Upload
others
View
1
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
1
Academic Senate Undergraduate Program Review: A Self-‐study Report on the Division of Biological Sciences
December 1, 2014
Introduction
a. Educational Mission The Biological Sciences division’s educational mission is to educate highly competent and sought-‐after BS, MS, and PhD graduates who are nimble and creative thinkers. Graduates from our program will:
• Have a deep conceptual understanding of modern biology, strong practical and analytical skills, and the intellectual agility essential for lifelong learning;
• Be equipped to apply the process of science, have skills to collaborate and communicate with other disciplines, and understand the relationship between science and society as they become members of the 21st-‐century global workforce; and
• Be exceptionally well prepared for a broad spectrum of career paths, ranging from graduate and professional school to teaching and private sector employment.
b. Administrative Structure–An Overview As noted in the last review, the division’s administrative structure is unique. Biological Sciences has four department-‐like sections, each with a chairperson who reports to the dean. Each section represents one of the following distinct academic areas:
• Cell and Developmental Biology • Molecular Biology • Neurobiology • Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
The four sections share a centralized administrative support structure. One tenet of this streamlined organization is that both undergraduate and graduate programs are administered at the divisional level. The Divisional Education Committee and Graduate Committee provide academic and intellectual guidance, while the student and instructional services units provide advisory services to students and instruction-‐based support to faculty. The support units also provide academic enrichment and career-‐planning services, administer international education, and support divisional student recruitment and retention efforts and programs (see also page 11, II a).
c. Education Committee The central point of contact for educational matters in the division is the Education Committee (EC). Chaired by the Associate Dean for Education and with faculty representatives from each section, the EC reviews, deliberates, and proposes strategies and approaches related to the educational mission. These activities include the review, interpretation, and implementation of university requirements and division policy and implements. The EC works collaboratively with the section chairs and all faculty
2
members in striving to offer the highest-‐quality education for all students, undergraduate and graduate.
The EC is responsible for the following: • Developing policies and guidelines for curriculum change proposals, new course
proposals, and standard petition guidelines • Determining the schedule of classes • Matching faculty teaching loads to divisional standards • Ensuring teaching equity • Participating in resource management • Contributing to the course articulation process
All EC members are expected to communicate information back and forth between the committee and his/her respective sections.
The EC vice-‐chair, currently Dr. Laurie Smith (Cell and Developmental Biology section), ensures teaching equity and oversees the teaching assignments. These processes are done in close partnership with the chair and the four section representatives, which assures that teaching assignments and course offering processes are transparent and based on broad consultation with faculty members and section chairs (see pp. 28 -‐ 29).
d. Enrollment Cycling (see also, below, “Size of Bio Major–Quality of Students” p. 8, and Appendix 10) Beginning in the early 1990s, interest in the biological sciences increased rapidly among the undergraduate population at UC San Diego. The resulting increase in enrollment led to enrollment control measures, which triggered a dramatic drop in the number of majors. When the control measures were removed, our division once again experienced explosive growth, overwhelming available resources, especially in laboratory courses. Here are some specific numbers:
• In 1997/98, implementation of a pre-‐major screening process led enrollment numbers to drop from the 1996/97 peak of more than 3,800 to a low of 2,900 in 2001/02.
• In 2002/03, enactment of a modified screening process proves ineffective, with the number of majors peaking at 5,558 majors in 09/10.
• In 09/10 (with respect to new freshmen) and 11/12 (new transfers) a declaration of impacted status causes the number of majors to drop to 3,790 in 12/13. Elimination of impacted status in April 2013 is followed by rapid growth. The division currently has 4,875 majors.
I. Comparison with Previous Review
a. Administrative Adjustments To ensure consistent vision, guidance, and oversight and to improve the quality and breadth of the division’s educational environment, the Associate Dean for Education was redefined as a full-‐time administrative position in 2007. A change was also made in
3
the function and responsibilities of the Student Affairs Unit, and, as a result, that unit was renamed Biological Sciences Student and Instructional Services. Its mandate is to:
• Provide services to faculty, student, and staff in support of the academic mission; • Assume responsibility for academic enrichment, career-‐planning services,
international education, and research opportunities for division students, facilitating and encouraging their academic, personal, and professional success; and
• Support recruitment and retention of a highly qualified and diverse student body
b. Response to Comments, Suggestions, and Critiques in 2007 Review The 2007 review included many comments, suggestions, and critiques, to which we respond in this section.
Adopt Cutting-‐edge Instructional Technologies: The 2007 review discussed at great length the challenges to providing excellent undergraduate education in a large enrollment course environment, including how to involve students in active learning, personalize the environment, work with diverse student needs and backgrounds, and manage classroom disruptions.
However, as pointed out in the last review, reducing the class size does not, by itself, lead to improved student learning. What counts is the quality of teaching. Our faculty members are aware of this and have actively sought ways to advance teaching excellence in large enrollment courses. Seeking ideas and guidance in this regard, several faculty members–driven by intrinsic motivation–attended summer teaching workshops or academies, offered by, for example, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the American Society for Microbiology (Wasserman, Crawford, Tour, Hunter, Mel, Butler).
Lessons learned from these types of workshops were shared at brown-‐bag lunches with faculty colleagues. This effort, in combination with the robust instructional technology campus resource (http://acms.ucsd.edu/faculty/clickers/), has led to a slow but steady adoption of clickers and peer instruction. Several faculty members are also experimenting with flipping the classroom and exploring the use of technology, prerecording the lectures using Camtasia (http://acms.ucsd.edu/faculty/online-‐education.html). Podcasting of lectures has also been adopted widely (http://podcast.ucsd.edu/), with some lectures also being videotaped, an accommodation of particular relevance to ESL students (see Appendix 1).
Increase Efforts to Prevent Cheating: Our division is working closely with UC San Diego’s Academic Integrity Office (AI) to promote a culture of academic integrity. Every new faculty member is introduced to AI office services and support programs, and all Biology course syllabi contain the clear message that academic integrity is a core value of the university. Faculty discuss in their courses academic honesty expectations and the consequences of their violation. Very importantly, faculty are also creating course environments that demonstrate this commitment, including implementing test taking processes that minimize the opportunity for academic dishonesty. These efforts are
4
supported by divisional instructional assistants’ training sessions that discuss the special role of instructional assistants in upholding the core value of academic integrity.
Still, we strongly believe that we need to do more. Students do not develop ethical decision-‐making – the skills and habits for evaluating and choosing among alternatives in a manner consistent with ethical principles – simply by watching role models. Therefore, our curriculum must include activities that lead students to explore what is involved in being a good scientist, teacher, or other professional. An example of these activities is detailed on page 21 Foster Increased Student Interaction with Faculty: The 2007 report urged our division to expand opportunities for students to interact more closely with faculty. We embraced this advice and created additional academic and co-‐curricular opportunities (see also pp. 23 -‐ 25) for students to interact meaningfully with faculty, including the following:
• Academic, course-‐based opportunities As pointed out in the 2007 review, the upper-‐division seminar courses offered under the BISP 194 heading help students get to know faculty members and build professional relationships. Students learn how to read and write about the primary literature, and present and lead discussions. For faculty members, this course provides the opportunity to build an intellectual community within which to explore a cutting-‐edge scholarly topic. As a result, this course type has been very popular with both faculty and students.
To expand academic breadth, we transformed the original BISP 194 course into a family of 194 seminars with different course prerequisites. Appendix 2 describes the courses and prerequisites in more detail and provides a link to a sample course syllabus.
• Upper-‐division lab courses We are committed to offering an intimate, intellectually vigorous learning environment in our laboratory course program. All laboratory courses are small (enrollment 22-‐42 students) and are taught by faculty. Instructional assistants (IAs) provide additional oversight and support and ensure that the lab course environment is safe.
Since the last review, we have advanced the quality of the lab course curriculum. Rather than following a prescribed curriculum delivered with cookbook-‐type instruction, all courses engage students in discovery-‐based activities. For example, students in our Recombinant DNA lab (BIMM 101) contribute to Drs. Kohn and Henter’s barcoding research project as they develop a gene model hypothesis, evaluate evidence, test their hypothesis with genomic data, draw conclusions based on evidence, and share their results with other students and the larger scientific community (see Appendix 3).
Another example of these changes is provided by the Microbiology lab (BIMM 121). The lead instructor has partnered with a microbiology faculty member (Dr. Eric Allen, MB section) to connect the lab course curriculum with an ongoing,
5
large-‐scale metagenomics project of microbial populations inhabiting hypersaline environments. As a result, students in the course witness integration of their data into the study of processes that include environmental adaptation lateral gene transfer events, microbial interactions, and in situ metabolic activity.
All lab courses meet twice a week for at least four hours (in addition to two weekly one-‐hour lectures), creating a small liberal arts college environment. Students hone their critical thinking skills, gain first-‐hand experience in the process of science, and learn how to read primary literature and communicate scientific data. Faculty and students also get to know each other, allowing students to establish the one-‐on-‐one student-‐faculty relationships that lead to significant mentoring and meaningful letters of recommendation for entrance to professional and graduate schools.
• Phage genomics research course sequence Drs. Joe and Kit Pogliano successfully applied in 2007 to the first round of HHMI’s SEA Phage initiative (https://www.hhmi.org/programs/science-‐education-‐alliance). Although HHMI provided support only for three years, the division provided the resources and commitment to make this a sustained educational program. The Phage Genomics Research Course Sequence (http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/student-‐opp/phage-‐gen.html) offers an exciting and innovative opportunity for academically high-‐achieving freshmen and declared Biology majors to acquire hands-‐on research experience.
The 30 students accepted annually into the course learn how to approach research problems creatively. Experiments focus on bacteriophage, rapidly evolving viruses that infect bacteria. Students isolate new bacteriophage from the environment, and sequence and characterize their genomes. An important goal is for the results to be published in peer-‐reviewed scientific journals with the students listed as co-‐authors. Students who participate in the program earn course credit for one upper division laboratory course.
The following quote from a former student captures the essence of the experience: “The Phage Genomics course exposes us to real research, beyond the scope of a normal lab class where one would just learn lab techniques, and thus is a more rewarding experience than repeating a set of experiments that thousands of students before you have done already. Our instructors acted as mentors, sharing our joy when we discovered something totally unexpected and guiding us when we ran into difficulties.”
• BioClock Studio BioClock Studio, developed by the division’s HHMI professor Susan Golden (http://biology.ucsd.edu/news/article_063014.html), is an innovative course in which a team of undergraduate students, drawn from diverse disciplines, work collaboratively to develop their scientific and communication skills and produce innovative educational materials. The products of the studio are used to enhance
6
scientific understanding within and among different audiences, including the general public, researchers, and the students’ academic peers.
The project centers on the field of Circadian Biology, the study of internal daily biological clocks, and leverages a strong Circadian research center and an existing 300-‐student course, “Circadian Rhythms–Biological Clocks.” The 20-‐student studio engages select students from this large class with other students who study art, communication, computer science, journalism, and education to develop a suite of educational materials that communicate scientific knowledge to diverse audiences.
BioClock Studio students train intensively in writing and using a variety of media; develop critical thinking, rhetorical, and technical skills; and experience the synergy that emerges when students from a variety of disciplines work together collaboratively.
As its first goal, the Studio will create instructional materials for the “Circadian Rhythms–Biological Clocks” course. Products will include demonstration videos, original visuals, text informed by primary sources but focused appropriately for a non-‐specialist audience, and interactive exercises that make abstract concepts more understandable. The studio will make the activities of more than two dozen research labs more accessible to the larger class of students through production of videos that demonstrate how Circadian data are collected for different kinds of organisms, including humans, mice, plants, fungi, tissue culture cells, and cyanobacteria, and different kinds of biological rhythms, including rhythms in behavior, body temperature, protein levels, and gene expression.
Faculty from Circadian rhythms laboratories serve as mentors, guiding studio students to develop educational content (see Appendix 4).
• Student-‐initiated course: BISP 170 (BioScholars Seminar: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond) The BioScholars seminar was piloted spring 2013 and implemented the following year as an Academic Senate-‐approved BISP 170 course (BioScholars Seminar: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond). It is open to all students. Students in the BioScholars student organization, with guidance and mentorship from Biology faculty members, develop a spring quarter seminar focused on a bleeding-‐edge research area. The focus of the course changes every year. Students identify future course topics by examining the broad scientific framework of the chosen theme (bench) and proceed to address the relevant applications of the subject in the medical field (bedside) and current key societal challenges of global dimensions (beyond). For example, the 2014 theme was BRAIN: Matters of Mind, Brain, and Society. The course explored the Brain Initiative from multiple perspectives: current research challenges within the neuroscience field, existing and future clinical applications resulting from basic science research, and the sociopolitical, philosophical, legal, and ethical ramifications of this scientific endeavor.
7
During the course development process, students work closely with faculty mentors and establish relationships with individual course speakers. Thus, BISP 170 facilitates close student-‐faculty interactions at many different levels (see Appendix 5).
Undergraduate research outside the classroom
Undergraduate involvement in research fosters close faculty-‐student collaboration. Students have the opportunity to share in a professional researcher's work, learn how he or she formulates a significant question, develops a procedure to investigate it, gathers and examines evidence, and evaluates and shares results with the scientific community. Our division strongly encourages students to get involved in research via volunteering, paid research opportunities, academic credit (BISP 199, BISP 196), academic internships (BISP 197), and on-‐ and off-‐campus summer research programs (e.g., Amgen, Research Experiences for Undergraduates).
Because of the size of our student population, it takes effort to acquaint students about research opportunities. Our division’s Center for Discovering Opportunities in Biological Sciences (do/bio) is responsible for that, conducting information sessions and workshops (including an introduction to the campus-‐wide undergraduate research portal) that involve faculty and undergraduate students, posting PowerPoint slides on the web, and informing students via a blog (Bio Bulletin). In addition, undergraduate research is highlighted in the annual Student Research Showcase and the Saltman Quarterly Program.
Competitive research scholarships allow students to participate as Eureka! Scholars during the summer months in leading life sciences laboratories. To inform students about this scholarship program, our division, in partnership with the Academic Enrichment Program, offers informational sessions, and created (in partnership with the Writing Center) workshops on how to write a personal statement and a research proposal.
Because many of our students volunteer or work as lab assistants in research labs at off-‐campus institutes, it is difficult to establish accurate undergraduate research participation numbers. Based on BISP 199 applications we calculate that 600 -‐ 800 students participate annually in undergraduate research for credit under the mentorship of Biology, Physical Sciences or Engineering faculty or of a faculty associated with the School of Medicine, Salk Institute, or Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
• Faculty advisors for Biology student organizations Our division supports three undergraduate student organizations: the BioScholars Program, the Biological Sciences Student Organization (BSSA), and the Saltman Quarterly Program (SQ). Each organization has faculty mentors. For example, the Saltman Quarterly Program alone involves 10 faculty mentors, drawn from all four divisional sections. All three organizations have activities and programs geared toward increasing faculty-‐student interactions. For example,
8
“tea with the faculty” and “dine with the prof” are popular with both students and faculty and help break down barriers between students and faculty.
Size of Biology–Quality of Students: The 2007 review highlighted the problem of too few lab courses relative to the number of students. At the time of that review, an enrollment management system was in place that limited enrollment by specifying that at “the end of five quarters, students must have a GPA of at least 2.5 in screening courses.” The Committee on Educational Policy withdrew permission for this mode of enrollment management in 2007 (see Appendix 6). Our division, therefore, was forced to develop a new plan aimed at aligning student enrollment with available resources.
In May 2008, our division received approval to become “impacted” (see appendices 7 & 8). This change in status had a dramatic effect on enrollment, decreased the number of majors from a peak of 5,800 to fewer than 3,600 in winter quarter 2013 (its last quarter of implementation). In April 2013, we secured substantial additional lab resources, enabling the impacted status to be eliminated (see “Curriculum and Instruction, Lab Course Program,” p. 17).
Strengthening Academic Standards: The “W” and Minimum Progress Problems: As part of our “‘Impacted Major Proposal” to the Academic Senate, our division urged the Academic Senate to enforce Academic Senate Regulations, specifically Academic Senate Regulation 516 (minimum progress), to reduce the number of “W” (withdrawal from course) students are able to take, and 505 D (repetition of course) to limit the approval for repeating a course for which a student’s transcript bears two entries with grades D, F, NP or U. Our division further strengthened academic standards by requiring that students must pass prerequisite courses for Biology courses with a grade of C-‐ or better. All three changes have been implemented.
Lab Course Access: Bottleneck to Student Academic Progress: As described in “Curriculum and Instruction, Lab Course Program,” p. 17, and above under “Size of Biology Major,” new resources (renovation funds, additional physical space, additional staff position) received during academic year 13/14 significantly increased the capacity of our lab course program and allowed us to develop and offer a lower-‐division lab course (BILD4).
Lecturers with Potential of Employment/Lecturers with Security of Employment (LPSOE/LSOE): The 2007 review identified the LPSOE/LSOE series as a success but expressed concerns about the potential for separate research and teaching cultures within the division. These concerns might reflect a lack of familiarity among review committee members with the expectations of the Lecturer with Potential of Security of Employment/ Lecturer with Security of Employment (LPSOE/LSOE) series, which are:
• Teaching: Excellence in teaching, demonstrated knowledge base in science education research and application to teaching (scholarly teaching)
• Research: Excellence in teaching-‐as-‐research, scholarly contributions to the field of science education research (scholarship of teaching), professional achievement and activity, leadership beyond the campus, and contributions to instruction-‐related activities (intellectual leadership)
9
• Service: Contributions to university and public service.
In addition, the campus has changed the working title from LPSOE/LSOE to Assistant Teaching Professor, Associate Teaching Professor, and Teaching Professor, highlighting that faculty in this series are members of the Academic Senate with the full rights and responsibilities of that status. Faculty in the Teaching Professor series participate actively in the business and activities of both section and division.
Teaching Assistant (TA) Issues–Training: As a result of the 2007 review, our division revamped its TA training program. A detailed description of the changes can be found under the section “Curriculum and Instruction” pp. 26 -‐ 28.
Outreach to and Involvement of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO): Since the 2007 review, SIO has developed a minor in Marine Science, a major in Marine Biology, and a contiguous BS/MS program in Marine Biology. Our division has fully supported these changes. Several Biology faculty members oversee research of students in the Environmental Systems and Marine Biology major. At the same time, SIO researchers and faculty have continued to welcome Biology majors into their labs.
The changes at SIO had an additional important benefit: Our division identified SIO courses that students could use to meet core course or upper-‐division elective requirements for divisional majors (mostly for the EBE curriculum). This had the dual benefit of expanding the intellectual breadths of our majors while decreasing the potential for bottleneck issues.
Gender Equality–Faculty Gender Diversity: Our division has a higher percentage of women faculty than any other science unit at UC San Diego: Women make up 39% of our assistant professors and 28% of total ladder rank faculty, as shown in the following table.
Table 1. Gender Diversity among Ladder Rank Faculty in Biological Sciences by Rank
Rank Women Men Total Percentage Assistant 7 11 18 39% Assistant TP* 1 2 3 33% Associate 7 6 13 54% Associate TP* 2 1 3 67% Professor 12 49 61 20% TP* 2 1 3 67% Total Prof Series 26 66 92 28% Total Teaching Prof Series 5 4 9 56%
*TP: Teaching Professor
10
The campus benefits from the ability of our division to hire a diverse faculty workforce, and our various approaches to recruitment have been key to achieving this level of diversity. Of our recent recruits, dating back to 7/1/2013 hires, more than 60% are women. Additionally, 9 out of 19 of the tenured women faculty have been promoted or hired since 2007.
Lack of Lower-‐division Lab Space: As part of the implementation of UC San Diego’s Strategic Pan, Chancellor Khosla made a substantial amount of resources available to renovate existing laboratory space, which significantly increased our teaching laboratory space capacity. In addition, the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department generously transferred some of their lab space to our division. These two developments made it possible for us to offer a lower-‐division laboratory course, BILD 4 (Introductory Biology Lab), serving up to 1,200 freshmen or sophomore Biology majors annually. A detailed description of the changes in the laboratory course program can be found in the section “Curriculum and Instruction” p. 17.
Access to Mentored Research Opportunities: As described above (p.4), ensuring access to mentored research for academic credit (through courses BISP 196 and BISP 199) is a key educational goal of our division. We have initiated 90-‐minute, three-‐part information sessions to help students understand what research is about, think about what type of research they would find most appealing, and learn how to initiate research with a faculty mentor. A general overview of divisional and campus resources is followed by a faculty panel that helps students understand faculty expectations and a student panel that provides peer advice, insight, and encouragement.
For many years, our division was the only UC San Diego academic unit to require a GPA of 3.0, rather than 2.5, for 199-‐level research. Based on the recommendation of the EC, our division sought and received Academic Senate approval to implement a new minimum GPA for BISP 199 of 2.5.
Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Section–Teaching Capacity: The financial crisis and its associate budget cuts hit the EBE section disproportionately hard. Over the last few years, our division has worked diligently to rebuild this group, making significant changes in the EBE graduate student support model and targeting faculty hires. Recently, the section received an FTE for an Assistant Teaching Professor. The search has been initiated and should be concluded before the end of academic year 14/15. The incumbent will teach up to six courses per academic year in ecology, evolution, and behavior, significantly improving that section’s ability to balance the teaching load for its faculty.
Quality of Advising: The 2007 review urged our division to pay “… more attention and resources … to making sure that all students get proper advising.” As described in the “Advising” section, we improved the effectiveness and productivity of our advising unit. We increased the number of staff advisors, increased administrative efficiency by developing on-‐line processes (e.g., BISP 199 applications), enhanced existing programs (e.g., faculty advising), and developed new programs (e.g., the Transfer Opportunities for Success Program).
11
Research has demonstrated that high student engagement correlates positively to college success (e.g., decreased drop-‐out rates, improved GPA, improved college satisfaction). Student engagement significantly increases if a student is involved in high-‐impact learning opportunities, such as undergraduate research, studying abroad, and internships.
To improve students’ access to those types of opportunities, we created a new unit, the Center for Discovering Opportunities in Biological Sciences (do/bio). This center was created in academic year 2013/14 to complement and enrich undergraduate scholarship with experiential learning opportunities. It helps prepare students for today’s global, cross-‐disciplinary workplace. See also “Fostering Engagement with Majors, from Orientation to Graduation” below.
II. Curriculum and Instruction
a. Pattern of Requirement for Each Major and Promotion of Students’ Acquisition of “Core Learning Abilities and Competencies”
Research in our division represents a wide spectrum of approaches to biological inquiry—biochemical, molecular, cellular, physiological, and ecological. The teaching program reflects this diversity by offering eight different majors in the biological sciences:
• Biochemistry and Cell Biology • Biology with a Specialization in Bioinformatics • Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution • General Biology • Human Biology • Microbiology • Molecular Biology • Physiology and Neuroscience
Through a combination of common and specific coursework, each major provides an excellent foundation and preparation for success in graduate or professional study or other science-‐related postgraduate endeavors.
Each major establishes a foundation in mathematical, physical, chemical, and basic biological concepts. Subsequently, upper-‐division courses build and expand on this foundation in an area of biology sub-‐specialization. All Biology majors are required to take a core group of upper-‐division courses, then delve deeper into specific scientific areas to support both fundamental understanding and mastery of biological material unique to each student’s interests and educational goals (pp. 13 -‐ 15; 20 -‐ 22; 25 -‐ 26).
Our most popular majors are, in order, Human Biology, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and General Biology. Numbers of students are listed per major and class in the following table.
Table 2. Number of Students by Major and Class for Fall Quarter 2014
FA14 Majors Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors Total
12
FA14 Majors Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors Total Biochemistry and Cell Biology
298 193 337 502 1,344
Biology with a Specialization in Bioinformatics
25 4 16 3 48
Ecology, Behavior, Evolution
14 22 24 58 118
General Biology 198 133 237 398 976 Human Biology 415 357 461 516 1,766 Microbiology 36 19 41 56 153 Molecular Biology 61 24 61 54 200 Physiology and Neuroscience
205 193 206 263 873
Total 1,252 945 1,383 1,850 5,478
Honors Students: The Senior Honors Thesis Program is open to declared Biology majors who meet all eligibility requirements (e.g., GPA, accumulated units). Students who successfully complete all three quarters of research, along with a written thesis and presentation at the annual Division of Biological Sciences: Research Showcase have “Distinction” recorded on their transcripts. Completion of this program is the only way to earn distinction through our division.
Table 3. Number of Students in Senior Honors Thesis Program–Academic Years 12/15
Academic Year Number of Participants
2012-‐2013 23 2013-‐2014 25 2014-‐2015 28
Students Minoring in Biology: The General Biology minor requires successful completion of two lower-‐ and five upper-‐division Biology courses taken at UC San Diego. Of the latter, students can select which biology curriculum they want to pursue (pending completion of relevant prerequisites).
Table 4. Students Minoring in Biology–Academic Year 13/14
Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors Total
1 6 19 96 122
13
Joint Undergraduate Program in Bioinformatics: This Bachelor’s Degree Program is offered by Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Bioengineering, Computer Science and Engineering. Each department offers its own major with specialization, and each department contributes courses toward the Bioinformatics curriculum. This major was established more than 15 years ago. It is in Biology the least popular major. Currently, only 48 students are declared Bioinformatics majors. The Division’s Education Committee identified a review of this major -‐ involving all participating academic units -‐ as a top priority.
Departments and Programs that Use Biology Courses as Part of Major Curriculum: As described in detail in “The Impact of the Division’s Instructional Programs on the General Educational Mission and Needs of Other Departments” (pp. 18 -‐ 20) our division provides classes that are popular among students seeking to fulfill their science General Education requirements. In addition several non-‐Biology academic major curricula allow Biology courses as options.
Major Design Pattern: The curricular design of our majors was guided by two principles: (1) mathematics, physics, and chemistry are integral to the study of biology, and (2) the intellectual and academic framework is established by a core set of biological principles–evolution, information flow, structure and function, transformation of energy and matter, and systems.
Since its inception, the Biology undergraduate curriculum was based on the premise that all students majoring in the field must have a solid background in foundational mathematical and physical sciences concepts. The Ecology, Behavior and Evolution (EBE) major deviated somewhat from this fundamental structure. It is the only major that at the lover-‐division level does not require a General Chemistry lab, and that at the upper-‐division level does not require students to take Organic Chemistry or any other Biology courses for which Organic Chemistry is a prerequisite. Specifically, EBE majors are not required to take Metabolic Biochemistry (BIBC 102) and Molecular Biochemistry (BIMM 100). The only upper-‐ division required Biology course for EBE majors is Genetics (BICD 100).
Both the General Biology major and the Bioinformatics major allow students to take fewer Organic Chemistry courses. Not required are the last course in the yearlong Organic Chemistry series (Chem 140C) and the Organic Chemistry lab (Chem 134A). General Biology majors are also not required to take the Molecular Biology course (BIMM 100).
Students in all other majors (Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Human Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Physiology and Neurosciences) have to complete a yearlong sequence in Organic Chemistry plus lab, Metabolic Biochemistry (BIBC 102), Genetics (BICD100), and Molecular Biology (BIMM100). A set of specific courses allows students to then acquire specialized knowledge aligned with the focus of their major.
To provide educational options, all major curricula require students to take electives, i.e., courses selected for their relevance and ability to provide academic breadth.
14
Promoting Students’ Acquisition of “Core Learning Abilities and Competencies”: As further elucidated on pages 20 -‐ 22 and 25 -‐ 26 we captured the programmatic learning outcomes for each of our eight majors by applying three general dimensions of learning: knowledge outcomes, skills outcomes, and attitudes and values outcomes. The Programmatic Learning Goals table (http://biology.ucsd.edu/_files/education/undergrad/bio-‐wasc.pdf) shows how these core knowledge and skills categories are developed throughout a major’s curriculum. The curriculum map visualizes how, progressively, individual courses contribute to the acquisition of increasingly more sophisticated learning and thinking within the discipline.
At UC San Diego, General Education (GE) requirements are established and overseen by the six colleges (http://www.ucsd.edu/_files/6collegescompared.pdf). Although each individual college’s GE requirement curriculum ranges from a very structured liberal arts program to a program with a broad range of electives, the design of each program must fulfill UC’s requirement, which is to “… give UC undergraduates a broad background in all major academic disciplines–natural sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, humanities, and fine arts.”
Academic departments, including our division, do not shape any aspects of the intellectual and academic content of the college-‐specific GE. In the past, we have made no systematic attempts to align the colleges’ breadth requirements with acquisition of core learning abilities of Biology majors. Most faculty are not familiar with the specifics of the various colleges GEs. Since they vary quite a bit across the colleges, it seems difficult if not impossible to create intentional intellectual connections between academic breadth and major specialization.
Recently, small steps have been taken to change this situation. Our division’s Center for Discovering Opportunities in Biological Sciences (do/bio center, see p. 40) is introducing all students (especially freshmen and new transfer students) to the 10 “real world skills’” identified by UC San Diego’s Education Initiative as essential skills all graduating seniors must have. These soft skills include “communication skills” and “demonstrated understanding of global context and issues and their implications for the future,” skills that are taught, practiced, and developed in many GE courses.
b. Assessment of the Breadth and Depth of the Curriculum and Access to Courses As described above, the curricula of the eight academic majors were designed to provide the strongest preparation for pre-‐med, professional schools, graduate education in a plethora of disciplines, and employment opportunities in biotechnology, pharmaceutical research, and other disciplines requiring a strong background in molecular and cellular biology and a foundation in physics, chemistry, and mathematics. As the discipline of biology evolves, however, so too must curricula. Research efforts like the Human Genome Project, and the BRAIN Initiative have highlighted the need for quantitative approaches and technologies to analyze, model, and integrate large data sets. At the same time, employers in industry have expressed the need for a biology curriculum that teaches core mathematical and computational concepts, including
15
probability and statistics, modeling, algorithms, data structures, and programming. Thus, it is clear that we need to address the demand for quantitative literacy.
Discussions are underway about how the curricula should change, what new courses should be developed, and how existing course should be adapted. There is agreement that our curricula should provide opportunities to apply quantitative knowledge and reasoning and informatics tools (e.g., integration of data, modeling) and hone quantitative reasoning skills by applying appropriate mathematics to describe or explain phenomena in the natural world. It is clear that this type of change requires collaboration. As we must make changes in our division, we expect to partner closely with faculty from mathematics, physical, and computer sciences to develop and or modify existing courses in their respective fields.
Recently, the Biological and Physical Sciences divisions established a new interdisciplinary PhD program in Quantitative Biology (http://qbio.ucsd.edu/program.php). Faculty in this program (http://qbio.ucsd.edu/faculty.php) will be key in identifying the specific new skills Biology majors should learn. It is our division’s explicit goal to tackle this challenge during academic year 14/15. Faculty from Biology, Mathematics, and Computer Science and Engineering are being recruited to work as members of an ad-‐hoc group to rethink the most effective ways to develop appropriate quantitative and computational skills.
c. Efforts to Improve Student Graduation Rates and Time-‐to-‐degree
Since academic year 07/08, the average time-‐to-‐degree for freshmen increased from 12.46 to 12.62 academic quarters, which is still slightly below the campus average of 12.8. Similarly, the time-‐to-‐degree for transfer students during the same time period increased from 11.35 to 11.46 academic quarters. Although these numbers are not yet alarming, they indicate a trend that must be stopped from becoming worse.
In academic year 13/14, an ad-‐hoc divisional major review workgroup was formed to assess the situation. This group appraised the potential of the following parameters as barriers to graduating in four years:
• Programmatic goals of each Biology major: Relevance and appropriateness • Curricular barriers: Appropriateness of lower-‐ and upper-‐division requirements
for each major, course prerequisites, including “hidden” prerequisites • Scheduling/logistical barriers: Frequency of course offerings (e.g., “bottleneck”
courses) • Advising barriers: Access to advising and advising tools • University practices and policies: Maximum unit enforcement, add/drop
deadlines, transfer student admission’s requirement
The group’s findings led to a number of actions described next.
Decrease Number of Elective Courses: The workgroup confirmed the appropriateness of the programmatic goals of the majors. Although the workgroup members determined that the number of required courses (total units) for Biology majors, compared to other UC San Diego science and engineering majors, was not excessive (with the exception of
16
the Bioinformatics major), it was decided that reducing the number of required electives in each major would help curb increasing time to degree.
Changes listed in Table 2, below, were proposed by the Division’s Education Committee, and were subsequently approved by the Academic Senate Committee on Educational Policies. The curricular changes have been implemented effective immediately, and students have been informed about those changes.
Table 5. Approved and Implemented Changes to UD Requirements
Major Current UD Requirement Proposed UD Requirement
Biochemistry and Cell Biology 15 14 (i.e., reduce required UD electives
from 4 to 3) Biology with a Specialization in Bioinformatics
20 20 (no change)
Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution
15 14 (i.e., reduce core requirements from 5 to 4)
General Biology 13 13 (no change) Human Biology 15 14 (i.e., reduce core requirements from 3
to 2) Microbiology 15 14 (i.e., reduce required UD electives
from 3 to 2) Molecular Biology 16 14 (i.e., reduce required UD electives
from 4 to 3) Physiology and Neuroscience 15 14 (i.e., reduce core requirements from 4
to 2; require BIPN 100)
Increase Access to Laboratory Courses–Increase Flexibility in Lab Course Requirements: Given the explosive increase in Biology majors over the last few years, lab course requirements, which are specific for each major, have the potential to become barriers to graduation in a timely manner. Thus, increasing flexibility in fulfilling the laboratory course requirement will reduce the likelihood of a bottleneck situation. The Divisional Education Committee received Academic Senate approval for the following curricular changes:
• Biochemistry and Cell Biology: BIBC 103 and ANY UD Biology lab • Biology with a Specialization in Bioinformatics: No change • Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution: One UD BIEB lab and ANY other UD Biology lab • General Biology: ANY two UD Biology labs • Human Biology: ANY two UD Biology labs • Microbiology: BIMM 121 and ANY other UD Biology lab • Molecular Biology: BIMM 101 ANY other UD Biology lab
17
• Physiology/Neurosciences: BIPN 105 and ANY other UD Biology lab
The changes have been implemented.
Increase Access to Laboratory Courses–Increase Number of Lab Course Slots: During academic year 12/13, our division received additional resources from the Chancellor and the Senior Vice Chancellor to remodel existing undergraduate lab space, thereby increasing lab slot capacity, and to hire additional technical lab course support staff (http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/york_hall_science_labs_get_6.5_million_makeover_to_help_students_graduate). The lab renovation coupled with increasing the number of technical support and teaching staff allowed us to use existing space more efficiently. Annually we now provide 3,672 lab course seats, a number that can accommodate the programmatic needs of all students at the height of our pre-‐impacted major numbers.
We also received new, i.e., additional, lab space. This made it possible to offer a lower-‐division lab course (BILD 4: Introductory Biology Lab).
BILD 4 is designed as an independent, on-‐going research project on soil microbiomes at the Natural Reserve System, with students acting as the primary researchers. The course aims to help students develop an understanding of research in biology through inquiry-‐based laboratory experiments. Students work in teams to collect, analyze, and present original research data while learning laboratory methods common to a variety of biological disciplines. The course is divided into three portions: lectures on the concepts and theory underlying each experiment, laboratory sessions where students collect and analyze data, and a project in which students develop hypothetical research proposals using the experimental methods they learned in BILD 4. Learning in each of the components is assessed by quizzes, laboratory reports written in the format of journal papers, and a poster presentation, respectively. Appendices 9 a & b describe the course in more details.
BILD 4 is currently piloted and in academic year 15/16 will become a required course for all Biology majors. Even students with AP credit of 4 or 5 will be required to take it.
Bottleneck Courses: Courses required for an academic major that are only offered once per academic year are “bottleneck” courses, i.e., course that have the potential to impede a student’s ability to graduate in four years. Our division has identified the following majors and their bottleneck courses:
• Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution: BIEB 100 (Biostatistics) is a prerequisite to all BIEB lab courses but is only offered once per academic year
• Molecular Biology: BIMM 112 (Regulation of Gene Activity in Eukaryotic Cells) and BIMM 122 (Microbial Genetics)
• Microbiology: BIMM 114 (Virology) and BIMM 124 (Medical Microbiology), and in some years BIMM 120 (Bacteriology)
As a short-‐term solution, faculty and staff advisors are working to identify appropriate course substitutions for students affected by this situation. For example, we are allowing EBE students to take the Marine Biology course SIO 187 (Statistical Methods in
18
Marine Biology) in lieu of BIEB 100. This situation should be alleviated in the near future due to our division’s recent and planned hires.
Advising Tools: To equip students with easy-‐to-‐use tools that help them plan how to achieve their academic goals, we developed advising tools that visualize and map out academic major requirements for each of our majors:
• Major Check (http://biology.ucsd.edu/_files/education/undergrad/majors/ebeMajorCheck_1415.pdf) lists on one page all required lower -‐division and upper-‐division courses plus any additional major requirements, thus allowing advisor and student to create an academic record of academic requirements met and identify those still to be fulfilled.
• Sample Plan (http://biology.ucsd.edu/_files/education/undergrad/majors/biochemSamplePlan_1415.pdf) is a “Four-‐year Plan” designed to assist students in their academic journey and provide recommended course schedules to facilitate graduation in four years.
Transfer Students: To facilitate a smooth transition to UC San Diego, our division created a special resource website for transfer students: http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/transfer/index.html. Although we strongly encourage the completion of all major lower-‐division courses, the vast majority of transfer students admitted to UC San Diego as Biology majors arrive without having taken them. This is the key reason for the time-‐to-‐degree increase.
To address this, our division will partner with UC Diego’s Admission Committee to establish Biology-‐specific eligibility requirements for transfer admissions that most likely will include completion of courses comparable to the following UC San Diego courses:
• Mathematics 10 A, B, C or Math 20 A, B, C • Chemistry 6 A, B, C and Chem 7L • BILD 1, 2, 3
We will also recommend completion of courses comparable to the following UC San Diego courses:
• Organic Chem 140 A, B and C • Physics 1 A, B, C with lab or 2 A, B, C with lab
d. Impact of Our Division’s Instructional Programs on the General Educational Mission and Needs of Other Departments
Contributions to Science General Education Requirements: As described above, physical sciences courses comprise a significant and required core group within the lower-‐division course foundation of all Biological Sciences majors. Although the reverse is not true for Biological Sciences courses, our division’s lower-‐division courses are very popular choices among students seeking to fulfill the Science General Education (GE) requirements. All six colleges include lower-‐division Biology courses among their science choices, as described in the following documents:
19
• Thurgood Marshall: http://physicalsciences.ucsd.edu/_files/esysebe%20FA14.pdf • Muir: http://muir.ucsd.edu/academics/degree_reqs.html • Revelle: https://revelle.ucsd.edu/academics/general-‐education/nat-‐science.html • Roosevelt: http://roosevelt.ucsd.edu/academics/gen-‐ed/ • Sixth: http://sixth.ucsd.edu/_files/_home/advising/FA14GElist.pdf • Warren: https://warren.ucsd.edu/_files/block-‐content/advising_guide.pdf
Most non-‐science majors prefer Biology courses to other sciences options. Especially popular are BILD 3 (Organismic and Evolutionary Biology), the only course in the Biology major sequence without prerequisites, and BILD 10 (Fundamental Concepts in Modern Biology). Other courses with high enrollments (i.e., above 200) are BILD 18 (Human Impact on the Environment), BILD 26 (Human Physiology), and BILD 22 (Nutrition).
