Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education最新文献

Success in STEM majors often depends on students' ability to navigate gateway courses, such as introductory biology, which establishes foundational knowledge and predicts retention in the major. However, disparities in performance within these courses often reflect systemic inequities rather than differences in ability. This study explores the role of cultural wealth, as defined by Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework, in shaping academic outcomes. Using data from 518 biology majors at a Hispanic-serving institution, we employed latent class analysis to identify distinct subgroups of students based on their cultural wealth profiles. Four latent classes emerged, characterized by varying levels of engagement across the CCW dimensions. Class 1 exhibited the highest cultural wealth but did not achieve the highest grades, highlighting the potential influence of unexamined mediators. Class 2, with moderate responses across dimensions, achieved the highest grades, suggesting a potential interaction of cultural wealth and external supports. Classes 3 and 4, with lower overall cultural wealth, exhibited lower academic performance. These findings reveal the complex interplay between cultural wealth and academic success in biology education.

Undergraduate biology students describe fear of negative evaluation (FNE), defined as a sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated in a social situation, as negatively affecting their experiences in active learning courses. Yet, few studies have examined who is prone to experiencing FNE, the severity and duration of FNE, and whether the effects of FNE are experienced equally among undergraduates. To address these gaps, we surveyed 494 undergraduates enrolled in active learning introductory biology courses about their FNE as it relates to students in their courses (classmate FNE) and to their instructor (instructor FNE). Students reported higher instructor FNE than classmate FNE. Using linear regressions, we found that women and nonbinary students, persons excluded based on ethnicity or race (PEERs), continuing-generation college students, LGBTQ+ students, and non-native English speakers had higher instructor FNE than their respective counterparts. PEER students also had higher classmate FNE than white students. Women, nonbinary, and PEER students were more likely than men and white students to report a greater negative impact of FNE on their abilities to articulate their thoughts about science in class. This work highlights the importance of reducing FNE with the intent to create more equitable active learning biology classrooms.

Brake the Outbreak (BTO) is a free, online simulation of infectious outbreaks designed for educational use. A student using the simulation chooses a disease, vaccination percentage, social distancing rates, and other inputs. BTO then visually displays the resulting outbreak as it proceeds, including summary data, such as incidence and prevalence. BTO also shows emergent results like reproductive rate (R), which can be used to determine and test the herd immunity threshold (HIT) of the outbreak. BTO has been tested in the undergraduate microbiology classroom, where results suggest its use can enhance the learning of epidemiological content.

Scientific publications, textbooks, and online educational resources rely on illustrated figures to communicate about molecular structures like genes and chromosomes. Published figures have the potential to shape how learners think about these molecular structures and their functions, so it is important that figures are clear, unambiguous, and free from misleading or incorrect information. Unfortunately, we found numerous examples of figures that contain representations of genes and chromosomes with errors that reflect common molecular biology misconceptions. We found published figures featuring Y-shaped Y chromosomes, replicated chromosomes incorrectly shown with different alleles on sister chromatids, single genes portrayed as wide bands on chromosomes, and genes consisting of only a small number of nucleotides. Drawing on our research on student thinking about visual representations in molecular biology, we critique these published figures that contain such misconceptions and provide recommendations for simple modifications to figures that may help scientists, science illustrators, and science educators more accurately communicate the structure and function of genes and chromosomes.

Effective science education relies on innovative and engaging teaching tools that enhance student learning and retention. This need is particularly important in agricultural science outreach, where understanding the role of microbiology in animal health and disease is essential for both livestock producers and the public. However, traditional teaching methods often fail to adequately convey complex concepts in an accessible, applicable, and memorable way. To address this gap, a memory-based card game was developed utilizing game-based learning (GBL) principles to improve comprehension of microbiology's impact on animal health and disease within agricultural systems. This interactive tool balances educational content with gameplay, fostering an engaging learning experience that encourages knowledge retention and real-world application. Through the use of the game, pre- and post-self-assessments indicated learners perceived they were improved in their understanding of microbes in agriculture and noted their greater likelihood to use this information in real-world situations (P < 0.001). By integrating this game into extension and outreach programs, we aim to enhance public understanding of agricultural systems and microbiology's role in animal health, ultimately improving informed decision-making and agricultural literacy. This approach not only advances microbiology education but also exemplifies the pedagogical benefits of incorporating GBL into agricultural science communication.

