UNDERGRADUATE CLASSROOM TEACHING: IMPROVING THE PEDAGOGY FOR TEACHING INTRODUCTORY MOLECULAR BIOLOGY This project is aimed at improving the pedagogy for the teaching of the introductory molecular biology course (BioSci52) at Harvard University. Our principal goal is to foster an environment in which cooperative and interactive learning is paramount. To achieve this goal, we have designed a series of interactive animations for use in lecture, a series of in in-class exercises aimed at engaging students in the lecture material and encouraging cooperative learning, and a series of combined discussion/laboratory sections in which students work in groups on problems related to the lecture material and perform two laboratory experiments.

BioSci52 COURSE DESCRIPTION: BioSci 52 is an introductory molecular biology course taken primarily by students in either their sophomore or junior year, and in the fall of 2004 approximately 260 students enrolled in the course. The goal of Biological Sciences 52 is to enable students to become fluent in the principles of molecular biology and their application to fundamental problems of the gene. Students learn through lectures, readings, problems sets, computer animations, and laboratory exercises. BioSci52 Course Description 2004 BioSci52 Syllabus 2004

ANIMATIONS: In order to better illustrate key processes in molecular biology, we have developed a series of interactive FLASH animations which are both used in the lecture as a teaching aid and made available on the course website as a study aid. These animations have several features that help make key concepts easy to grasp: The animations are designed to present complicated processes in a manner that progresses from a simple overview of the process to a progressivley more complete description involving the full set of components; Colored symbols are used to represent various components involved in the process being illustrated, and pointing to the symbol opens a box that presents information about the function of that component; Students can open the animations at any point in the sequence or control progression through the sequence manually. To view the QuickTime movies, you will need to have QuickTime version 6.5 (Windows) or 7.0 (Macintosh) installed on your computer. To download QuickTime, follow the links provided below. To view the sporulation animation, you will need to have Macromedia's Flash Player (version 7) installed on your computer. To download the player, follow the link provided below. DNA Replication Animation (QuickTime Movie) Translation Animation (QuickTime Movie) General Recombination Animation (QuickTime Movie) Sporulation Animation (Flash) Get QuickTime for Macintosh Get QuickTime for Windows Get Flash Player 7

3D STEREO PROJECTIONS: Using the Viz3D stereo projection system (VisEverywhere), we are developing a series of structural tutorials for use in BS52. The Viz3D stereo projection system is a visualization tool that enables us to project the 3-dimensional structures of biological structures to a classroom of 20-30 students. Unlike other visualization systems, with the aid of polarized filters on dual projectors and polarized "glasses" worn by the viewing audience, the Viz3D system allows us to present vivid, realistic 3D stereo projections of macromolecules, and highlight the relative positions of structural domains, the locations of substrates within catalytic domains, and interactions between various functionally important residues. We are in the process of assembling short structural tutorials aimed at highlighting the most important structural features of DNA, the nucleosome, b-sliding clamp of DNA polymerase, DNA polymerase III, MutS, RNA polymerase, the ribosome, and tRNA. Assessment: In 2004, the Viz3D system was utilized as part of a review towards the end of the course, and student feedback was overwhelmingly positive; we envision that eventually it will be utilized regularly throughout the semester to enhance students' understanding of macromolecular structure and function.

Screen Capture from one of Professor Losick's animations

INTERACTIVE IN-CLASS EXERCISES: In order to stimulate interactive and cooperative learning in lecture, we have designed a series of "breakouts", or in-lecture questions, for use with the personal response system (PRS) sold by GTCO CalComp. Very briefly, at the beginning of the semester, students are issued a small infrared transmitter ("PRS unit") similar to a television remote control which they are required to bring to each lecture. At unannounced times during lecture, a question related to the topic being discussed is posed. Students are encouraged to work in groups for 2-3 minutes to discuss the answer to the question, and then submit responses individually via their PRS unit. Responses are collected and recorded by a personal computer, and students receive a "bonus" of 0.5 points on their final exam for each of the breakouts they participate in (regardless of whether or not their response was correct) and a bonus of 1 point on their final exam for each of the in-class exercises they answer correctly. Assessment: We have found that the "breakout" sessions greatly increased student attendance and participation in lecture: prior to the fall term 2004 (which is the first term we used the system) attendance at lecture was typically around 50%; this year, greater than 200 students responded to each of the questions, corresponding to an average attendance of >75%. In University-administered course evaluations, almost all students that commented on the system had favorable input.

COMBINED DISCUSSION/LABORATORY SECTIONS: Students enrolled in BS52 are required to attend a combined discussion/laboratory section, which meets for four hours on a weekly basis. These sections are led by a staff comprised of graduate students and post docs, and the discussion/laboratory component is worth 25% of the overall grade in the course. Discussion: The aim of the discussion sections is to reinforce material presented in lecture, and to provide a forum in which students are encouraged to work in small groups solving problems. The teaching fellows are encouraged to act as "coaches", helping the students work through conceptually difficult portions of the problems without "giving away" the answers. In addition to problem solving, the discussion sections provide a means to present supplemental material, which goes into greater depth than presented in lecture. An on-line bioinformatics exercise (sublink 1), which complements a guest lecture by Professor Jun Liu, has recently been added to the discussion component of the course. Laboratory: The laboratory portion of the course comprises two experiments tightly integrated with the lecture material, and provides students with the opportunity to: review and reinforce concepts presented in lecture, gain hands-on experience in the molecular biology laboratory, hone their writing skills. In the first series of experiments, students examine how mutations in the sequence of a promoter affect both the ability of that promoter to drive synthesis of a reporter gene and the topology of the DNA molecule containing the promoter. Students are required to summarize their findings in a short lab write-up. In the second series of laboratory experiments, students clone, amplify, purify, sequence and analyze potentially novel prokaryotic promoters from one of several prokaryotic genomes. Through the analysis of the data obtained from that experiment using computational approaches (bioinformatics), students empirically determine what sequences are recognized by the predominant E. coli sigma subunit of RNA polymerase, sigma-70. Student are required to summarize their findings in a full lab report.