We are especially pleased about the popularity of BILD 3 because it provides us with an opportunity to teach the theory of evolution, the very foundation of biological sciences. Understanding evolution is critical to research and advances in medicine, agriculture, public health, ecology, genetics, etc. Even scientific endeavors far removed from biology depend on an understanding of evolutionary processes. For example, evolutionary processes appear to guide the formation of complex adaptive systems in fields as distant as economics.
However, meeting the demand for BILD 3 created significant pressure on teaching resources, forcing us to increase both the frequency of course offerings as well as enrollment capacity. BILD 3 has been consistently taught in classrooms with a capacity of >500. Recently, we started to teach the course simultaneously in multiple classrooms. These rooms are equipped with videoconferencing systems supporting room-‐to-‐room high-‐resolution video and two-‐way audio. Instruction is synchronous, with the instructor being present in one of the classrooms, simultaneously projected into the other classrooms. The two-‐way audio allows students in all rooms to interact with the instructor. Using this set-‐up, the enrollment can be as high as 700+ students.
The EBE section is the almost exclusive source for BILD 3 instructors. Recently, the section received an Assistant Teaching Professor FTE (LPSOE) FTE. A successful search will contribute to our ability to increase BILD 3 offerings.
Contributions to Academic Major Requirements: Currently, four non-‐Biology academic majors either require or allow the use of Biology courses to fulfill major requirements. They include the majors of Environmental Systems (179 majors) and the three new majors, Marine Biology (177 majors), Public Health (367 majors), and Global Health (28 majors). Students majoring in Environmental Systems (http://physicalsciences.ucsd.edu/programs/esys/esys-‐major.html) are required to take BILD 3 (Organismic and Evolutionary Biology), BICD 100 (Genetics), and, because it is a prerequisite for BICD 100 (Genetics), also BILD 1 (The Cell).
The most popular of the three Environmental Systems majors is Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution (85 of a total of 179 majors). Students in this major must take seven courses
20
from a list of course electives that contains many of our Biology courses (http://physicalsciences.ucsd.edu/_files/esysebe%20FA14.pdf).
Students enrolled in the Marine Biology major (https://scripps.ucsd.edu/undergrad/marine-‐biology-‐bs) must take the BILD 1, 2, and 3 series. Genetics (BICD 100) is the only required Biology upper-‐division course. Students are allowed to use other upper-‐division Biology courses from a group of course electives.
Public Health majors (http://bsph.ucsd.edu/current_students_major.html) are required to take 12 units of lower-‐division Biology classes. They can choose between Option 1, which requires the BILD 1, 2, and 3 series, and Option 2, which requires BILD 3 plus two non-‐major Biology courses from a list that includes BILD 10, BILD 12, BILD 20, BILD 22, and BILD 26.
At the upper-‐division level, Public Health majors must specialize in Epidemiology & Biostatistics or Social & Behavioral Sciences. Each focus area has a list of elective, upper-‐division Biology courses. For the former, they are BICD 136, BIMM 114, BIEB 100. And for the latter, they are BIBC 120 and BIPN 108.
The Global Health major (http://globalhealthprogram.ucsd.edu/undergraduate-‐program/major.html) is a new interdisciplinary undergraduate degree program. Students were able to enroll for the first time fall quarter 2014. There are no required Biology courses for this major. However, Biology lower-‐ and upper-‐division courses are part of approved elective courses (BILD 18: Human Impact on the Environment; BILD 22: Human Nutrition; BILD 26: Human Physiology; BILD 36: Aids, Science, and Society; BILD 38: Dementia, Science, and Society; BIBC 120: Nutrition; BICD 136: AIDS, Science, and Society; BIEB 176: Conservation and the Human Predicament; and BIMM 110: Molecular Basis of Human Disease).
We expect that many of the students majoring in Global Health will be pre-‐med and, hence, take the one-‐year BILD 1, 2, 3 series. At this point it is impossible to predict the impact of this major on our course offerings.
In summary, we currently are able to meet the course demands of students seeking to fulfill their GE or major requirements. BILD 3 is close to reaching its maximum capacity, but we hope that the anticipated hire of an Assistant Teaching Professor will provide relief. Overall, we are monitoring the course demand by non-‐Biology majors closely to avoid bottleneck situations.
e. Alignment of Our Division’s Curricular Offerings with National Standards Although there are no formal national standards guiding the education of Biology undergraduates, three highly influential publications1 outlined the following fundamental norms and principles:
1Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists by the National Research Council’s (2003), the Scientific Foundation for Future Physicists by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2009), and the Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2011).
21
• Understanding the unity and diversity of life requires mastery of a set of core fundamental concepts (evolution; structure and function; information flow, exchange, and storage; pathways and transformations of energy and matter; and systems).
• Conceptual understanding of biology is built on foundational mathematics, physics, and chemistry concepts (e.g., biological systems obey the laws of chemistry and physics).
• Meaningful comprehension of biological phenomena requires modeling and quantitative analysis, i.e., a foundation in computational and analytical thinking.
Alignments: • Core concepts: As part of UC San Diego’s last WASC accreditation, our division
developed programmatic educational goals for all eight majors. Although we developed our own wording, the goals are well aligned with modern biological concepts undergraduate biology majors should master, as cited above. Our programmatic goals are publicized on our website: http://biology.ucsd.edu/_files/education/undergrad/bio-‐wasc.pdf. The curricular maps visualize how the course work characteristic for each major supports learning those concepts, skills, and ways of thinking (values).
As alluded to on page 4, we believe that teaching ethical implications of biological discoveries, responsible conduct of research (mandated by all granting programs) requires a structured and intentional approach, currently missing in our program. Therefore, we initiated collaborations with UC San Diego’s Academic Integrity office to identify curricular opportunities ideally suited for embedding both the teaching and the learning of ethical decision-‐making. For example, students enrolled in undergraduate research for credit (BISP 196, 199) come to grips first-‐hand with research values such as knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error. These students are poised to engage in serious discussions about professional ethics, and they are intellectually and emotionally ready to struggle with the relationship of research to a variety of moral and social values, such as social responsibility, human rights, animal welfare, compliance with the law, and health and safety. A pilot teaching module has been drafted for review by the Division’s Education Committee.
• Foundational sciences: Since its inception, Biology education at UC San Diego was built on a strong foundation in physical sciences. All students must take a yearlong sequence in mathematics, general chemistry and organic chemistry (with labs), and physics (with lab). In this respect, Biology implemented what was then, in the 1960s, a visionary curriculum (see also pp. 11, 13 -‐ 15).
However, over the years, the foundational physical and biological sciences courses were taught in disciplinary separation with unintended, but troublesome, consequences. Many of our Biology majors view the required mathematics, chemistry, and physics courses as necessary evils. Instead of helping students recognize the importance of learning concepts outside their major, those courses
22
often lead to intellectual disengagement and an inability to apply concepts and knowledge learned there to the Biology curriculum.
Faculty in Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences recognized this as a serious educational challenge and created, in 2013, the Math and Science Alliance (MaSA) as a means to improve science and mathematics education. MaSA challenged the limitations of disciplinary separation, professional isolation, lack of awareness of educational expertise and resources, and the viewpoint that faculty development is “remedial.” MaSA recently became an official center, the Center for Advancing Math, Science, and Engineering Education (CAMSEE). An explicit goal of CAMSEE is to create an environment for cross-‐disciplinary collaborations.
Although it is too early to point to concrete results, a few initial successes justify optimism:
• The new lower-‐division Biological Sciences laboratory course, BILD 4, is inquiry-‐based and will engage students in learning core scientific processes, applying mathematical concepts, and honing critical reasoning skills through writing. The lab is being developed through an iterative cycle of piloting, assessing, fine-‐tuning, then scaling to larger numbers. Importantly, an advisory team (faculty members from Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics) will ensure that discipline-‐specific concepts and tools are introduced within the context of a Biology lab.
• Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics faculty jointly submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation to develop videos to address two broad topics: (1) rates of change and (2) probability. These topics were selected because they are important across the foundational science and math courses, and research shows that, even after instruction, students typically have a limited conceptual understanding of them. For each of these topics, short videos will focus on select sub-‐topics that are especially troublesome for students. For example, “instantaneous versus average rates of change” and “meaning of the terms in a differential equation” will be featured among the rates-‐of-‐change videos. For each sub-‐topic, two-‐ and three-‐minute videos will show how it is used in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology foundational courses and in research.
• An Advances in Math and Science Education Research seminar series has been established to deepen awareness of discipline-‐based educational research.
• Comprehension of biological phenomena through modeling and quantitative analysis: As already stated on pages 13 & 14, we have identified the urgent need to address the demand for quantitative literacy in our curriculum. We are committed to address this issue. Faculty colleagues from Computer Science and Mathematics will participate in a Biology faculty workgroup that will start its work in Winter Qtr. 15.
23
f. Efforts to Increase Students’ Participation in Experiential Learning Our division is strongly committed to raising students’ awareness of the educational benefit of learning-‐by-‐doing and vigorously promotes the available options through the do/bio center, advising, informational sessions, the Bio Bulletin, and e-‐mail announcements. The vast majority of Biological Sciences faculty members provide experiential learning via volunteer research and undergraduate research opportunities for credit (BISP 99, 196, 199) and mentoring students doing credit-‐bearing internships via the Academic Internship Program (AIP 197). To further increase undergraduate research opportunities, the division permits that students engage in research for credit (BISP 99, 196, 199) with non-‐biology faculty.
Increasing Awareness–Creating the Center for Discovering Opportunities in Biological Sciences: Our division communicates the importance of experiential learning and highlights it as an essential educational goal even during recruitment and yield activities (e.g., Admit Day). One of the reasons for creating the Center for Discovering Opportunities in Biological Sciences Center, the do/bio center, was to increase students’ access to learning-‐by-‐doing opportunities through improved communication. The do/bio center introduces students to 21st-‐century skills, specifically highlights the importance of experiential learning, and provides links to relevant resources.
The do/bio center regularly offers informational sessions (e.g., Summer Research Info Session), then publishes the PowerPoint slides on the web for students who could not attend. In addition, the center develops, either alone or with other UC San Diego units and industry partners, skill-‐building workshops to enhance students’ success rate when applying for experiential learning opportunities. For example, we have partnered with Genomatica’s VP for Human Resources, Tina Jones, to create an “Interview Skills” workshop. The Director of UC San Diego’s Writing Center, Dr. Picciotto, has developed a “Cover Letter” and “Research Proposal” workshop. In partnership with a Biology Alumnus Carl Burke and colleagues from UC San Diego’s Career Center and Center for Student Engagement, we developed a one-‐unit seminar (to be piloted winter quarter 15) called “Navigating Careers in Biological Sciences” that will teach skills assessment and resume writing.
Increasing Access to Undergraduate Research and Internships for Credit:
• Mentored research–change in GPA requirement for BISP 199/197 For the last decades, our division’s BISP 199 GPA requirement was 3.0. It was established based on the belief that only academically strong students would have the bandwidth to engage in serious, time-‐consuming research. It became clear, however, that this policy was overly protective and prevented students from improving academically. For many students, conducting research supports classroom learning, inspires, and increases overall educational engagement.
Therefore, in academic year 13/14, our division’s Education Committee decided to align Biology’s BISP 199 and 197 GPA requirement of 3.0 with the minimum GPA of 2.5 (identified by UC San Diego’s Academic Senate as the minimum GPA for doing undergraduate research and internship for credit). We received
24
permission to make this change from the Academic Senate Committee on Education Policy in spring quarter 14 and implemented it effective immediately.
• Providing scholarships for undergraduate research Often, financial reasons prevent students from engaging in undergraduate research. With this in mind, our division identified solicitation of support for funding undergraduate research scholarships as one of our key divisional development goals. In 2007, the Eureka! Scholarship program was created to support engagement in basic and translational biology by facilitating students’ participation in research opportunities at UC San Diego and research facilities on the La Jolla mesa.
The Eureka! Scholarship Program is highly competitive. A selection committee of Biology faculty members reviews students’ applications. Awardees receive a scholarship of $4,000 and participate in summer enrichment activities (e.g., GRE training, public speaking and poster presentation workshop). On average, our division awards 12-‐15 Eureka! Scholarships.
Our division actively promotes Eureka! Scholarships and other UC San Diego summer research scholarships during informational sessions conducted in November and January. The application deadline for summer research scholarships in the second Monday in February, and recipients are informed by the end of March.
Increasing Industry Internship Opportunities: UC San Diego Alumni Affairs has ramped up its efforts to increase and broaden internships opportunities provided by local companies. Opportunities are advertised at UC San Diego’s Undergraduate Research Portal. In addition, UC San Diego’s Career Center maintains a comprehensive and up-‐to-‐date Internship Supersite, describing a plethora of local, national, and international opportunities.
Our division actively promotes these resources and complements them with additional opportunities created specifically for Biology majors. For example, in 13/14 BD Biosciences reached out to us to recruit among Biology majors for summer internships.
Undergraduate Instructional Apprentice Program: Serving as an undergraduate instructional apprentice is an invaluable experience. It develops communication and leadership skills, and provides an opportunity to better understand how people learn. Furthermore, it allows undergraduates to get to know and work with faculty outside the classroom. Our division engages undergraduates as teaching assistants and allows undergraduates to receive credit for BISP 195 (Introduction to Teaching in Biology, http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/curric/BIOL-‐ug.html), which students can apply to fulfill a Biology elective course requirement (see: http://biology.ucsd.edu/undergrad/ta-‐positions/BISP195.html).
International Education–Promoting Study Abroad: To succeed in today’s global research enterprise and economy, students must have, in addition to excellent technical skills, strong intercultural knowledge and competence (see also 21st Century Soft Skills). In
25
response to this need, international education has been identified as one of several “high impact” educational experiences, i.e., experiences that increase students’ engagement and academic performance.
Our International Education Program for Biologists allows our majors to participate in significant international activities. Our division has partnered with UC San Diego’s International Center to promote its Program Abroad. We expanded on this by developing a specific resource for Biology majors: Study Abroad in Biology. We also created a document that lists the study abroad Biology courses and their UCSD equivalency: http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/course/prev-‐petitioned-‐courses.html. Furthermore, with funding from the National Science Foundation, we also created our own international education program, PRIME, a cross-‐disciplinary Pacific Rim summer research program. This program has been presented at the UC San Diego Experiential Learning Conference 2013.
Global Concentration in a Biology Major. To promote international education more aggressively, UC San Diego’s Committee on International Education proposed the creation of a Global Concentration in a Major option. Recently, a small workgroup was formed to develop plans to establish a global concentration in at least one of our Biology majors, most likely Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution. A global concentration within a major will require the following:
• Earning a minimum of eight credits in study abroad • Proficiency in a second language • Completing two or more classes with global content
We have been accepting and applying those study-‐abroad courses toward degree requirements for majors, fulfilling one of the three key components of the Global Concentration. Developing courses and or identifying existing courses that provide “global content” is one of the key tasks of the workgroup. We anticipate that the group will have a viable proposal by the end of academic year 14/15.
Providing Leadership Training–Student Organizations: To develop leadership and other non-‐technical skills necessary for professional success, our division supports four distinctive student leadership programs:
• Biological Sciences Student Association: bssa.ucsd.edu • Biological Sciences Scholars Program: http://bssp.ucsd.edu/BSSP/Home.html • Saltman Quarterly Science Communication Program: sq.ucsd.edu • Biological Sciences Undergraduate Student Advisory Council (USAC):
http://biology.ucsd.edu/undergrad/pages/usac.html
Partnering with and Contributing to Campus-‐wide Efforts: Biology faculty members have actively contributed to UC San Diego’s Education Initiative. One of its key goals is to develop a campus clearinghouse for experiential learning opportunities to make it easier to match students with experience providers. The creation of this resource is underway.
g. Academic Quality of the Faculty and Undergraduate Curriculum
26
Rankings: UC San Diego was founded on the La Jolla Mesa in 1960 and has since become a world-‐renowned center for biological and biochemical research and undergraduate and graduate training. We take all national rating studies of PhD programs with a very large grain of salt. Nonetheless, in 2011, the National Research Council ranked the UC San Diego PhD program in Biological Sciences in the top 10 in the U.S. (http://chronicle.com/article/NRC-‐ Rankings-‐Overview-‐/124709/). This study assessed such programs using 21 criteria, including faculty citation rates and student time-‐to-‐degree.
More recently, the 2013 Academic Ranking of World Universities listed the life sciences at UC San Diego as the seventh best among top research universities around the world. These latest rankings of research universities and their academic fields were recently released by the Center for World-‐Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, a public research university located in Shanghai, China.
In 2014, College Factual ranked UC San Diego’s undergraduate Biology program as #2 in the nation and called it “… a top choice for students who desire a high quality education in the sciences.” (http://college.usatoday.com/2014/09/13/top-‐%C2%AD%C2%AD%C2%AD10-‐colleges-‐for-‐a-‐major-‐in-‐biology/)
Two Important Trends: Two trends we wish to highlight are the increase of PIs employing quantitative approaches and PIs who study both model and non-‐model organisms at the mechanistic level. Both trends are important for developing a deep understanding of biological mechanisms and translating basic findings to clinical health care.
Specifically, during the last few years, we recruited faculty directly involved in the “revolution” of quantitative and systems approaches that is defining the future of biology. These recent hires include Gurol Suel, Scott Rifkin, Nan Hao, and Eva-‐Maria Schoetz Collins. Dr. Collins has a PhD in Physics, and she has a joint appointment in Physics and Biological Sciences due to her training and deep use of mathematical approaches and physics methods to attack biological problems. Dr. Ralph Greenspan (at the Kavli Institute; UCSD Prof-‐in-‐residence) is part of the Obama administration initiative to develop dynamic visual maps of functioning brains.
These new colleagues will lead our efforts to reform our curricula to provide opportunities to learn and apply quantitative knowledge and reasoning and informatics tools. (See “Assessment of the Breadth and Depth”, pp. 13 -‐ 15; and Alignment with National Standards pp. 20 -‐ 22).
h. Instructional Assistant (formerly: Teaching Assistant [TA]) Training
Current Structure: Training for instructional assistants enrolled in BGGN 500 and BISP 195 includes an instructional assistant manual, an initial half-‐day training, mid-‐quarter workshops, observation by graduate teaching mentors to provide feedback on their teaching, and hands-‐on apprenticeships with course faculty. This format has continued from previous years with one minor change providing alternatives for instructional
27
assistants who cannot attend a workshop. These aspects of training are described in more detail next.
• Instructional assistant manual To assist instructional assistants in preparing for their roles, we created a manual (http://biology.ucsd.edu/_files/education/undergrad/student-‐opp/teaching-‐asst/Biology%20TA%20Training%20Manual%202014-‐09-‐11%20Final.pdf). This guide is updated each year to reflect changes and innovations in teaching and learning.
• Initial half-‐day training This training is 4.5 hours and consists of a series of short workshops and panel discussions by the faculty advisor for instructional assistants, graduate teaching mentors, and invited speakers. These sessions focus on the logistics of being instructional assistants, academic integrity, a panel discussion by faculty, an introduction on how people learn, and case studies on diversity. Mandatory training in sexual harassment prevention is done online, and instructional assistants turn in their completion certificates when they sign in at this training.
• Mid-‐quarter workshops These workshop are scheduled in weeks 4-‐5 of the quarter, allowing instructional assistants to gain experience with their particularly teaching contexts but giving them enough time to implement changes learned from the workshops. The workshops cover various topics that may be of interest to beginning instructional assistants, including the following:
• How People Learn, taught by Peter Newbury, Center for Teaching Development (CTD)
• Students in Crisis, taught by Gregory Koch, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
• Diversity in Teaching, taught by Steve Miller and postdoctoral fellows • Biological Sciences Reflections on Teaching, taught by Stanley Lo and
graduate teaching mentors, Biological Sciences
Instead of a workshop, PhD students in Biological Sciences can participate in a peer-‐to-‐peer observation on another student’s section alongside a graduate teaching mentor. The observer meets with the graduate teaching mentor after the observation to reflect on the experience and submits an observation form. In fall 2014, 6 out of 110 instructional assistants participated in these observations.
Instructional assistants who cannot attend any of the workshops because of scheduling conflicts can attend a teaching workshop at CTD and write a one-‐page reflection on what they have learned and how the workshop applies to their teaching context. In fall 2014, 3 out of 110 instructional assistants attended a CTD workshop instead of the mid-‐quarter workshops.
In the past, instructional assistants who missed workshops received an incomplete grade until they made up the workshop in the subsequent quarter. On occasions, instructional assistants were allowed to turn in a reflection paper
28
based on a CTD workshop or additional reading from the book How People Learn. We opted for the CTD workshop alternative, as it most closely resembles the mid-‐quarter workshops.
• Observations by graduate teaching mentors PhD students in Biological Sciences are observed once by a graduate teaching mentor. This is an opportunity for instructional assistants to receive formative feedback on their teaching from an experienced peer without the pressure of a formal evaluation. These observations are scheduled mid-‐quarter to allow time for implement changes based on the feedback.
Future Plans: To date, training for instructional assistants has focused largely on logistics and experience while touching briefly on fundamental issues of learning and teaching. To engage instructional assistants in thinking more deeply about their roles and teaching in general, we plan to redesign the training in collaboration with the CTD and faculty across disciplines to follow the core ideas from the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), a consortium of 25 institutions focused on professional development for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We will develop a core curriculum across disciplines, with examples tailored to individual disciplines.
The CIRTL core ideas include teaching-‐as-‐research, learning communities, and learning-‐through-‐diversity (http://www.cirtl.net/CoreIdeas) as follows:
• Teaching-‐as-‐research is the deliberate, systematic, and reflective use of research methods by STEM instructors to develop and implement teaching practices that advance the learning experiences and outcomes of students and teachers.
• Learning communities bring together groups of people for shared learning, discovery, and generation of knowledge. To achieve common learning goals, a learning community nurtures functional relationships among its members.
• Learning-‐through-‐diversity capitalizes on the rich array of experiences, backgrounds, and skills among STEM undergraduates and graduates-‐through-‐faculty to enhance the learning of all. It recognizes that excellence and diversity are necessarily intertwined.
i. Divisional Teaching Workload and Our Division’s Approach to Teaching Assignments
The expected teaching load for divisional faculty in the traditional research series is 3.0 and, for the faculty in the LPSOE/LSOE Teaching Professor series, 6.0 or 5.0 if the faculty member fulfills important teaching-‐related activities such as training divisional instructional assistants. The combination of formal and non-‐formal courses must reflect at least 3.0 courses per year for research faculty, and 5.0 or 6.0 courses per year, respectively, for Teaching Professors on the Course Load and Student Direction form. The Education Committee oversees all so-‐called formal courses. For faculty in the traditional research series, half of the 3.0 courses must be courses overseen by the Education Committee; teaching so-‐called non-‐formal courses can fulfill the other half of the teaching load.
29
Non-‐formal courses, i.e., courses not overseen by the EC, are the following: • Undergraduate courses
o BILD, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 99 o BISP 191, 195, 196, 197, 199
• Graduate courses o BGGN 292, 297, 299, 500 o BGJC series courses o BGRD series courses o BGSE series courses
Seminar courses taught under the management of the EVC do not affect regular teaching assignments and department workload requirements and, therefore, cannot be used to substitute for regularly assigned teaching. These seminars include BILD 87 (Freshmen Seminar) and BISP 192 (Senior Seminar).
These teaching expectations are in addition to graduate mentoring and other instructional duties performed by all faculty.
All Academic Senate faculty members choose their courses in consultation with the needs of his or her section and the overall curricular needs of our division’s undergraduate and graduate programs administered by the Education Committee. Teaching assignment and course offering processes are overseen by the EC vice-‐chair, and in close partnership with the four section representatives and the section chairs. Appendix 10 provides a detailed description of the process.
It is expected that faculty with a teaching load of 3.0 teach, at a minimum, one large-‐enrollment lower-‐division or upper-‐division undergraduate lecture course. The other half course can be either a small-‐enrollment course in the BISP 194 series or part of a formal graduate course. Lab courses compose the majority of the Teaching Professors’ 6.0 course load, although most also teach at least one large-‐enrollment lecture course.
j. Teaching Evaluation Used in Addition to CAPE
Teaching Assistants: Graduate Instructional Assistants (GIAs) receive both formative feedback and summative evaluation (see also “Instructional Assistant Training”). Feedback is intended to help improve a GIA’s teaching during the quarter, and evaluation provides information to determine the GIA’s effectiveness as an instructional assistant. It also provides feedback as the GIA continues to improve his or her teaching after a specific academic quarter.
GIAs receive formative feedback from a graduate teaching mentor (officially “Senior TA”). This feedback is required, but the results are confidential between the GIA and the graduate teaching mentor, so they are not reported or shared with anyone else.
Summative evaluations are provided to all GIAs, tutors, and readers by students and course faculty at the end of each quarter. These evaluations are similar to Course and Professor Evaluations (CAPE) and are online (see Appendix 11). Based on the outcome of student and faculty evaluation, outstanding GIAs may be considered for an Excellence in
30
Apprentice College Teaching Award presented annually during the Divisional Science Retreat.
Faculty: We rely solely on CAPE data to assess the quality of faculty teaching. To create additional assessment tools for reviewers, we are encouraging inclusion of a teaching portfolio in a faculty’s advancement and promotion file. To provide guidance for this effort, we created a teaching portfolio checklist (see Appendix 11). However, at this point, only faculty in the Teaching Professor series routinely develop a detailed portfolio.
There is widespread agreement among our faculty that the teaching and faculty/teacher evaluation process needs an overhaul. Our division’s Education Committee has taken the first steps to develop a clear vision for creating a comprehensive system for evaluating and supporting effective teaching. Such a system would include identification of parameters used to assess teaching quality and the assurance that appropriate training opportunities to acquire the skills are in place. For example, if the quality of a syllabus is part of a teaching evaluation, opportunities for learning how to develop an effective syllabus should be offered; or if a faculty’s ability to apply appropriate pedagogies and instructional technologies to specific learning challenges is considered, then training in how people learn must be provided.
The development of such a divisional comprehensive teaching evaluation system will be done in collaboration with the Center for Engaged Teaching (CET). CET will be established in the very near future as part of UC San Diego’s Education Initiative (http://educationinitiative.ucsd.edu/) as a unit dedicated to the theory and practice of learning and teaching and training in scholarly teaching.
III. Advising
a. Comprehensive Overview of Divisional Advising Services, Practices, and Methods
We view academic advising as an ongoing process that engages students in educational planning consistent with their academic interests and personal, intellectual, and career goals. Our student-‐centered advising process involves an active partnership among students, academic advisors, and faculty advisors.
Our division, via the Undergraduate Student and Instructional Services (USIS) unit, offers extensive, multi-‐pronged advising services for close to 5,500 students enrolled in our eight academic majors. Sharing this vision with students prior to their commitment to join UC San Diego is important, which is why USIS actively participates in outreach and recruitment activities. USIS fulfills this function with five full-‐time staff members. Appendix 12 shows the organizational chart for USIS.
USIS academic advising services focus on three distinct, chronological stages of division/student interactions: (1) recruiting (reaching out), (2) programming for admitted students (welcoming and orienting), and (3) providing services for continuing students (supporting students’ longer-‐range academic and intellectual journey).
31
Providing meaningful and adequate advising to 5,500 students is a challenge. This challenge is compounded by the fact that we have several unique student populations with specific, and often distinctly personal, advising needs. These populations include transfer students, veterans, undergraduates from other countries, and students registered with the Office for Students with Disabilities.
b. Three Stages of Advising
1. Reaching Out to Potential Students: To communicate information about our division’s advising services programs and inform interested applicants how to best prepare for a major in Biology, USIS actively contributes to outreach activities. To target interested freshmen, USIS staff members participate in UC San Diego’s Triton Day each April. During the event, USIS advisors staff an information table alongside tables representing our division’s student organizations.
As part of this event, our division offers two faculty-‐led sessions, which are repeated twice to accommodate prospective student and parental demand. The first provides an overview of divisional offerings and a review of why a prospective student should select UC San Diego and the Division of Biological Sciences as their campus and division of choice. The second reviews research and student opportunities outside the classroom and includes a student panel to provide a peer perspective.
A similar event is organized annually for prospective transfer students, called Transfer Triton Day at which USIS, student organizations, and Biology faculty deliver a program modeled after Triton Day for freshmen.
USIS also actively contributes to California community college outreach events. Biology advisors travel to local community colleges to attend college fairs, meet with students and community college faculty and advisors, review major options and requirements, and explain Assist agreements. USIS staff members also participate in events held on campus called Transfer Fridays. These events target prospective transfer students attending community colleges across California.
Prospective students and non-‐UCSD counselors are encouraged to contact USIS for assistance through our roll account, [email protected] or by calling the USIS office. We provide advice by e-‐mail, phone, and in person.
2. Welcoming and Orienting New Students: Our division’s academic majors are popular choices among freshmen and new transfer students. Fall quarter 14, about 24% of all freshmen and 14% of new transfer students were declared Biology majors, as shown in the following table (see also Appendix 13).
Table 6. Declared Biology Majors among Freshmen and New Transfer Students–Fall 2014
FA14, Biological Sciences Admits Accepts
Freshmen 5,674 1,275
New transfer students 810 374
32
Total 6,484 1,649
2.a. Welcome Week Orientation: Explorientation: During the annual Welcome Week, our division offers a special orientation called Explorientation for incoming freshmen and transfer Biology students. The format of this event is unusual because it tries to help students understand that success in college is founded on active engagement. Instead of being “talked to,” the format that characterizes traditional orientations, students learn about opportunities and resources by discovering (exploring) them on their own. Students are given specific tasks and challenged to find answers by consulting resources we acquaint them with. We ask students to form small teams, and then, in their groups, find specific campus structures and learn about the services and programs that take place in those buildings by talking to the professionals who work there. In short, we teach, through hands-‐on-‐activities, behaviors of engaged students.
Students are also introduced to our division’s Academic Advising Syllabus outlining our commitment to student-‐centered advising. Our advisors are concerned not only with specific personal decisions but also with facilitating students’ thought processes. The Academic Advising Syllabus lays the foundation for future interactions and expectations.
2.b. Biology Freshmen–Strategies for Success Course: The undergraduate college advisors almost exclusively handle freshmen advising. However, we believe that stronger involvement of students’ major advisors would benefit undergraduates.
We have piloted a freshman transition course for incoming Biology majors to increase interactions among the students and with faculty and staff. Modeled after the successful Transfer Student course (see next item), the BILD 91 course (Biology Freshmen: Strategies for Success) is purposely offered winter quarter to give the students fall quarter to begin adapting and determining more clearly what their “issues” are. By winter quarter, students are more settled in and, therefore, more ready and willing to engage in topics such as study skills, academic planning, and how to use divisional and campus resources to help achieve academic, personal, and professional goals.
2.c. Transfer Opportunities for Success Program: Transfer students are often less certain than freshmen about their ability to succeed at UC San Diego. The Transfer Opportunities for Success (TOpS) program addresses their specific needs. The program has three phases:
• Advising during the summer before students enroll: In June each year, USIS staff members participate with the undergraduate colleges to launch the New Student Site, a portal for incoming transfer students that contains a plethora of information ranging from important deadlines to major and college requirements. The site allows transfer students to submit questions to any academic department on campus and for academic staff to submit information to their incoming students through the Enrollment Virtual Advising Center. (We receive approximately 500 messages). In mid-‐ August, transfer students are invited to participate in New Transfer Student Information Sessions. We offer
33
five information sessions per week. Each session has an enrollment of approximately 40 students.
• Fall quarter: Transfer student seminar BISP 191 (Biology Transfers: Strategies for Success) assists students in their transition from community college to UC San Diego. It focuses on first-‐quarter transition issues, academic planning, making effective use of campus resources, and connecting to the Division of Biological Sciences community (students, faculty, and staff), UC San Diego more generally, and the La Jolla mesa (see Appendix 14).
• Winter and spring quarters: Students are invited to participate in a Transfer Student Buddy Program, a peer-‐mentoring program created and run by the Biological Sciences Student Association.
3. Supporting Students’ Academic and Intellectual Journey: Our division created a two-‐tiered advising structure, including both staff and faculty advisors.
Faculty advisors offer students general educational and career advice (related to their academic interests, educational goals, and professional ambitions). Faculty advisors also act as mentors for students pursuing new areas of inquiry and study. They can offer knowledge of courses relevant to a student’s particular interest within the major and his or her specific educational and professional goals, assist students in considering courses that will enrich their experience, and guide students to take advantage of special opportunities. Faculty advisors assist undergraduate staff with the petition review process and present and participate in information sessions. Faculty advisors are trained and receive an advisor handbook (See Appendix 15 for the 14/15 handbook).
Staff advisors answer students’ nuts-‐and-‐bolts questions about course selection and content, graduate schools, processing forms and petitions for study abroad, major requirements, degree audits, long-‐term plans, course prerequisites, specialized programs offered in our division, the applicability of coursework taken outside of UC San Diego to major requirements, petition guidelines and processes, and general post-‐graduation requirements. Specifically, staff advisors assist students by:
• Reviewing and further developing education plans as they relate to the Biology major
• Monitoring and discussing progress toward degree completion • Advising on how to integrate leadership and experiential opportunities • Interpreting and understanding university and divisional policies and procedures • Pointing to resources for guidance on life and career goals
c. Advising Unique Student Populations
Transfer Students: To improve the academic and social experiences of our transfer students, our division created the special Transfer Opportunities for Success Program, described above, which includes special advising opportunities. However, this does not address our biggest concern: the vast majority of transfer students do not complete the major-‐specific, lower-‐division courses prior to transferring to UC San Diego. This situation inevitably leads to increased time-‐to-‐degree. As described above, our division is developing a proposal to request modification of eligibility criteria for transfer as a
34
Biology major when students successfully complete required lower-‐division major courses.
Students from Other Countries: Our division has seen an increase in students from other countries. These students experience unique challenges such as fear of not being understood because of language problems, listening difficulties, speaking problems (fluency, intonation, pronunciation, etc.), difficulties in reading comprehension, lack of relevant academic/cultural background for courses, and different academic values. Our division has not yet developed any specific programs or advising strategies for this population, but we are poised, to work with other campus constituents (e.g., undergraduate colleges, International Center) on such action.
Students with Disabilities: The number of students registered with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) has increased dramatically over the last decade. The range of accommodations has increased too, including student restrictions such as morning-‐only-‐courses, one-‐final-‐per-‐day, etc. This has created new and quite labor-‐intensive advising challenges.
Biology Majors Who Choose to Study Abroad: Our division highly encourages students to participate in study abroad opportunities as undergraduates (see also “Efforts to Increase Students’ Participation in Experiential Learning”). When students apply to study abroad through the Education Abroad Program (EAP), their major department and college have to review and approve their Academic Planning Form (APF) as part of their application package. The APF lists the courses the student anticipates taking at the university abroad. Advisors are responsible for cross-‐referencing previously reviewed coursework with proposed coursework and advise on the applicability of such coursework to major requirements. Advisors are also responsible for reviewing petition process guidelines for major credit prior to a student’s departure for study abroad.
Table 7. Number of Biology Majors Studying Abroad–Academic Year 13/14
Fall 2013 Winter 2014 Spring 2014 Summer 2014 Total 24 126 47 11 208
Table 8. Biology Majors that Studied Abroad Relative to the Campus–Academic Year 10-‐112
Biology Majors that
Studied Abroad
UCSD Students that
Studied Abroad
% of Total Abroad
Total of UD Biology Majors
% of Biology Majors that
Studied Abroad
176 1184 14.9% 4,033 4%
2Data taken from Annual Report for 2011, I-‐Center Reports and Statistics (http://icenter.ucsd.edu/about/publications/index.html).
35
Students in Special Studies (e.g., Undergraduate Research for Credit; BILD 99, BISP 196/199): USIS manages administration of the undergraduate research for academic credit program each academic term and the three recognized terms in the summer session. This work includes collection of applications, initial review, approval of a subset, processing, enrollment and communication with instructor and student at various stages in the process. The following table shows the number of students at each stage of the process for the three courses for academic year 2013/14.
Table 9. Students in Undergraduate Research for Credit Courses– Academic Year 13/14
BILD 99
BISP 196
BISP 199 Total
Application submitted 17 80 518 615 Application approved 14 80 507 601 Application denied 3 0 10 13 Enrolled by USIS 13 80 507 600 Enrollment at end of quarter 13 80 490 583 Application with Biology faculty sponsor (#) 10 40 174 224 Application with non-‐Biology faculty sponsor (#)
7 40 344 391
Application with Biology faculty sponsor (%) 58.8% 50.0% 33.2% 36.4% Application with non-‐Biology faculty sponsor (%)
41.2% 50.0% 65.8% 63.6%
USIS, in consultation with our division’s Computer Services group, has developed an online application and workflow process for submission and processing of Special Studies applications. The online application was launched for fall 2014 participation.
d. Types of Advising
USIS offers four types of advising services: walk-‐in advising, scheduled appointments, electronic advising via the Virtual Advising Center, and group advising via information sessions and workshops. The type of advising service a student should use depends on the complexity of his or her inquiry.
Walk-‐in advising is designed to last 15 minutes to address simple questions the student has (e.g., clarify remaining major requirements, discuss current quarter schedule, sign a form, etc.). We offer walk-‐in advising every day of the week, so if a student needs information quickly, walk-‐in advising is usually provide the best service. For more complex advising issues (e.g., developing a long-‐term plan), we recommend scheduling an appointment for 30 minutes.
USIS offers 30-‐minute scheduled advising appointments during fall, winter, and spring quarters (walk-‐in advising occurs throughout the summer). These appointments are typically used to draft and review long-‐term plans, review study abroad coursework in
36
relation to a student’s major, and review and discuss more complex academic situations. The following table shows data for student appointments with USIS for academic year 2013/14.
Table 10. Student Appointments with USIS–Academic Year 13/14
Quarter Appoint-‐ments
Available
Appoint-‐ ments Made
% Appoint-‐ments Made
No Show Appoint-‐ments Kept
% Appoint-‐ments Kept
Fall 2013 215 195 90% 22 173 88%
Winter 2014 247 216 88% 22 194 90%
Spring 2014 290 246 85% 28 218 89%
Total 752 657 87% 72 585 89%
If a student has a simple question that does not require same-‐day response, sending the inquiry through the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) is an efficient way to get the answer. The VAC is the campus e-‐system used to interact with continuing students. It is used in several ways:
• Students can submit questions to Biology 24 hours a day and expect to receive a reply from USIS within 24-‐72 business hours or sooner.
• USIS enters advising notes after each walk-‐in meeting and scheduled appointment to document information discussed during the advising session.
• As part of the petition process, USIS sends the outcome of the petition to the student and uploads all relevant documentation to the student’s VAC as part of the student record.
• USIS can send academically relevant batch messages to a given student population (e.g., BISP 199 students).
USIS manages all incoming student inquiries received via the VAC, including inquiries sent by students directly and questions referred to the department from a student’s college. USIS is also responsible for forwarding VAC inquiries to the college when appropriate (e.g., when the student’s question pertains to general education requirements). The following two tables shows VAC statistics by class level for academic year 13/14 and by contact type.
