementioned technology, this paper deals to review the literature to evaluate biological denitrification and to demonstrate cost effective external carbon sources. The results of systematic review disclose the denitrification process and addition of different external carbon sources. The online literature exploration was accomplished using the most well-known databases, that is, science direct and the web of science database, resulting 625 review articles and 3084 research articles, published in peer-reviewed journals between 2015 and 2021 were identified in first process. After doing an in-depth literature survey and exclusion criteria, we started to shape the review from selected review and research articles. A number of studies confirmed that both nitrification and denitrification are significant for biological treatment of wastewater. The studies proved that the carbon source is the main contributor and is a booster for the denitrification. Based on the literature reviewed it is concluded that biological denitrification with addition of external carbon source is cost effective and best option in nitrogen mitigation in a changing world. Our study recommends textile waste for recovery of carbon source.     

Envisioning ecological engineering education: An international survey of the educational and professional community

Nearly half a century ago, H.T. Odum envisioned a sustainable approach to systems design where human intervention would be supplementary to nature. He referred to this concept as ecological engineering and suggested that practitioners should receive an education beyond the rigors of engineering. To understand natural processes needed to design, develop, and restore natural systems successfully, Odum suggested ecological engineers should have an expanded knowledge of environmental systems and ecology. Furthermore, he recommended broadening educational exposure to social science and liberal arts. The field of ecological engineering has blossomed in the years since Odum expressed his vision, but universities have not adopted his suggested curriculum, and undergraduate engineering students have generally seen a reduction in social science and liberal arts courses. This paper compares Odum's vision with the surveyed visions of an international group of ecological engineers, who assessed the value and characteristics of an ecological engineering undergraduate education. The respondents’ perspectives vary with their location, education, and profession; however, most participants in this survey share Odum's vision, and are dissatisfied with existing curricula. Participants outside of the United States were more confident that something approaching Odum's vision for a program in ecological engineering could be delivered at the undergraduate level.     

《动物生物学》教学对生命科学发展和人才培养的作用

动物生物学是揭示动物生命活动规律的科学。作为生命科学专业本科学生最早接触到的主干课程之一,动物生物学的教学对于学生了解生物学的基本概念和基础知识、构建生命科学的知识体系和思维方式、培养和巩固专业兴趣十分重要。系统回顾和总结了动物生物学研究对生命学科发展的贡献,阐明了动物生物学教学对生命科学人才培养与学科建设的作用,引起广大的生物学教学工作者和管理者对动物生物学教学的重视,促进传统重要基础课程的建设与发展。     

Australian genetics: A brief history

Although Australia has a productive history in plant and animal breeding, fundamental genetics was late in becoming established. Before the 1950s there was no separate department of genetics in any university in the country. Reasons for the delay include geographical isolation, Australian and British colonial science policy, and the lack of a critical mass of researchers. Through the efforts of Ian Clunies Ross and the CSIR several prominent scientists were induced to come from overseas to set up the framework for an Australian-based genetics community. Since that time fundamental genetics in Australia has flourished with high quality graduates in genetics being produced at a number of universities, and many local research programs being initiated. This period has seen the gradual internationalisation of Australian genetics and increased collaboration with overseas researchers taking place. This paper provides an historical overview of the origins and progress of genetics in Australia beginning with plant breeding in the first decades of this century to the present era of molecular genetics. Significant personalities, institutions, policies, reports and publications are discussed in order to make sense of the current structures.     

Science attitudes and knowledge among preclinical medical students in Pokhara, Nepal

Knowledge of science and the scientific method are important in learning about and using evidence-based medicine in practice. Courses in research methodology have been introduced for both medical students and practicing doctors. In Pokhara, the basic science subjects are taught in an integrated manner during the first four semesters of the undergraduate medical course. Studies on students' attitudes towards and knowledge of science are lacking in medical colleges in Nepal. Hence the study was carried out to obtain information on students' attitude towards and knowledge of science and scientific methodology among preclinical medical students and note the association, if any, of students' attitudes and their demographic characteristics. The study was carried out in March 2005 among the students of the first four semesters at the Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal using a questionnaire developed by Hren and coworkers. Two hundred and twenty students (overall response rate 73.3%) successfully completed the questionnaire. Seventy-five respondents were Nepalese, 115 were Indians, 27 were Sri Lankans and 3 belonged to other nationalities. The X +/- SD total attitude score was 147.4 +/- 10.8 (neutral score 135). The X +/- SD scores on the subscales, value of science to humanity, value of scientific methodology and value of science to medicine were 51.3 +/- 5.4, 39.6 +/- 3.7 and 58.5 +/- 5.9 (neutral scores were 36, 51 and 48 respectively). The knowledge score measured using a set of 8 multiple choice questions was 3.3 +/- 1.4. The attitude scores were lower and the knowledge score was comparable to that reported previously in a study in Croatia but higher than that reported from Southeast Europe.     

Mathematical struggles and ensuring success: post-compulsory mathematics as preparation for undergraduate bioscience

This article reports on data from a large-scale study investigating students’ mathematical transitions to higher education. Three hundred and seventy-one undergraduate bioscientists were surveyed in order to investigate their perceptions and experiences of studying post-compulsory mathematics, as preparation for the mathematics elements of their degree. A-level Mathematics was well-received, with more than three-quarters of participants describing the qualification as good preparation for their degree. Participants particularly valued the statistics units at A-level. However, A-level Further Mathematics was perceived to be less useful preparation, although participants reported that it was enjoyable and challenging. Ongoing qualification reform, as well as the proliferation of post-compulsory mathematics options, means that universities and schools would do well to consider how best to maximise bioscience students’ mathematical preparation prior to beginning their undergraduate studies.     

Mapping urban ecology education in the UK

Abstract

Urban ecology has matured as a field of investigation. This paper explores how well it has transitioned into the educational curricula of UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) by mapping the presence of urban ecological or environmental topics across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The prevalence of different topics, the level at which they are taught, and the disciplinary areas in which they are housed, are quantified. Urban ecological topics are found in programmes across 50 of 147 HEIs (34%), mainly taught in ancillary fashion to support wider subjects, though some specialist modules and even programmes do exist. Only one HEI incorporates a compulsory (core) dedicated urban ecology module at undergraduate level. Much urban ecology teaching takes place at advanced undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Applied topics are usually taught from an environmental science perspective, with common examples including urban hydrology, climate, and green infrastructure; probably to address global concerns about urban sustainability and resilience. In particular there is scope for greater incorporation of urban ecology topics and themes into biological and ecological programmes, and utilising cities as labs to explore these topics. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of these possibilities.     

A Multiple Case Study of Mental Health Interventions in Middle Income Countries: Considering the Science of Delivery

In the debate in global mental health about the most effective models for developing and scaling interventions, there have been calls for the development of a more robust literature regarding the "non-specific", science of delivery aspects of interventions that are locally, contextually, and culturally relevant. This study describes a rigorous, exploratory, qualitative examination of the key, non-specific intervention strategies of a diverse group of five internationally-recognized organizations addressing mental illness in middle income countries (MICs). A triangulated approach to inquiry was used with semi-structured interviews conducted with service recipients, service providers and leaders, and key community partners (N = 159). The interview focus was upon processes of implementation and operation. A grounded theory-informed analysis revealed cross cutting themes of: a holistic conceptualization of mental health problems, an intensive application of principles of leverage and creating the social, cultural, and policy “space” within which interventions could be applied and resourced. These findings aligned with key aspects of systems dynamic theory suggesting that it might be a helpful framework in future studies of mental health service implementation in MICs.