Graduate students in the United States are experiencing increased levels of anxiety, affecting their mental health and attrition from graduate programs. Yet, we are only beginning to understand how anxiety about specific aspects of graduate study, such as teaching or research, might contribute to this overall anxiety related to graduate study. Biology graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) often have simultaneous roles as teachers, researchers, students, and employees. The most salient roles are often as teachers and researchers, which can have different values ascribed to them by science departments, and thus generate anxiety in different ways. To explore the factors GTAs identified as impacting their anxiety specific to teaching and research, we interviewed 23 Biology GTAs at a research-intensive southeastern university. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts identified five factors associated with GTA teaching and research anxieties: fear of negative evaluation by others, fear of letting others down, low self-efficacy, research-teaching tension, and work/life pressures. Low self-efficacy was expressed more often by participants when discussing research anxiety. In contrast, the fear of letting others down (e.g., undergraduates or mentors) was expressed more often by participants when talking about teaching anxiety. These findings can be used to inform professional development or mental health interventions for GTAs to help them reduce their anxieties and encourage greater awareness and dialogue about the anxiety experiences of graduate students in the sciences broadly.

There is increasing reliance on graduate student teaching assistants (GTAs) in undergraduate education, yet the impact of this role on graduate students is understudied. Previous research has focused on tangible outcomes such as skill development, rather than how GTAs value or find meaning in this role. Our study used a phenomenological approach rooted in self-determination theory to allow graduate students to describe their own experience of being GTAs and how they found value and created meaning through their role. We conducted interviews with five GTAs and used thematic analysis to describe their experiences. Generally, GTAs found the experience to be an important and positive aspect of their graduate program, intentionally using the experience to explore potential career paths and find belonging in the wider academic community. However, GTAs also identified several challenges, including pressure to exceed their contracted hours, and some GTAs saw these challenges as ethical dilemmas that were difficult to resolve. Overall, our study demonstrates the deep mindfulness that GTAs use when reflecting on their experiences and making choices within their role. Given the reflection that GTAs bring to their role, we recommend that those who train and work with GTAs actively support their professional development through centering GTA needs in order to enhance the experience of GTAs in the classroom.

Apprenticeship research experiences (AREs) provide undergraduate students with real-world opportunities to engage in authentic experiment-based research as integral members of the supervisor's laboratory team. While AREs have been proposed to support students' confidence and competencies in the laboratory, they can also present practical barriers for effective pedagogical and fair implementation in undergraduate programs. For example, as AREs are conducted in authentic research environments independent of a course context, they are often not equipped with the pedagogical structure and guided instruction to best support student learning. Moreover, students frequently compete to secure a limited number of ARE placements such as summer research positions, honors thesis students, or scholarship recipients. As a result, many students who aim to complete an ARE within their undergraduate degree may never receive the opportunity, raising questions of factors that may impact fair and impartial student eligibility for these research experiences. To address these barriers, our faculty developed an innovative undergraduate course that integrates a discovery-based training laboratory component and an ARE placement component directly within its structure. Here, we present the details of this unique course structure and provide practical resources and suggestions for implementation in similar laboratory courses in science-related undergraduate programs.

STEM teaching assistants (TAs) are vital resources at the university level and are responsible for teaching most undergraduate laboratory courses. TAs are expected to navigate the complex interaction of personal confidence, course goals, varied student preparedness, and instructor supervision while delivering a quality educational experience. These variables combine to create an exceptionally prepared professional, a quick exit from the STEM field, or a capable individual in need of additional training. We present three individual TA development examples spread across three lab courses (Gel Electrophoresis, Genetics, and PCR Methods). Examples of these course materials are included, including links to the instructional resources for each of the three classes.

Reflective assignments are a powerful tool in undergraduate STEM courses to promote student metacognition and give instructors and researchers a view of that process. We were interested in understanding student challenges in our developmental biology course, so we used reflective assignments to uncover these challenges and also add to our understanding of student metacognition in upper-level courses. We used structural and initial coding and themed student responses. Then, we were able to compare results across two different course formats. We also compared these analyses with student performance on weekly formative assessments and completed item analysis. Our analyses suggest that students struggle the most with application. Notably, student responses did not differ in an asynchronous online class versus a high-flex in-person class. We also surveyed students (n = 162) on their use and perceived value of the metacognitive assignments for further comparison to other studies of upper-level student metacognitive regulation. Results indicate a strong majority of students completed more than half of the assignments, found the assignments beneficial to their learning, and used the opportunity to plan study time. Overall, we find that upper-level college students have accurate metacognitive knowledge, allowing them to identify challenging topics and cognitive skills, and have acquired the metacognitive regulation tools to develop study plans when prompted by a reflective assignment.