Table 11. Virtual Advising Center Statistics by Class Level–Academic Year 13/14
Class Fall 2013 Winter 2014 Spring 2014 Summer 2014 Total Contacts
Freshman 353 217 124 78 772
Sophomore 446 386 426 103 1,361 Junior 1,045 798 768 880 3,491
37
Table 12. Virtual Advising Center Statistics by Contact Type–Academic Year 13/14
Contact Type Fall 2013
Winter 2014
Spring 2014
Summer 2014
Total Contacts
Administrative 559 439 404 290 1,692 By appointment 168 188 232 2 590 By e-‐mail 278 305 190 134 907 Walk-‐in 785 645 541 368 2,339 VAC 1,529 1,339 1,201 528 4,597 Enrollment Advisor (EVAC)3 5 0 16 484 505 For the record 173 235 282 2 692 Total 3,497 3,151 2,866 1,808 11,322
Information sessions and workshops allow us to share information of interest to many students. Topics run the gamut from career exploration to graduate and professional school and resources for conducting research.
e. Advising Volume
The some 5,500 declared Biology majors are advised by the equivalent of five FTE staff academic advisors resulting in a 1,100-‐to-‐one ratio of Biology majors to staff. This means that, annually, approximately 2,400 student contact USIS for walk-‐in advising, the office has to respond to approximately 5,000 VAC messages, and 600 + individual advising appointments have to be scheduled.
Though our advising services seem to be successful, we lack staff resources to provide in-‐depth advising and develop creative tools and programs to reach out to all our students. Seeking advice is left to the student’s own initiative. We know many undergraduates never take advantage of expert advising but rather rely on peer advice and urban myth and, therefore, often make educational choices that limit or hinder academic success, including time-‐to-‐degree.
f. Administrative Structure
As described under “Comparison with Previous Review,” USIS has a unique charge, which is reflected in its structure. USIS has three functional units: (1) advising services, (2) instructional support, and (3) outreach, career advising and co-‐curricular activities, the do/bio center. USIS manager Dana Brehm is responsible for day-‐to-‐day management of the unit, strategic planning, policy and business process analysis, administrative support for the Education Committee, and representing USIS on campus-‐wide committees and
3EVAC opened on June 12, 2013, and closed on September 3, 2013. This system was used to advise our incoming FA13 transfer students.
Senior 1,653 1,750 1,548 747 5,698 Total 3,497 3,151 2,866 1,808 11,322
38
programs pertinent to divisional and campus-‐wide advising. The following website visualizes the organization and describes the functions of specific staff members: http://biology.ucsd.edu/administration/sis/usis-‐contact.html.
g. How Undergraduate Majors and Non-‐majors Are Accommodated
USIS provides services for continuing and prospective students (and parents); divisional coordination of the academic advising portions of orientation programs for new freshmen and transfer students; advising and counseling of prospective and freshmen through senior-‐level students; designing, enhancing, and collaborating in advising workshops and outreach activities; approving degree checks and petitions; coordinating advising procedures; editing advising publications; and serving as advising liaison with other units campus wide. Biological Sciences advisors serve the biology major population and students who are not Biology majors enrolling in Biology courses.
h. Instructional Support
Instructional Services staff members provide back-‐up advisors when needed. However, they are mainly responsible for establishing and maintaining enrollment procedures and policies. They oversee enrollment projections and limits, prerequisite waiver system requests, over-‐enrollment, and manual enrollment.
USIS processed 633 manual enrollments in academic year 13/14. Manual enrollments are defined as those that require instructor and or staff intervention to process, as described in the following table.
Table 13. Manual Enrollments–Academic Year 13/14
Category Number Description Prerequisite/restriction waivers (see next table)
318* Total requests received
Concurrent enrollment 190 Per course roster data; 182 actually enrolled; requires instructor and divisional approval
Cross enrollment 1 California community college student enrolling in UC San Diego course
Lab courses 52 Add after first lab meeting; requires instructor and divisional approval
Late adds 39 Add after the university add deadline; requires instructor and divisional approval
Over units 16 Student enrolling in more than quarter maximum; requires divisional and college approval
Second 194 17 Enrollment in a second variable topic course; cannot be done via WebReg
Since winter quarter 2014, a web-‐based prerequisite waiver system has greatly increased the efficiency and consistency of these processes and has allowed improved
39
record keeping and tracking of data. Approval of these waivers for academic year 13/14 is detailed in the following table.
Table 14. Approval of Prerequisite/restriction Waivers–Academic Year 13/14
Request approved by instructor
181
Request approved by USIS 86 Courses ineligible for waiver except for visiting students; manual entry due to pending course work/transcripts, etc.
Request denied by instructor 17 Request denied by USIS 29 Course ineligible for waiver No action taken 5 No response from instructor
i. How Course Offerings Are Determined
With well over 200 undergraduate courses (lecture, lab, seminar, special studies) offered each year and undergraduate course enrollments reaching 23,000+, constructing a well thought out and accommodating teaching schedule is an intricate process that requires an iterative scheduling process that needs to balance availability of classrooms and faculty members’ preferred teaching schedules.
With the exception of the bottleneck courses listed on page 17 and below, all other required courses are offered multiple times per academic year, often per academic quarter, and also during summer session. We closely watch growth in each major and enrollment patterns to identify how often a specific course needs to be offered and determine if adjustments have to be made to the enrollment size. As described in under “Contributions to the Science General Education Requirements,” above, a few faculty members (Drs. Laurie Smith, BICD100, and Carolyn Kurle, BILD3) agreed to teach mega-‐enrollment courses (700+ students) by using multiple classrooms equipped with videoconferencing systems supporting high-‐resolution video and two-‐way audio between classrooms.
We are using a quarterly course grid to help prevent required courses being scheduled at competing times. Still, as described above on page 17 under “Bottleneck Courses,” we must address the need to offer BIEB 100 (Biostatistics), BIMM 122 (Microbial Genetics), BIMM 114 (Virology), BIMM 124 (Medical Microbiology), and BIMM 120 (Bacteriology) more often.
Our website provides detailed, up-‐to-‐date course information, supporting students’ and advisors’ long-‐term planning: http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/course/index.html.
The Teaching Assignments Process for our Division of Biological Sciences documents this process and is described below. We have included a detailed description in Appendix 10.
Scheduling Courses and Labs: USIS is tasked with scheduling all undergraduate course offerings each term. This process begins six to eight months before the start of each
40
term. It is a time-‐consuming and iterative process involving faculty and the Campus Scheduling Office. The following table details Biology courses scheduled, offered, and cancelled for academic year 13/14.
Table 15. Biology Courses Scheduled, Offered, and Cancelled–Academic Year 13/14
Item Lecture Lab Seminars Total Courses scheduled 98 36 31 165
Courses offered 98 36 31 165
Courses cancelled 0 0 0 0 Discussion/lab sections offered 740 111 0 851
Supporting Instructional Logistics: Textbook Ordering and OSD Administration: USIS orders textbooks and stocks appropriate numbers of desk copies for use by instructional assistants.
j. Administering the Instructional Assistants’ Program
USIS administers our division’s Instructional Assistants’ Program. It is responsible for recruitment and assignment of various levels of instructional assistants (i.e., undergrad/graduate instructional assistants, tutors, readers, and TAs) to undergraduate lecture and laboratory courses. USIS also advises student applicants on the application and selection process and how enrolling in college-‐level science teaching courses (BISP 195, for undergraduate instructional assistants, and BGGN 500 for graduate instructional assistants) impacts degree requirements at the undergraduate and graduate (MS and PhD) levels, respectively.
USIS supported our division in achieving a student-‐to-‐instructional-‐assistant ratio of 33:1 for academic year 13/14, as detailed in the following table
Table 16. Instructional Assistants–Academic Year 13/14
Category For
Academic Credit
Paid Total
Undergraduates 177 170 347 MS 43 174 217 PhD 97 13 110 Non-‐students 0 10 10 Readers 0 49 49 Total 341 337 733
k. Fostering Engagement with Majors, from Orientation to Graduation
Our division’s undergraduate curriculum emphasizes a broad general education foundation, development of deep subject-‐area knowledge, a variety of rich learning
41
experiences inside and outside the classroom, and cultivation of skills to help students become lifelong learners.
This type of robust student engagement is stimulated by an active learning environment in the classroom but equally important by access to high-‐impact learning opportunities and effective advising structures. Achieving the latter for an undergraduate program of our size is a major challenge and cannot be achieved by relying merely on traditional academic advising services. This conclusion was the rationale for creating a new, additional divisional advising structure, the Center for Discovering Opportunities in Biological Sciences (do/bio center) mentioned in previous sections.
This center implements our division’s commitment to co-‐curricular, academic, and non-‐academic experiential learning. It facilitates development of interconnected, meaningful, and purposeful activities and programs that promote student engagement, academic enrichment, personal and professional development, leadership, and community involvement.
The goal of the center is to inspire students to become actively engaged through strategic biology-‐specific events, workshops, and professional development courses that highlight the importance of developing 21st-‐century skills in addition to honing academic skills, knowledge, and abilities. . The center is building capacity for this by creating synergies with non-‐Biology units (e.g., UCSD’s Center for Student Engagement, Rady School) and deliberate cross-‐campus partnerships (e.g., with the Career Center), purposefully engaging faculty, alumni, community members (e.g., representatives of local biotech companies), and Biology student organizations.
The center has developed programs that target specific student populations: freshmen (Explore Your Future and Interest), sophomores and juniors (Enhance Your Skill Set and Options), and seniors (Engage, Prepare, and Plan for Post-‐Graduation). Previous sections describe specific examples of how the center supports faculty and students in promoting and facilitating engagement in experiential learning opportunities and programs that complement students’ in-‐class academic experiences. See “Foster Increased Student Interaction with Faculty” and “Efforts to increase Student Participation in Experiential Learning.”
IV. Learning Outcomes and Evidence Data We have attached the WASC form, “Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators,” in Appendix 16. Our division’s learning objectives and assessment measurements are posted on our website at this location: http://biology.ucsd.edu/_files/education/undergrad/bio-‐wasc.pdf.
V. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Our division is strongly committed to advance an equitable and inclusive culture that values and promotes diversity. We focus on outreach, community dialog, and introspection to create a culturally welcoming and professionally enriching environment. This commitment applies to all faculty, staff and students in our division
42
who work to develop and implement programs and embody principles that create and sustain a culture of inclusion. The Divisional Diversity website highlights this commitment: http://biology.ucsd.edu/diversity/index.html.
a. Administrative Changes: Establishment of the Divisional Diversity Committee Four years ago, our division established the Divisional Diversity Committee (http://biology.ucsd.edu/diversity/diversity-‐committee.html). This committee addresses the need for internal coordination and strategic planning to achieve our diversity goals. The committee’s composition includes faculty representation from all four sections, graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff (e.g., the MSO and the Director of USIS and GSIS). To increase the effectiveness of divisional activities and strengthen our efforts through synergy, committee members also serve on campus-‐wide committees that work to increase campus diversity and improve the campus’ inclusiveness climate. For example, one committee member chairs the campus-‐wide committee that proposed and now is implementing the diversity graduation requirement for all undergraduate students.
The committee has developed a comprehensive resource for faculty listing current divisional and campus-‐wide opportunities for contributing to diversity efforts. Furthermore, the committee has developed guidelines for how to organize and report contributions to diversity so that reviewers of faculty files can evaluate the significance of their contributions.
b. Instructional Contributions to Diversity
Instructional Assistant Training: The loss of talented students from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors is a major challenge to U.S. technological advancement and global competitiveness in the 21st century. Although inclusive teaching strategies can improve student retention, formal instruction in pedagogy traditionally has not been a part of STEM graduate education and is often completely absent from postdoctoral training. Thus, increased access to training in pedagogy for graduate instructional assistants (GIAs) and postdoctoral scholars has the potential to improve the quality of instruction in STEM classrooms.
To provide GIAs with the advice and tools they need to create a welcoming learning environment that respects student diversity and encourages learning, a group of postdoctoral scholars in our division developed a TA training workshop on inclusive teaching. Creation of this workshop was initiated by a series of relevant readings and discussions on the roles that identity, diversity, and unconscious bias play in the classroom. It built on Diversity in the Classroom seminar taught by the CIRTL network (http://www.cirtl.net/course_overview), and it was adapted to the specific needs of our division.
This workshop uses a combination of self-‐reflective and group activities to personalize diversity issues and model best practices for inclusive teaching. Its goal is to help GIAs understand that diversity affects learning: that knowledge, experience, and cultural content make each student unique; that the teaching methods, examples, and content
43
we choose to use affect who is included or excluded from the classroom experience; and that we all bring biases and assumptions to teaching and learning.
Specifically, the three major goals are: • Raise TA awareness of the impact of identity and classroom climate on student
learning. • Help TAs recognize the importance of inclusivity in effective teaching and
student learning. • Empower TAs with pedagogical approaches to create an inclusive classroom.
Since its inception four years ago, the workshop has been taught every quarter as one of four workshop choices for GIAs. The workshop evaluations have been very positive. All GIAs were either “satisfied” or “extremely satisfied.” Words such as “well thought out,” “helpful,” “fun,” and “interesting” were used to describe the workshop. Significantly, most GIAs said they would approach their classes differently after taking the workshop. We recently implemented a pre-‐workshop and post-‐workshop survey. The analysis of the data has not yet been completed.
This innovative workshop was presented during a poster session at a 2012 AAAS meeting.
c. Development of a Biology Course to Fulfill the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Graduation Requirement
As expressed in UC San Diego’s Undergraduate Education website, the campus established a new graduation requirement described as follows: “A knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion is required of all candidates for a Bachelor’s degree who begin their studies at UC San Diego in lower-‐division standing in Fall 2011 or thereafter, or in upper-‐division standing in Fall 2013 or thereafter.” (http://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/ug-‐ed/diversity/)
Our division, under the leadership of Drs. Macagno, Mel, and Johnson, piloted a Biology-‐specific Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) seminar course. It has been developed into a 4-‐unit course, titled Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in Biology and Medicine (BILD 60). This course is founded in science: Students analyze scientific data, learn about diseases, examine the practice of science and the use and misuse of science, and consider the brain and stereotyping. But the course is also designed to help students consider science in a new and broader societal context. The goal of the course is to challenge certain assumptions about science and open students’ eyes to the influence of cultural and historical factors on the process of science, health, and disease. The course syllabus has been included in Appendix 17.
The course will be offered for the first time in academic year Spring 15. It is open to all majors.
d. Outreach In 2007 UC San Diego’s Undergraduate Admissions Office and the Division of Biological Sciences teamed together in a concerted and focused outreach plan to increase applications from three academically high-‐achieving high schools that predominately
44
enroll underrepresented socio-‐economically disadvantaged student population but at the time were not encouraging students to apply to UC San Diego. These schools were Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet (Bravo), King Drew Medical Magnet (King Drew), and the California Academy of Mathematics and Science (CAMS).
After new and bettered relationships were formed with the school’s teachers, counselors, and principals, we established a second level of outreach and recruitment to bring students to UC San Diego for a residential experience and peak academically high-‐achieving student’s interest in attending UC San Diego. This new level of recruitment and outreach involved a broader group of campus partners including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Division of Physical Sciences. The goal of this academy was to provide both academic and social experiences for the students.
We developed a hands-‐on curriculum, called the Triton Summer STEM Academy, aimed at helping students to (1) appreciate that UC San Diego is an intellectual and academic powerhouse, recognized globally as a scientific leader, and (2) experience how we teach and educate students majoring in STEM fields. Our first cohort involved 30 students. Initial surveys indicate that this pilot was highly successful. The program will be scaled up in 2015 to 90 students.
e. Academic Program beyond Triton Summer STEM Academy A key feature of this program is to cement ongoing relationships developed with the students who attended the academy described in the previous section. Throughout the current year, we will maintain ongoing communication with academy participants by Undergraduate Admissions to ensure the students submit UC admission applications they started during the academy, apply for financial aid, take appropriate tests, and maintain rigorous senior course loads with good academic performance.
To move from recruitment and yield to retention, faculty in the Biological, Physical, and Marine Sciences and the School of Engineering are developing a pre-‐matriculation summer transition program for admitted students who participated in this program and others students from similar backgrounds to help them with academic preparation prior to freshman year in the sciences.
Division of Biological Sciences: ACMS Instructional Technology Use
1. Learning Management System (TED)
Number of Bio courses using TED: AY 09-10 = 114 AY 10-11 = 106 AY 11-12 = 112 AY 12-13 = 119 AY 13-14 = 131 Total = 582 courses
2. Personal response system (clickers)
Number of Bio courses using clickers: AY 09-10 = 9 AY 10-11 = 14 AY 11-12 = 19 AY 12-13 = 15 AY 13-14 = 36 Total = 93 courses* *Note: data taken from the Bookstore records of Bio faculty requesting clickers for their course.
3. Podcasted courses (http://podcasts.ucsd.edu/) Number of Bio courses podcasted: Average of 15 courses per quarter* *Note: most faculty elect to remove past course podcasts at the end of the quarter (we don’t retain them), so the average of 15 represents our best estimate based solely on AT 13-14 data.
4. Hybrid course support a. Prof. Ella Tour’s supplemental online lecture series for BIMM 110:
Molecular Basis of Human Disease. b. Prof. Lakshmi Chilukuri’s Molecular Biology lab safety online modules
Division'of'Biological'Sciences'194'Course'Coordination'
!
The!Division!of!Biological!Sciences!offers!a!number!of!seminar!courses!(numbered!194)!designed!to!
provide!students!with!an!opportunity!to!extend!what!they!have!learned!in!upperAdivision!
courses!by!analyzing!existing!knowledge!and!contemporary!thinking!in!a!particular!biological!sciences!
field.!
!
Beginning!Fall!2012,!194!courses!will!be!classified!under!the!various!Biology!subject!codes!A!BIBC,!BICD,!
BIEB,!BIMM,!BIPN!and!BISP.!!The!classification!of!the!194!course!will!determine!the!prerequisites!for!that!
particular!offering.!!!
!
Course!Title!
• BISP!194A!Advanced!Topics!in!Modern!Biology!
• BIBC!194A!Advanced!Topics!in!Modern!Biology:!Biochemistry!
• BICD!194A!Advanced!Topics!in!Modern!Biology:!Cellular!Development!
• BIEB!194AAdvanced!Topics!in!Modern!Biology:!Ecology,!Behavior,!Evolution!
• BIMM!194AAdvanced!Topics!in!Modern!Biology:!Molecular!Biology!
• BIPN!194AAdvanced!Topics!in!Modern!Biology:!Physiology!and!Neuroscience!
!
General!Course!Description!(updated!2012)!
Course!will!vary!in!title!and!content.!!Students!are!expected!to!actively!participate!in!reading,!analyzing!
and!demonstrate!an!understanding!of!primary!literature.!!Current!descriptions!and!subtitles!may!be!
found!on!the!Schedule!of!Classes!and!the!Biological!Sciences!website.!!Students!may!take!a!total!of!four!
194!courses!as!topics!vary.!!Students!may!not!receive!credit!for!the!same!topic.!
!
*Faculty!will!be!asked!to!provide!a!description/subtitle!for!the!topic!they!will!teach.!
!
Scheduling!
This!is!a!2Aunit!course!that!meets!for!1.5!hours!per!week!for!ten!weeks.!
All!194!courses!will!be!scheduled!in!York!3010!(divisional!space).!
!
Textbook/Readings!
• As!determined!by!instructor!
• No!common!text;!dependent!upon!topic!
!
Prerequisites!
Instructors!select!one!of!the!following!based!upon!the!required!prerequisites:!
• BISP!194Aupper!division!standing!and!Genetics!(BICD!100)!
• BIBC!194AStructural!Biochemistry!(BIBC!100)!OR!Metabolic!Biochemistry!(BIBC!102)!
• BICD!194ACell!Biology!(BICD!110)!
• BIEB!194AIntroduction!to!Ecology!(BIEB!102)!
• BIMM!194AMolecular!Biology!(BIMM!100)!
• BIPN!194AMammalian!Physiology!I!(BIPN!100)!OR!Cellular!Neurobiology!(BIPN!140)!
!
Content/Syllabi!
• All!194!courses!are!based!on!topics!as!selected!by!the!faculty.!
• The!emphasis!of!194!is!that!students!actively!participate!in!reading,!analyzing!and!
demonstrate!an!understanding!or!primary!literature.!!!
• Students!enrolling!in!194!will!gain!an!experience!that!is!likely!not!to!be!available!in!other!
courses.!
• Example!194!syllabi!may!be!found!http://courses.ucsd.edu/syllabiList.aspx?name=BISP!
!
!
Grading!
Grading!shall!be!determined!by!instructor!but!may!include!the!following:!
• Exams/quizzes!
• Summary!of!literature!
• Participation!in!discussion!
• Presentation/peer!feedback/evaluation!
• Preparedness!
• Attendance!
• Final!project!
!
Enrollment!
Projected!Enrollment:!194!courses!will!have!projected!enrollments!of!40A50!students.!!The!EC!has!
found!that!this!is!a!reasonable!enrollment.!!If!an!instructor!proposes!a!lower!enrollment,!an!exception!
must!be!requested!and!granted.!!Instructors!will!need!to!indicate!why!a!lower!enrollment!is!justified.!
!
Minimum!Enrollment!!
Should!the!enrollment!be!lower!than!eight!students!during!week!three!of!the!quarter,!the!class!
could!still!be!taught.!!The!following!offering!of!the!course!would!need!to!potentially!be!
modified,!quarter!changed,!etc.!to!bring!the!enrollment!up!to!a!reasonable!number.!!If!that!
were!not!accomplished!the!second!offering,!teaching!credit!(divisional)!would!not!be!granted!
and!the!same!course!could!not!be!offered!in!future!quarters.!
!
General!Course!Information!
• 194!courses!are!comprised!of!lecture/seminar!only;!discussion!sections!are!not!included!
with!any!194!course.!
• TA/tutor!support!is!not!provided!to!any!194!course!
!
Grading!Information!
• Students!may!enroll!in!a!194!course!for!either!a!letter!grade!or!for!a!P/NP!option.!!For!
grading!information!and!breakdown,!please!see!UCSD!grading!system.!
• UCSD!utilizes!an!electronic!(web!based)!grading!system!called!eGrades.!!For!information!
about!eGrades,!specifically!how!to!submit!grades!at!the!end!of!the!quarter,!please!
see!Electronic!Grades!(eGrades).!
o eGrades!uses!UCSD!Single!SignAOn!for!authentication!meaning!you!will!need!to!
be!able!to!sign!on!to!the!system!to!assign!grades.!!Please&see&appendix&for&instructions&for&resetting&the&password&if&it&is¬&known.!
!
Timeline!
If!faculty!proposes!to!teach!a!194!course,!all!information!must!be!submitted!during!the!following!
timeline.!!Biology!Student!&!Instructional!Services!will!send!out!scheduling!requests!during!each!period,!
collects!all!requests!and!forwards!them!to!the!Registrar's!for!placement.!
!
Request!for!Fall!teaching!times!sent!out!January)Request!for!Winter)teaching!times!sent!out!June!Request!for!Spring)teaching!times!sent!out!August!!
Confirmation!of!schedule!will!be!emailed!once!all!courses!have!been!placed!and!are!complete.!!!
!
Tested Studies for Laboratory TeachingProceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education Vol. 35, 41-55, 2014
41
From Bugs to Barcodes: Using Molecular Tools to Study BiodiversityMadeline Butler, Heather Henter and Stephanie Mel
University of California San Diego, Division of Biological Sciences, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla CA 92093 USA ([email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected])
%LRGLYHUVLW\�UHIHUV�WR�WKH�YDULHW\�RI�VSHFLHV�ZLWKLQ�DQ�HFRV\VWHP��0RVW�VSHFLHV�RQ�HDUWK�KDYH�\HW�WR�EH�LGHQWL¿HG��and there is an ongoing international effort to build a complete species inventory. Many students are aware of the importance of biodiversity but few realize that they can play an important role in addressing this biodiversity NQRZOHGJH�JDS��'1$�EDUFRGLQJ�LV�D�WHFKQLTXH�WKDW�XVHV�D�VSHFL¿F�UHJLRQ�RI�'1$�DV�D�JHQHWLF�PDUNHU�WR�LGHQWLI\�species. In this module, students learn how to document biodiversity using ecological, molecular, and bioinformat-ics tools while generating novel data.
FirstpageKeywords: Biodiversity, barcoding, PCR, DNA sequencing, bioinformatics
© 2014 by Madeline Butler, Heather Henter and Stephanie Mel; University of California San Diego
� %LRGLYHUVLW\��XVXDOO\�GH¿QHG�DV�WKH�QXPEHU�RI�VSHFLHV�LQ�D�VSHFL¿F�HFRV\VWHP�RU�DUHD��LV�LPSRUWDQW�IRU�QXPHURXV�UHD-sons. A diversity of organisms support ecosystem services VXFK� DV� SXUL¿FDWLRQ�RI� DLU�� FOLPDWH� FRQWURO��ZDWHU� SXUL¿FD-tion, food production, pollination, and erosion prevention. Many people feel that biodiversity is important for aesthetic, ethical, and cultural reasons as well. But biodiversity is at risk. Habitat destruction is probably the most serious threat, although over-exploitation of natural resources and invasive species play a role, and climate change will become increas-ingly important in the future. However, we cannot assess the impact of any of these threats if we do not know what is being threatened. Current estimates of the total number of eukaryote species on Earth UDQJH�IURP�¿YH�WR�WHQ�PLOOLRQ��0D\���������2I�WKLV��OHVV�WKDQ�two million species have been named or described, and this lack of information is not distributed evenly among taxa de-spite 250 years of modern taxonomy. Although groups such as mammals and birds are fairly well known, it is estimated that 70% of arthropod species have yet to be discovered (Hamilton et al., 2010). This is particularly troubling at a time when human activities are impacting virtually every or-ganism on the planet. This knowledge gap is a huge obstacle for conservation efforts. It is critical that we develop a better understanding of what organisms exist if we want to con-serve species, or even know the effect of our conservation strategies. With DNA barcoding, students can help in this effort.
Introduction
� 6SHFLHV�DUH�XVXDOO\� LGHQWL¿HG�E\� WKHLU�PRUSKRORJ\�� ,W� LV�possible for students or other non-experts to identify large organisms such as birds or mammals this way, but identify-ing smaller organisms such as invertebrates can be very dif-¿FXOW��0RUSKRORJLFDO�GLIIHUHQFHV�DUH�DOPRVW�DOZD\V�VR�VXEWOH�it takes an expert to distinguish species. Also, as is the case with cryptic species, there may not be any morphological differences even when the genetic evidence suggests that the RUJDQLVPV�GR�QRW�LQWHUEUHHG��DQG�WKXV�E\�GH¿QLWLRQ�DUH�GLI-ferent species.� 0ROHFXODU�WD[RQRPLVWV�SURSRVHG�XVLQJ�D�VSHFL¿F�'1$�VH-TXHQFH�FDOOHG�WKH�EDUFRGH�DV�DQ�LGHQWL¿HU�IRU�VSHFLHV��+HUEHUW�et al., 2003). There has been debate about reliability of the barcode sequence to detect taxonomic subtleties, but many taxonomists have embraced the use of barcode sequences as an additional tool. The Consortium for the Barcode of Life �&%2/�� LV� DQ� LQWHUQDWLRQDO� FROODERUDWLRQ� RI� H[SHUWV� LQ� JH-nomics, taxonomy, and computer science whose mission is to create a reference library of DNA barcodes in the form of WKH�%DUFRGH�RI�/LIH�'DWDEDVH��%2/'��http://www.barcode-RÀLIH�RUJ�). Students at any academic institution can become involved in barcoding projects and even contribute novel sequences WR� WKH�%2/'� GDWDEDVH��%DUFRGLQJ� LV� SUHVHQWO\� EHLQJ� XVHG�in a variety of educational settings as a means of involving students in discovery-based science (Santschiet al., 2013; and http://www.urbanbarcodeproject.org/). Barcoding can also be used to integrate concepts and provide hands-
42 Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching
Butler, Henter and Mel
one exposure to techniques in a variety of different disciplines such as ecology, taxonomy, genetics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. As part of our effort to bring authentic research into large undergraduate biology labs, we have initiated a DNA barcod-ing project in which students are documenting biodiversity at the UC San Diego Scripps Coastal Reserve. We have used barcoding both to discover the diversity of species in a par-WLFXODU�KDELWDW�DV�ZHOO�DV�WR�WHVW�VSHFL¿F�K\SRWKHVHV��)RU�H[-ample, one quarter we documented the vegetation-inhabiting spiders at our reserve and another quarter we looked at the in-traspecies diversity in the honeybee Apis mellifera, which has D�QXPEHU�RI�VXEVSHFLHV��2XU�K\SRWKHVLV�WHVWLQJ�SURMHFWV�KDYH�explored whether polychaete worms from different intertidal zones of the sandy beach are different species and whether ÀRZHU�LQKDELWLQJ�WKULS�VSHFLHV�VSHFLDOL]H�RQ�GLIIHUHQW�VSHFLHV�RI�SODQW�KRVWV��2WKHU�JURXSV�KDYH�XVHG�EDUFRGLQJ�IRU�VLPLODU�VWXGLHV��ERWK�EDVLF�DQG�DSSOLHG��)RU�H[DPSOH��VWXGHQWV�KDYH�GRQH�EDUFRGLQJ�WR�GHWHFW�ZKHWKHU�¿VK�EHLQJ�VROG�LQ�VWRUHV�DUH�the actual advertised species (Stockle et al., 2010). In order to do barcoding, students collect specimens, ex-tract DNA, then amplify the DNA barcoding region using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). After running a gel to ver-ify that they have a PCR product of the correct size, students then purify the PCR product and send it for Sanger sequenc-ing. The DNA sequences are then analyzed using several free bioinformatics programs. The methods are all straightforward and require only basic specimen collection and molecular bi-ology lab equipment. We typically spread the experiments out over four lab periods of about 3 hours each, and the schedule FDQ�EH�DGMXVWHG�WR�¿W�ODE�SHULRGV�RI�VKRUWHU�RU�ORQJHU�WLPHV��The experimental protocols in this paper have been designed for use with insects but they can be used with other inver-tebrates as well. However, the DNA extraction methods and primers should be tested with the type of animals to be studied in your class before actual implementation of the module.
6XPPDU\�RI�6WHSV�LQ�%DUFRGLQJ�([SHULPHQW
1. Collect specimens (1 hour or less)
2. Extract DNA from insect legs (2.5 hours to overnight)
3. Set up PCR reactions (30 minutes)
4. Run gel to verify that PCR worked and purify PCR product (1.5 to 2 hours)
��� 6HQG� SXUL¿HG�3&5�SURGXFW� IRU� VHTXHQFLQJ� �GRQH� E\�outside company)
6. Analyze sequences (2 to 4 hours or more)
Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, Volume 35, 2014 43
Major Workshop: Barcoding using the CO1 gene
Student Outline� ,Q�RUGHU�WR�EDUFRGH�DQ�RUJDQLVP��'1$�LV�¿UVW�H[WUDFWHG�IURP�DQ�RUJDQLVP�DQG�WKHQ�WKH�EDUFRGH�VHTXHQFH�LV�DPSOL¿HG�XVLQJ�PCR. Because we want to simply amplify and sequence the DNA without having to clone it, it is important to use a haploid gene. Mitochondrial DNA is only inherited from the mother, and thus all the genes on the mitochondrial DNA are haploid. Mitochondrial genes also have a low level of intraspecies diversity and a high level of interspecies diversity, which makes it useful for differentiating species based on DNA sequence differences. Also, there are many copies of DNA per mitochondria, and there are many mitochondria per cell so the copy number of mitochondrial genes is higher than nuclear genes.� :H�ZLOO�EH�DPSOLI\LQJ�'1$�XVLQJ�SDUW�RI�WKH�F\WRFKURPH�F�R[LGDVH��&2���JHQH�ORFDWHG�RQ�PLWRFKRQGULDO�'1$��7KLV�JHQH�KDV�EHHQ�DFFHSWHG�E\�VFLHQWLVWV�DV�WKH�VWDQGDUG�JHQH�WR�EH�XVHG�IRU�DOO�DQLPDO�EDUFRGLQJ�VWXGLHV��+HUEHUW�HW�DO����������)RU�WKH�EDUFRGH�3&5��ZH�XVH�ZKDW�DUH�NQRZQ�DV�³XQLYHUVDO�SULPHUV´�ZKLFK�DUH�GHVLJQHG�WR�UHFRJQL]H�FRQVHUYHG�DUHDV�LQ�WKH�&2��JHQH�LQ�PDQ\�LQYHUWHEUDWH�VSHFLHV��%HFDXVH�WKH�SULPHU�VHTXHQFHV�ZLOO�QRW�EH�DQ�H[DFW�PDWFK�WR�WKH�&2��WDUJHW�VHTXHQFH�LQ�DOO�LQYHU-tebrate species, the PCR reaction is performed at a low annealing temperature. This should allow primers that are not an exact match to still anneal well enough to form a stable duplex for the PCR reaction. After running the PCR, some of the PCR product is run on a gel to make sure it is the expected size which is about 660-680 base pairs. The remainder of the PCR sample is then cleaned up to remove the free nucleotides, primers, and enzyme and it is then sent for Sanger sequencing. The sequencing results are analyzed using several free bioinformatics programs and databases.
1. Collecting Insects in the Field
DNA barcoding can be used to document species in a particular area. We will be working with insects because they are they are highly diverse and easy to collect, and it is estimated that 70% of arthropod species have yet to be discovered by scientists (Hamilton et al., 2010). Insects and other arthropods are virtually everywhere and can be collected a number of ways. Your instructor will demonstrate the equipment you can use, but here are a few ideas to get you started.
Places to Find Insects
)ORZHUV±�3ROOLQDWRUV��EHHV��HWF���DUH�YHU\�FRPPRQ�DW�ÀRZHUV��7DS�D�ÀRZHU�RYHU�D�ZKLWH�WUD\��ZKLWH�SDSHU�SODWH��RU�ZKLWH�SDG�RI�SDSHU�WR�¿QG�WKULSV��VSLGHUV��DQG�RWKHU�VSHFLHV�WKDW�OXUN�WKHUHLQ�
/HDYHV±�/RRN�RQ�WKH�XQGHUVLGH�RI�OHDYHV�IRU�SODQW�VXFNLQJ�LQVHFWV��/RRN�IRU�HYLGHQFH�RI�OHDI�FKHZLQJ��ZKLFK�VXJJHVWV�WKDW�herbivorous insects might be active. Galls are oddly shaped plant growths caused by the immature insect developing inside. Break open the gall to see if the insect is still there.
8QGHUQHDWK�ORJV�±�7XUQ�RYHU�DQ\�REMHFW�WKDW�FUHDWHV�GDPS��SURWHFWHG�FRQGLWLRQV���VWRQHV��ORJV��ROG�OXPEHU��RU�WUDVK��<RX�ZLOO�EH�VXUH�WR�¿QG�HDUZLJV�DQG�RWKHU�PRLVWXUH�ORYLQJ�LQVHFWV��$QWV��WHUPLWHV��URDFKHV��EHHWOHV��DQG�EULVWOHWDLOV�DUH�FRPPRQ�
/LJKWV±�/RWV�RI�LQVHFWV�DUH�DWWUDFWHG�WR�OLJKWV�DW�QLJKW��HVSHFLDOO\�PRWKV�DQG�ODFHZLQJV��/RRN�DURXQG�\RXU�SRUFK�OLJKW�DW�QLJKW�
:DWHU±�/RRN�XQGHU�VWRQHV�LQ�UXQQLQJ�VWUHDPV�IRU�LPPDWXUH�PD\ÀLHV��VWRQHÀLHV��DQG�WKH�FDVHV�RI�FDGGLVÀLHV��:DWHU�VWULGHUV�DUH�common walking on water, and look in the shallows along the edges of ponds for various aquatic beetles and immature drag-RQÀLHV��PLGJHV��DQG�PRVTXLWRHV�
%DVHPHQWV±�/RRN�LQ�ROG�ERRNV�DQG�QHZVSDSHUV�IRU�VLOYHU¿VK�DQG�ERRNOLFH�ZKLFK�DUH�SULPDULO\�IHHGLQJ�RQ�WKH�PROG�WKDW�JURZV�in humid conditions.
7UDSV±�3XW�RXW�IUXLW��URWWLQJ�RU�RWKHUZLVH��DV�EDLWV�WR�DWWUDFW�LQVHFWV��7U\�PHDW��FRRNLHV��RU�D�VRGD��&UHDWH�KDELWDW�E\�SXWWLQJ�RXW�pieces of wood.
3LWIDOO�WUDSV�±�7KHVH�DUH�WUDSV�XVHG�WR�FDWFK�JURXQG�GZHOOLQJ�LQVHFWV��6LQN�DQ\�VRUW�RI�SODVWLF�MDU�RU�YLDO��VXFK�DV�D����PO�)DOFRQ�WXEH��LQWR�WKH�GLUW�VR�WKDW�WKH�WRS�LV�OHYHO�ZLWK�WKH�JURXQG��)LOO�ZLWK�D�SUHVHUYDWLYH��VXFK�DV�����HWKDQRO�DQG�OHDYH�RYHUQLJKW��Ants, bristletails, beetles, and others will be trapped.
%HH�ERZOV�±�)LOO�DQ\�VRUW�RI�VPDOO�GLVSRVDEOH�FXS�RU�ERZO�ZLWK�VRDS\�ZDWHU��RQH�VTXLUW�SHU�JDOORQ�RI�ZDWHU��'DZQ�GLVK�VRDS�LV�usually used). The soap breaks the surface tension of the water so that the insects sink. Paint the cups bright yellow or blue, or try just white and place the cups in the open. The day must be sunny and warm for bees to be active, and when conditions are right you will get bees within seconds. However, some species of bees are attracted to bee bowls, others are not.
44 Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching
Butler, Henter and Mel
Labeling and Preserving Insects
� )RU�WKH�EHVW�'1$�SUHVHUYDWLRQ��VWRUH�LQYHUWHEUDWHV�LQ�����HWKDQRO�LQ�FRRO�FRQGLWLRQV��D�UHIULJHUDWRU�RU����oC freezer). The PRVW�LPSRUWDQW�DVSHFW�RI�FROOHFWLQJ�LQVHFWV�LV�ODEHOLQJ�±�D�VSHFLPHQ�LV�ZRUWKOHVV�LI�LW�LV�QRW�ODEHOHG�ZLWK�WKH�ORFDWLRQ��GDWH��DQG�collector. Each specimen or each vial needs an internal label. Use a small piece of paper (about 1 cm x 2 cm) inside the vial. 'R�QRW�XVH�WDSH��LW�IDOOV�RII���)RU�VWRUDJH�LQ�DOFRKRO��ZULWH�WKH�ODEHO�LQ�SHQFLO�UDWKHU�WKDQ�SHQ�DV�SHQFLO�ZLOO�EH�PRUH�SHUPDQHQW��,I�SRVVLEOH��DOVR�UHFRUG�WKH�ODWLWXGH�DQG�ORQJLWXGH��6HH�)LJ����IRU�DQ�H[DPSOH�
Figure 1. Example of a collection vial with internal label.
