Goals The Dolan DNA Learning Center (DNALC) is an operating unit of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory -- a basic research laboratory -- located on Long Island, NY. The DNALC produces curriculum, laboratories, and multimedia resources on "DNA science," genetics, and molecular biology. DNA from the Beginning is our attempt to create an engaging, authoratitive, multimedia resource to explain scientific concepts and processes.

The Beginning of DNA from the Beginning The DNALC is an operating unit of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory -- a high-level basic research institute. In 1996 Dr. James Watson (CSHL Chancellor) and David Micklos (DNALC Executive Director) began talking about the role of the WWW in science education and its potential as a dissmenation platform. The talk led to a formal proposal to the Josiah Macy Jr., Foundation. Through the genorosity of the Josiah Macy Jr., Foundation, the DNALC established its Biomedia department to produce online educational resources on genetics and molecular biology. DNA from the Beginning is the first of a wide range of "content" sites produced by the Biomedia department. Through collaborations with other international organizations, DNA from the Beginning has been translated into a number of different languages. There is also a CD-ROM set available for purchase.

Approach Although we initially thought of DNA from the Beginning as an online textbook, it soon became clear that this was not a good analogy. The WWW offers much more flexibile presentation styles and options including video clips, animations, and annotated linkages. Also, even as early as 1997, there were studies on how people "browse" and "surf" the Internet and what constitutes good web design. DNA from the Beginning as it is now is the final iteration between design, content, functionality, and usability. Structure and Design DNA from the Beginning is structured around key concepts of molecular biology. Each concept consist of a short summary/description and "buttons" that allow the user to assess more infomration and content. With the exception of the concept list at the right, the entire site is built using Macromedia Flash. This ensures that the material is consistent (font- and color- wise) and the file sizes are as small as possible. Content The main content features experiments central to the key concepts. These are presented as animations narrated in the point of view of the scientist most responsible for the discovery and the development of the concept. This has two advantages in that students have a sense of "science as an human endeavor" (National Science Education Standard, Content Standard G). Secondly, because the scientists explain their incentive and motivation for doing the experiments and students have an opportunity to understand "science as inquiry" (National Science Education Standard, Content Standard A). There are also video clips from interviews with scientists that showcase their excitement and enthusiam about the work.

http://www.dnaftb.org Results We started publishing concepts for DNA from the Beginning in 1999. The entire site with 41 concepts was finished in 2002. The material has been updated as necessary -- one of the many advantages of maintaining a web site as opposed to publishing a text book. Since online publication, we have kept track of site usage and have implemented an informal survey to gather information. In general, we get over 100,000 visitors to the site per month -- this number fluctuates depending on the month, November and March/April are peak months. Approximately 30% of the visitors are international -- 2/3 of all the visitors are teachers and students, 1/3 are interested public. The site is used for research, information, in-class instruction, and as supplementatary support material.

Teacher-Oriented Resources Although we did not specifically create teacher guides or lesson plans geared towards DNA from the Beginning, other organizations have. The National Human Genome Research Institute has an online Genetic Education Modules for Teachers based on DNA from the Beginning. A number of colleges and universities cite DNA from the Beginning as resource material for their biology classes. Individuals teachers have incorporated concepts from DNA from the Beginning into their lesson plans (personal communications).

Future Plans As a resource, DNA from the Beginning will continue to be freely available online. We hope to expand its usability by adding more teacher-oriented resources such as lesson plans and acitivities. We have indexed and catalogued media elements -- video clips, animations, graphics -- that are used to produce some our Internet sites. These elements can then be searched, reannotated, and used by teachers to produce their own tailored lessons with a tool we call Lesson Builder (registration is free). We hope to index all the media elements from all of our Internet sites to provide a rich library for educator use.