Photographs
� 7R�FUHDWH�D�UHFRUG�RI�WKH�VSHFLPHQ��WDNH�D�SKRWR��<RX�FDQ�XVH�DQ\�GLJLWDO�FDPHUD�±�HYHQ�WKH�FDPHUD�RQ�D�SKRQH��,W�LV�D�JRRG�idea to photograph the specimen before preserving it in ethanol.
2. DNA Isolation Using Qiagen DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit
You now need to isolate DNA from your insect. If you collected a large enough insect, you will use one or two legs. If you collected a small insect, you will use the entire specimen.
Protocol
D�� )RU�ODUJH�LQVHFWV��FDUHIXOO\�FXW�RII�RQH�RI�WKH�EDFN�OHJV�ZLWK�VFLVVRUV�DQG�VDYH�WKH�UHVW�RI�WKH�VSHFLPHQ��<RX�VKRXOG�KDYH�about 3 to 4 mm of leg so if the specimen legs are very small, use more than one. Try to cut as close to the body as pos-sible. Do not simply pull off the leg.
b. Place the leg (or the entire specimen if your bug was very small) in a blue microfuge tube. Place the material on the side of the tube and grind it with the blue pestle. The idea is to break the leg or small insect into smaller pieces. If this too hard, pull the tissue out of the tube and use the scissors to cut it up into smaller pieces. Then try grinding those.
F��� $GG�����ȝO�RI�$7/�EXIIHU�WR�WKH�WXEH�DQG�XVH�WKH�SHVWOH�WR�IXUWKHU�JULQG�XS�WKH�LQVHFW�WLVVXH�LQ�WKH�$7/�EXIIHU���
G��� $GG����ȝO�RI�SURWHLQDVH�.�WR�WKH�PLFURIXJH�WXEH��/HW�LQFXEDWH�IRU�DW�OHDVW���KRXUV�DW���o&���2YHUQLJKW�LQFXEDWLRQ�LV�JRRG�if you want to skip this grinding step or if your lab is not long enough to do the 2 hour incubation and subsequent extrac-tion in the same period.)
H��� 9RUWH[�IRU����VHFRQGV��DQG�WKHQ�DGG�����ȝO�RI�$/�EXIIHU�WR�WKH�WXEH��9RUWH[�DJDLQ�
I��� $GG�����ȝO�RI�HWKDQRO�WR�WKH�WXEH�DQG�PL[�DJDLQ�E\�YRUWH[LQJ�
g. Place a column in a collection tube. Now pipette all the liquid from your ground up insect tissue onto this column. Cen-WULIXJH�DW�������USP�IRU���PLQXWH��$IWHU�WKH�VSLQ��GLVFDUG�ERWK�WKH�ÀRZ�WKURXJK��WKLV�LV�WKH�OLTXLG�WKDW�\RX�VSXQ�WKURXJK�the column) and the collection tube.
K��� 3ODFH�WKH�FROXPQ�LQ�D�QHZ�FROOHFWLRQ�WXEH��$GG�����ȝO�RI�$:��EXIIHU��DQG�WKHQ�FHQWULIXJH�DW�������USP�IRU���PLQXWH�
L��� $JDLQ��GLVFDUG�WKH�ÀRZ�WKURXJK�DQG�FROOHFWLRQ�WXEH�DQG�SODFH�WKH�FROXPQ�LQ�D�QHZ�FROOHFWLRQ�WXEH��$GG�����ȝO�$:��EXIIHU�DQG�FHQWULIXJH�IRU���PLQXWHV�DW�PD[LPXP�VSHHG��2QFH�DJDLQ��GLVFDUG�WKH�FROXPQ�DQG�WKH�ÀRZ�WKURXJK�
M��� 1RZ�SODFH�WKH�FROXPQ�LQ�D�PLFURIXJH�WXEH�DQG�DGG����ȝO�RI�$(�EXIIHU��/HW�VLW�IRU���PLQXWH��WKHQ�FHQWULIXJH�DW�������USP�IRU���PLQXWH��6$9(�7+(�)/2:�7+528*+�±�7+,6�+$6�7+(�'1$��<RX�ZLOO�XVH�WKLV�'1$�WR�VHW�XS�D�3&5�UHDFWLRQ��
Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, Volume 35, 2014 45
Major Workshop: Barcoding using the CO1 gene
� � 127(��,I�D�1DQRGURS�LV�DYDLODEOH��VWXGHQWV�FDQ�PHDVXUH�KRZ�PXFK�'1$�WKH\�JRW�IURP�WKHLU�VSHFLPHQ�E\�UHDGLQJ�WKH�A260 and A280.
3. Setting Up the PCR Reaction
� 7KH�SULPHUV�\RX�ZLOO�EH�XVLQJ�WRGD\�DUH�GHVLJQHG�IRU�XVH�ZLWK�LQYHUWHEUDWH�VDPSOHV�±�WKH�VHTXHQFHV�DUH�LQ�7DEOH���
Table 1. Cytochrome c oxidase invertebrate barcoding primers.
Primer Name Sequence)RUZDUG /&2���� 5'-GGTCAACAAATCATAAAGATATTGG-3'Reverse +&2���� 5'-TAAACTTCAGGGTGACCAAAAAATCA-3'
PCR Master mix
Make up the master mix for a single PCR reaction by adding the components in the respective volumes listed in Table 2 into a PCR tube. The total reaction volume will be 50 µl with the insect DNA added.
Table 2. Components of and respective volumes for a single PCR reaction.
Volume (µl) Component Stock Concentration (µM)25 GoTaq green na2.5 forward primer 102.5 reverse primer 1017.5 sterile water na
PCR Reaction
� $GG������O�RI�WKH�SXUL¿HG�LQVHFW�'1$�WR�WKH�3&5�PDVWHU�PL[��(QVXUH�DOO�'1$�LV�DGGHG�WR�WKH�PDVWHU�PL[��0L[�E\�LQYHUWLQJ�WKH�3&5�WXEH�D�IHZ�WLPHV��0DNH�VXUH�\RX�ODEHO�WKH�WRS�RI�WKH�3&5�WXEH�ZLWK�\RXU�JURXS�QXPEHU�DQG�WKHQ�FHQWULIXJH�EULHÀ\�WR�spin reagents down. The PCR conditions are as follows. An initial denaturation step at 94°C for 3 minutes. Then 35 cycles of 95°C for 45 sec-RQGV�����&�IRU����VHFRQGV��DQG����&�IRU����VHFRQGV��7KH�3&5�UHDFWLRQ�¿QLVKHV�ZLWK�D�¿QDO�H[WHQVLRQ�VWHS�DW����&�IRU���PLQ-utes.
���5XQ�*HO�WR�9HULI\�WKDW�3&5�:RUNHG�DQG�&OHDQ�8S�3&5�3URGXFW
You now need to run a gel to verify that your PCR reaction worked and that you have a product of approximately 660-680 base pairs. You will run some of your PCR product on the gel and then clean up the rest if your PCR worked.
Run agarose gel
a. Each group only needs to run 5 µl of their sample on a gel so to save agarose, four groups will share one gel. Also, please note that there is no need to add any sample dye into the PCR samples because the Go Taq Green solution contains a dye.
E��� 3XW������J�RI�DJDURVH�LQ�D�ÀDVN�DQG�DGG�����O�RI�7$(�EXIIHU��0LFURZDYH�IRU�DERXW���PLQXWH�WR�PHOW�WKH�DJDURVH��2QFH�the agarose has cooled a bit, add 5 µl SYBR Safe.
c. Set up your gel rig with a comb with ten teeth or more. Pour the agarose into the gel rig and let solidify.
G��� 2QFH�WKH�JHO�KDV�KDUGHQHG��UHPRYH�WKH�GDPV�DQG�FRPE�DQG�ÀRRG�WKH�JHO�ZLWK�7$(�EXIIHU��3OHDVH�SD\�FORVH�DWWHQWLRQ�WR�KRZ�WKH�JHO�VKRXOG�EH�ORDGHG�±�LW�LV�YHU\�LPSRUWDQW�WKDW�\RX�GR�QRW�PL[�XS�\RXU�VDPSOH�ZLWK�WKH�RWKHU�JURXSV�RQ�WKH�gel! Assuming your comb has ten teeth, load 10 µl of the ladder into one lane. Then have four groups load 5 µl of their PCR product into a lane, skipping lanes between samples. After loading the gel, run at 150 mV until the green dye front is about halfway down the gel. At that point, turn off power.
46 Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching
Butler, Henter and Mel
e. Take a picture of your gel and determine if you got a PCR product of the correct size. If you did, clean-up the remaining 45 µl of your PCR sample.
Clean-Up PCR Product
The PCR product you hopefully generated will still contain salts, primers, and enzyme that all need to be removed before \RX�FDQ�VHQG�LW�RXW�IRU�VHTXHQFLQJ��<RX�ZLOO�XVH�D�3&5�SXUL¿FDWLRQ�NLW�WR�SXULI\�\RXU�3&5�SURGXFW��
GeneJet kit protocola. Add 45 µl of binding buffer to the 45 µl of the PCR reaction you have left after running the gel.
b. Apply the sample to a column in a collection tube and spin for 1 minute at max speed.
F��� 'LVFDUG�WKH�ÀRZ�WKURXJK��DSSO\������O�ZDVK�EXIIHU�WR�WKH�FROXPQ�DQG�FHQWULIXJH�IRU���PLQXWH�DW��������USP�
G��� 'LVFDUG�ÀRZ�WKURXJK�±�FHQWULIXJH�HPSW\�FROXPQ�IRU���PLQXWH�XQWLO�LW�LV�GU\�
e. Place column in new, labeled 1.5 ml tube. To elute DNA, apply 20 µl elution buffer to center of column, let sit 1 minute, and spin for 1 minute.
� ,I�DYDLODEOH��XVH�D�1DQRGURS�WR�GHWHUPLQH�WKH�FRQFHQWUDWLRQ�RI�\RXU�SXUL¿HG�'1$��0RVW�FRPSDQLHV�UHTXLUH�EHWZHHQ���DQG����QJ�ȝO�RI�3&5�SURGXFW�IRU�VHTXHQFLQJ�
5. Sequencing the PCR Product
In order to sequence your PCR product, you need a primer from which the DNA polymerase can extend. Since you know your PCR product has incorporated the forward and reverse primers, we can use the same primers to start the sequencing reac-tion. Thus, along with your cleaned up PCR product, you will also send some of your forward and/or reverse primer in separate WXEHV�DW�D�FRQFHQWUDWLRQ�RI���ȝ0�WR�WKH�IDFLOLW\�WKDW�ZLOO�GR�WKH�VHTXHQFLQJ��0DNH�VXUH�\RX�ODEHO�WKH�WRS�RI�\RXU�WXEH�FOHDUO\�ZLWK�your specimen number.
���%LRLQIRUPDWLFV�$QDO\VLV
Part 1: Assessing the Quality of the Sequence and Doing a BLAST
(Note: this section would be adapted to use with the sequences generated by your class.)
D��� 7KH�¿UVW�WKLQJ�\RX�PXVW�GR�LV�ORRN�DW�\RXU�VHTXHQFH�FKURPDWRJUDP�DQG�GHWHUPLQH�LI�LW�LV�JRRG�HQRXJK�WR�XVH�LQ�WKH�subsequent analyses. Although most of the time we get PCR product, it may or may not have sequenced well. You will ¿UVW�ORRN�DW�VRPH�H[DPSOHV�RI�JRRG�DQG�EDG�VHTXHQFLQJ�UXQV��DQG�WKHQ�DQDO\]H�\RXU�RZQ�VHTXHQFHV�
E��� )LUVW�¿QG�WKH�³JRRGB�VHTXHQFHB$SLV�$%�´�¿OH�FRQWDLQLQJ�D�FKURPDWRJUDP�RI�D�6DQJHU�VHTXHQFLQJ�UHDFWLRQ���$OO�RI�WKH�¿OHV�QHFHVVDU\�IRU�GRLQJ�WKH�ELRLQIRUPDWLFV�H[HUFLVHV�FDQ�EH�IRXQG�LQ�'URSER[�XVLQJ�WKH�IROORZLQJ�OLQN�https://
Figure 2. Example of a chromatogram from a good sequencing reaction.
Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, Volume 35, 2014 47
Major Workshop: Barcoding using the CO1 gene
ZZZ�GURSER[�FRP�VK��XQI�R]IPEQX�\Y�7:0�$�\&IG���2SHQ�WKH�FKURPDWRJUDP�LQ�WKH�SURJUDP�)LQFK�79��ZKLFK�\RX�PXVW�¿UVW�GRZQORDG�RQWR�\RXU�FRPSXWHU��KWWS���ZZZ�JHRVSL]D�FRP�3URGXFWV�¿QFKWY�VKWPO). The chromatogram VKRXOG�ORRN�OLNH�WKH�RQH�EHORZ�LQ�)LQFK�79�
The peaks in the chromatogram represent the actual sequence of the PCR product (for a good animation of Sanger sequenc-ing, see http://www.dnalc.org/resources/animations/cycseq.html). Note that there are four colors, each representing a differ-HQW�EDVH��$OVR�QRWH�KRZ�WKH�¿UVW����SHDNV�RU�VR�GR�QRW�ORRN�YHU\�VKDUS��EXW�IURP�DERXW�SHDN����RQ��WKH�SHDNV�DUH�ZHOO�UHVROYHG�and there is no background. This is a good sequencing reaction. You can also use the gray bars above each base to tell how good the sequence is at that particular point. You can see there is a horizontal green dotted line and then perpendicular gray bars DERYH�HDFK�EDVH��7KH�KLJKHU�WKH�EDU��WKH�PRUH�FHUWDLQ�WKH�FRPSXWHU�SURJUDP�ZDV�DERXW�³FDOOLQJ´�RU�LGHQWLI\LQJ�WKDW�EDVH��)RU�D�JRRG�VHTXHQFH��WKH�KHLJKW�RI�DOO�WKH�JUH\�EDUV�DIWHU�WKH�¿UVW����RU�VR�VKRXOG�EH�DERYH�WKH�GRWWHG�OLQH���� 1RZ�RSHQ�WKH�³%DGBVHTXHQFH�$%�´¿OH�DQG�ORRN�DW�WKH�FKURPDWRJUDP��)LJ�������1RWH�KRZ�WKH�SHDNV�DOO�RYHUODS�DQG�YHU\�IHZ�of the gray bars are above the dotted green line.
F��� $V�PHQWLRQHG�DERYH��HYHQ�LQ�D�JRRG�VHTXHQFLQJ�UXQ��WKH�¿UVW����WR����EDVH�FDOOV�DUH�XQUHOLDEOH�DQG�\RX�QHHG�WR�GHOHWH�WKDW�VHTXHQFH�IURP�\RXU�DQDO\VLV��)LUVW��RSHQ�WKH�³*RRGBVHTXHQFHB$SLV´�¿OH�DJDLQ�LQ�)LQFK�79��,Q�RUGHU�WR�PDNH�VXUH�WKDW�HYHU\RQH¶V�VHTXHQFH�LV�WULPPHG�WKH�VDPH��SOHDVH�¿QG�WKH�VHTXHQFH�**$7&�DURXQG�SRVLWLRQ����DQG�KLJKOLJKW�DOO�WKH�VHTXHQFH�WR�WKH�OHIW�RI�WKH�&�±�GR�QRW�LQFOXGH�WKH�&��7KLV�LV�LOOXVWUDWHG�LQ�)LJ�����7KHQ�VHOHFW�'HOHWH�XQGHU�WKH�(GLW�PHQX��The actual peaks will not disappear but all the letters above the peaks will.
Figure 4. Trimming the beginning of the chromatogram.
Figure 3. Example of a chromatogram from a bad sequencing reaction. The above sequence would not be usable for the subsequent bioinformatics analyses.
48 Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching
Butler, Henter and Mel
G��� 2QFH�WKH�VHTXHQFH�KDV�EHHQ�FOHDQHG�XS�E\�WULPPLQJ�WKH�HQGV��\RX�DUH�JRLQJ�WR�H[SRUW�WKH�VHTXHQFH��*R�WR�)LOH�RQ�WKH�WRROEDU��DQG�WKHQ�VHOHFW�³([SRUW�±�'1$�VHTXHQFH�)$67$´�LQ�)LQFK�79���6DYH�WKDW�¿OH�WR�\RXU�GHVNWRS��EXW�DOVR�NHHS�WKH�FKURPDWRJUDP�RSHQ��7KHQ�RSHQ�WKH�¿OH��XVLQJ�1RWHSDG��7H[WHGLW��RU�:RUG��7KLV�LV�WKH�WH[W�YHUVLRQ�RI�WKH�FKURPDWRJUDP�¿OH�DQG�UHSUHVHQWV�WKH�VHTXHQFH�RI�WKH�3&5�SURGXFW��7KLV�LV�NQRZQ�DV�D�)$67$�¿OH�±�QRWH�KRZ�WKH�VHTXHQFH�LV�SUHFHGHG�E\�D�QDPH�DQG�D�³!´��0DQ\�ELRLQIRUPDWLFV�SURJUDPV�UHTXLUH�WKLV�W\SH�RI�¿OH�IRUPDW��7KH�H[SRUWHG�VHTXHQFH�VKRXOG�ORRN�VRPHWKLQJ�OLNH�WKDW�VKRZQ�LQ�)LJ����
Figure 5. Trimming the end of the chromatogram.
Figure 6. 6DPSOH�RI�D�)$67$�'1$�VHTXHQFH�¿OH�
e. Next you are going to see if there are any similar sequences to yours in the GenBank database. We will do this by using the NCBI BLAST tool.
Go to NCBI BLAST (http://BLAST.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/BLAST.cgi) and select “nucleotide BLAST”. Then under “Chose Search Set”, use the pull down menu to select “nucleotide collection” (note that the default is for Human se-TXHQFH���3DVWH�\RXU�)$67$�VHTXHQFH�LQWR�WKH�HQWU\�ER[��DQG�WKHQ�FOLFN�RQ�WKH�%/$67�EXWWRQ���
Now do the same for the end of the sequence. Look for the sequence TGATTTTT and highlight the sequence to the right of WKH�7��GR�QRW�LQFOXGH�WKH�7��DV�VKRZQ�LQ�)LJ�����'HOHWH�WKLV�VHTXHQFH�
Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, Volume 35, 2014 49
Major Workshop: Barcoding using the CO1 gene
f. When you do the BLAST, you will get a list of entries in GenBank that are closest in match to your sequence, with the most similar match at the top of the list. (Note that GenBank is constantly updated and the results may differ from what LV�VKRZQ�LQ�)LJ������6FUROO�WKURXJK�WKH�OLVW�DQG�ORRN�DW�WKH�QDPHV�±�RIWHQ�WKHUH�DUH�VHYHUDO�HQWULHV�IRU�WKH�VDPH�*HQXV�DQG�species. Note that for this exercise, we used a barcode sequence from the honeybee, Apis mellifera, which has been well studied so there are many entries in GenBank for this species.
Figure 7. List of BLAST matches.
Figure 8. Sequence alignment from BLAST.
� � 1RZ�VFUROO�GRZQ�EHORZ�WKH�OLVW�WR�VHH�WKH�DFWXDO�DOLJQPHQW�RI�\RXU�VHTXHQFH�WR�WKH�WRS�PDWFK�LQ�1&%,�±�LW�VKRXOG�ORRN�VRPHWKLQJ�OLNH�WKDW�VKRZQ�LQ�)LJ����
The Query sequence is the sequence you submitted to GenBank. The Subject sequence is the sequence of the closest PDWFK�WR�\RXU�VHTXHQFH�LQ�*HQ%DQN��/RRN�¿UVW�DW�WKH�³,GHQWLWLHV´�YDOXH�LQ�)LJ����±�WKLV�WHOOV�\RX�KRZ�VLPLODU�\RXU�VH-quence is to the sequence in GenBank. In this case, the sequence was 99% identical to an entry for Apis mellifera. In WKH�DOLJQPHQW�VKRZQ�LQ�)LJ�����WKH�QXPEHUV�³�������´�WHOO�\RX�WKDW�����RXW�RI�����EDVHV�ZHUH�WKH�VDPH�LQ�WKH�VXEPLWWHG�sequence and the top match found in GenBank. The value in parentheses (99%) tells you how similar this is on a percent-age basis. The Expect value (e-value) of the hit is the match you might expect by chance, given the size of the database. A smaller e-value indicates a more meaningful match.
J��� )RU�QRZ��ZH�DUH�PRVW�LQWHUHVWHG�LQ�WKH�,GHQWLWLHV�YDOXH��$OWKRXJK�WKHUH�LV�QR�KDUG�DQG�IDVW�QXPEHU��DVVXPH�IRU�WKLV�H[HU-FLVH�WKDW�DQ\�PDWFK�WKDW�LV�����RU�DERYH�LV�SUREDEO\�WKH�FRUUHFW�PDWFK�IRU�\RXU�VSHFLPHQ�±�WKDW�LV��DVVXPH�\RXU�VSHFLPHQ�LV�WKH�VDPH�DV�WKH�VSHFLHV�LGHQWL¿HG�LQ�*HQ%DQN��,I�WKH�FORVHVW�PDWFK�WR�\RXU�VHTXHQFH�LV�OHVV�WKDQ�����WR�DQ\�HQWU\�LQ�GenBank, the barcode sequence for your specimen is probably not in GenBank.
50 Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching
Butler, Henter and Mel
� � 7R�LOOXVWUDWH�WKLV��RSHQ�WKH�³*RRGBVHTXHQFHB6SLGHU�$%�´�¿OH��*R�WKURXJK�WKH�GLUHFWLRQV�DERYH��WULPPLQJ�WKH�VHTXHQFH�DQG�VDYLQJ�WKH�)$67$�¿OH��DQG�WKHQ�GRLQJ�D�%/$67��,Q�WKLV�FDVH��WKH�,GHQWLWLHV�YDOXH�IRU�WKH�WRS�PDWFK�LV�������7KHUH-IRUH��WKHUH�LV�QR�PDWFK�DW�WKH�VSHFLHV�OHYHO�IRU�WKLV�&2��VHTXHQFH�LQ�*HQ%DQN��:LWK�D�����PDWFK��WKRXJK��ZH�FRXOG�reasonably guess that it is in the same genus.
Part 2. Using ClustalW to Align Sequences and Look for Polymorphisms
� %DUFRGLQJ�VHTXHQFHV�FDQ�EH�XVHG�WR�LOOXVWUDWH�WKH�FRQFHSW�RI�'1$�SRO\PRUSKLVPV��,W�LV�QHFHVVDU\�WR�VHTXHQFH�WKH�&2��JHQH�in several specimens to do this type of analysis.
D��� *R�WR�WKH�¿OH�FDOOHG�³$SLV�¿OH�IRU�&OXVWDO:´��7KLV�¿OH�FRQWDLQV�WKH�EDUFRGH�VHTXHQFHV�IRU�IRXU�GLIIHUHQW�Apis mellifera VSHFLPHQV��7KH\�ZHUH�JHQHUDWHG�E\�WULPPLQJ�IRXU�FKURPDWRJUDPV�MXVW�DV�\RX�GLG�DERYH���&RS\�DOO�WKH�¿OHV�
b. Now go to http://www.genome.jp/tools/clustalw/. This brings you to the ClustalW alignment tool. ClustalW can be used to align several sequences in order to compare the sequences to each other.
c. Paste the Apis sequences into the entry box. Then make sure to click DNA (protein is the default), and then click on “Execute multiple alignment”.
G��� <RX�VKRXOG�JHW�VRPHWKLQJ�WKDW�ORRNV�OLNH�)LJ�����RQO\�ORQJHU�DQG�ZLWK�IRXU�HQWULHV�LQVWHDG�RI�MXVW�WZR�
Note that wherever the sequences match exactly, an asterisk appears at the bottom of the alignment at that position in the sequence. If there is a space, the sequences differ at that point.
Figure 9. Sample results of multiple sequences aligned using ClustalW.
e. How many places in the Apis barcode sequences are there differences among the sequences? In this example, all the polymorphisms are SNPs, or single nucleotide polymorphisms. SNPs can be either transitions or transversions (Transi-tions are interchanges of two-ring purines (A to G) or of one-ring pyrimidines(C to T): they therefore involve bases of similar shape. Transversions are interchanges of purine for pyrimidine bases, which therefore involve exchange of one-ULQJ�DQG�WZR�ULQJ�VWUXFWXUHV���7KH�PRVW�FRPPRQ�PXWDWLRQV�DUH�UHSRUWHGO\�&�7�WUDQVLWLRQV�±�GR�WKHVH�GDWD�VXSSRUW�WKDW"
f. ClustalW can also be used to align sequences from different species and build evolutionary trees. To try this, open the ³6SLGHU�¿OH�IRU�&OXVWDO:´�DQG�FRS\�DQG�SDVWH�WKH�VHTXHQFHV�LQWR�&OXVWDO:��7KHVH�DUH�VHTXHQFHV�IURP�GLIIHUHQW�VSHFLHV�RI�VSLGHUV��DQG�\RX�FDQ�VHH�WKDW�WKHUH�DUH�PDQ\�VHTXHQFH�GLIIHUHQFHV�DPRQJ�WKHP��2QH�RI�WKH�UHDVRQV�WKH�&2��JHQH�LV�used is because the level of intraspecies sequence diversity is low, and the interspecies diversity is high so it is easier to GH¿QH�VSHFLHV�ERXQGDULHV��7R�XVH�&OXVWDO:�WR�GUDZ�HYROXWLRQDU\�WUHHV��JR�WR�WKH�WRS�RI�WKH�SDJH��DQG�VHOHFW�³5RRWHG�WUHH�with branch length”.
Part 3. Using ClustalW to Find Synonymous versus Non-synonymous SNPS
� 6LQFH�WKH�VHTXHQFH�\RX�DPSOL¿HG�IURP�WKH�&2��JHQH�FRGHV�IRU�D�SURWHLQ��\RX�FDQ�GHWHUPLQH�LI�DQ\�RI�WKH�613V�WKDW�\RX�RE-served in doing the DNA alignment in Part 2 changes the protein by doing an alignment of the translated amino acid sequences. Within DNA sequences that code for proteins, a synonymous SNP is one that does not lead to a change in the amino acid and a non-synonymous SNP is one that does lead to a change in the amino acid.
Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, Volume 35, 2014 51
Major Workshop: Barcoding using the CO1 gene
D��� 2SHQ�WKH�VDPH�´&OXVWDO:�$SLV´�¿OH�\RX�XVHG�IRU�WKH�QXFOHRWLGH�DOLJQPHQW�LQ�3DUW����
E��� )LUVW��\RX�QHHG�WR�WUDQVODWH�HDFK�RI�WKH�'1$�VHTXHQFHV�LQWR�DPLQR�DFLG�VHTXHQFH��'R�WKLV�E\�JRLQJ�WR�http://insilico.ehu.es/translate/. Copy and paste one of the sequences into the box making sure that you use only the DNA sequence DQG�QRW�WKH�KHDGHU��6HOHFW�LQYHUWHEUDWH�PLWRFKRQGULDO�'1$��DQG�FOLFN�RQ�³7UDQVODWH�WR�SURWHLQ´��2Q�WKH�QHZ�SDJH��FOLFN�RQ�WKH�ORQJHVW�EOXH�DUURZ��ZKLFK�UHSUHVHQWV�WKH�ORQJHVW�RSHQ�UHDGLQJ�IUDPH��)LJ���������
Note that the translated amino acid sequence should be 219 amino acids long.
F��� &RS\�WKH�DPLQR�DFLG�VHTXHQFH�LQWR�D�QHZ�ZRUG�¿OH��DGGLQJ�EDFN�WKH�³!´DQG�D�¿OH�QDPH�LQ�WKH�OLQH�LPPHGLDWHO\�DERYH�WKH�DPLQR�DFLG�VHTXHQFH�VR�WKDW�\RXU�VHTXHQFH�LV�RQFH�DJDLQ�LQ�WKH�)$67$�IRUPDW�
G��� 5HSHDW�IRU�WKH�WKUHH�RWKHU�VHTXHQFHV��DQG�SDVWH�LQWR�WKH�VDPH�¿OH�OHDYLQJ�QR�VSDFHV�LQ�EHWZHHQ�WKH�VHTXHQFHV���6R�LW�VKRXOG�ORRN�OLNH�WKH�$SLV�¿OH�\RX�¿UVW�RSHQHG�EXW�ZLWK�DPLQR�DFLG�VHTXHQFH�LQVWHDG�RI�'1$��
e. Now go back and do a ClustalW alignment of the amino sequences. Are any of the SNPs non-synonymous?
Part 4. The BOLD Database
� $V�PHQWLRQHG�DERYH��WKH�%2/'�GDWDEDVH�LV�D�GDWDEDVH�VSHFL¿FDOO\�IRU�EDUFRGH�VHTXHQFHV��DQG�DQ\RQH�FDQ�DFFHVV�SXEOLVKHG�EDUFRGH�GDWD��<RX�FDQ�XVH�%2/'�WR�FRPSDUH�\RXU�VHTXHQFH�DJDLQVW�WKH�%2/'�GDWDEDVH��
D��� 7R�VLPSO\�FRPSDUH�\RXU�VHTXHQFHV�WR�WKRVH�LQ�WKH�%2/'�GDWDEDVH��JR�WR�WKH�%2/'�6WXGHQW�3RUWDO�http://www.bold-V\VWHPV�RUJ�LQGH[�SKS�6'3B+RPH��7KHQ�VHOHFW�WKH�³,GHQWL¿FDWLRQ´�WDE�RQ�WKH�XSSHU�WRROEDU�
E��� &RS\�DQG�SDVWH�WKH�³*RRGBVHTXHQFHB6SLGHU´�)$67$�VHTXHQFH�\RX�VDYHG�LQ�VWHS�J�LQ�3DUW����DQG�HQWHU�LW�LQWR�WKH�VHDUFK�box. Make sure you click “All barcode records” for your search and hit submit.
F��� <RX�DUH�QRZ�ORRNLQJ�DW�WKH�OLVW�RI�WKH�PDWFKHV�LQ�%2/'�WR�\RXU�VHTXHQFH��5HPHPEHU�WKH�%/$67�UHVXOWV�IRU�WKLV�VH-TXHQFH"�7KH�WRS�PDWFK�ZDV�����VLPLODU���,Q�%2/'��QRWH�WKHUH�DUH�VHTXHQFHV�WKDW�DUH�����VLPLODU�±�EXW�WKH�VXEPLWWHUV�knew only the order of the spider, Araneae, and in one case, the genus, Cheiracanthium��7KLV�LV�EHFDXVH�%2/'�DOORZV�investigators to submit sequences for organisms even if the genus and species is unknown. Note that the next closest PDWFK�LV�IRU����±WKLV�LV�SUREDEO\�D�GLIIHUHQW�VSHFLHV�
G��� &OLFN�RQ�WKH�OLWWOH�EOXH�DUURZ�PDUN�QH[W�WR�WKH�3XEOLVKHG�QRWH��DQG�LW�ZLOO�EULQJ�\RX�WR�WKH�UHFRUG�SDJH�LQ�%2/'�IRU�WKH�top match. It shows a picture of the spider from which the barcode was obtained. Note that the page contains a lot of LQIRUPDWLRQ�DERXW�WKH�VSLGHU±�ZKHUH�DQG�ZKHQ�LW�ZDV�FROOHFWHG��E\�ZKRP��DQG�D�SLFWXUH�RI�WKH�DFWXDO�VSHFLPHQ��
Figure 10. Sequence of longest open reading frame from barcode sequence. Arrow indicates longest open reading frame.
52 Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching
Butler, Henter and Mel
1RWHV�IRU�WKH�,QVWUXFWRU As mentioned in the introduction, barcoding projects may be discovery based (i.e., “what types of insects live on the campus?”) or hypothesis driven (“Do different species of thrips prefer different species of plants?”). Although this module was written with insects as the target specimens, the methods can be easily adapted for other invertebrates and es-sentially the same protocols will work for almost any animal tissue. They will not, however, work for plants which require GLIIHUHQW�SULPHU�VHWV�DQG�LQYROYH�PRUH�GLI¿FXOW�'1$�H[WUDF-tion protocols. This set of experiments from specimen collection to se-quence analysis can be performed in three to four lab periods of two to three hours each. � �1RWH�WKDW�LQ�RUGHU�WR�VXEPLW�VHTXHQFH�GDWD�WR�WKH�%2/'�GDWDEDVH�� WKHUH�DUH�VSHFL¿F�UHTXLUHPHQWV�IRU�VSHFLPHQ�FRO-lection and storage vouchering. This is not necessary if se-quence data is being used only for in-class exercises.)
���&ROOHFWLQJ�6SHFLPHQV�IRU�%DUFRGLQJ
Insects and other arthropods are virtually everywhere and can be collected a number of ways. Insects are easiest to ¿QG�LQ�WKH�ZDUPHU�PRQWKV�VR�WKLV�DFWLYLW\�LV�EHVW�HDUO\�LQ�IDOO�semester or late in spring semester. You can collect without any special equipment beyond glass jars or Tupperware, but a few inexpensive items will help. See Bland et al. (2010) for more information on collecting, identifying, and preserving insects.
Equipment to capture insects
� 1HWV�±�8VH�LQVHFW�QHWV�WR�FDWFK�À\LQJ�LQVHFWV��1R�VSHFLDO�WHFKQLTXH�LV�UHTXLUHG�±�MXVW�GR�ZKDWHYHU�ZRUNV���)ROG�WKH�QHW�over the rim to prevent escape. Use nets to “sweep” soft veg-etation, like long grass. An amazing number of small insects will be caught. Transferring insects from the net to the kill jar is the trickiest part. Again, do whatever works but be aware WKDW�PRVW�LQVHFWV�ZLOO�À\�XSZDUGV�LI�DOORZHG�±�VR�KROG�WKH�QHW�upside down to work your kill jar inside.
� .LOO�MDUV�±�,QVHFWV�DUH�PRVW�HDVLO\�NLOOHG�E\�VLPSO\�SXWWLQJ�them in a freezer for 24 hours. But if you want to collect a lot LQ�WKH�¿HOG��D�NLOO�MDU�LV�XVHIXO��8VH�DQ\�ZLGH�PRXWKHG�JODVV�MDU��������RXQFHV��ZLWK�D�WLJKW�¿WWLQJ�OLG��3RXU�D�WKLFN�PL[-ture of plaster of Paris into the bottom, enough for about one to two inches. When the plaster of Paris is completely dry, add ethyl acetate which acts as a fumigant to kill the insects. Use enough to saturate the plaster of Paris but not so much that there is standing liquid. As the ethyl acetate evaporates you will need to re-charge your jar (after several hours of collecting).
� $VSLUDWRUV�±�7KHVH�DUH�SODVWLF�YLDOV�ZLWK�D�FRUN�DQG�WZR�WXEHV��2QH�WXEH�KDV�D�VFUHHQ�RQ�WKH�HQG��WKH�RWKHU�GRHV�QRW��You suck through the tube with the screen (to create suc-tion without inhaling the specimen) and use the other tube to
Materials)RU����VWXGHQWV��WZHOYH�JURXSV�RI�WZR��
Insect Collection
�� Twelve kill jars�� Twelve aspirator setups (http://www.
bioquip.com/ #1135A)�� Twelve nets (http://www.bioquip.com/ #7612NA)�� Tubes with 70% ethanol�� Labels (http://www.bioquip.com #1213)�� Insect pins and boxes (http://www.bio-
quip.com/ 1208B2 and 1009)
'1$�([WUDFWLRQ
�� Twelve disposable blue microfuge tubes with pestles (KWWS���ZZZ�¿VKHUVFL�FRP� #K749520) or plain Ep-pendorf tubes without pestles if overnight incubation
�� Twelve small scissors and tweezer�� Six dissecting scopes (or magnify-
ing glasses if scopes not available)�� DNA extraction kit for twelve samples (http://
www.qiagen.com/ #69504 or similar)�� Vortexers�� Minicentrifuges�� Twelve sets of micropipettes�� Water bath at 56oC
PCR
�� ����ȝO�*R7DT�*UHHQ� (http://www.promega.com#M712B)
�� Thermal cycler�� PCR tubes�� Primers from IDT (http://www.idtdna.com/site)
Agarose Gel
�� Three agarose gel rigs �� Agarose and Sybr Safe�� '1$�ODGGHU�±�ODPEGD�+LQGOOO�LV�JRRG�� TAE buffer�� UV light box �� Camera
PCR Clean-up
�� *HQH-(7�3&5�3XUL¿FDWLRQ�.LW��http://www.WKHUPRVFLHQWL¿FELR�FRP��.�����or similar)
Sequence Analysis
�� &RPSXWHUV�ZLWK�)LQFK�79��� Internet connection
Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, Volume 35, 2014 53
Major Workshop: Barcoding using the CO1 gene
OHDVW� H[SHQVLYH� RSWLRQ�� )RU� D� UHYLHZ� RI�PHWKRGV�� VHH�%DOO�and Armstrong (2008) and Protocols for High Volume DNA Barcode Analysis (http://barcoding.si.edu/PDF/Proto-FROVBIRUB+LJKB9ROXPHB'1$B%DUFRGHB$QDO\VLV�SGI). If using the Qiagen DNeasy kit, overnight incubation is good if you want to skip the grinding step or if your lab pe-riod is not long enough to do the two hour incubation and VXEVHTXHQW�H[WUDFWLRQ��:H�¿QG� WKDW�ERWK�HWKDQRO�SUHVHUYHG�and dry tissue work equally well. With large insects, we take just one leg; with small insects, we may use two or three legs, or even the whole insect. Although we will grind up the legs before digesting the tissues today, this is not really nec-HVVDU\�±�\RX�FDQ�VNLS�WKH�JULQGLQJ�VWHS�DQG�MXVW�LQFXEDWH�WKH�WLVVXH�RYHUQLJKW�LQ�WKH�$7/�EXIIHU�DQG�SURWHLQDVH�.�VROXWLRQ��If you have a small organism and want to save it for voucher-ing purposes, you can just soak the whole insect overnight, spin down the carcass and save it, and use the supernatant for the rest of the procedure. Luckily PCR does not require much DNA and we usually get some product. We have tried digesting overnight at 56oC and then saving the digest at 4oC XQWLO�WKH�QH[W�FODVV�±�WKLV�ZRUNV�¿QH�EXW�WKH�VDPSOHV�VKRXOG�be warmed to room temperature before proceeding with the extraction.
3. Setting up PCR reaction
The Barcode of Life website has lists of primer sets that have been used successfully with various types of organisms. :H�XVH�WKH�)ROPHU�SULPHUV�IRU�LQYHUWHEUDWHV�DQG�WKH\�ZRUN�TXLWH�ZHOO�ZLWK�PRVW�LQVHFWV��)ROPHU�HW�DO����������+RZHYHU��WKHUH�DUH�PRUH�VSHFL¿F�SULPHUV�IRU�FHUWDLQ�LQVHFWV�WKDW�FDQ�EH�XVHG�LI�WKH�UHVXOWV�ZLWK�WKH�)ROPHU�SULPHUV�DUH�XQVDWLVIDFWRU\��� We order the primers from IDT (http://www.idtdna.com/site) and then store the stocks at 100 +M in Tris-EDTA EXIIHU��)RU�WKH�3&5�UHDFWLRQ��ZH�XVH��;�*R7DT�*UHHQ�PL[�from Promega. It is relatively inexpensive and already has a gel loading dye in the master mix. � 7KH� VHTXHQFHV� RI� WKH� )ROPHU� SULPHUV� /&2����� DQG�+&2������ZKLFK�DPSOLI\�D���������ES�IUDJPHQW�RI�WKH�&2,�gene in a wide range of invertebrate taxa, are in Table 1.
���5XQ�*HO�WR�9HULI\�WKDW�3&5�:RUNHG�DQG�WR�&OHDQ�XS�PCR product
You can use whichever procedure you routinely use for agarose gels. The gel is simply a diagnostic tool to see if the PCR reaction worked or not. There should be one clear band at about 660-680 base-pairs and no other bands. We do use a fairly high concentration of primer in these reactions, so often there is a primer band at the very bottom of the gel, but WKLV�FDQ�EH�HDVLO\�LGHQWL¿HG�E\�UXQQLQJ�D�QR�WHPSODWH�FRQWURO�sample. Before sending the PCR samples out to be sequenced, they have to be cleaned up. Many sequencing companies will tell you that you do not have to clean up the PCR samples, EXW�ZH�¿QG�WKDW� WKH�VHTXHQFHV�DUH�GLUW\�LI�ZH�GR�QRW�FOHDQ�them up. We use a Thermo Gene Jet, Qiagen or Lambda
capture the insect. This works extremely well with smaller specimens.
� $TXDULXP�QHWV�±�7KH�W\SH�RI�VPDOO�QHWV�\RX�EX\�IRU�\RXU�KRPH�¿VK�WDQN�ZRUN�ZHOO�WR�FDWFK�DTXDWLF�LQVHFWV�LQ�WKH�VKDO-lows at the edge of a pond.
� )LQH� SDLQW� EUXVKHV� ±�$UH� XVHIXO� IRU�PRYLQJ� YHU\� VPDOO�insects around. Wet the tip with alcohol and the insects will stick.
� )RUFHSV�DQG�EODQN�ODEHOV�±�)RUFHSV�DUH�KDQG\�IRU�PDQLSX-lating the dead specimens, labels are needed to identify the date, location, and collector for each individual specimen.
� %HUOHVH� IXQQHOV� ±�$UH� XVHG� WR� H[WUDFW� LQVHFWV� DQG� RWKHU�arthropods from soil or leaf litter. Insects that live in these environments avoid heat and light. The Berlese funnel is made of a piece of screen or hardware cloth on which you place your soil sample, a light bulb that hangs overhead, a funnel below, and a jar or preservative, such as 70% ethanol at the bottom. As the insects move away from the light, they fall through the funnel and into the beaker. You will catch many Collembola this way, as well as other arthropods not commonly seen. Soil rich in organic matter works best.
Identifying Insects
Identifying insects to species is really tough. Identifying WR�RUGHU�LV�SUHWW\�HDV\��DQG�LV�HQRXJK�LQIRUPDWLRQ�IRU�%2/'��7KHUH�PD\�EH�SXEOLVKHG�¿HOG�JXLGHV�WR�\RXU�DUHD�EXW�WKHUH�are also numerous websites that are very useful. Some sug-gestions include: http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/ (go to Resource Library, then Spot ID); http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740; http://tolweb.org/Insecta; http://biokeys.berkeley.edu (key to orders, including wingless specimens).
Preserving Insects
Any glass or plastic vials or microcentrifuge tubes are XVHIXO�WR�VWRUH�LQGLYLGXDO�VSHFLPHQV��:H�¿QG�D�FRPELQDWLRQ�of two dram glass vials (any style) and 2.0 ml microcentri-IXJH�WXEHV��ZLWK�VFUHZ�FDSV��¿W�DOO�WKH�DUWKURSRG�VSHFLPHQV�we collect. Avoid tubes smaller than 2.0 ml because it is im-SRVVLEOH�WR�¿W�ODEHOV�LQVLGH�WKH�WXEH��
2. DNA Isolation
There are several different kits that can be used to do the DNA isolation. The easiest is the prepGem Insect kit from ZyGEM (KWWS���ZZZ�]\JHP�FRP�3URGXFWV�3URGXFWV�3*�Insect.html), which only takes about 20 minutes. However, the DNA obtained is not very clean and does not seem to store well. If you want to keep the DNA, a better option is the Qiagen DNeasy Blood and Tissue kit (see Materials sec-tion), and the directions for that kit are in the student pro-tocols. You can also make your own reagents, which is the
54 Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching
Butler, Henter and Mel
and they will be sent a login code. If the data your students collect is complete and of high quality and you voucher the VSHFLPHQ��\RX�FDQ�DOVR�VXEPLW�\RXU�ZRUN�LQWR�WKH�%2/'�GD-WDEDVH��7KLV�LV�DOO�H[SODLQHG�RQ�WKH�%2/'�VLWH��XQGHU�4XLFN�Start Guide, Instructor Interface and User Guidelines.
Acknowledgements� 0XFK� RI� WKLV� ZRUN� ZDV� IXQGHG� E\� 16)� 78(6� JUDQW�1140640.
Literature Cited%DOO��6��/���DQG�.��)��$UPVWRQJ���������5DSLG��RQH�VWHS�'1$�
H[WUDFWLRQ�IRU�LQVHFW�SHVW�LGHQWL¿FDWLRQ�E\�XVLQJ�'1$�barcodes. Journal of Economic Entomology, 101:523-532.
Bland, R.G., and H.E. Jaques. 2010. How to know the In-sects. Third edition. Waveland Press Inc., Long Grove, Illinois, 418 pages
)ROPHU��2���0��%ODFN��:��+RHK��5��/XW]��DQG�5��9ULMHQKRHN��������'1$�SULPHUV�IRU�DPSOL¿FDWLRQ�RI�PLWRFKRQGULDO�cytochrome c oxidase subunit I from diverse metazoan invertebrates. Molecular Marine Biology and Biotech-nology, 3: 294-297.
+DPLOWRQ��-���<��%DVVHW��.�.��%HQNH��3��6��*ULPEDFKHU��6�(��Miller, V. Novotny, G. A. Weiblen, and J.D. L. Yen. 2010. Quantifying uncertainty in estimation of tropical arthropod species richness. The American Naturalist, 176: 90-95.
Hebert, P. D. N., A. Cywinska, S.L. Ball, and J. R. deWaard. ������ %LRORJLFDO� LGHQWL¿FDWLRQV� WKURXJK� '1$� EDU-codes. Proceedings of the Royal Society, 270: 313-321.
May, R.M. 2010. Tropical arthropod species, more or less? Science, 329: 41-42.
Santschi, L., R. H. Hanner, S. Ratnasingham, M. Ricon-scente, and R. Imondi. 2013. Barcoding Life’s Matrix: Translating Biodiversity Genomics into High School Settings to Enhance Life Science Education. PLOS Bi-ology, 11:1-8.
Stoeckle M. Y.,and P. D. N. Hebert. 2008. Bar Code of Life: DNA Tags Help Classify Animals. 6FLHQWL¿F� $PHUL-can, 299:66-71.
3&5�FOHDQ�XS�NLW�WR�GR�WKLV�VWHS��EXW�ZH�DOZD\V�UXQ�D�JHO�¿UVW�to make sure that we have product and that it is clean, i.e., that we only have one band at 660-680 base pairs. Because we do the annealing step at such a low temperature, we do sometimes see bands in the PCR reaction besides our desired product. Thus it is sometimes necessary to gel-purify our PCR products and then send them out for sequencing. Any gel pu-UL¿FDWLRQ�NLW�ZRUNV�IRU�WKLV�±�ZH�KDYH�XVHG�WKH�4LDJHQ��,QYLW-rogen, and Thermo kits successfully.
���6HQGLQJ�'1$�6DPSOHV�IRU�6HTXHQFLQJ
Since we want as long a read as possible for analysis, Sanger sequencing is still the best method to use for barcod-ing work. We send our samples out to a company to do the sequencing. We use Eton (http://www.etonbio.com) because ZH�KDYH�QHJRWLDWHG�DQ�HGXFDWLRQDO�GLVFRXQW�ZLWK�WKHP�±�WKH\�charge us $5 a sample and they actually pick up samples from our campus. Genewiz (KWWS���ZZZ�JHQHZL]�FRP�) is the company used by the Urban Barcode Project and we under-stand that they have low rates for academic purposes as well. When you send out the samples, you must also include VRPH�RI�\RXU�SULPHU�DW��ȝ0�±�WKH\�QHHG�WKLV�WR�VWDUW�WKH�VH-quencing reaction. If you want to also sequence in the reverse direction, you must also send the reverse primer� 2QFH�WKH�VHTXHQFHV�FRPH�EDFN�IURP�(WRQ��ZH�JR�WKURXJK�WKHP�WR�VHH�ZKLFK�KDYH�ZRUNHG�DQG�ZKLFK�KDYH�QRW��)RU�WKRVH�that work, we then ask Eton to sequence the DNA using the UHYHUVH�SULPHU�±�WKLV�LV�UHTXLUHG�RI�%2/'�LQ�RUGHU�WR�VXEPLW�samples, but it is not necessary if you are just doing the bar-coding for class projects.
���%LRLQIRUPDWLFV
All the programs used for the bioinformatics analysis in this paper are free and PC and Mac compatible. There are a variety of other programs that can be used to do analyses of \RXU�VHTXHQFHV��)RU�H[DPSOH��\RX�FDQ�KDYH�VWXGHQWV�FDOFX-late how much sequence diversity there is among members of the same species using a program such as Mega (http://www.PHJDVRIWZDUH�QHW����7KH�%2/'�VWXGHQW�SRUWDO�DOVR�KDV�D�YD-riety of tools but you must submit both forward and reverse VHTXHQFHV�WR�%2/'�WR�EH�DEOH�WR�XVH�WKHVH�WRROV�� 1RWH�WKDW�WKH�DPSOL¿HG�&2��VHTXHQFH�LV�D�FRGLQJ�UHJLRQ�of the DNA, and thus should be a continuous open reading frame. When translating the sequence as shown in Part 4 of the bioinformatics section, the longest open reading frame was +2. Your data may differ, however, since it is dependent on how the chromatogram is trimmed.
7. Submitting Sequences to BOLD� ,Q�RUGHU�WR�XVH�%2/'�DV�D�SODFH�WR�VWRUH�DQG�DQDO\]H�VWX-dent work, you must register for an account, and then reg-ister your course (KWWS���ZZZ�EROGV\VWHPV�RUJ�LQGH[�SKS�6'3B+RPH). This information will not be available to the SXEOLF��XQOHVV�\RX�DVN�%2/'�WR�LPSRUW�LW�LQWR�WKHLU�SXEOLF�GD-tabase. You can then upload your students’ names and emails,
Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, Volume 35, 2014 55
Major Workshop: Barcoding using the CO1 gene
for education, conservation and research. Her primary goal is to use the campus reserves as an outdoor laboratory to increase the number of undergraduate students that are able to participate in original research. Stephanie Mel received her Ph.D. from the University of &DOLIRUQLD��6DQ�)UDQFLVFR�ZKHUH�KHU�ZRUN�IRFXVHG�RQ�SURWHLQ�biochemistry and biophysics. As a post-doctoral research fel-low at Harvard Medical School she studied cholera. Stepha-nie moved to a teaching position in the Division of Biologi-cal Sciences at UC San Diego, where she has worked as a Lecturer for the last 16 years. She has taught a wide variety RI�ERWK�ODE�DQG�OHFWXUH�FRXUVHV�LQ�¿HOGV�LQFOXGLQJ�6WUXFWXUDO�Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Physiology, and Genom-LFV��2QH�RI�6WHSKDQLH¶V�PDLQ�LQWHUHVWV�KDV�EHHQ�WR�LQWURGXFH�research into the undergraduate curriculum at UCSD.
About the Authors Madeline Butler received a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentist-ry, and she has since worked in both industry and academia. Since 2002, Mandy has been the Academic Coordinator for the Undergraduate Laboratories in the Division of Biologi-cal Sciences at UCSD. Mandy teaches undergraduate labora-tory courses and oversees the operation of the undergraduate teaching laboratories. Mandy is also involved in the San Di-ego Biodiversity Project which seeks to involve undergradu-ates in novel research experiences related to biodiversity. Heather Henter received her Ph.D. from the Entomology Department at Cornell University. In addition to teaching she has been involved in both applied and basic ecological re-search and science writing for a non-science audience. She is currently the Academic Coordinator for the UC San Diego Natural Reserve System, a network of land preserves set aside
Mission, Review Process & Disclaimer The Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE) was founded in 1979 to promote information exchange among university and college educators actively concerned with teaching biology in a laboratory setting. The focus of ABLE is to improve the undergraduate biology laboratory experience by promoting the development and dissemination of interesting, in-QRYDWLYH��DQG�UHOLDEOH�ODERUDWRU\�H[HUFLVHV��)RU�PRUH�LQIRUPDWLRQ�DERXW�$%/(��SOHDVH�YLVLW�http://www.ableweb.org/. Papers published in Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching: Peer-Reviewed Proceedings of the Conference of the Associa-tion for Biology Laboratory Education are evaluated and selected by a committee prior to presentation at the conference, peer-reviewed by participants at the conference, and edited by members of the ABLE Editorial Board.
Citing This Article %XWOHU��0���+��+HQWHU�DQG�6��0HO��������)URP�%XJV�WR�%DUFRGHV��8VLQJ�0ROHFXODU�7RROV�WR�6WXG\�%LRGLYHUVLW\��3DJHV�������in Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching, 9ROXPH���� �.��0F0DKRQ��(GLWRU���3URFHHGLQJV�RI� WKH���WK�&RQIHUHQFH�RI� WKH�Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE), 477 pages. http://www.ableweb.org/volumes/vol-35/v35reprint.php?ch=3 Compilation © 2014 by the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, ISBN 1-890444-17-0. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. ABLE strongly encourages individuals to use the exercises in this proceedings volume in their teaching program. If this H[HUFLVH�LV�XVHG�VROHO\�DW�RQH¶V�RZQ�LQVWLWXWLRQ�ZLWK�QR�LQWHQW�IRU�SUR¿W��LW�LV�H[FOXGHG�IURP�WKH�SUHFHGLQJ�FRS\ULJKW�UHVWULFWLRQ��unless otherwise noted on the copyright notice of the individual chapter in this volume. Proper credit to this publication must be included in your laboratory outline for each use; a sample citation is given above.Endpage
!
�*)/��/��$*�'*�&./0�$*�"(�$'��*(�!*-�,0 ./$*).�!
�++'4�)*2�!*-��$)/ -����
�# � �$*�'*�&� �/0�$*�� � 1 '*+ �� �.� +�-/� *!� /# � �*2�-�� �0"# .� � �$��'��)./$/0/ � ������� �-*! ..*-� +-*"-�(�� $.� �)� $))*1�/$1 � �)�� �*''��*-�/$1 �2-$/$)"��)$(�/$*)�� .$")�./0�$*�!*-�.�$ )/$!$���*((0)$��/$*)�!*�0. ��*)�/# ��$-���$�)� �'*�&� 5� /# � ��$'4� $)/ -)�'� �'*�&� /#�/� /$( .� �$*'*"$��'� +-*� .. .���-*..�.+ �$ .��!-*(�.' +�2�& ��4�' .�/*�-#4/#($��" ) � 3+- ..$*)���
� � . &� (*/$1�/ �� ./0� )/.� 2$/#� �$1 -. � $)/ - ./.� �.�$ )� �� �*(+0/ -�.�$ )� �� 2-$/$)"�� �*((0)$��/$*)�� �-/�� ( �$��� /���� /*� �*''��*-�/ � $)� /# �� 1 '*+( )/�*!��- �/$1 � �0��/$*)�'�(�/ -$�'.�!*-�./0� )/.��)��/# �+0�'$����
�# ��$*�'*�&��/0�$*�$.������- �$/��*0-. �� � /.�/2$� �2 &'4���*)�� ���/��� ���+(�� �*/ )/$�''4�!0'!$''.����������������������#*)*-.�+-*% �/���
*-�$)� + )� )/�./0�4�- ,0$- ( )/.��0+*)��++-*1�'�� �*0-. ��0((�-4��)���++'$��/$*)��
����0�.�� �0���/$1$/$ .��)�� 1 )/.��*0-. .�#/('� �++'$��/$*).�*+ )�)*2�!*-��$)/ -�����
BISP 170 “Bioscholars Seminar: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond” Instructors Dr. Kathleen French [email protected] Pacific Hall 3123B Dr. Krista Todd [email protected] Pacific Hall 3119 Lecture Mon 2:00-4:30 PM Pacific Hall 3500 Course Description This student-organized seminar course will examine different aspects of a recent topic in biology--spanning such subjects as the rise of personalized medicine, mapping of the human brain, or research into biofuels and alternative energy sources--to promote a thorough understanding of its scientific basis, medical applications, and implications across other disciplines and in a broader social context. Each series will begin with an examination of the scientific foundation of the chosen theme (“bench”), proceed to address the relevant applications of the subject in the medical field (“bedside”) and current key societal challenges of global dimensions (“beyond”), all of which will be framed within a consideration of diverse perspectives provided by sociology, economics, political science, or ethics. This year’s seminar course will examine topics related to Matters of Mind, Brain, and Society; more specifically, the acutely-current subject of the BRAIN Initiative will be approached from the multiple perspectives of the current research challenges of the neuroscience field, existing and future clinical applications resulting from this investigation, and the critical sociopolitical, philosophical, legal, and ethical ramifications of this scientific endeavor. 2 units, P/NP or letter grade Upper-division course Schedule
Week Date Speaker Topic
1 March 31 Terry Sejnowski Neurobiology
2 April 7 Nick Spitzer Neurobiology
3 April 14 Todd Hylton Technology: Machine-Brain interface
4 April 21 Mark H. Tuszynski Neurodegenerative Diseases and Stem Cells
5 April 28 Patricia Churchland Philosophy/Ethics
6 May 5 Andrea Chiba Cognitive Science
7 May 13 Alexander Khalil & Victor Minces Electrophysiology on the Music and Brain Dynamics
8 May 20 --- Wrap-up (*class starts later at 3pm)
Prerequisites BILD 1-2 with concurrent enrollment in BILD 3. Course Requirements/Grading Students will receive a P/NP or letter grade in the course based on the following schema:
1. Attendance (25%) The class will meet weekly for 2.5 hours over the course of 8 weeks. More than one absence will result in a no-pass grade.
2. Readings and discussion questions (25%) Relevant readings will be assigned for each class session, as selected by the invited speaker, to be completed prior to class. Students will additionally be required to prepare and submit two questions based on the readings via the TED website prior to each class session.
3. Final paper (50%) Students will prepare a final written assignment that elaborates on a topic grounded in the presentations made as part of the course. At least one source must be from a peer-reviewed scientific literature (non-website) outside of the class readings. The paper must be 3 pages, 1-inch margins, 12-pt Times New Roman font, and double-spaced, and must be turned in by Friday of Week 9 (May 30) to Dr. Kathy French’s office (Pacific Hall 3123B).
Class Website http://ted.ucsd.edu Learning Goals
● introduce the discourse of important topics in science and their broader social/interdisciplinary implications
● foster oral and written communication skills for intellectual discourse ● promote development as scientifically trained individuals with acute sensitivity to the
social, political, cultural, and ethical context of scientific research ● educate students about the contributions of UCSD and local institutions to research that
addresses the pressing societal and global challenges of today
ACADEMIC SENATE: SAN DIEGO DIVISION, 0002 UCSD, LA JOLLA, CA 92093-0002
October 30, 2007
PROFESSOR STEVE KAY, Dean Division of Biological Sciences PROFESSOR GABRIELLE WEINHAUSEN Associate Dean for Education Division of Biological Sciences SUBJECT: Notice of Retraction of Approval of Post-Screening Biology Majors At its October 12, 2007 meeting, the Committee on Educational Policy (CEP) discussed its November 9, 2001 approving the elimination of pre-majors and establishment of a modified enrollment management process of students, including setting a GPA standard higher than 2.0 in all six biology majors. CEP’s previous approval is in direct conflict with an existing San Diego Regulation. The specific Regulation is SDR 515—Progress Toward Degrees and Probation, paragraphs (A)(3) and (4): (3) “With the approval of the Committee on Educational Policy and when student demand exceeds any
reasonable capacity to accommodate, departments and programs may require undergraduate students to achieve a GPA higher than 2.0 in a specific set of prerequisite courses and may limit admission to the major to students who have met that standard. No department or program may require a GPA higher than 2.0 for continuation in or graduation from any undergraduate major.” [emphasis added]
(4) “With the approval of the Committee on Educational Policy, departments and programs may set a minimum standard for the satisfaction of the requirements within the department’s or program’s undergraduate curriculum. Except as may be provided for in Paragraph 3 of this Regulation, the minimum standard may not be set higher than C-.” [emphasis added]
It is clear that Regulation 515 specifically allows for the establishment of what is commonly known as a pre-major: a specific set of prerequisite courses in which students could be required to achieve a GPA higher than 2.0 before being admitted into a specific major but not once a student has been admitted to a major. It is also clear, however, that setting a GPA standard higher than 2.0 once a student has been admitted into a major as a condition of continuing in the major is not allowed. Given the above, CEP must retract its previous approval of all screening processes that set a GPA standard higher than 2.0 as a condition of students continuing in any Biology major. We apologize for this sudden change. We understand the enrollment management difficulties the Division of Biological Sciences is facing, but it turns out that there are subtle issues involved that require careful treatment of SDR 515. CEP is establishing a working group to study these issues and to address enrollment management in general. We hope to have more to say about this soon, and welcome your ideas. Kim Griest, Chair Committee on Educational Policy cc: D. Donohgue J. Posakony B. Sawrey ChronFile
ACADEMIC SENATE: SAN DIEGO DIVISION, 0002 UCSD, LA JOLLA, CA 92093-0002
April 10, 2008
ASSOCIATE DEAN GABRIELE WIENHAUSEN Division of Biological Sciences SUBJECT: CEP Approval of the Request to Declare All Biology Majors Impacted, Submit Target
Enrollment Numbers and Establish Admission Criteria for Freshmen, Transfer and Continuing Student
As you know, at its March 14, 2008 meeting, the Committee on Educational Policy (CEP) considered the Division’s response to a number of CEP concerns (CEP January 4, 2008 memo). Remaining issues regarding the Admissions Policy for Continuing Students were identified and noted in our April 2, 2008 memo, to which the Division immediately responded. The Committee was pleased to approve (via electronic vote) to approve the Division of Biological Sciences majors impacted and admission to any of the nine majors effective Fall 2009 according to the below procedures and criteria:
1. Enrollment Target Numbers for Fall 2009: • New Freshman Students (NFS) – 3rd week enrollment: 700 (assuming an additional
influx of continuing freshmen students of 50) • New Transfer Students (NTS) – 3rd week enrollment: 200 • Continuing Students: 150
[Enrollment target numbers must be submitted to the CEP, the AVCUE and the Admissions Office by the first week in January of each year.]
2. Admissions Policy for Freshman Students The Admissions Office will admit the appropriate number of incoming freshmen into the requested impacted major using the comprehensive review score as a ranking. Students will be admitted into an impacted major starting with the highest comprehensive review score until the target number is reached.
3. Admissions Policy for Transfer Students The Admissions Office will admit the appropriate number of transfer students using the community college GPA for the ranking. Transfer students who meet the UCSD transfer admissions criteria and have completed the required courses will be admitted into an impacted major starting with the highest GPA until the target number is reached.
4. Admissions Policy for Continuing Students • Continuing students must submit an application and meet the following minimum
requirements: (a) Completed at least one year/three quarters in residence at UCSD (b) Completed all lower division requirements for the requested major (c) Students will be ranked based on overall GPA and admitted according to rank (d) Students who have completed more than six full quarter at UCSD, i.e., students who
apply later than the final day of their sixth academic quarter at UCSD will not be considered.
ACADEMIC SENATE: SAN DIEGO DIVISION, 0002 UCSD, LA JOLLA, CA 92093-0002
(To ensure that the target number for continuing students is met, the Division will set two deadlines annually for continuing students, one of which will be the first week in January.)
As you are aware, per the new Enrollment Management Policy, the below also apply:
• Impacted Status is granted for a four year term and application for renewal of Impacted Status must be submitted to CEP before the end of the third year, that is three years after the status begins.
• If the Division decides that there is no need to limit enrollments in a particular major, simply refrain from supplying target numbers to the UCSD Admissions office by the deadline and the major becomes in effect open and no longer impacted.
• Students who transfer out of an impacted major may transfer back into it once without meeting the full requirements for continuing student admission, provided they are in good academic standing.
Kim Griest, Chair Committee on Educational Policy Cc: College Deans of Advising College Provosts
M. Brown F. Atchison D. Donoghue
C. Muessig J. Posakony B. Sawrey ChronFile
ACADEMIC SENATE: SAN DIEGO DIVISION, 0002 UCSD, LA JOLLA, CA 92093-0002
May 27, 2008
CORRECTED EFFECTIVE DATES FOR ADMISSIONS POLICIES FOR FRESHMAN & TRANSFER STUDENTS TO 2009
ASSOCIATE DEAN GABRIELE WIENHAUSEN Division of Biological Sciences SUBJECT: Clarification of specific procedures regarding CEP’s approval declaring all Division of Biological
Sciences majors to Impacted and the Admission Criteria for Freshmen, Transfer and Continuing Students
This memo clarifies a number of implementation procedures regarding CEP’s approval granting all Division of Biological Sciences majors Impacted Majors and the Admission Criteria.
1. CEP approved all Biology majors Impacted effective Fall 2009. The effective term of this approval is Fall 2009-Spring 2012.
2. Implementation of the Admission Policy for Transfer Students to impacted Biology majors is effective Fall 2011. 3. The Division of Biological Sciences will expect, not require, Transfer students to have completed all of their
lower division coursework prior to matriculating to UCSD (see the list of lower division courses below). Admission to any of the nine Biology majors will follow the below procedures and criteria:
1. Enrollment Target Numbers for Fall 2009: • New Freshman Students (NFS) – 3rd week enrollment: 700 (assuming an additional influx of
continuing freshmen students of 50) • New Transfer Students (NTS) – 3rd week enrollment: 200 • Continuing Students: 150
[Each year, new enrollment target numbers must be submitted to the CEP, the AVCUE and the Admissions Office by the first week in January of each year, and must not be smaller than the approved target numbers noted above.]
2. Admissions Policy for Freshman Students (Effective Fall 2009) The Admissions Office will admit the appropriate number of incoming freshmen into the requested impacted major using the comprehensive review score as a ranking. Students will be admitted into an impacted major starting with the highest comprehensive review score until the target number is reached.
3. Admissions Policy for Transfer Students (Effective Fall 2011) The Admissions Office will admit the appropriate number of transfer students using the community college GPA for the ranking. Transfer students who meet the UCSD transfer admissions criteria will be admitted into an impacted major starting with the highest GPA until the target number is reached. The Division of Biological Sciences expects transfer students to have completed all of their lower division courses, i.e., the equivalent of: Chemistry 6A, B, C and 6BL; Mathematics 10A, B, C or 20A, B, C; Physics 1A/1AL, 1B/1BL,1C/1CL or 2A, B, C and one lab; and BILD 1, 2, and 3 prior to matriculation to UCSD.
4. Admissions Policy for Continuing Students (Effective Fall 2009) • Continuing students must submit an application and meet the following minimum requirements:
(a) Completed at least one year/three quarters in residence at UCSD (b) Completed all lower division requirements for the requested major (c) Students will be ranked based on overall GPA and admitted according to rank (d) Students who have completed more than six full quarter at UCSD, i.e., students who apply later than
the final day of their sixth academic quarter at UCSD will not be considered. (To ensure that the target number for continuing students is met, the Division will set two deadlines annually for continuing students, one of which will be the first week in January.)
ACADEMIC SENATE: SAN DIEGO DIVISION, 0002 UCSD, LA JOLLA, CA 92093-0002
As you are aware, per the new Enrollment Management Policy, the below also apply:
• Impacted Status is granted for a four year term and application for renewal of Impacted Status must be submitted to CEP before the end of the third year, that is three years after the status begins.
• If the Division decides that there is no need to limit enrollments in a particular major, simply refrain from supplying target numbers to the UCSD Admissions office by the deadline and the major becomes in effect open and no longer impacted.
• Once admitted to one of the biology major, students may freely transfer once between the 9 Biological Sciences majors without meeting the full requirements for continuing student admission, provided they are in good academic standing.
Kim Griest, Chair Committee on Educational Policy Cc: College Deans of Advising College Provosts
M. Brown F. Atchison D. Donoghue
C. Muessig J. Posakony B. Sawrey ChronFile
BILD 4 Introductory Biology Lab BILD 4 is designed as an independent, on-‐going research project on soil microbiomes at the Natural Reserve System, with students acting as the primary researchers. The course aims to help students develop an understanding of research in biology through inquiry-‐based laboratory experiments. Students work in teams to collect, analyze, and present original research data while learning laboratory methods common to a variety of biological disciplines. The course is divided into three major portions: lectures on the concepts and theory behind each experiment, laboratory sessions where students collect and analyze data, and a project in which students develop hypothetical research proposals using the experimental methods they learned in BILD 4. Learning in each of the components are assessed by quizzes, laboratory reports written in the format of journal papers, and a poster presentation respectively. Goals Activities 1. Learn fundamentals of scientific processes • Carry out experiments in BILD 4 project
• Develop hypothetical research proposals 2. Learn laboratory skills in modern biology • Carry out experiments in BILD 4 project
• Lectures on 3. Become familiar with mathematical tools
• Compare soil microbiomes using statistics • Align 16S rDNA sequences • Determine microbial biodiversity
4. Develop analytical reasoning and communication skills
• Write, review, and revise laboratory reports in the format of journl papers
• Present and review hypothetical research proposals at poster fair
5. Develop information literacy skills
• Identify news articles on microbiomes • Perform literature search for hypothetical research project
6. Understand the relevance of the BILD 4 project in broader contexts
• Guest lectures from UCSD scientists • Develop hypothetical research proposals
Learning through research The BILD 4 research project focuses on soil microbiomes at the Natural Reserve System. While the long-‐term goal is discovery-‐based (i.e. exploring the longitudinal characteristics of soil microbial communities), every few years we will have a specific short-‐term focus that is inquiry based and hypothesis driven. The current project involves examining if and how soil microbiomes are different for native vs. invasive plant species. Students collect, analyze, and present three key sets of original data: soil properties (moisture and pH), functional biodiversity (carbon source utilization), and genetic biodiversity (16S rDNA sequencing). With the anchoring question on native vs. invasive plants, we tie in concepts and
content across biological scales from macroscopic to microscopic to molecular, providing opportunities to connect student learning across biology disciplines. Implementation schedule The pilot year of 2014-‐2015 involves the scaling up from 1 to 3 sections of 32 students each, and the full-‐scale program of 12 sections per quarter will begin in 2015-‐2016. At full implementation, each section will be led by 2 instructional assistants, who will be trained by an immersion method. Each week, instructional assistants will participate as students in a mock laboratory section led by faculty, who will model how to lead the section, followed by a reflective discussion on how they can be effective in leading the same section. In the pilot phase, we plan to optimize lab protocols so that they can be completed within the allotted 3-‐hour lab time, develop training material for instructional assistants, and identify instruments to evaluate student outcomes. Furthermore, the pilot year provides an opportunity for us to understand the needs of our students, so that we can tailor material in the course to support their learning. Year Biology Research Education Research Collaborations 1 Pilot experiment: Basic evaluation: 6 pilot
sections and framework Library, writing center, and colleagues in biology and other disciplines to design the course
2 Reliability of student-‐generated research data
Efficacy student: 36 sections of students and up to 72 instructional assistants per year
Upper-‐division lab courses, chemistry lab courses
3-‐4 Large-‐scale experiment: native vs. invasive plants
5-‐7 New research project Expansion study, embedded education research questions
Local community colleges, Preuss School
8-‐10 New research project Historical impact study at UCSD, expansion and efficacy study, embedded research questions
Universities, community colleges, high schools, and middle schools nationwide
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SAN DIEGOE COURSE REQUESTDate: 10/29/2014
Request Type : New
Subject Code : BILD
Course Number : 4
Department : Biology
Course Title : Introductory Biology Lab
Transcript Title : Introductory Biology Lab
Effective Term : FALL 14
Extent of Approval :Summer Only : N
Description :
Students gain hands on experience and learn the theoretical basis of labtechniques common to a variety of biological disciplines such as biochemistry,molecular biology, cell biology and bioinformatics. Students will work in groups,learning how to collect, analyze, and present data while using the scientificmethod to conduct inquiry-based laboratory experiments.
Course Justification :
Biology is an empirical science and, as such, hands-on learning experiences areessential as a foundation for understanding Biological concepts. The new LD labcourse will teach the fundamentals of the scientific process, prepare students forthe more demanding upper division labs, and will provide students with importantlaboratory training experiences early in their careers.
Request Justification :Until recently, Biology has not had the physical capacity to offer a lower divisionbiology lab. Recent lab infrastructure expansions will allow Biology to offer, for thefirst time ever, a lower division lab course for all Biology majors.
FIAT : Lecture Plus Suppl. Activity
Instructors:Instructor Assignment : Department Chair Assigned
Department Title/Rank First Name Initial Last Name
Crosslisted Courses:Subject Code Course Number Department Course Title Status End Term
Instructional Units/Hours:Unit Type : FIXED
Fixed Units : 2.00
Variable Units : Min : 0.00 Max : 0.00 Increment : 0.00
Types of Instruction: Fixed Hours Var Hours Min Var Hours Max Grade Report OtherOP 1.00 0.00 0.00 N
LE 2.00 0.00 0.00 NLA 3.00 0.00 0.00 Y
Total Hours(Fixed) : 6.00 Total(Var)Min/Max :
Course Repeatability:Number of Times Taken forCredit: 1
Total Unit Credits : 2.00
Justification :
Grade Options:Undergraduate : Standard(letter/or P/NP)Graduate :
In Progress Grading:Does course use in-progressgrading : N
IP Justification :
In Progress Sequence Courses:
Status Subject Code Course No. Course Title Seq No. Final Grade End Term
Final Evaluation:Final Exam Method : C
Keys: C=In Class Final Exam; L=Lab Final; P=Final Paper; P2=Final Presentation; P3=Final Project; O=Other; NL=No final(Lab); NG=No Final(Grad Course);
Description :Justification :
E Course Request https://act.ucsd.edu/qlink/easyquery
1 of 2 10/29/2014 10:20 AM
Course Prerequisites:
BILD 1
Status Department Subject Code Course No. Title End Term Prerequisite SeqExisting Biology BILD 1 The Cell 1
Test Prerequisites:
Test Description Low Score High Score
Department Restrictions:Department Approval Req : NDepartment Approval Req Justification:Other Enrollment Requirements :
Academic Level Restrictions:Freshman: Y Sophomore : Y Junior : N Senior : NLower Div: N Upper Div : N Graduate : N Pharmacy : N Medical : N
Course Corequisites:
Status Department Subject Code Course No. Course Title End Term
Course Duplicates:
Status Department Subject Code Course No. Course Title End Term
Other Catalog Information:Other Catalog Information(Optional): Material lab fee may apply.
Recommended Preporation(Optional) :Material Fee : Y
Animal Subjects:Uses Animal Subjects: NProtocol Number :Approval Date :
Human Subjects:Uses Human Subjects: NProtocol Number :Approval Date :
Decisions:
Reviewer Department Decision Userid DateDepartment Chair BIOL APPROVED biogkw 2014-02-04 15:37:19.0Registrar Reviewer REVIEWED regmac 2014-02-07 13:31:58.0
Registrar Approver APPROVED regwrh 2014-02-24 11:31:34.0Academic Senate APPROVED acskml 2014-03-18 09:39:00.0
CEP/Grad Council APPROVED acskml 2014-03-18 09:39:07.0
E Course Request https://act.ucsd.edu/qlink/easyquery
2 of 2 10/29/2014 10:20 AM
1
DoBS: Teaching Assignment Process
The Teaching Assignments Process for the Division of Biological Sciences has three parts.
Part 1
SIS identifies course needs, based on past enrollment and changes to major numbers or other factors;
identified via the database.
Part 2
1. The Education Committee Section Representative contacts each section faculty member to:
o review past teaching assignments (assuring accuracy of records) and previous years
comments submitted via the on-line Teaching Assignment tool
o solicit feedback about faculty members future teaching contributions (including confirming
current teaching contributions and collecting proposal for changes).
2. Section representative summarizes outcomes of these conversations and communicates them
to EC Co-Chair for Course Assignments (L. Smith) to support coordination of teaching
assignments.
3. The Education Committee continually reviews section representative information, makes
updates as appropriate and develops teaching schedule.
Part 3
Each faculty member receives, via the on-line Teaching Assignment system, notification about the
proposed teaching assignment for the subsequent year. Faculty members will be asked to confirm and
may submit assignment related comments within the system if appropriate.
Timeline
Early Fall
! Teaching database updated with known information:
• Pre-loading from previous year if no known changes
• Pre-loading information regarding sabbatical
o putting someone back into a course
o taking someone out of a course and listing as “staff”
• Leaving labs as documented for previous year (see note below); temp instructors left on
schedule
• Updating 2-1-2 teaching rotation
• Taking off known and confirmed retirements
• Taking off previous, non-continuing, temp instructors allowing active faculty to fill slot
o Continuing Unit 18 lecturers include Soowal, Gustafson-Brown and Strause; will
be assigned courses as needed and agreed upon. Faculty may fill those slots but
EC section representative must communicate that information.
• Taking off previous recall instructors allowing active faculty to fill slot
Note: Ugrad Lab information treated separate from “regular” teaching assignment process. Lab
Coordinator to communicate lab offering needs and potential instructors back to Chair.
! Sabbatical Call Letter sent out to faculty by Biology AP
2
Early Fall EC meeting
! Co-chair for Course Assignments (L. Smith), guides the teaching assignment process working
with EC section representatives to ensure that (1) all courses are staffed and (2) all faculty meet
Divisional teaching expectations.
! All EC members have access to proposed/tentative and past teaching information via the EC
web page. Listed under “Teaching Document Links” requires Single Sign-On (SSO). Any notes
regarding teaching assignments will also be posted (does not require SSO).
http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/ec/index.html
! As updates and changes are received, SIS will correct information in the database. Changes will
appear on Teaching Documents.
Early Winter EC meeting
Fall scheduling begins mid-January, therefore;
! All teaching assignments for the subsequent Academic Year must be set.
! EC will conduct a final review to assure that (1) course offerings are aligned with student
enrollments (preventing bottleneck courses) and major requirements (2) all faculty members’
teaching is aligned with Divisional expectations.
! Email notification will go out to active faculty (Unit 18 and recall are not included) regarding
teaching assignments. Teaching assignment information includes course information only. The
“percent” used in the notification system indicates percentage when multiple instructors teach
or 100% for a single instructor.
Lack of teaching assignments means that DoBS has no record of teaching responsibility for that
particular faculty member.
Faculty will be asked to:
o review and respond to proposed teaching assignment via the on-line Teaching
Assignment tool. They will have approximately one week to respond.
o provide teaching related comments within the system if appropriate.
o Faculty taking an approved sabbatical must review if the on-line tool accurately reflects
sabbatical leave.
Mid-Winter
All teaching assignments are considered complete; no further action from EC members is needed unless
unforeseen situations occur. Unforeseen situations will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and may
involve any of the following: Associate Dean for Education, SIS staff, affected faculty, EC section
representative, other.
Division of Biological Sciences Teaching Portfolio
! General Information:
• Signed biography/bibliography • Curriculum Vitae
! Reflective Statement or teaching philosophy; scholarly teaching:
• discussion of the instructor’s core beliefs about learning and teaching; and how the science education research literature has guided his or her teaching-learning experience
• statement about the specific teaching goals of each course taught by the instructor (e.g. what are the major themes to be developed in a course) and which learning outcomes the faculty wishes to achieve
• statement that provides rational for pedagogical tools used for achieving specific educational outcomes
! Documentation: set of detailed entries investigating how effectively the
goals of the course have been put into practice; e.g.: • syllabi • student assignments and results • exams • papers • website • other kinds of student work • mentorship of students • supervision and mentorship of TA’s • evidence of creating/using pedagogical tools (i.e. web layer or
creating visual arguments) • methods used for obtaining feedback from students, and any
forms used for self-assessment • information obtained through assessment techniques, including
CAPES and in-house evaluations
! Reflections: instructor demonstrates scholarly teaching practice: evidence that instructor conducts systematic observations, analyzes the outcomes, and obtains peer evaluation of their classroom performance
Teaching Portfolio Resources: http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/resources/DocumentingYourTeaching/TeachingPortfolios/TeachingPortfolios.pdf
Richard�FirtelDistinguished�Professor
Associate�DeanKathy�Hay
Divisional�Business�Officer
Maryam�AttariPr�Ad�Analyst�Sup
Chief�Fin�Mgr/Asst�DBO
Melissa�ZhangCore�Operations�Fiscal�Analyst
Jennifer�LouieAdmin�Coordinator�Sup/Sponsored�Projects�Mgr
Lien�NgoGrad�Support�Analyst
Donna�AizussFinancial�Asst
Kinuko�KandaResearch�Operation�
Analyst�Sup
Mandy�ButlerTeaching�ProfessorUndergrad�Labs
Lorina�AlmazanSRA�IV�Sup
Kenneth�EdwardsLA�II
Ana�GomezSRA�I
Dennis�HickeySRA�II
Andrew�MooreSRA�II
Jamie�SanchezLA�II
Joe�StaggSRA�II
Unit�18�
Bobby�WaddellLA�I
Dwayne�FernandezSr�Sup�Mech�ShopsFac�&�Shops�Mgr
Alberto�MirandaSr.�Bldg�M�Wkr
Steven�RomanSr�Bldg�M�Wkr�B
Trevor�ThiessenMaint�Mech
Sam�HernandezSr�Adm�Analyst�SupAnimal�Facilities�Mgr
Neil�BautistaAnimal�Tech
Kai�ChauvinAnimal�Tech
Scott�DavisAnimal�Tech
Juliana�EmertAnimal�Tech
George�FriederichSr�Animal�Tech
Erick�RinconAnimal�Tech
Rimma�LevenzonAnimal�Tech
Kyle�McCunneyAnimal�Tech
Bronislava�Nizamova
Pr�Animal�Tech
Roger�RainvilleSr.�Animal�Tech
Irina�SnitserSr�Animal�Tech
Student�Emp�(1)�
Noel�VillanuevaSr�Animal�Tech
Melanie�DoyleAdmin�Coord.�Sup
Mgr.�Staff�Personnel�&�Payroll
Dana�BrehmSAO�III
Supervisor�Mgr,�USIS
Dawn�BlessmanInstructional�Svcs�Mgr
SAO�II�Supervisor
Jamie�HammondSAO�I
Natalie�NolesSAO�I
Lindsay�WardSAO�I
Julie�VitaleMgr,�UG�AdvisingSAO�II�Supervisor
Christine�LiouUG�Advisor�SAO�I
Laura�MajochUG�Advisor�SAO�I
Vanesa�de�BoerUG�Advisor�SAO�I
Teaching�Professors
Jude�PooleCRM�III
Computer�Services�Mgr
Jennifer�RothAA�III
Asst.�to�DBO,�AD
Vicky�ScalesEH&S�Specialist
Safety�Officer�Mgr
Hanako�WylesAsst�EH&S�Spec�
(60%)
Thomas�TompSAO�II
Supervisor�Mgr,�GSIS
Marifel�AlfaroSAO�I/Grad
Cathy�PughSAO�I/Grad
Student�EmpVarious
Gabriele�WienhausenSLSOE
Associate�Dean,�Education
Student�Emps�(1)�
Hermila�TorresDO/Bio�Mgr
SAO�II
Kim�GravesAP�Admin�Spec
Rexanne�DayesHR�Admin�Spec
Tracy�Felts�(Hiscock)
HR�Admin�Spec
Kris�TouchetAP�Admin�Spec
Emma�Chan�Fiscal�Admin.�
Spec.
Monica�Flores�Fiscal�Admin.�
Spec.�
Wayne�Zhang��Fiscal�Admin.�
Spec.
Tasha�Hsu�Fiscal�Admin.�
Spec.�
Lisa�Jandt�Auvil�Fiscal�Admin.�
Spec.�
Tahira�Mershon��Fiscal�Admin.�
Spec.
Tina�Bucay�Fiscal�Admin.�
Spec.�
Student�Emp�(2)�
Steve�BatesPA�III
Mark�CheneyPA�IV�–�Supr
App�Dev.�&�DB�Sys�Mgr
IͲTeh�HsiehPA�III�(40%)
Sarah�KelleyPA�III
Katie�LeePA�II
Nicole�OliverPA�I
Tom�PfenderPA�III
Student�Emp�(1)�
Andres�HerreraLA�II
Christine�GachHR�Admin�Asst
Duke�LeePA�II
Fadi�RahawiPA�II
Victor�VasquezPA�II
David�TaylorLA�II�–�Fly�Kitchen
Stephanie�SchuckAAIII/Purchasing/
Res�Ops
Laura�TaAdm�Analyst�Sup
AP�Mgr
Carissa�BainesAAIII/Fiscal�Asst
Mark�WhelanAAIII/Fiscal�Asst
Anna�DicksonAAIII/Fiscal�Asst
Ria�Del�RosarioAA�III
Joanna�DunnAA�III
April�HunterAA�III
Kathleen�McPhersonAA�III
Marie�StarkAA�III
Sutara�TangAA�III
Jackie�VignesAA�III
Elizabeth�WeberAA�III
Emmeline�DomingoAsst�SAO
Deborah�WongSRA�I
Secondarily�reports�to�Gabriele�Wienhausen
In�recruitmentLab�Asst�II
In�recruitmentLA�II�–�Fly�Kitchen
Undergraduate�Student�&
�Instructional�Services�(USIS)
DO/Bio
Student & Instructional ServicesUndergraduate
Dana�BrehmSAO�III
Supervisor�Manager,�USIS
Dawn�BlessmanInstructional�Services�Manager
SAO�II�Supervisor
Hermila�TorresDO/Bio�Manager
SAO�III
Julie�VitaleUndergraduate�Advising�Manager
SAO�II�Supervisor
Natalie�NolesSAO�I
Laura�MajochUG�Advisor�SAO�I
Christine�LiouUG�Advisor�SAO�I
Jamie�HammondSAO�I
Student�Emps�(1)�
Vanesa�de�BoerUG�Advisor�SAO�I
Lindsay�WardSAO�I
Emmeline�DomingoAsst�SAO
Richard�FirtelDistinguished�Professor
Associate�DeanGabriele�Wienhausen
SLSOEAssociate�Dean�for�Education
Kathy�HayDivisional�Business�Officer
BIOLOGY MAJORS: 1988-2014(3 Quarter Average)
Breakdown_Bio_Major_88-14_per_yr_total USIS, 4/30/2014
MAJOR 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14Animal Physiology & Neurosciences 340 309 331 403 419 434 448 524 621 623 635 582 512 461 473 399 316 232 182 93 26 3 2Biochemistry & Cell Biology 585 572 567 627 747 739 872 1,017 994 985 993 916 788 703 723 757 801 891 937 1,018 1,213 1,165 967 788 761 1,088Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution 100 110 134 180 200 206 217 223 213 184 168 150 132 113 94 90 98 103 98 117 160 157 160 131 102 118General Biology 931 997 1,059 1,189 1,286 1,385 1,502 1,625 1,556 1,442 1,449 1,497 1,360 1,323 1,329 1,330 1,184 1,032 1,017 1,057 1,109 1,156 1127 928 848 1,003Human Biology 163 744 1,206 1,583 1,789 2,095 2,071 1718 1418 1267 1,577Microbiology 114 113 112 121 151 156 152 178 192 213 208 192 173 138 140 129 125 117 115 128 131 140 137 112 120 140Molecular Biology 95 104 115 123 124 170 196 226 237 242 220 203 195 201 223 214 219 230 225 234 241 225 181 136 136 172Physiology & Neurosciences 57 198 363 552 634 583 540 540 753Bioinformatics 5 11 12 8 6 9 10 9 8 10 16 24TOTAL MAJORS 2,165 2,205 2,318 2,643 2,927 3,090 3,387 3,793 3,813 3,689 3,673 3,540 3,160 2,939 2,987 3,093 3,499 3,876 4,361 4,808 5,535 5,558 4,883 4,063 3,790 4,875Undeclared: Biological Science 204 246 242 295 300
269 (FA08) 3 1
Total w/ Undeclared 3,297 3,745 4,118 4,655 5,108 5,804 5,561 4,884 4,063
*Undeclared: Biological Sciences was designated on the UC application beginning 2003. Total not included in graph figure. The UNBS was discontinued as of WI09.
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Animal Physiology & Neurosciences
Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution
General Biology
Microbiology
Molecular Biology
Human Biology
Bioinformatics
Physiology & Neurosciences
TOTAL MAJORS
1
Transfer(Opportunities(for(Success:(ToPS(
http://biology.ucsd.edu/undergrad/tops.html(
Strategies(for(Success(Fundamentals6
BISP(191<Fall(2014(
Section(ID(818357(
Wednesdays:(3(<(4:45(pm(
York(Hall(3010(
6Instructor:6Dr.6Gabriele6Wienhausen,6Associate6Dean6for6Education6>6Division6of6Biological6Sciences6Email:[email protected](hours:6by6appointment6Office(location:6Natural6Sciences6Building6E205,6Eth6floor,6Bio6Dean6Suite66Goals(This6seminar6assists6you6in6your6transition6from6community6college6to6UC6San6Diego.6It6focuses6on6first6quarter6transition6issues,6academic6planning,6utilizing6campus6resources,6and6connecting6to6the6Division6of6Biological6Sciences6community6(students,6staff6and6faculty)6and6to6UC6San6Diego6and6the6La6Jolla6Mesa.6666Learning(Outcomes(The6seminar6will6help6you6to:6
1. acquire6an6understanding6of6academic6and6professional6expectations6and6identify6strategies6to6meet6those6expectations6
2. learn6about6the6academic6skills6you6acquire6through6coursework6and6the6professional6skills6you6should6develop6through6hands>on6and6co>curricular6educational6experiences6
3. express6your6educational6and6professional6goals6and6develop6a6roadmap6for6achieving6those6goals6while6here6at6UCSD6
4. develop6a6connection6to6UCSD6through6interacting6with6fellow6students,6faculty,6and6staff65. develop6an6awareness6of6the6resources6for6managing6some6of6the6transitional6issues6you6may6
encounter6E. Feel6comfortable6on6campus6and6have6a6cognitive6map6of6the6Division6of6Biological6Sciences6and6
the6UC6San6Diego6campus6and6know6about:6
• the6Center6for6Discovering6Opportunities6in6Biological6Sciences,6do/bio;6academic6resources6and6services6inside6and6outside6the6Division6of6Biological6Sciences,6incl.6the6tiered6system6of6academic6advising;6undergraduate6research6and6research6scholarships6
• student6life6and6student6resources6and6services,6including6Biological6Sciences’6student6organizations6
• logistical6resources,6such6as6the6shuttle6system,6commuter6center6and6lounges66• the6culture6and6traditions6of6the6UCSD6campus6and6its6community66
6
2
Schedule:(6October(8:(no#class#meeting(October(15:(Getting#to#know#each#other,#Division#of#Biological#Sciences,#UCSD#and...#How#do#I#find#what#I#need#at#this#huge#campus?6In#class#reflection#and#discussion:#
• Biggest6hopes6and6biggest6fears6or6obstacles;6impressions6after6week6one…66• Who6are6we?66
o getting6to6know6each6other66o getting6to6know6ourselves66
• About6UCSD:66o UCSD,6a6Public6Research6University:6the6teaching6and6learning6environment6at6a6research6
university6o UCSD’s6organizational6structure6
! UCSD’s6College6System6! Academic6Divisions6and6academic6departments6! Student6Affairs6! Student6Government6
o UCSD6student6profile66o UCSD6traditions:6http://students.ucsd.edu/student>life/_organizations/student>
affairs/ucsd>traditions.html6o UCSD6culture6and6community66
! Community6Centers:6(http://community.ucsd.edu/)6o University6Centers6(http://universitycenters.ucsd.edu/)6
• What's6different6about6UCSD?66o quarter6vs.6semester66o 6large6classes6o 6Faculty;6TA's;6students66
• Some6of6the6Important6resources6to6know:66o 6Biology6Undergraduate6Student6and6Instructional6Services6(USIS)6
! esp.:6http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/transfer/index.html6o 6Discover6Opportunities6in6Biological6Sciences6>6do/bio:6
! do/bio:6http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/student>opp/bssp.html6o Transfer6Student6Resources6and6Organizations:6
! Colleges:6http://commuter.ucsd.edu/commuter_lounges.html6! BSSA:6http://bssa.ucsd.edu/6! ACTA:6http://acta.site88.net/6! Commuter6Org:6http://accb.ucsd.edu/6! Transfer6Student6Handbook:6
http://students.ucsd.edu/academics/_organizations/new>student>guide6o on>campus6resources6
! Community6Centers:6http://community.ucsd.edu/6! Library:6
• Geisel:6http://libraries.ucsd.edu/6• Biomed:6http://libraries.ucsd.edu/locations/bml/6
o How6to6get6around6on6campus:66
3
! UCSD6transportation:6http://blink.ucsd.edu/facilities/transportation/shuttles/index.html6
o How6do6I6find6what6I6need?66! TritonLink:6https://students.ucsd.edu/6
o Bio6Student6Orgs:6! BSSA:6http://bssa.ucsd.edu/6! Saltman6Quarterly:6http://sq.ucsd.edu/6! BioScholars:6http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/student>
opp/bssp.html66#Discussion#of#course#assignments:#What#are#they,#why#are#they#assigned?#1.#“My#goals#while#at#UC#San#Diego#and#where#I#want#to#be#3#–#5#years#after#graduation.”#
#Due#Date:#Oct#20,#midnight#2.#“#Discover#and#reflect:#places#to#know.”6#
Due#Date:#Oct#27,#midnight#3.#“Getting#to#know#a#UCSD#faculty:#Faculty6interview.”6and6invitation6to6Dinner6(December610)6#
Due#Date:#November#3,#midnight#(Exploring#Resources:#
• New6undergraduate6student6guide:6https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/_organizations/new>student>guide/glossary.html6
• Fun6stuff:6o Theater6and6Dance:6All6Season6Pass:6
http://studentevents.ucsd.edu/m/?a=11770&pr=arts&p=26and6also:6Access6Pass:6http://www>theatre.ucsd.edu/season/tickets/AccessPass.html6
o UCSD6Wellness:6https://recreation.ucsd.edu/registration/index.php?location=list&user_area=55&main_cat=504&sub_cat=E156
o Student6Events6Insider:6http://studentevents.ucsd.edu/6• Student6Jobs:6http://students.ucsd.edu/finances/jobs/6
(Guests:#BSSA,#SQ#leaders,#SACNAS#leader##Upcoming#Info#Sessions:#http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/advising/index.html##Learning#Outcomes:6
• get6to6know6each6other6and6who6is6taking6which6courses6• understand6the6need6to6reach6out,6getting6to6know6other6and6starting6to6build6a6diverse6social6
network6• become6familiar6with6campus6resources6and6how6and6where6to6find6them6• become6familiar6with6Bio6Student6Organizations6
#66October(22:((What(is(Academic(Advising?(Seeking#and#Getting#Advice(Academic#and#Career#Advising#
4
One6of6the6most6essential,6yet6underutilized,6resources6during6college6is6the6academic6advisor.66What6are6the6benefits6of6academic6advising?6How6often6should6you6see6an6academic6advisor?6What6to6do6when6you6meet6with6an6advisor?6What6is6the6difference6between6a6staff6advisor6and6a6faculty6advisor?6Sample6questions6to6ask6an6academic6advisor.6
• Advising#structure#at#UC#San#Diego##o Your6College6o Division6of6Biological6Sciences:6
! Staff6Advisors6! Faculty6Advisors6! Info6Session6! Advising6Resources:6
• Virtual6Advising6Center6(VAC)6• Drop>in6and6appointments6
o Career6Service6• Meet#some#of#your#advisors#
o Academic6Advisors66o Faculty6Advisors6#
6Upcoming#Info#Sessions:#http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/advising/index.html#6Learning#Outcomes:6
• understand6the6multi>tiered6advising6structure6and6how6to6effectively6use6advising6tools,6incl.6the6VAC6
• know6how6to6best6utilize6university6staff6and6resources6to6be6academically6and66personally6successful66
• be6able6to6effectively6navigate6through6the6UC6San6Diego6academic6environment66666October(29:(Campus(Resources:(Academic(Success(and(Opportunities(In#class#discussion:#share6key6findings6of6homework#O#special6finds,6cool6places…#We6will6subsequently6visit6the6Writing6Center6and6AEP.6We6will6leave6together6from6York6Hall66Academic#Support:#
• Writing6Center:6https://writingcenter.ucsd.edu/6• OASIS:6https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/_organizations/oasis/index.html6• Triton6Link6Academic6Success6Resources:6
http://students.ucsd.edu/academics/advising/academic>success/index.html66Special#Academic#and#CoMCurricular#Resources:#
• Undergraduate6Research6Portal:6urp.ucsd.edu6• Academic6Enrichment6Program6(AEP):6
https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/_organizations/aep/index.html6• Center6for6Discovering6Opportunities6in6Bio6Sciences:6do/bio6• Center6for6Student6Involvement:6http://students.ucsd.edu/student>life/_organizations/student>
involvement/index.html66
5
Upcoming#Info#Sessions:#http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/advising/index.html#6Learning#Outcomes6
• know6the6location6of6and6services6provided6by6Writing6Center,6AEP6and6do/bio(• understand6the6importance6of6seeking6help(• understand6the6need6to6importance6of6engagement6outside6the6classroom(
(((November(5:(Campus#Resources:#Developing#General#Skills,#Workplace#Preparedness#and#Community#Involvement6We6will6leave6around63:456pm6to6visit6the6Academic6Internship6Office66Academic#and#CoMCurricular#Resources:#
• Academic6Internship6(AIP):6http://aip.ucsd.edu/66Community(Involvement:(
• Community6Resource6Centers:(http://community.ucsd.edu/(• Student6organizations(• Volunteer6Opportunities:6
o Volunteer6Connections:6http://volunteer.ucsd.edu/6o Moores6Cancer6Center:6http://cancer.ucsd.edu/about>us/careers>
volunteers/Pages/default.aspx(o Volunteer650:6http://volunteer50.ucsd.edu/(
6#Upcoming#Info#Sessions:#http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/advising/index.html##Learning#Outcomes:#
• know6the6location6of6and6services6provided6by6AIP6and6the6Community6Resource6Centers(• know6about6the6numerous6volunteer6opportunities6(• get6inspired6to6give6back(
66(November(12:(Campus#Resources:#The#Libraries(**Meet#at#BioMed#Library#Guest:6Bethany6Harris6(Bio6Librarian):[email protected]#Upcoming#Info#Sessions:#http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/advising/index.html#6Learning#Outcomes:#
• meet6and6get6to6know6the6Biology6librarian6and6know6the6location6of6and6services6provided6by6UCSD’s6libraries,6esp.6the6BioMed6Library(
666
6
November(19(:(Campus(Resources:(Developing#General#Skills,#Developing#Workplace#Preparedness#**Meet#at#International#Center#Plaza#Guest:6Jim6Galvin6(Director:6Global6Seminars):[email protected];6Craig6Schmidt6(Director:6Career6Center):[email protected]
• Career6Service6Center:6resources6and6opportunities6(http://career.ucsd.edu/)6• International6Center:6resources6and6opportunities6(http://icenter.ucsd.edu/)6
#Upcoming#Info#Sessions:#http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/advising/index.html#6Learning#Outcomes:#
• know6the6location6of6the6International6Center6and6meet6and6get6to6know6the6key6staff6(• learn6about6the6different6options6for6studying6abroad(• know6the6location6of6the6Career6Center6and6get6to6know6key6staff(• learn6about6the6resources6available6to6you6at6the6Career6Center(
6November(19:(Thanksgiving(Holiday(#December(3:(Developing(a(Roadmap(<(Academic(and(Personal(Well<Being(6
• What6can6I6do6with6my6Bio6degree6and6how6do6I6get6there?6#• Bring6your6Goals6and6Roadmap#• RIMAC:6http://recreation.ucsd.edu/hours>of>operation.html6
#6Upcoming#Info#Sessions:#http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/advising/index.html#6Learning#Outcomes:#
• students6will6be6able6to6articulate6their6own6major6decision6making6process6and6determine6whether6they6need6to6engage6in6further6major/career6exploration6
• students6understand6the6importance6of6developing6general6skills6and6act6on6that6understanding6• students6understand6the6need6for6goal6setting6and6are6able6to6identify6major6exploration6tools6
and6resources6to6solidify6their6major/career6decisions6• develop6strategies6for6increasing6health6and6fitness6and6reducing6stress6and6managing6anxiety6
66December(10(WrapOup#and#dinner#at#Drs.#W2#house#(
• Students6invite6the6faculty6they6interviewed6earlier6in6the6quarter.666#
6Course(Assignments(Py#Roadmap:#Describe:6(1)6My6goals6while6I6am6at6UC6San6Diego6and6(2)6where6I6want6to6be636–656years6after6graduation.66"6Due#Date:#October#96
7
6Places#to#Know#M#Reflection#Choose6one6place6that6was6discussed6in6class6on6September629th.66Visit6that6location6for6at6least6306minutes.66Based6on6your6observations,6please6describe6your6experience6in6a6two>page6reflection6paper.66Examples6of6questions6you6may6want6to6ask6yourself:6What6types6of6students6frequent6this6location?66What6is6the6feeling6I6get6being6here?66What6does6it6look6like?66How6does6it6reflect6the6culture6of6UCSD?66How6does6it6fit6into6UCSD?6! #Due#Date:#Oct#27,#midnight##6Faculty#InterviewMInvitation#to#Dinner#on#November#20##Identify6one6faculty6member6who6you6want6to6learn6about.66Schedule6an6appointment6with6the6faculty6member6or6visit6the6faculty6during6office6hours.66Prepare6questions6to6ask6this6faculty6member.66Be6sure6to6ask6meaningful,6purpose>driven6and6open>ended6questions.66Write6a6two6>6three6page6paper6summarizing6your6experience6interviewing6the6faculty6member.66What6did6you6learn?66What6was6it6like6scheduling6the6appointment?66How6did6you6feel6during6the6interview?66What6was6the6response6from6the6faculty?6! #Due#Date:#November#3,#midnight##666
6
66Transferable(Skills(UNIVERSITY6OF6CALIFORNIA,6SAN6DIEGO66EDUCATION6INITIATIVE66REAL6WORLD6PREPAREDNESS/TRANSFERRABLE6SKILLS/CAREER6COMPETENCIES6666General(Real<World(Skills((Draft)6616Effective(oral(and(written(communication(skills(that6anticipate6and6adapt6to6the6needs6of6diverse6audiences6and6contexts6(including6digital6environments)66
26Critical(thinking(and(complex(problem(solving(skills:6Skill6in6analytic6reasoning6and6systems6thinking6in6real>world6settings,6resulting6in6innovative6solutions6within6desired6constraints66
36Effective(interdisciplinary(teamwork(and6interpersonal6skills66
46Effective(cross<cultural(collaboration(in6diverse6settings66
56Proactive(ability(for(research:(Ability6to6identify6reliable6sources6of,6and6to6access6and6evaluate6information,6including6images6and6visual6media,6for6life>long6supplementation6of6initial6knowledge6base66
E6Demonstrated(integrity(and(ethical(responsibility,6and6how6to6apply6it6in6real>world6settings66
76Demonstrated(understanding(of(global(context(and(issues,6and6their6implications6for6the6future66
8
86Demonstrated(ability(for(self<reflection(and6self>improvement,6ability6to6seek6and6use6feedback66
96Demonstrated(local(and(global(civic(engagement(and6social6responsibility66
106Leadership:(Demonstrated6initiative,6effective6decision6making,6informed6risk6taking;6ability6to6motivate6and6inspire6others6to6a6shared6purpose6
Biology Undergraduate Major
Faculty Advisors - Handbook 2014-15
Page 1
Table of Contents DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR FACULTY ADVISOR HANDBOOK ... 2
The Importance of Faculty Advising .......................................................................................... 2 Responsibilities ........................................................................................................................... 2 Expectations ................................................................................................................................ 3 Biology Undergraduate Student and Instructional Services (USIS) Role .................................. 3
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR PETITION PROCESSING ......................................................................... 4 Petition Routing Process ............................................................................................................. 4
DEPARTMENTAL PETITION REVIEW GUIDELINES ............................................................................. 5 Course Equivalency .................................................................................................................... 5 Satisfy a Major Requirement ...................................................................................................... 5 Laboratory Exceptions ................................................................................................................ 6
ACADEMIC REGULATIONS................................................................................................................ 8 Incomplete Grade ........................................................................................................................ 8 Academic Integrity...................................................................................................................... 8 Grades and Changes in Grades ................................................................................................... 8
STUDENTS IN NEED .......................................................................................................................... 8 Help a Student in Distress ........................................................................................................... 8 Referrals to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) .................................................... 9 I’m Concerned About a Student – What Should I Do? .............................................................. 9 Red Folder Resources ................................................................................................................. 9 Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention Resource Center (SARC) .......................................... 9
APPENDIX ...................................................................................................................................... 10 Laboratory Petition Resources .................................................................................................. 10
Research Summary Guidelines for Special Studies Lab Petition Requests ...................... 11 Laboratory Criteria for Specific Lab Credit Petition Requests ......................................... 11
USIS Contact Information and Office Hours ............................................................................ 14 Resources .................................................................................................................................. 15 Helpful URL’s .......................................................................................................................... 17
Page 2
DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR FACULTY ADVISOR HANDBOOK
This handbook was developed to help clarify your roles and responsibilities as a faculty advisor, to provide information which will assist you in advising students, and guidelines for processing student petitions.
As a divisional Undergraduate Major Faculty Advisor you will be a resource for both undergraduate students and staff members in the Undergraduate Student and Instructional Service (USIS) unit. Students may contact you for advice on course selection and content, graduate school information, study abroad advice, and more. Staff from USIS may ask you to review student petitions and participate in information sessions or other USIS sponsored workshops. Please note that the USIS team will support you in your faculty advisor role. If at any time you have questions, please call or email one of the advisors. All contact information can be found in the Appendix section at the end of this document.
The Importance of Faculty Advising Because students often go to advisors for reasons other than just academic questions and concerns, you have a rare opportunity to reach out and positively affect a student's educational experience. Your broad knowledge and understanding of your academic discipline uniquely positions you to discuss a student's academic interests, educational goals and professional ambitions. As a faculty advisor you:
• are invaluable as a mentor for students pursuing new areas of inquiry and study; • have knowledge of courses that are relevant to a student’s particular interest within the
major and his or her specific educational and professional goals; • can assist students in considering courses that can enrich their experience; • may guide students to take advantage of special opportunities (such as undergraduate
research, internship or scholarship opportunities) that would enrich a students’ educational trajectory.
Responsibilities As a faculty advisor, you are asked to contribute to three general areas:
• Provide broad educational advising by meeting with students to discuss general career and graduate school options, etc. Students may also have questions regarding course content/preparation, etc.
• Review and finalize decisions on submitted petitions. This means that you would determine course equivalency or appropriateness for using an alternate course as a degree requirement. Students often take courses at other institutions, or on study abroad that have not yet been evaluated.
• Attend, participate and contribute to Information Sessions, Convocation, Welcome Week, major group advising sessions, internship program or other USIS sponsored workshops.
Page 3
Expectations
• Review, act upon, and return petitions in a timely manner. The turnaround time should be no more than one week. If you are unable to meet this time commitment, please communicate this with an advisor in USIS.
• Inform a USIS advisor if you will be out of town or otherwise unavailable to review material or speak with students; please let USIS know as far in advance as possible.
• Actively participate in meetings organized by USIS including, but not limited to information sessions and workshops.
• Ask for clarification if something is not understood. • Direct students to the correct resource. If you are unsure, ask an advisor in USIS. • Be available for student appointments, questions and emails. • Maintain confidentiality and be knowledgeable of the Federal Educational Rights and
Privacy Act (FERPA). Please reference the “Frequently Asked Questions” and “Written Consent Form” for detailed FERPA information.
• Be knowledgeable about University resources that can help students with problem areas (study skills, tutoring, career exploration), and assist them in making contact with the appropriate support services. Resources are provided in the Appendix.
Biology Undergraduate Student and Instructional Services (USIS) Role Biology faculty advisors have authority to make academic decisions regarding the approval or disapproval of petitions. To assist faculty in this effort, the Biology Undergraduate Staff Advisors will:
1. Discuss options with students during advising sessions. 2. Determine which petitions meet current division and university criteria for automatic
approval. 3. Attach a syllabus to the petition, and any other pertinent course materials. The USIS
staff will make every effort to include any and all pertinent information so that faculty advisors can make an informed decision.
4. If required, include pertinent information on University or Division regulations/policies and background history on the specific situation.
5. Maintain a database of all reviewed petitions (approved and denied). Decisions on a petition set a five year precedent per the divisions Education Committee. This means if a student petitions a course that was previously approved, USIS staff will automatically approve the petition without faculty advisor review if it falls within the five year timeline. If setting a precedent is not the intent, please write “sets no precedence” in the comments section of the petition.
6. Follow up with faculty advisor if petition has not been returned within a one week time period or if further clarification is needed.
Page 4
Questions about the following topics should be referred to USIS:
Biology major or minor requirements Petition policies/protocol and the submission process
Biology residency requirement Student disability accommodation
Taking courses outside UCSD (e.g. concurrent enrollment, EAP/OAP, etc.)
Double major
Summer Session Prerequisite information
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR PETITION PROCESSING Petition Routing Process Student submits petition > USIS prepares the petition for faculty advisor review > faculty advisor approves/denies the petition and returns petition/coursework to USIS (both steps are usually done via email) > USIS finalizes the petition and notifies the student of outcome > student retrieves coursework from USIS. Facilitating the petition process is a major responsibility of USIS. Undergraduate petitions generate a major part of the workload for the USIS staff. Therefore, you can expect to receive petitions from USIS via email or intercampus mail regularly. In this portion of the handbook you will find information on the types of petitions you will receive and guidelines on how they should be reviewed and processed.
1. Petitions are received from students. USIS reviews petitions to make sure they are filled out correctly, that necessary coursework is provided (course syllabus/description from the term the course(s) was taken including the title of the text(s) used, etc.), and that the course transferred with the appropriate number of units and level.
2. Petitions are then forwarded to the appropriate faculty advisor for review. Faculty advisors can expect to receive petitions from courses taken at other UC’s, CSU’s, other four-year institutions, and courses taken through Education and Opportunities Abroad Programs (EAP/OAP).
3. Requests are reviewed based on course content, not student information/situation. For example, if a request has been made to use a transfer course from another UC, the evaluation focus is on the content of the course, the pedagogy, level at which the course is taught, etc.
4. Students may request use of a transfer course that UCSD does not offer (e.g., upper division Anatomy). Again, the review is based on content. If the faculty advisor determines the course content is appropriate for major credit, in terms of rigor and content, the course could be approved for a general major requirement (e.g.an upper division biology elective, P/N Core, HB Core, etc). Students are often encouraged to take courses at other institutions that UCSD does not offer to gain better breadth in Biology.
5. Per divisional policy, a transfer course cannot be counted for more than one UCSD Biology course unless the unit factors, instruction hours, and course content are comparable to more than one UCSD course. For example, a 4.5 unit transfer course cannot be counted in lieu of two UCSD 4.0 unit courses. Additionally, if a student has taken a lecture course that included a lab, and received six-quarter units for the course, it is often the case that the lab portion was only given two units of credit. The transfer
Page 5
course can only count as one UCSD lecture course, and not one lecture course plus one lab course. If there is such a question on the petition, we will try to clarify the unit factors.
6. If you receive course materials via email or intercampus mail, please review the materials, email USIS with the decision on the petition (email response will act as signature), and return the course materials to the USIS office (mail code 0348) within one week.
7. If you deny a petition, please include information as to why the petition was denied. Students often want to know why a petition was not approved and by providing this information to USIS, we may convey this as appropriate. USIS will also maintain this information for future reference.
8. If a course is approved or denied, it will set a five year precedent for any other student who takes the same course. Courses will be re-reviewed after five years to confirm that course content has not changed.
9. Please do not sign a petition which has been hand delivered (or mailed) directly to you by a student. If you receive such a petition, please route it (and if needed, the student) to the USIS office first.
DEPARTMENTAL PETITION REVIEW GUIDELINES Faculty Advisors will only be asked to review departmental exception petitions which are used for course equivalency or applicability of major credit for courses taken outside UCSD. Course Equivalency When a student petitions to use a course from another institution to satisfy a specific biology requirement e.g. BICD 100 (Genetics), please consider the following:
� Assess the content: Did the student learn at least 80% of the concepts and/or techniques covered in the specified Division of Biological Sciences course?
� Even if the topics don’t overlap perfectly, did the objectives, breadth, and scope of the course seem comparable to the Divisional course?
Satisfy a Major Requirement When determining if a course should satisfy a biology elective requirement, please consider the following:
� Assess the content: Are at least 80% of the concepts and/or techniques covered in the course biologically-based?
Note: once a course is approved as an upper division biology elective, it can be used as an elective for any of the 8 majors the division offers e.g. a course that is approved by petition as a biology elective for the General Biology degree can also be used as a biology elective for the Human Biology major.
When determining if a course should satisfy a core requirement (e.g. P/N Core, HB Core, etc.), please consider the following:
� Assess the content: Did the student learn at least 80% of the concepts and/or techniques covered in the specified Division of Biological Sciences requirement?
Note: once a course is approved for a core requirement (e.g. P/N, EBE, HB Core), the course can be used as either a core requirement or an upper division biology elective for all 8 majors the division offers.
Page 6
When petitioning courses from other institutions, students may petition courses from departments other than Biology. For such petitions, please also consider the following:
� Assess the content: Even if the topics aren’t purely biological, is the course content scientifically based or themed?
� Did the student develop a deep understanding of scientific knowledge while taking into consideration historical and cultural content?
� When reviewing non-UCSD courses, please recall that the division has created an Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators document. Described in the document are the Attitudes and Values: What should students value? as part of each Biology major. These are:
o Recognize the interactions between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress
o Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
Laboratory Exceptions Each Biology major prescribes the completion of at least two upper-division Biology labs (other than Bioinformatics which requires the completion of three labs). In preparation of anticipated limited laboratory space leading to requests for laboratory exceptions, USIS is utilizing the following laboratory completion and exception practices effective Winter 2014.
As published, students are advised to complete the biology lab requirements as outlined for each major. Students must complete the specifically required lab for their major (if applicable) at UCSD or elsewhere (via approved petition for lab course equivalency). For example, Physiology & Neuroscience majors must complete BIPN 105, or an equivalent course (if taken outside UCSD). As well, students must complete at least one formal biology lab at UCSD that is prescribed by their specific major.
Pending both stipulations above are satisfied, students may opt to complete one biology lab requirement in the following ways:
1. Take an EAP/OAP laboratory course that has been approved, by petition, for biology lab credit. Petition possibly required.
2. Take a laboratory course through another UC, CSU, or other four-year institution that has been approved, by petition, for biology lab credit. Petition possibly required.
4. Take a non-biology UCSD course that has been approved, by petition, for biology lab credit. Petition possibly required.
5. Receive biology lab credit from lower division biology coursework taken at a community college that has been approved, by petition, for biology lab credit. Petition possibly required.
6. Use one 4-unit special studies course (e.g. BISP 199, BISP 196, BISP/AlP 197, MED 199, etc.) for biology lab credit. All requests must be petitioned.
Petition Processing Guidelines for Biology Laboratory Credit
� When determining if a course should satisfy a general (non-specific) lab requirement, please consider the following Learning Objectives for General Lab Credit:
Page 7
1. Learn a variety of current laboratory techniques, the theory behind them, and the applications of the methodologies in biological research
2. Become proficient at a variety of biological techniques through hands-on experimentation
3. Learn how to design proper controls and understand why they are important in designing experiments and interpreting results
4. Strengthen the ability to propose hypotheses to explain observations
5. Become proficient at designing experiments to critically test hypotheses
6. Learn to keep a complete and thorough laboratory notebook
7. Improve the ability to analyze and to present data
8. Practice deriving logical conclusions from experimental data
9. Learn to find, understand, and evaluate primary literature
10. Learn to report experimental methods, results, and conclusions in a conventionally accepted written format
In your evaluation for general lab credit, please consider the following in relation to the Learning Objectives for General Lab Credit listed above:
• Was the student’s research or course comparable in objectives, breadth and scope to the lab
classes our Division offers?
• If the student completed a Special Studies course (e.g. BISP 196/199, etc.), review the research paper and/or the Research Summary Guidelines* produced by the student. Does it fulfill most of the requirements outlined in the Learning Objectives for General Lab Credit listed above?
• If the student is petitioning a non-special studies course, the student should have completed
approximately 80 hours of time in the lab and the petition should be accompanied by sample(s) of required written work, i.e. research paper, lab report, lab notebook, etc. If course has not yet been completed, syllabus should reflect assignments requiring written evaluation of laboratory learning.
� When determining if a course should satisfy a specific lab (e.g., BIMM 101) requirement, please utilize the list of lab criteria in the Appendix (pages 12 and 13) to compare the content of the student’s research project or course to the specific biology lab for which credit is being sought. In your evaluation, please consider the following:
• Assess the content: Did the student learn at least 80% of the concepts and/or techniques
covered in the specified Division of Biological Sciences lab course?
Page 8
• Even if the topics don't overlap perfectly, did the objectives, breadth, and scope of the research project or course seem comparable to the Division lab course?
• If the student is petitioning a non-special studies course, the student should have completed
approximately 80 hours of time in the lab and the petition should be accompanied by sample(s) of required written work, i.e. research paper, lab report, lab notebook, etc. If course has not yet been completed, syllabus should reflect assignments requiring written evaluation of laboratory learning.
*In order to appropriately evaluate a Special Studies experience for biology laboratory credit, students should respond to the Research Summary Guidelines (see pages 10 and 11 in the Appendix), as previously developed by the Education Committee, and/or submit the research paper generated from their special studies experience, along with their petition, for review. Petition requests for laboratory credit via special studies courses cannot be appealed if the petition is denied. As a result, students are informed to submit as much information as possible and if responding to the Research Summary Guidelines, they should assure the information they submit is as complete as possible.
ACADEMIC REGULATIONS Incomplete Grade If a student inquires about an incomplete grade, he/she should be referred to the instructor of the given course. Academic Integrity Instructors should state the objectives of each course at the beginning of the quarter, clearly defining what kinds of aids and collaboration, if any, on assignments are permitted. The primary responsibility for maintaining academic honesty rests with the faculty and the administration. When a student has admitted to or has been found guilty of a violation of the standards of academic honesty, two separate actions shall follow: 1) The instructor shall determine the student’s grade on the assignment and the course as a whole (serious breach is failure in the course) and 2) In all cases of suspected Academic Dishonesty, the instructor should notify the Academic Integrity Coordinator. Even if no action can be taken, the Academic Integrity office will maintain evidence of historical precedence on the part of the particular student.
Grades and Changes in Grades If a student inquires about a change of grade, he/she should be referred to the instructor of the given course.
STUDENTS IN NEED Help a Student in Distress Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is here to support the UCSD community in serving the needs of our students. At times, the UCSD community, including faculty, staff, and student leaders, must provide assistance to students in distress. CAPS has written a handbook to provide you with quick-and-easy access to information on how to assess students in distress, how to provide immediate assistance, and how to refer the student to CAPS.
Page 9
Referrals to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) If you would like to refer a student to CAPS, please have him or her contact the CAPS office at (858) 534-3755 to make an appointment. If the matter is urgent and the student must be seen immediately, she or he can go to Urgent Care Services at CAPS Central Offices at Galbraith Hall 190. If you need consultation on how to refer students to CAPS, please call (858) 534-3755. I’m concerned about a student – what should I do? You have many choices. First, you can contact the student’s college principal administrator (i.e., the Dean of Student Affairs at your student’s college) and express your concerns. Deans of Student Affairs are often not bound to confidentiality restrictions in comparison to psychologists so they may be able to offer you more information about your student’s situation than CAPS legally can. If your student’s concerns require counseling or psychological assessment, they are often referred to CAPS to meet with a psychologist. If the matter is mental health related, you can encourage your student to make an appointment at CAPS at (858) 534-3755. Red Folder Resources With the assistance of many dedicated UCSD administrators, faculty, and staff, a Red Folder form has been developed, which includes emergency protocols, contacts, and resources. All faculty and staff are encouraged to have a copy of the Red Folder for reference. Additional Red Folder related resources can be found here. Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention Resource Center (SARC) SARC offers educational programs and workshops on violence prevention for the entire UCSD campus and provides free and confidential services for students impacted by violence, with a focus on survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. In addition to the educational programs offered by SARC, the following services are also available: individual counseling; crisis intervention and safety planning; support groups; on-campus advocacy for academic and housing concerns; assistance with police, campus, and non-investigative reporting options; accompaniment to police interviews, medical evidentiary exams, and court dates; referrals. SARC staff is on-call 24 hours a day and on weekends throughout the year.
Page 10
Appendix
Laboratory Petition Resources
RESEARCH SUMMARY GUIDELINES FOR SPECIAL STUDIES LAB PETITION REQUESTS (The questions below should be responded to by the student in a document independent of their coursework or
these questions should be addressed in the research paper generated from the course that is being petitioned. The research summary and/or research paper should be included with the students’ petition and utilized to
evaluate the students’ petition request) 1. Content: A research paper should have a title, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and reference sections. Introduction: This section addresses the following questions: Why was this study performed? What knowledge already existed about this subject at the start of the study? What was the specific purpose of the study? Did you have a hypothesis you had formulated? The purpose of an introduction is to acquaint the reader with the purpose of the experiments, the rationale behind the work, and enough background to enable the reader to understand and appreciate your work. The introduction should be thorough but should only include information that is directly relevant to the experiments described in the paper. Methods: This section addresses the following questions: What materials were used? What experimental methods or technologies were used? The objective of the methods section is to describe the experimental procedure in sufficient detail for someone else to replicate your experiments, but it is not a set of directions or a recipe. Instead, it tells your reader what you did, leaving out any description of standard lab techniques (e.g., using a sizing column or pulling glass micropipettes) or standard lab equipment (e.g., Pasteur pipettes, graduated cylinders). You want to provide enough detail for the reader to understand the experiment without overwhelming them with the details. When procedures from a lab manual or a paper are followed exactly, simply cite the work, noting any changes. Results: The results section should present your data and experimental results in a clear and concise manner; this includes both qualitative observations and quantitative measurements. Tables and figures should be used as much as possible. You should include any observations that have bearing on the interpretation of the results, but the actual interpretation and implications of the data should be presented in the Discussion section.
• This section should be constructed from a verbal description of the results AND from tables and figures. • Each table and figure must be numbered and have a title and legend or key. • Tables and figures are assigned numbers in the order in which they appear in the text. • Never divide a table or figure between pages- confine each figure/table to a single page • Data included in a table should not be duplicated in a figure or graph. Use one or the other format,
whichever most clearly shows the result.
Discussion: This section should focus on the interpretation of your results and the conclusions you can make based on the data. You should support your conclusions using generally accepted knowledge and previously published work. When you use information from published work, you must cite the source. You should discuss whether your data support or disprove your original hypothesis if you presented one and whether your results confirm or challenge previously published work. Suggestions for the improvement of techniques or
Page 11
experimental design may also be included here (but avoid drawn-out tales of woe), as well as suggestions for future experiments. References: You should list all the sources you used for background information, for methods and techniques, and to support your conclusions.
2. General Stylistic and Formatting Guidelines: • The research paper should be a cohesive, flowing piece of writing. Use complete sentences. • Use present tense to report well accepted facts - for example, “E. coli is…” • Use past tense to describe specific results - for example, “When we observed the plates”. Note that you
can use first person – you do not have to use passive voice. • Be careful about adding superfluous pictures, data, etc. or repetitious wording. • Longer isn’t always better – aim to say what you need to in 5 to10 pages (excluding figures and tables). • Never place a heading at the bottom of a page with the following text on the next page (insert a page
break!) • Do not use pompous language, which is difficult to read. • Do not use informal wording, use of jargon, slang terms, or superlatives (“My experiment was a bomb.”)
3. Reference Format:
If you cite information from other scientists as background or in support of a conclusion you make, you MUST provide a reference.
Example reference formats (these are from the APA guidelines but you can use others like MLA instead)
book: Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location of publisher: Publisher.
journal article: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number (issue number), pages.
Page 12
LABORATORY CRITERIA FOR SPECIFIC LAB CREDIT REQUESTS General Goals Microbiology Lab (BIMM 121) Physiology Lab (BIPN 105) Controls - experimental design Quantitative data analysis Statistics Data presentation Find and read primary literature Hypothesis testing Novel research component Bioinformatics
yes yes no yes yes yes yes yes
yes yes yes yes yes yesyes no
Main theories/techniques environmental and medical microbiology techniques bacterial physiology
physiology concepts and recording techniques writing professionally
Specific Projecs/Techniques sterile techniques pipetting solutions and dilutions Microscopy: bright field and phase wet mount and smear prep simple and Gram stains flaggelar and capsule stains Bacterial physiology and morphology: differerential and selective media identification of an unknown Microbes in health and safety: evaluation of food and water samples antibiotic testing antiseptics and disinfectants dental flora hemolysis Environmental microbes: Food microbiology - yogurt soil microbes microbes capable of extracellular degradation plant pathogens nitrogen cycle: nitrate reduction and fixation Identification of antibiotic producers from soil: PCR of 16SrRNA gene purification of PCR product Sequencing and bioinformatics DNA dynamics: transposon mutageneis lytic and lsogenic phages cloning and transformation
general: tissue harvesting use of data acquisition software transducer use and calibration catheterization use of data analysis and presentation software RBCs and osmosis evaluation of nerve function evaluation of synaptic function evaluation of skeletal muscle function evaluation of smooth muscle function evaluation of cardiac muscle function non-invasive cardiac monitoring evaluation of transcapillary fluid flow urine analysis student project and final symposium
Databases and software used Genbank, Blast Kaleidagraph, Applework, Maclab
Page 13
General Goals Biochemical Techniques (BIBC 103) Recombinant DNA techniques (BIMM 101) Controls - experimental design Quantitative data analysis Statistics Data presentation Find and read primary literature Hypothesis testing Novel research component Bioinformatics
yes yes yes yes yes yes no yes
yes yes no yes yes no yes yes
Main theories/techniques techniques used in protein purification and characterization basic mol bio techniques
molecular biology techniques bioinformatics reverse genetics techniques
Specific Projecs/Techniques making solutions and buffers pipetting spectrophotometry sterile techniques Lactose dehydrogenase purification:
ammonium sulfate precipitation affinity chromatography ion exchange chromatography size chromatography protein assay enzyme kinetics bioinformatics
MAPK kinase phosphorylation and sea urchin egg fertilization:
Microscopy SDS PAGE electrophoresis Western Blotting Chemiluminescent detection
Protein crystallization: hanging drop method
Expression and characterization of fluorescent proteins:
alkaline lysis plasmid prep agarose gel electrophoresis restriction digest transformation purification of protein using His-tag spectral properties of proteins SDS-Page
making solutions and dilutions pipetting spectrophotometry sterile techniques Creation of Vibrio fischeri genomic library:
Chromosomal DNA isolation DNA quantitation Agarose gel electrophoresis Restriction digest Ligations and transformations Blue-white screening Plasmid preps Sequencing
Cloning luxAB :
PCR theory, primer design Restriction maps Directional cloning Expression vectors
RNAi targeting unc-22 in C. elegans:
RNAi treatment of C elegans RNA purification Use of qRTPCR to quantitate unc-22 and ama-1 mRNA levels
Typing Human SNPs by CAPs: Isolation of buccal cell DNA Test for PTC taster or non-taster phenotype or non-taster phenotype Use of PCR and restriction digest to type SNP in taste receptor gene
Databases and software used Genbank Blast Clustal W PDB
Genbank Blast ORF finder HapMap Wormbase Primer3
Page 14
USIS Contact Information and Office Hours Phone Number: (858) 534-0557 Location: Pacific Hall 1128 Mail Code: 0348 UCSD students contact advisors via the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) vac.ucsd.edu Advising Services Information & Staff Julie Vitale, Manager, Undergraduate Advising (858) 534-9850 [email protected] Vanesa de Boer, Undergraduate Advisor (858) 534-9766 [email protected] Christine Liou, Undergraduate Advisor (858) 246-0082 [email protected] Laura Majoch, Undergraduate Advisor (858) 534-2786 [email protected]
Advising Schedule (Fall, Winter, Spring Quarters, Summer Session, Academic Breaks)
We e k # Fa s t 1 5 (Wa lk -in ) Ap p o in t m e n t s
1-10
M: 9-11am Tu: 1-3pm W: 1-3pm Th: 9-11am, 1-3pm F: 9-11am, 1-3pm
M: 1-3pm W: 9-11am
Finals
M: 9-11am, 1-3pm Tu: 1-3pm W: 9-11am, 1-3pm Th: 9-11am, 1-3pm F: 9-11am, 1-3pm
Not Available
Summer, Winter, Spring Breaks
M: 9-11am, 1-3pm Tu: 1-3pm W: 9-11am, 1-3pm Th: 9-11am, 1-3pm F: 9-11am, 1-3pm
Not Available
Page 15
Resources Career Services Center The Career Services Center offers a variety of programs and resources (see page 16 for details) to assist UC San Diego students and alumni with their career goals including career advising, on-line job listings, internships, professional/graduate school information, resource tools, workshops, job fairs, and special events. Office of Academic Support & Instructional Services (OASIS) OASIS is the learning center at UCSD that provides most of the free tutoring on campus in a collaborative, supportive environment. OASIS also provides peer mentors and peer counselors to support students with issues that can be a distraction from academic priorities, such as personal and family issues, setting and reaching goals, etc. Center for Discovering Opportunities in Biological Sciences (DO/Bio) The DO/Bio Center, housed within the USIS unit, is a student engagement center that complements and enriches undergraduate scholarship with experiential learning opportunities and connecting students to resources. The Center helps prepare students for today’s global, cross-disciplinary workplace. Students will learn about 21st century skills needed to successfully compete in the contemporary job market by offering professional development opportunities, critical training in communication, leadership, and networking. GOALS
Provide a Compass: empower students to find their own educational paths and encourage them to take risks and discover Develop Scholarship: support students to become engaged learners and share tools for academic excellence Prepare for real world success: introduce students to 21st century skills and provide opportunities to experience and hone these skills Foster Community Connections: introduce students to the on- and off-campus community and alumni networking
Program offerings include: Transfer Opportunities for Success (TOpS) Program, Journeys in Discovery Program, group advising sessions, workshops, and networking events. Student Leadership opportunities include: Biological Sciences Student Association (BSSA), BioScholars Program, Saltman Quarterly Program (SQ), and Undergraduate Student Advisory Council (USAC). For detailed information on each of the programs and opportunities listed above, please visit the DO/Bio web site. DO/Bio Center Contact Information Phone Number: (858) 534-0557 Location: Pacific Hall 1128 Mail Code: 0348 General questions: [email protected] Staff Hermila Torres: Manager, DOBio Center (858) 534-5515 [email protected]
Page 16
UCSD Career Services Center
Services
Career & Internship Advising
Meet individually with an advisor for help exploring career options, internship opportunities, and planning an effective job search.
Job and Internship Listings
Access Port Triton, UC San Diego's centralized online job listing database of off-campus jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities and on-campus jobs (including work-study).
Express-15 Advising
Advisors are available to see students on a first-come, first-served basis. Students can get quick answers to their questions and an introduction to available services and resources.
Job Fairs
The Fall, Winter and Spring Job and Internship Fairs draw a nation-wide base of employers who offer internships and employment opportunities. There are a variety of industry-specific events held throughout the year.
Online Career Development Tools
Access a myriad of powerful online tools through Port Triton. You will find references to these tools throughout the Career Service Center website.
Interview Preparation
Find out how to begin strong in an interview, how to communicate your skills effectively, and how to follow-up after the interview.
Career Exploration Panels
Attend panel presentations to meet and make contacts with professionals in your chosen career field. Learn more about what career options are available. Hear professionals discuss their career paths, education, typical daily tasks, skills and qualifications.
Professional School Advising
Want to go to graduate school? You can review web and library resources, attend workshops, learn about letters of recommendation, get your essays critiqued and get one-on-one advice and information on preparing for and applying to professional schools.
Resources and Libraries
The Career Services Center features a specialized library filled with career, internship, and professional school resources. Knowledgeable staff are available to assist you and computers are available for research, job search and resume preparation.
On-Campus Interviews
During the course of the academic year, over 90 employers will conduct over 1,700 on-campus interviews with candidates who meet their eligibility requirements. The interview calendar is accessible through Port Triton.
Resume & Application Essay Writing
The Career Services Center offers resources to help identify ones skills and strengths, and learn how to present them effectively. Career advisors are available to critique resume or application essays.
Seminars
The Career services Center offers a series of seminars designed to assist with all stages of the career development process.
Page 17
Career Services Center Contact Information Helpful URL’s Biology’s Course Offerings 2014-15 http://biology.ucsd.edu/publicinfo/dwc?action=ug_course_list Biology’s Eight Majors http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/maj-min/majors/index.html Biology’s Wait List Procedures http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/course/waitlist.html Blink http://blink.ucsd.edu CAPS Department Brochure http://caps.ucsd.edu/Downloads/brochures/brochure_caps.pdf Information for Transfers http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/transfer/admitted.html Minor in General Biology http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/maj-min/minor.html Prerequisite Information http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/course/prereq.html Special Studies Information (99/196/197/199) http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/research/research-acad-cred/index.html Study Abroad (EAP/OAP) Information http://pao.ucsd.edu http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/undergrad/course/study-abroad.html UCSD Catalog http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/ UCSD Catalog-Division of Biological Sciences Section http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/curric/BIOL-ug.html
UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1 Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators
Academic Program
(1)
Have formal learning outcomes
been developed?
(2)
What are these learning outcomes?
Where are they published? (Please specify)
(3)
Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to
determine that graduates have achieved stated
outcomes for the degree? (e.g., capstone course,
portfolio review, licensure examination)
(4)
Who interprets the evidence? What is the process?
(5)
How are the findings used?
(6)
Date of last Academic
Senate Review?
Department:
Division of Biological Sciences Major: General Biology
Yes Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organism � heredity and its molecular
basis � the correlation of biological
structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
Data/Evidence:
1. Courses that challenge students to integrate, synthesize and evaluate knowledge and new information( currently not done; will be implemented).
a) Key Core Courses (marked with an “a” in Learning Goal tables)
b) Capstone courses provide evidence of how well students can integrate and apply a body of knowledge in a culminating project. (Examples of Capstone laboratory courses: BICD 131, BIMM 127, BIBC 104, BIBC 105, BICD 123; Examples of Capstone lecture courses: BICD 136, BIBC 120, BIPN 108, BIBC 130)
c) Special Topics Upper Division Seminar courses: BISP 190 and BISP 194
d) Undergraduate Research Opportunities (BISP 196, BISP 197, BISP 199, AIP 199)which require students to present their findings via: presentation at UCSD’s Undergraduate Research Conference; publication in divisional undergraduate peer-reviewed journal (Saltman Quarterly; poster at annual Spring Quarter Undergraduate Poster Session
� The Education Committee (EC), a divisional committee with faculty representatives from each section (department), reports to and advises the Associate Dean for Education, who is ultimately responsible for the quality and effectiveness of the Academic Programs. The EC establishes programmatic learning objectives, identifies learning outcomes, and establishes curriculum review criteria that are aligned with learning objectives of the education program.
� CEP reviews education program via the Undergraduate Review Committee (every seven years). Associate Dean and EC work collaboratively to address issues identified in CEP review.
� Section Chairs (Department Chairs) and Associate Dean for Education meet regularly to assure additional faculty input for all educational matters.
� Individual faculty comment directly to Associate Dean if they perceive a problem with the prerequisites in preparing students for their courses.
� EC reviews assessment data annually and report back to the Associate Dean, who will initiate processes with the goal to eradicate shortcomings. Associate Dean initiates major internal curricular reviews, which involves ad hoc Biological Sciences faculty workgroups.
� Ad hoc meetings with Vice Chairs for Education from Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments provide a forum for identifying and addressing changed or new educational needs in science and math courses outside the Biological Sciences.
February 20, 2007
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
Learning outcomes published: � Divisional Undergraduate
website
2. Feedback from instructors teaching upper division courses that depend directly on material students learned in lower division courses
3. Surveys: a) Exit survey of graduating
seniors solicit their opinions about the nature, extent, and scope of their learning
b) follow-up surveys done by the Career Service Center show how well the department has prepared students for advanced work or future careers.
c) campus-wide surveys of current students, including the new Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), solicit their views about learning
d) course evaluations (CAPE) at the end of the quarter solicits students’ opinions about how much they have learned during the course.
General Biology
Foundational Courses: 1 year of calculus
1 year of calculus based physics with lab 1 year of general chemistry with lab
2 quarters of organic chemistry with lab
I= Introductory Level A= Advanced Level a= Could be used for program assessment activities
Learning Goals
Knowledge: What should our students know by the time they graduate? BI
LD 1
BILD
2
BILD
3
BIBC
102
BICD
100
UD La
b x 2
*
UD E
lectiv
e x 7
** Op
tiona
l Ad
vanc
ed
Stud
ies –
BISP
194+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
–BI
SP19
5+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
–BIS
P 19
6,197
/199+
Understand: � evolution and diversity of living
organisms
I
I/A I/A
� heredity and its molecular basis I$
A$a
I/A I/A
� the correlation of biological structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
I
I $
I $A
$A$a
I/A
I/A
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
$I
$I
$I
$A
$A$a
$I/A
$I/A
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
$I
$I/A
$I/A
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
I
I $
I $A
$A
$A
$A
$I/A
$I/A
$A a
Learning Goals
BILD
1
BILD
2
BILD
3
BIBC
102
BICD
100
UD La
b x 2
*
UD E
lectiv
e x 7
* Op
tiona
l Ad
vanc
ed
Stud
ies –
BISP
194+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
–BI
SP19
5+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
–BIS
P 19
6,197
/199+
* Must be chosen from the following: BIBC 103, 105, BICD 101, 111, 123, 131, 133, 145, BIEB 121, 165, 167, 179, BIMM 101, 103, 121, 127, BIPN 105, 145 ** Only one quarter or BISP 195 and one quarter of either BISP 196, 197, or 199 may be applied towards this requirement. + Content varies with instructor
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
$I
I $
A$a
$I
I
$A$a
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
$$A$a
$$A$a
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
I$a
A$a
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
$A$a$
$
$A
A
$A$a$
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
$$I
$$I
$$I
$$I
$$A$a$$
$$A$a$
A
$$A
$$A
A$a$
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
$$I
$$I
$$I
$$I
$$A
$$A$a$
A
$$A
$$A
A$a$
UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1 Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators
Academic Program
(1)
Have formal learning outcomes
been developed?
(2)
What are these learning outcomes?
Where are they published? (Please specify)
(3)
Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to
determine that graduates have achieved stated
outcomes for the degree? (e.g., capstone course,
portfolio review, licensure examination)
(4)
Who interprets the evidence? What is the process?
(5)
How are the findings used?
(6)
Date of last Academic
Senate Review?
Department:
Division of Biological Sciences Major: Molecular Biology
Yes Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organism � heredity and its molecular
basis � the correlation of biological
structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
Have an in-depth understanding of: � the physiological
mechanisms that coordinate functions within and between organ systems, considering all levels of organization from molecules to whole organisms
� how the nervous system carries out its central role of acquiring information about information, and generating effective behavior
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable
Data/Evidence:
1. Courses that challenge students to integrate, synthesize and evaluate knowledge and new information (currently not done; will be implemented).
a) Key Core courses (marked with an “a” in Learning Goal tables)
b) Capstone courses provide evidence of how well students can integrate and apply a body of knowledge in a culminating project. (Examples of Capstone laboratory courses: BICD 131, BIMM 127, BIBC 104, BIBC 105, BICD 123; Examples of Capstone lecture courses: BICD 136, BIBC 120, BIPN 108, BIBC 130)
c) Special Topics Upper Division Seminar courses: BISP 190 and BISP 194
d) Undergraduate Research Opportunities (BISP 196, BISP 197, BISP 199, AIP 199)which require students to present their findings via: presentation at UCSD’s Undergraduate Research Conference; publication in divisional undergraduate peer-reviewed journal (Saltman Quarterly; poster at annual Spring Quarter Undergraduate Poster Session
� The Education Committee (EC), a divisional committee with faculty representatives from each section (department), reports to and advises the Associate Dean for Education, who is ultimately responsible for the quality and effectiveness of the Academic Programs. The EC establishes programmatic learning objectives, identifies learning outcomes, and establishes curriculum review criteria that are aligned with learning objectives of the education program.
� CEP reviews education program via the Undergraduate Review Committee (every seven years). Associate Dean and EC work collaboratively to address issues identified in CEP review.
� Section Chairs (Department Chairs) and Associate Dean for Education meet regularly to assure additional faculty input for all educational matters.
� Individual faculty comment directly to Associate Dean if they perceive a problem with the prerequisites in preparing students for their courses.
� EC reviews assessment data annually and report back to the Associate Dean, who will initiate processes with the goal to eradicate shortcomings. Associate Dean initiates major internal curricular reviews, which involves ad hoc Biological Sciences faculty workgroups.
� Ad hoc meetings with Vice Chairs for Education from Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments provide a forum for identifying and addressing changed or new educational needs in science and math courses outside the Biological Sciences.
February 20, 2007
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
� Conduct procedures widely used by molecular biologists to isolate, separate, amplify and analyze nucleic acids, design experiments utilizing these procedures, and draw appropriate conclusions from the results
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
Learning outcomes published:
� Divisional Undergraduate website
2. Feedback from instructors teaching upper division courses that depend directly on material students learned in lower division courses
3. Surveys: a) Exit survey of graduating
seniors solicit their opinions about the nature, extent, and scope of their learning
b) follow-up surveys done by the Career Service Center show how well the department has prepared students for advanced work or future careers.
c) campus-wide surveys of current students, including the new Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), solicit their views about learning
d) course evaluations (CAPE) at the end of the quarter solicits students’ opinions about how much they have learned during the course.
Molecular Biology
Foundational Courses: 1 year of calculus
1 year of calculus based physics with lab 1 year of general chemistry with lab
2 quarters of organic chemistry with lab
I= Introductory Level A= Advanced Level a= Could be used for program assessment activities
Learning Goals
Knowledge: What should our students know by the time they graduate? BI
LD 1
BILD
3
BIBC
100
BIBC
102
BIBC
103
BICD
100
BICD
110
BIMM
100
BIMM
101
BIMM
112
BIMM
122
UD E
lectiv
e x 4
Optio
nal
Adva
nces
St
udies
- BI
SP 19
4+
Optio
nal
Adva
nces
St
udies
-BI
SP 19
5+
Optio
nal
Adva
nces
St
udies
- BI
SP
196/1
97/19
9+
Understand: � evolution and diversity of living
organism
!
I
!I!/A
!I!/A
� heredity and its molecular basis !I!
!A!a
!
A
!A
!A!a
!A
!I!/A
!I!/A
� the correlation of biological structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
!I!
!I
!A
!A
A
!A!a!
!A!a
!A!a
!A!a
!A!a
!A!a
!I!/A
!I!/A
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
I !I
!A
!A!!a
!A
!A!a
!A
!A!a
!A
!I!/A
!I!/A
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
!I
!
!
!I!/A
!I!/A
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
!I
I
!A
!A
!A
A
!A
!A!a
!A!a
!A
!A
!A
!I!/A !
!I!/A
!A
Have an in-depth understanding of: � the properties, structures, and
functions of biological molecules, and how they interact to accomplish processes that are essential and unique to living cells
!A
!A
!A
!A
!A
!A!a
!A!a
!
!
� Mechanisms regulating the
expression of genetic information
!
I
!
!A!a
!A!a
Learning Goals
BI
LD 1
BILD
3
BIBC
100
BIBC
102
BIBC
103
BICD
100
BICD
110
BIMM
100
BIMM
101
BIMM
112
BIMM
122
UD E
lectiv
e x 4
Optio
nal
Adva
nces
St
udies
- BI
SP 19
4+
Optio
nal
Adva
nces
St
udies
-BI
SP 19
5+
Optio
nal
Adva
nces
St
udies
- BI
SP
196/1
97/19
9+
+ Content varies with instructor
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable hypotheses
to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
!I
!I
!A
!I
!I
!I
!A!a
!I
!I
!I
!A
!A!a
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
!A
!
!A!a
!
A!a
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
!I
!I
!A!a
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
!A
!A!a
!A
!A
!A!a
� Conduct procedures widely used by molecular biologists to isolate, separate, amplify and analyze nucleic acids, design experiments utilizing these procedures, and draw appropriate conclusions from the results
!!A
!!A!a
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
!!I
!!I
!!I
!!I
!!I
!!A!a
!!I
!!I
!!A
!!I
!!I
!!A
!!I/A
!!I
!!A!a
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
!I
!I
!I
!I
!A
!A
!I
!I
!A
!I
!I
!A
!A!
!A!
!A!a!
UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1 Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators
Academic Program
(1)
Have formal learning outcomes
been developed?
(2)
What are these learning outcomes?
Where are they published? (Please specify)
(3)
Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to
determine that graduates have achieved stated
outcomes for the degree? (e.g., capstone course,
portfolio review, licensure examination)
(4)
Who interprets the evidence? What is the process?
(5)
How are the findings used?
(6)
Date of last Academic
Senate Review?
Department:
Division of Biological Sciences Major:
Ecology, Behavior, &Evolution
Yes Students graduating with a degree should be able to:
Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organisms � heredity and its molecular
basis.
� the correlation of biological structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
Have an in-depth understanding of: � the historical path of
evolution, the processes and forces contributing to evolutionary change and how evolution by natural selection shapes the behavior, morphology, and life history of organisms
� the interactions between organism (including humans) and the
Data/Evidence:
1. Courses that challenge students to integrate, synthesize and evaluate knowledge and new information (currently not done; will be implemented).
a) Key Core Courses (marked with an “a” in Learning Goal tables)
b) Capstone courses provide evidence of how well students can integrate and apply a body of knowledge in a culminating project. (Examples of Capstone laboratory courses: BICD 131, BIMM 127, BIBC 104, BIBC 105, BICD 123; Examples of Capstone lecture courses: BICD 136, BIBC 120, BIPN 108, BIBC 130)
c) Special Topics Upper Division Seminar courses: BISP 190 and BISP 194
d) Undergraduate Research Opportunities (BISP 196, BISP 197, BISP 199, AIP 199)which require students to present their findings via: presentation at UCSD’s Undergraduate Research Conference; publication in divisional undergraduate peer-reviewed journal (Saltman Quarterly; poster at annual Spring Quarter Undergraduate Poster Session
� The Education Committee (EC), a divisional committee with faculty representatives from each section (department), reports to and advises the Associate Dean for Education, who is ultimately responsible for the quality and effectiveness of the Academic Programs. The EC establishes programmatic learning objectives, identifies learning outcomes, and establishes curriculum review criteria that are aligned with learning objectives of the education program.
� CEP reviews education program via the Undergraduate Review Committee (every seven years). Associate Dean and EC work collaboratively to address issues identified in CEP review.
� Section Chairs (Department Chairs) and Associate Dean for Education meet regularly to assure additional faculty input for all educational matters.
� Individual faculty comment directly to Associate Dean if they perceive a problem with the prerequisites in preparing students for their courses.
� EC reviews assessment data annually and report back to the Associate Dean, who will initiate processes with the goal to eradicate shortcomings. Associate Dean initiates major internal curricular reviews, which involves ad hoc Biological Sciences faculty workgroups.
� Ad hoc meetings with Vice Chairs for Education from Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments provide a forum for identifying and addressing changed or new educational needs in science and math courses outside the Biological Sciences.
February 20, 2007
environment on a hierarchy of scale ( organismal to global)
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
Learning outcomes published:
� Divisional Undergraduate website..
2. Feedback from instructors teaching upper division courses that depend directly on material students learned in lower division courses
3. Surveys: a) Exit survey of graduating
seniors solicit their opinions about the nature, extent, and scope of their learning
b) follow-up surveys done by the Career Service Center show how well the department has prepared students for advanced work or future careers.
c) campus-wide surveys of current students, including the new Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), solicit their views about learning
d) course evaluations (CAPE) at the end of the quarter solicits students’ opinions about how much they have learned during the course.
Ecology, Behavior, & Evolution
Foundational Courses: 1 year of calculus
1 year of calculus based physics with lab 1 year of general chemistry with lab
2 quarters of organic chemistry with lab
I= Introductory level A=Advanced level a= could be used for program assessment activities
Learning Goals
Knowledge: What should our students know by the time they graduate? BI
LD 1
BILD
2
BILD
3
BICD
100
BIEB
100
BIEB
102
BIEB
150
BIEB
Elec
tive
x 5*
BIEB
Elec
tive
Lab x
2*
UD E
lectiv
e x 3
**
Optio
nal
Addit
ional
Stud
ies –B
ISP
194+
Optio
nal
Addit
ional
Stud
ies –B
ISP
195+
Optio
nal
Addit
ional
Stud
ies –B
ISP
196/1
97/19
9+
Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organisms
!I!
!A!
!A!a!
!A
!A
!I!/A
!I!/A
� heredity and its molecular basis
I!
! A!a!
!!
A! I!/A
I!/A
I!/A
I!/A
� the correlation of biological structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
!I!
!I!
!I!
!A!a!
!A!a!
!A!a!
!A!
!A!
!I!/A
!I!/A
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
I !
I!!
I!!
A!a!
!A!a!
!A!a!
!A!
!A!a!
!I!/A
!I!/A
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
! !I!
! !A!a!
!!
!A!
!A!a!
!I!/A
!I!/A
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
!I
!I!
!I!
!A!
A
!A!
!A!
!A!
!A!
!A
!I!/A !
!I!/A
!A!a
Have an in-depth understanding of: � the historical path of evolution,
the processes and forces contributing to evolutionary change and how evolution by natural selection shapes the behavior, morphology, and life history of organisms
!A!a!
!A!
!A!
!A
!A
!A!a
� the interactions between organism (including humans) and the environment on a hierarchy of scale ( organismal to global)
!A
!A!a!
!A!
!A!
!I
!A
!A!a
Learning Goals
BILD
1
BILD
2
BILD
3
BICD
100
BIEB
100
BIEB
102
BIEB
150
BIEB
Elec
tive
x 5*
BIEB
Elec
tive
Lab x
2*
UD E
lectiv
e x 3
**
Optio
nal
Addit
ional
Stud
ies –B
ISP
194+
Optio
nal
Addit
ional
Stud
ies –B
ISP
195+
Optio
nal
Addit
ional
Stud
ies –B
ISP
196/1
97/19
9+
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge?
� Construct reasonable hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
!I
!I
!I
!I
!I
A!a
!I/A
!A
!A!a
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
!!A!a!
!!A!a
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
!I
!A!a!
!A!a
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
!A!a
!!A!a
Attitudes and Values: What should students value?
� Recognize the interactions between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
!!
I!
!!
I!
!!I!
!!A!a!
!!I!
!!A!
!!A!a!
!!A!
!!A!
!!A!
!!
A!a
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
!I!
!I!
!I!
!A!
!I!
!A!
!A!a!
!A!
!A!
!A!
!A!a
* Must be chosen from the following: BIEB 121-BIEB 180. Al least two of these courses must be laboratory or field courses (BIEB 121, 131, 165, 167 and/or 179) ** Only one quarter or BISP 195 and one quarter of either BISP 196, 197, or 199 may be applied towards this requirement. + Content varies with instructor
UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1 Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators
Academic Program
(1)
Have formal learning outcomes
been developed?
(2)
What are these learning outcomes?
Where are they published? (Please specify)
(3)
Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to
determine that graduates have achieved stated
outcomes for the degree? (e.g., capstone course,
portfolio review, licensure examination)
(4)
Who interprets the evidence? What is the process?
(5)
How are the findings used?
(6)
Date of last Academic
Senate Review?
Department:
Division of Biological Sciences Major: Human Biology
Yes Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organism � heredity and its molecular
basis � the correlation of biological
structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
Have an in-depth understanding of:
� the many biological characteristics that the human species shares with a vast array of other living species
� the physiological mechanisms that coordinate function within and between organ systems and how these change disease states
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments
Data/Evidence:
1. Courses that challenge students to integrate, synthesize and evaluate knowledge and new information (currently not done; will be implemented).
a) Key Core courses (marked with an “a” in Learning Goal tables)
b) Capstone courses provide evidence of how well students can integrate and apply a body of knowledge in a culminating project. (Examples of Capstone laboratory courses: BICD 131, BIMM 127, BIBC 104, BIBC 105, BICD 123; Examples of Capstone lecture courses: BICD 136, BIBC 120, BIPN 108, BIBC 130)
c) Special Topics Upper Division Seminar courses: BISP 190 and BISP 194
d) Undergraduate Research Opportunities (BISP 196, BISP 197, BISP 199, AIP 199)which require students to present their findings via: presentation at UCSD’s Undergraduate Research Conference; publication in divisional undergraduate peer-reviewed journal (Saltman Quarterly; poster at annual Spring Quarter Undergraduate Poster Session
� The Education Committee (EC), a divisional committee with faculty representatives from each section (department), reports to and advises the Associate Dean for Education, who is ultimately responsible for the quality and effectiveness of the Academic Programs. The EC establishes programmatic learning objectives, identifies learning outcomes, and establishes curriculum review criteria that are aligned with learning objectives of the education program.
� CEP reviews education program via the Undergraduate Review Committee (every seven years). Associate Dean and EC work collaboratively to address issues identified in CEP review.
� Section Chairs (Department Chairs) and Associate Dean for Education meet regularly to assure additional faculty input for all educational matters.
� Individual faculty comment directly to Associate Dean if they perceive a problem with the prerequisites in preparing students for their courses.
� EC reviews assessment data annually and report back to the Associate Dean, who will initiate processes with the goal to eradicate shortcomings. Associate Dean initiates major internal curricular reviews, which involves ad hoc Biological Sciences faculty workgroups.
� Ad hoc meetings with Vice Chairs for Education from Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments provide a forum for identifying and addressing changed or new educational needs in science and math courses outside the Biological Sciences.
February 20, 2007
to test the hypotheses � Implement contemporary
biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
� Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
Learning outcomes published: � Divisional Undergraduate
website
2. Feedback from instructors teaching upper division courses that depend directly on material students learned in lower division courses
3. Surveys: a) Exit survey of graduating
seniors solicit their opinions about the nature, extent, and scope of their learning
b) follow-up surveys done by the Career Service Center show how well the department has prepared students for advanced work or future careers.
c) campus-wide surveys of current students, including the new Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), solicit their views about learning
d) course evaluations (CAPE) at the end of the quarter solicits students’ opinions about how much they have learned during the course.
Human Biology
Foundational Courses: 1 year of calculus
1 year of calculus based physics with lab 1 year of general chemistry with lab
2 quarters of organic chemistry with lab
I= Introductory Level A= Advanced Level a= Could be used for program assessment activities
Learning Goals
Knowledge: What should our students know by the time they graduate? BI
LD 1
BILD
2
BILD
3
BIBC
102
BICD
100
BIMM
100
BIMM
110
BIPN
100
1 or 2
from
Hu
man
Phys
iolog
y Cl
uster
*
1 or 2
from
Hu
man
Dise
ase
Clus
ter *
2 UD
LAB*
*
UD E
lectiv
e x 2
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
4+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
5+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
6/197
/199+
Understand: � evolution and diversity of living
organism
!!
! !I!
! ! ! ! ! !!
I/A
I/A
� heredity and its molecular basis
I! ! ! !!
A!a!
A!a!
A!a!
! ! I/A
I/A
� the correlation of biological structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
!I!
!I!
!I!
!A!
!A!a!
!A!a!
!A!
!A!
!A!a!
A!a
!I/A
!I/A
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
!I!
!I!
!I!
!A!
!A!a!
!A!a!
! !A!
!A!a!
A!a
I/A
I/A
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
! ! !I!
! ! ! !A!
!!
!!
!A
!I/A
!I/A
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
!I!
!I!
!I!
!A!
!A!
!A!
!A!
!A!
!A!
A!
A!a
!A
I/A
I/A
A!a
Have an in-depth understanding of:
� the many biological characteristics that the human species shares with a vast array of other living species
! ! ! ! ! ! !!
!A!
!A!
� the physiological mechanisms that coordinate function within and between organ systems and how these change disease states
! !!
! ! ! ! !A!
!A!a!
!A!a!
A
Learning Goals
BILD
1
BILD
2
BILD
3
BIBC
102
BICD
100
BIMM
100
BIMM
110
BIPN
100
1 or 2
from
Hu
man
Phys
iolog
y Cl
uster
*
1 or 2
from
Hu
man
Dise
ase
Clus
ter *
2 UD
LAB*
*
UD E
lectiv
e x 2
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
4
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
5
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
6/197
/199
* Note: Both groups must be included: a) Human Physiology: BIBC 120, BICD 130, 134, 140, 150, BIMM 116, BIPN 102, 148 b) Human Disease: BICD 136, BIMM 114, 118, 120, 124, 134, 166 ** Must be chosen from the following: BICB 103, 105, BICD 111, 131, 145, BIMM 101, 121, BIPN 105 + Content varies with instructor
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable hypotheses
to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
! ! ! !A!
!I!
!I!
!I!
!A!
!A!
!A
A!a
I
!A!a
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
! ! ! ! !!
! ! ! A!a
A!a
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
!I
A!a
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! A!a!
! A! A A!a
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
!!I!
!!
I!
!!I!
!!
I!
!!
A!a!
!!
I!
!!A!a!
!!
A!
!!
A!a!
!!A!a
!!
A!
!!
A!
!!
I/A!
!!I
!!A!a!
� Habitually analyze everyday events using scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
!I!
!I!
!I!
!I!
!A!
!I!
!A!a!
!A!
!A!a!
!A!a
!A
!A
!A
A
!A!a
UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1 Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators
Academic Program
(1)
Have formal learning outcomes
been developed?
(2)
What are these learning outcomes?
Where are they published? (Please specify)
(3)
Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to
determine that graduates have achieved stated
outcomes for the degree? (e.g., capstone course,
portfolio review, licensure examination)
(4)
Who interprets the evidence? What is the process?
(5)
How are the findings used?
(6)
Date of last Academic
Senate Review?
Department:
Division of Biological Sciences Major: Microbiology
Yes Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organism � heredity and its molecular
basis � the correlation of biological
structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
Have an in-depth understanding of:
� structure, physiology, and diversity of microorganisms
� interactions of microbes with their hosts, including microbial diseases
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct
Data/Evidence:
1. Courses that challenge students to integrate, synthesize and evaluate knowledge and new information (currently not done; will be implemented).
a) Key Core Courses (marked with an “a” in Learning Goal tables)
b) Capstone courses provide evidence of how well students can integrate and apply a body of knowledge in a culminating project. (Examples of Capstone laboratory courses: BICD 131, BIMM 127, BIBC 104, BIBC 105, BICD 123; Examples of Capstone lecture courses: BICD 136, BIBC 120, BIPN 108, BIBC 130)
c) Special Topics Upper Division Seminar courses: BISP 190 and BISP 194
d) Undergraduate Research Opportunities (BISP 196, BISP 197, BISP 199, AIP 199)which require students to present their findings via: presentation at UCSD’s Undergraduate Research Conference; publication in divisional undergraduate peer-reviewed journal (Saltman Quarterly; poster at annual Spring Quarter Undergraduate Poster Session
� The Education Committee (EC), a divisional committee with faculty representatives from each section (department), reports to and advises the Associate Dean for Education, who is ultimately responsible for the quality and effectiveness of the Academic Programs. The EC establishes programmatic learning objectives, identifies learning outcomes, and establishes curriculum review criteria that are aligned with learning objectives of the education program.
� CEP reviews education program via the Undergraduate Review Committee (every seven years). Associate Dean and EC work collaboratively to address issues identified in CEP review.
� Section Chairs (Department Chairs) and Associate Dean for Education meet regularly to assure additional faculty input for all educational matters.
� Individual faculty comment directly to Associate Dean if they perceive a problem with the prerequisites in preparing students for their courses.
� EC reviews assessment data annually and report back to the Associate Dean, who will initiate processes with the goal to eradicate shortcomings. Associate Dean initiates major internal curricular reviews, which involves ad hoc Biological Sciences faculty workgroups.
� Ad hoc meetings with Vice Chairs for Education from Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments provide a forum for identifying and addressing changed or new educational needs in science and math courses outside the Biological Sciences.
February 20, 2007
experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
� Isolate, grow, identify, and quantitate microorganisms
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
Learning outcomes published: � Divisional Undergraduate
website
2. Feedback from instructors teaching upper division courses that depend directly on material students learned in lower division courses
3. Surveys: a) Exit survey of graduating
seniors solicit their opinions about the nature, extent, and scope of their learning
b) follow-up surveys done by the Career Service Center show how well the department has prepared students for advanced work or future careers.
c) campus-wide surveys of current students, including the new Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), solicit their views about learning
d) course evaluations (CAPE) at the end of the quarter solicits students’ opinions about how much they have learned during the course.
Microbiology
Foundational Courses: 1 year of calculus
1 year of calculus based physics with lab 1 year of general chemistry with lab
2 quarters of organic chemistry with lab
I= Introductory level A=Advanced level a= could be used for program assessment activities
Learning Goals
Knowledge: What should our students know by the time they graduate? BI
LD 1
BILD
3
BIBC
102
BIBC
103
BICD
100
BICD
140
BIMM
100
BIMM
114
BIMM
120
BIMM
121
BIMM
124
UD E
lectiv
e x 3
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
4+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
5+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
6/197
/199+
Understand: � evolution and diversity of living
organism
!!
!I!
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !I/A!
!I/A!
� heredity and its molecular basis
I! ! !!
! A!a!
! A! ! A! ! ! I/A! I/A!
� the correlation of biological structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
!I!
!I!
!A!a!
!A!
!A!a!
!A!a!
!A!a!
!A!
!A!
!A!
! !I/A!
!I/A!
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
!I!
!I!
!A!a!
! !A!a!
!A!
!A!a!
! ! !A!
!A!a!
!I/A!
!I/A!
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
! !I!
! ! ! ! ! !A!
!A!a!
!A!a!
!A!a!
!I/A!
!I/A!
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
!I!
!I!
!A!
!A!
!A!
!I!
!A!a!
!A!
!A!
!I!
!I!
!A!
!I!/A !
!I!/A
!A!a
Have an in-depth understanding of:
� structure, physiology, and diversity of microorganisms
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !A!a!
!A!a!
!A!a!
!A!a!
!!
� interactions of microbes with their hosts, including microbial diseases
! ! ! ! ! !A!a!
! !A!a!
! !A!a!
!A!a!
!!
Learning Goals
BILD
1
BILD
3
BIBC
102
BIBC
103
BICD
100
BICD
140
BIMM
100
BIMM
114
BIMM
120
BIMM
121
BIMM
124
UD E
lectiv
e x 3
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
4+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
5+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
- BIS
P 19
6/197
/199+
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable hypotheses
to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
! ! !I!
!A!a!
!I!
!I!
!I!
!I!
!I!
!A!
!I!
!I!
!A
!A!a
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
! ! ! !A!a!
!!
! ! ! ! !A!
A!a
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
! ! ! !I!
! ! ! ! ! !A!!
A
A!a
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
! ! ! A!a!
! ! ! ! ! A! A A A!a
� Isolate, grow, identify, and quantitiate microorganisms
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! A!
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
!!I!
!!I!
!!
I!
!!
I!
!!
A!a!
!!
A!a!
!!
I!
!!A!a!
!!
I!
!!A!
!!
A!a!
!!
A!
!!A
!!I
!!A!a!
� Habitually analyze everyday events using scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
!I!
!I!
!I!
!A!
!A!!
!A!a!
!I!
!A!a!
!I!
!A!
!A!a!
!A!
!A!
!A!
!A!a!
UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1 Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators
Academic Program
(1)
Have formal learning outcomes
been developed?
(2)
What are these learning outcomes?
Where are they published? (Please specify)
(3)
Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to
determine that graduates have achieved stated
outcomes for the degree? (e.g., capstone course,
portfolio review, licensure examination)
(4)
Who interprets the evidence? What is the process?
(5)
How are the findings used?
(6)
Date of last Academic
Senate Review?
Department:
Division of Biological Sciences Major: Physiology & Neuroscience
Yes Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organism � heredity and its molecular
basis � the correlation of biological
structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
Have an in-depth understanding of: � the physiological
mechanisms that coordinate functions within and between organ systems, considering all levels of organization from molecules to whole organisms
� how the nervous system carries out its central role of acquiring information about information, and generating effective behavior
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable
Data/Evidence:
1. Courses that challenge students to integrate, synthesize and evaluate knowledge and new information( currently not done; will be implemented).
a) Key Core Courses (marked with an “a” in Learning Goal tables)
b) Capstone courses provide evidence of how well students can integrate and apply a body of knowledge in a culminating project. (Examples of Capstone laboratory courses: BICD 131, BIMM 127, BIBC 104, BIBC 105, BICD 123; Examples of Capstone lecture courses: BICD 136, BIBC 120, BIPN 108, BIBC 130)
c) Special Topics Upper Division Seminar courses: BISP 190 and BISP 194
d) Undergraduate Research Opportunities (BISP 196, BISP 197, BISP 199, AIP 199)which require students to present their findings via: presentation at UCSD’s Undergraduate Research Conference; publication in divisional undergraduate peer-reviewed journal (Saltman Quarterly; poster at annual Spring Quarter Undergraduate Poster Session
� The Education Committee (EC), a divisional committee with faculty representatives from each section (department), reports to and advises the Associate Dean for Education, who is ultimately responsible for the quality and effectiveness of the Academic Programs. The EC establishes programmatic learning objectives, identifies learning outcomes, and establishes curriculum review criteria that are aligned with learning objectives of the education program.
� CEP reviews education program via the Undergraduate Review Committee (every seven years). Associate Dean and EC work collaboratively to address issues identified in CEP review.
� Section Chairs (Department Chairs) and Associate Dean for Education meet regularly to assure additional faculty input for all educational matters.
� Individual faculty comment directly to Associate Dean if they perceive a problem with the prerequisites in preparing students for their courses.
� EC reviews assessment data annually and report back to the Associate Dean, who will initiate processes with the goal to eradicate shortcomings. Associate Dean initiates major internal curricular reviews, which involves ad hoc Biological Sciences faculty workgroups.
� Ad hoc meetings with Vice Chairs for Education from Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments provide a forum for identifying and addressing changed or new educational needs in science and math courses outside the Biological Sciences.
February 20, 2007
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
� Learning outcomes published: Divisional Undergraduate website
2. Feedback from instructors teaching upper division courses that depend directly on material students learned in lower division courses
3. Surveys: a) Exit survey of graduating
seniors solicit their opinions about the nature, extent, and scope of their learning
b) follow-up surveys done by the Career Service Center show how well the department has prepared students for advanced work or future careers.
c) campus-wide surveys of current students, including the new Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), solicit their views about learning
d) course evaluations (CAPE) at the end of the quarter solicits students’ opinions about how much they have learned during the course.
Physiology and Neuroscience
Foundational Courses: 1 year of calculus
1 year of calculus based physics with lab 1 year of general chemistry with lab
2 quarters of organic chemistry with lab
I= Introductory Level A= Advanced Level a= Could be used for program assessment activities
Learning Goals
Knowledge: What should our students know by the time they graduate? BI
LD 1
BILD
2
BILD
3
BIBC
102
BICD
100
BIMM
100
AP&N
COR
E
x 4*
1 Phy
siolog
y LA
B **
1 Elec
tive
LAB*
**
UD E
lectiv
e x 3
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
BIS
P 19
4+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
BIS
P 19
5+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
BIS
P 19
6/197
/199+
Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organism
!I
I!/A
I!/A
I!/A
� heredity and its molecular basis
I!
A!a!
A I!/A
I!/A
� the correlation of biological structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
!I!
!I!
!I
!A
!A!a
!A!a!
!A!a
!A!a
I!/A
I!/A
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
I !
I!!I
!A
!A!a
!A!a
!A!a
!A!a
I!/A
I!/A
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
! !I
!
!
!A!a
!A!a
I!/A
I!/A
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
!I
!I!
I
!A
A
!A
!A!a
!A!a
!A!a!
I!/A
!I!/A !
!I!/A
!A
Have an in-depth understanding of: � the physiological mechanisms
that coordinate functions within and between organ systems, considering all levels of organization from molecules to whole organisms
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!A!!!!!!!!A!!!!!!!!!!!
!A!a
!A
!
!
!A
!A
!A!a
� how the nervous system carries out its central role of acquiring information about information, and generating effective behavior
!A!a
!A
I
!A
!A!a
Learning Goals
BILD
1
BILD
2
BILD
3
BIBC
102
BICD
100
BIMM
100
AP&N
COR
E
x 4*
1 Phy
siolog
y LA
B **
1 Elec
tive
LAB*
**
UD E
lectiv
e x 3
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
BIS
P 19
4+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
BIS
P 19
5+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
BIS
P 19
6/197
/199+
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge?
� Construct reasonable hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
!I
!I
!I
!A
!A!a
!A!a
!A
!A
!A!a
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
!A!a
!!A!a
!!
!!A!a
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
I !
I
!A!a
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
!A!a
!
!A
!A
!A!a
Attitudes and Values: What should students value?
� Recognize the interactions between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
!!I
!!
I!
!!I
!!I
!!A!a
!!I
!!A!a
!!A!a
!!A!a
!!A
!!I/A
!!I
!!A!a!
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
!I
!I!
!I
!I
!A
!I
!A!a
!A!a
!A!a
!A
!A!
!A!
!A!a!
* BIPN 100, 102, 106, 140, 142, 144, 146, 148 ** Must be chosen from the following: BICD 131, 133, BIPN 105, 145 *** Must be chosen from the following: BIBC 103, 105, BICD 101, 111, 123, 131, 145, BIEB 121, 131, 165, 167M 179, BIMM 101, 103, 121, 127, BIPN 105, 145. This lab can be selected from those in the ** category that the student has not already taken + Content varies with instructor
UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1 Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators
Academic Program
(1)
Have formal learning outcomes
been developed?
(2)
What are these learning outcomes?
Where are they published? (Please specify)
(3)
Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to
determine that graduates have achieved stated
outcomes for the degree? (e.g., capstone course,
portfolio review, licensure examination)
(4)
Who interprets the evidence? What is the process?
(5)
How are the findings used?
(6)
Date of last Academic
Senate Review?
Department:
Division of Biological Sciences Major: Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Yes Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organism � heredity and its molecular
basis � the correlation of biological
structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
Have an in-depth understanding of: � the properties, structures,
and functions of biological molecules, and how they interact to accomplish processes that are essential and unique to living cells
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
� Implement contemporary biological research
Data/Evidence:
1. Courses that challenge students to integrate, synthesize and evaluate knowledge and new information (currently not done; will be implemented).
a) Key Core Courses (marked with an “a” in Learning Goal tables)
b) Capstone courses provide evidence of how well students can integrate and apply a body of knowledge in a culminating project. (Examples of Capstone laboratory courses: BICD 131, BIMM 127, BIBC 104, BIBC 105, BICD 123; Examples of Capstone lecture courses: BICD 136, BIBC 120, BIPN 108, BIBC 130)
c) Special Topics Upper Division Seminar courses: BISP 190 and BISP 194
d) Undergraduate Research Opportunities (BISP 196, BISP 197, BISP 199, AIP 199)which require students to present their findings via: presentation at UCSD’s Undergraduate Research Conference; publication in divisional undergraduate peer-reviewed journal (Saltman Quarterly; poster at annual Spring Quarter Undergraduate Poster Session
� The Education Committee (EC), a divisional committee with faculty representatives from each section (department), reports to and advises the Associate Dean for Education, who is ultimately responsible for the quality and effectiveness of the Academic Programs. The EC establishes programmatic learning objectives, identifies learning outcomes, and establishes curriculum review criteria that are aligned with learning objectives of the education program.
� CEP reviews education program via the Undergraduate Review Committee (every seven years). Associate Dean and EC work collaboratively to address issues identified in CEP review.
� Section Chairs (Department Chairs) and Associate Dean for Education meet regularly to assure additional faculty input for all educational matters.
� Individual faculty comment directly to Associate Dean if they perceive a problem with the prerequisites in preparing students for their courses.
� EC reviews assessment data annually and report back to the Associate Dean, who will initiate processes with the goal to eradicate shortcomings. Associate Dean initiates major internal curricular reviews, which involves ad hoc Biological Sciences faculty workgroups.
� Ad hoc meetings with Vice Chairs for Education from Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments provide a forum for identifying and addressing changed or new educational needs in science and math courses outside the Biological Sciences.
February 20, 2007
techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
� Conduct procedures widely used by biochemists and molecular biologists to isolate, separate, and analyze proteins and nucleic acids, design experiments utilizing these procedures, and draw appropriate conclusions from the results
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
Learning outcomes published: � Divisional Undergraduate
website
2. Feedback from instructors teaching upper division courses that depend directly on material students learned in lower division courses
3. Surveys: a) Exit survey of graduating
seniors solicit their opinions about the nature, extent, and scope of their learning
b) follow-up surveys done by the Career Service Center show how well the department has prepared students for advanced work or future careers.
c) campus-wide surveys of current students, including the new Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), solicit their views about learning
d) course evaluations (CAPE) at the end of the quarter solicits students’ opinions about how much they have learned during the course.
Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Foundational Courses: 1 year of calculus
1 year of calculus based physics with lab 1 year of general chemistry with lab
2 quarters of organic chemistry with lab
I= Introductory Level A= Advanced Level a= Could be used for program assessment activities * Must be selected from the following: BIBC 104, 110, 120, 130, BICD 118, BIMM 118, 130 ** Must be chosen from the following: BIBC 105, BICD 101, 111, 123, 131, 133, 145, BIMM 101, 103, 121, 127, 141, BIPN 105, 145, or Chem 143C + Content varies with instructor
Learning Goals
Knowledge: What should our students know by the time they graduate?
BILD
1
BILD
3
BIBC
100
BIBC
102
BIBC
103
BICD
100
BICD
110
BIMM
100
CAPS
TONE
*
UD LA
B x
2 **
UD E
lectiv
e x 4
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
– BI
SP
194+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
– BI
SP
195+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
– BI
SP
196/1
97/19
9+
Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organism
!I
I/A
I/A
� heredity and its molecular basis
!I!
!A!a!
!A
I/A
I/A
� the correlation of biological structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
!I!
!I
!A
!A!a!
A
!A!a
!A
!A!a
!A!a
!I/A
!I/A
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
I !I
!A!a
!A!a
!A
!A!a
!A!a
I/A
I/A
� biotic interactions and the relationship of organisms to the physical environment
!I
!
!
!I/A
!I/A
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
!I
I
!A
!A
!A!a
A
!A
!A!a!
!A!a
!A!a
!A
I/A
I/A
A!a
Have an in-depth understanding of: � the properties, structures, and
functions of biological molecules, and how they interact to accomplish processes that are essential and unique to living cells
A
!A
!A
!A
!A
!A
!A!a
Learning Goals
BILD
1
BILD
3
BIBC
100
BIBC
102
BIBC
103
BICD
100
BICD
110
BIMM
100
CAPS
TONE
*
UD LA
B x
2 **
UD E
lectiv
e x 4
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
– BI
SP
194+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
– BI
SP
195+
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
– BI
SP
196/1
97/19
9+
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge?
� Construct reasonable
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
!I
!I
!A
!I
!I
!I
!I
!A!a!
!I
!A!a
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
!!!A
!!!A!a
!!A!a
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
!I
!I
!A!a
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
A A!a
A A!
A!a
� Conduct procedures widely used by biochemists and molecular biologists to isolate, separate, and analyze proteins and nucleic acids, design experiments utilizing these procedures, and draw appropriate conclusions from the results
!A
!
Attitudes and Values: What should students value?
� Recognize the interactions between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
!!I
!!I
!!I
!!I
!!I
!!A!a
!!I
!!I
!!A!a
!!A!a
!!A
!!I/A!
!!I
!!A!a!
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
!I
!I
!I
!I
!I
!A
!I
!I
!A!a
!A!a
!A
!A
A
!A!a
UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1 Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators
Academic Program
(1)
Have formal learning outcomes
been developed?
(2)
What are these learning outcomes?
Where are they published? (Please specify)
(3)
Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to
determine that graduates have achieved stated
outcomes for the degree? (e.g., capstone course,
portfolio review, licensure examination)
(4)
Who interprets the evidence? What is the process?
(5)
How are the findings used?
(6)
Date of last Academic
Senate Review?
Department:
Division of Biological Sciences Major: Bioinformatics
Yes Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organism � heredity and its molecular
basis � the correlation of biological
structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
Have an in-depth understanding of: � biological processes and
properties as complex systems, including how they are analyzed and modeled to make heuristic predictions
� methods used to organize, search, and analyze large sets of biological information
� data functions & designs, and analysis of algorithms
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge? � Construct reasonable
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
Data/Evidence:
1. Courses that challenge students to integrate, synthesize and evaluate knowledge and new information (currently not done; will be implemented).
a) Key Core Courses (marked with an “a” in Learning Goal tables)
b) Capstone courses provide evidence of how well students can integrate and apply a body of knowledge in a culminating project. (Examples of Capstone laboratory courses: BICD 131, BIMM 127, BIBC 104, BIBC 105, BICD 123; Examples of Capstone lecture courses: BICD 136, BIBC 120, BIPN 108, BIBC 130)
c) Special Topics Upper Division Seminar courses: BISP 190 and BISP 194
d) Undergraduate Research Opportunities (BISP 196, BISP 197, BISP 199, AIP 199)which require students to present their findings via: presentation at UCSD’s Undergraduate Research Conference; publication in divisional undergraduate peer-reviewed journal (Saltman Quarterly; poster at annual Spring Quarter Undergraduate Poster Session
� The Education Committee (EC), a divisional committee with faculty representatives from each section (department), reports to and advises the Associate Dean for Education, who is ultimately responsible for the quality and effectiveness of the Academic Programs. The EC establishes programmatic learning objectives, identifies learning outcomes, and establishes curriculum review criteria that are aligned with learning objectives of the education program.
� CEP reviews education program via the Undergraduate Review Committee (every seven years). Associate Dean and EC work collaboratively to address issues identified in CEP review.
� Section Chairs (Department Chairs) and Associate Dean for Education meet regularly to assure additional faculty input for all educational matters.
� Individual faculty comment directly to Associate Dean if they perceive a problem with the prerequisites in preparing students for their courses.
� EC reviews assessment data annually and report back to the Associate Dean, who will initiate processes with the goal to eradicate shortcomings. Associate Dean initiates major internal curricular reviews, which involves ad hoc Biological Sciences faculty workgroups.
� Ad hoc meetings with Vice Chairs for Education from Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments provide a forum for identifying and addressing changed or new educational needs in science and math courses outside the Biological Sciences.
February 20, 2007
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
� Develop and implement computational solutions to biological problems
Attitudes and Values: What should students value? � Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
Learning outcomes published:
� Divisional Undergraduate website
2. Feedback from instructors teaching upper division courses that depend directly on material students learned in lower division courses
3. Surveys: a) Exit survey of graduating
seniors solicit their opinions about the nature, extent, and scope of their learning
b) follow-up surveys done by the Career Service Center show how well the department has prepared students for advanced work or future careers.
c) campus-wide surveys of current students, including the new Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), solicit their views about learning
d) course evaluations (CAPE) at the end of the quarter solicits students’ opinions about how much they have learned during the course.
Bioinformatics Foundational Courses:
1 year of calculus 1 year of calculus based physics
1 year of general chemistry with lab 2 quarters of organic chemistry
Math 20F
I= Introductory Level A= Advanced Level a= Could be used for program assessment activities
Learning Goals
Knowledge: What should our students know by the time they graduate? BI
LD 1
BILD
2
BILD
94
BIBC
102
BIBC
103
BIBC
110 /
Ch
em 12
7
BICD
100
BICD
110
BIMM
100
BIMM
101
BIMM
181
BIMM
182
BIMM
184
BIMM
185
BENG
183
CSE
11
CSE
12
CSE
21/
Math
15B
CSE
100/
Math
176
CSE
101/
Math
188
Math
186
UD E
lectiv
e x 3
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
–BI
SP19
4
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
–BI
SP19
5
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
–BI
SP19
6/197
/ 199
Understand: � evolution and diversity of
living organism
I A I/A I/A
� heredity and its molecular basis
I$ A$$a$
A$
A I/A$ I/A$
� the correlation of biological structure, function and processes at all levels of biological organizations
$I$
$I$
$A$
$A$
$A$
$A$a$
$A$
$A$a$
$A$a$
$A
$A
$A
$I/A$
$I/A$
� how energy, nutrients, metabolites and information are acquired and organized, and how they flow through biological systems
$I$
$I$
$A$
$$
$A$
$A$a$
$A$
$A$a$
$A$
$A$
$A$
$A$
$I/A
$I/A
� how mathematics, physics and chemistry are integrated into the study of biology
I$ I$ I A$ A$a$
A$ A A A$a
A$a
A A$ A$a$
A A$ I A I/A I/A A$a
Have an in-depth understanding of: � biological processes and
properties as complex systems, including how they are analyzed and modeled to make heuristic predictions
$$
$A$
$A
$A
$A
� methods used to organize, search, and analyze large sets of biological information
$I
$A$a$
$A$
$$
$A$
$A$
$I$
$I$
$I$
$A$
$A$
$A$
� data functions & designs, and analysis of algorithms
A$a
A A$a
A A I$ I$ I$ A A A
Learning Goals
Knowledge: What should our students know by the time they graduate? BI
LD 1
BILD
2
BILD
94
BIBC
102
BIBC
103
BIBC
110 /
Ch
em 12
7
BICD
100
BICD
110
BIMM
100
BIMM
101
BIMM
181
BIMM
182
BIMM
184
BIMM
185
BENG
183
CSE
11
CSE
12
CSE
21/
Math
15B
CSE
100/
Math
176
CSE
101/
Math
188
Math
186
UD E
lectiv
e x 3
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
–BI
SP19
4
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
–BI
SP19
5
Optio
nal
Adva
nced
St
udies
–BI
SP19
6/197
/ 199
Skills: What should students be able to do with their knowledge?
� Construct reasonable
hypotheses to explain biological phenomena and design effective experiments to test the hypotheses
$A
$A$
$A$
$I$
$I
$I
$A$a
$A
$A
$A$
$A$a$
$A$
$I
$A
$A$a
� Implement contemporary biological research techniques to conduct experiments, and use quantitative and/or statistical approaches to analyze the results and draw appropriate conclusions from them
$A
$I
$A$a
$A
$A
$A$
$A$a$
$A$
$A
$A$a
� Use digital technologies to search the scientific literature, and to retrieve and analyze information from reliable databases
$I
$I
$A
$A
$A$
$A$a$
$A$
$A$
$$
$A$a$
� Clearly and accurately communicate biological concepts
$A
$A$a
$
$I
$I$
$A$a$
$I$
$A$
$A$
$A$a$
� Develop and implement computational solutions to biological problems
$A
$A
$A$
$A$a$
$A$
$I
$I
$I
$A$
$A$
$A$
Attitudes and Values: What should students value?
� Recognize the interactions
between biology and society: the impact of biological discoveries on society, the long-term and ethical implications of biological discoveries, and the impact of social context on scientific progress.
$I$
$I$
$I$
$I$
$I$
$A$a$
$I$
$I$
$A$a$
$I$
$A$
$A$
$I$
$A$a$
� Habitually analyze every-day events using the principles of scientific inquiry to evaluate the credibility and value of information acquired from many different sources
$I$
$I$
$I$
$A$
$I$
$A$
$I$
$I$
$A$
$I$
$I$
$I
$I
$I
$A$
$A$
$A$
$A$a$
Biology and Diversity: Use and misuse of science to justify bias, inequity, exclusion and prejudice
BILD 60 – 4 units Proposed for Spring 2015
Course Overview In this course, we will examine diversity, equity, and inclusion in the context of biology from a variety of perspectives. We will start with a biological framework and then examine how underlying biological differences can and have been used to support bias and prejudice against particular groups such as women, African Americans, and Latinos. Beginning with the history of human heredity and the US Eugenics movement, “science” has been used to discriminate against specific human groups. Is eugenics a relic of the past or is our ability to manipulate genomes simply a modern-‐day version of this movement? This question will lead us into the topic of genomes, genome sequencing, and ultimately questions of how widely available genetic testing in a post-‐genomic age can affect individuals and/or different racial or ethnic groups in the US. The topic of epigenetics, beginning with the biology of chromosomal DNA modification, lays the foundation for examining how the environment can affect DNA modification patterns and how this has long-‐term consequences for different ethnic and cultural groups. A study of brain structure and sex hormones will set the stage for examining racial stereotypes as well as differences in sexual identity. We will also consider how genetics as well as environment and cultural issues affect public health and disease in the US. Beginning with the biology underlying diabetes, we will consider how and why the incidence of diabetes is much higher in Hispanic/Latino and black populations as compared with non-‐Hispanic whites. For each of the topics covered in this class, we begin with the biology. We then consider how biological concepts are used to understand differences between human groups but also how they are misused, leading to the justification of prejudice and bias. Ethics, as they relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion, will be an important focal point of this class. Course Goals -‐ To better understand the biological basis of differences between human groups -‐ To understand biological arguments that have been used to explain differences between human groups -‐ To learn how biological differences and arguments have been misused to justify prejudice and discrimination. -‐ To learn how environmental influences play an important role in human biology at molecular, cellular, and organismal levels and how these influences can differ depending on race, ethnicity, and gender. -‐ To better understand one’s racial/ethnic/gender/cultural identity in the wider context of other identities discussed in the course
The course is designed to be highly interactive. Lectures will include questions to the students and plenty of time for discussion. Students will also work cooperatively in groups on in-‐class exercises as well as on a final oral presentation. Course Structure: Lecture The class will meet twice a week for 80 minutes/session. Each week will focus on one general topic. The first session of the week will feature a speaker who will present a lecture while also engaging the class in discussion. Based on material from the lecture, a set of group exercises will be developed for the second session of the week. At that time, the class will be divided into groups of 4 – 5 students; each group will work on the exercises and a spokesperson for the group (rotates each week) will present to the whole class. One session of the course will be an in-‐class ethics workshop on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Course Structure: Discussion Sections Attendance is required at one discussion section/week. The sections will be run by post-‐doctoral fellows and will have between 12 – 15 students. In section, students will be responsible for short presentations of relevant current news articles and for participating in discussions related to class topics and readings. Evaluation/Grading The course will be graded on a Pass/No Pass basis however to pass the course you must hand in all assignments, give a final oral presentation and submit a term paper, and regularly attend and participate in a discussion section. Your work must be of passing quality. Weekly News Assignment: (15% of grade) Every week each student must find a news article that is related to DEI and science. Students must identify the source of the news and write a short paragraph (max ½ page) briefly describing the news item and how it is related to any aspect of diversity, equity, and inclusion. These will be turned in electronically through TED. In addition, at random times during the quarter, students will give a 3 minute oral presentation in discussion section analyzing a news item. Oral presentation (10% of grade) Every group will give a 15 minute oral presentation to the entire class on an approved DEI topic of their choice. All students in the group must participate in the oral presentation. 8-‐10 page Paper (30% of grade). Each student will write an 8 -‐ 10 page paper (as an individual) on the topic that you presented orally to the class, with a focus on your portion of the oral presentation. Quizzes (15% each, 30% total) There will be 3 in-‐class quizzes though only the highest 2 scores will count. They are each worth 15% of your grade. Quizzes will be on topics discussed in class as well as on readings.
Participation (10% of grade) This grade will be based on your oral presentations in section (news presentation) and in class (as spokesperson for your group) as well as on your participation in general class discussions. Reflection (5%) At the end of the class you will be asked to write a 1 – 2 page essay reflecting on your experience in the class, with particular emphasis on your identity in relation to other identities discussed in the class. Date Topic
Weeks 1 -‐ 4 3/31 – 4/23
Diversity in the Context of Biology -‐ A Historical Overview of the Science of Human Heredity in the US -‐ Eugenics -‐ The Use of Science to Institutionalize Discrimination Prisoner Testing, Tuskegee -‐ Epigenetics -‐ environmental and genetic influences on individuals. Ethical and Legal Implications -‐ Race and Medicine in the Post Genomic Age Personal, Societal, Ethical questions raised by access to private genetic information
Week 5/6 4/28 – 5/7
Race, Ethnicity and Gender in Public Health and Disease -‐ Diabesity – effects of environment and lifestyle, genetic predisposition, ethnicity, and culture. -‐ Gender and Public Health Issues -‐ sexual and reproductive health, gender-‐based violence, substance misuse and abuse. -‐ Hela Cells, Sickle cell anemia -‐ Cultural influences on health: anthropological perspective
Week 7-‐ 10 5/12 – 6/4
Stereotypes and the brain -‐ Ethics and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion In-‐class workshop – Stereotypes: The brain -‐ Stereotypes: Racism and LGBT issues -‐ Student Presentations
Following is a partial bibliography for this class. Weekly readings will be selected from the list of sources, which is periodically updated and expanded: General: DEI in science, medicine, and in the news • Implicit Bias test: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/ • Is Science Multi-‐cultural? Ch. 4 “Cultures as Toolboxes for Science and Technologies”
Sandra Harding (1998) • Value-‐Free Science: Purity and Power in Modern Knowledge. Robert Proctor (1991) • Implicit Bias Scientific Foundations Greenwald and Krieger (2006) • Racism, the misuse of Genetics and a Huge Scientific Protest. Los Angeles Times. Hiltzik
(2014).
• Diversity: A Nature and Scientific American Special Issue: (2014) http://www.nature.com/news/diversity-‐1.15913
• The State of the World’s Science. Scientific American Issue (2014) http://www.scientificamerican.com/editorial/state-‐of-‐the-‐worlds-‐science-‐2014/
• Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) (2008) • Ethical, Legal and Social Issues related to the Human Genome project – Minorities, Race,
and Genomics: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/minorities.shtml
• The "Racial" Economy of Science, Sandra Harding, ed., (1993) • Appropriating the Idioms of Science: The Rejection of Scientific Racism”-‐Nancy Leys
Stefan and Sander L. Gilman (1991) Diversity in Biology and the Use of Science to Institutionalize Discrimination • The Genetics and Identity Project:
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/bioethics/genetics_and_identity/index.html • Nature Genetics Supplement on Genetics and Race – (2004):
http://www.nature.com/index.html?file=/ng/journal/v36/n11s/index.html • National Geographic Genographic project • The Mismeasure of Man. Stephen J. Gould (1981) • The Emperors New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium Joseph L.
Graves Jr. (2003) • Eugenics Archive: http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/ • The Code of Codes: Scientific and Social Issues in the Human Genome Project, Daniel
Kevles and Leroy Hood, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, (1992). Out of Eugenics: The Historical Politics of the Human Genome. Kevles.
• The Social Power of Genetic Information. Dorothy Nelkin,
Case Studies: Building Mistrust of Biomedical Research • Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis experiment. James H. Jones (1992) • Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty. Dorothy Roberts
(1998) • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca Skloot (2010) • Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans
from Colonial Times to the Present. Harriet Washington (2008)
Epigenetics • The Ghost in our Genes: Legal and Ethical Implications of Epigenetics. Rothstein, Cai, and
Marchant. Health Matrix Clevel. (2009); 19 (1): 1-‐62. • Germ Cells Carry the Epigenetic Benefits of Grandmother’s Diet. Cooney. PNAS, (2006).
103 (46) 17071 – 17072. • Epigenetics: A turning point in our Understanding of Heredity (Rogers) Scientific
American (2012) • Epigenetic Influences and Disease. (Simmons) Nature Education (2008) 1(1): 6. • Bridging the Transgenerational Gap with Epigenetic Memory. Lim and Brunet. (2013).
Trends in Genetics. 29(3) 176 – 186. • Epigenetics: A Landscape Takes Shape. Goldberg, Allis, and Bernstein. (2007) Cell 128;
635 – 638 • A Twin Approach to Unraveling Epigenetics; Bell and Spector. (2011). Trends in Genetics
27(3) 116 – 125.
• Use and misuse of science in social policies • National Sickle Cell Control Act (1972) • Sickle Cell Anemia: National Program raises problems as well as hopes. Culliton. Science
178 (4058):283-‐86 (1972) • A bloody mess at one federal lab: Officials may have secretly checked staff for syphilis,
pregnancy, and sickle cell. Hawkins, D. US World and News Report (1997) 122 (24):26-‐27
Race and Medicine in the Post-‐Genomic Age • Personalized medicine: who is an Asian?” Lancet (2007) 369 (9575) : 1770-‐1 • The Evidence Gap – Patient’s DNA May Be Signal to Tailor Drugs. New York Times
(2008) • DNAs Power to Predict is Limited, Study Finds. New York Times. (2012) • Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-‐science/race-‐
reemerges-‐in-‐debate-‐over-‐personalized-‐medicine/2011/07/18/gIQAzHqMmI_story.html -‐
• Commercial testing: ex. www.23andme.com • The Code of Codes: Scientific and Social Issues in the Human Genome Project, Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, Daniel Kevles and Leroy Hood, (1992) • Addressing Race and Genetics: Health Disparities in the Age of Personalized Medicine.
(2011) www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/06/pdf/race_genetics.pdf
Race, Ethnicity and Gender in Public Health and Disease; Racializing Medicine • Making the Mexican Diabetic: Race, Science, and the Genetics of Inequality Michael
Montoya (2011) • Dying in the City of the Blues: Sickle Cell Anemia and the Politics of Race and Health Keith
Wailoo (2001) • Race in a Bottle. Kahn (2007). Scientific American 297(2) 40 – 45. • Primary Research article on recombination hotspots in African Americans:
http://genetics.med.harvard.edu/reich/Reich_Lab/Welcome_files/2011_Hinch_Nature.pdf
• Addressing Race and Genetics: Health Disparities in the Age of Personalized Medicine www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/06/pdf/race_genetics.pdf
• Race and Reification in Science. Troy Duster. Science 18 February (2005): Vol. 307 no. 5712 pp. 1050-‐1051
Evolution of the Human Brain; Racial Stereotyping: Performance and Behavior • Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do, Claude Steele (2011) • The Blank Slate, the Modern Denial of Human Nature, Steven Pinker (2002) • Genes and Human Brain Evolution, Geschwind and Konopka, Nature (2012) • Lamarckian evolution explains human brain evolution and psychiatric disorders, Guy
Barry, Frontiers in Neuroscience (2013) • Can race be erased? Coalitional computation and social categorization, Kurzban, Tooby
and Cosmides PNAS (2001) • The Content of Our Cooperation, Not the Color of Our Skin: An Alliance Detection System
Regulates Categorization by Coalition and Race, but Not Sex , Pietraszewski, Cosmides, and Tooby, PLoS 1 (2014)
• Yes, I.Q Really Matters, Hambrick and Chabris, Slate (2014) • Epigenetic mechanisms in memory and synaptic function, Sultan and Day, Epigenomics
(2011)
Diversity and Sexual Orientation • Understanding sexual orientation and gender identity. (2014)
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-‐orientation.aspx • Schüklenk, U., Stein, E., Kerin, J.& Byne, W. (1997). The Ethics of Genetic Research on
Sexual Orientation. Hastings Center Report 27(4) 6-‐13. • J.M. Bailey and R.C. Pillard, "A genetic study of male sexual orientation," Archives of
General Psychiatry, vol. 48:1089-‐1096, December 1991. • LeVay, S. (2010). Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual
Orientation. Oxford University Press.