Alexander Stephen, Hannink Mark
Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 65211.
Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 65211.
Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2019 Jul;47(4):408-416. doi: 10.1002/bmb.21247. Epub 2019 Apr 15.
We describe an advanced, inquiry driven undergraduate course in Cancer Biology that combines faculty lectures typical of undergraduate courses with literature-driven discussions typical of graduate courses. As a capstone course, one goal of this course is to integrate knowledge from previous coursework in physiology, cell and molecular biology, genetics, and chemistry, so that students acquire a state-of-the-art understanding of cancer and cancer treatment. A related goal is for students to learn, from the primary literature, how science is performed and how new scientific knowledge is used to improve cancer treatment. We report on the development of this course and the methods used to accomplish the course goals. We present the results of a 5-year survey that provides a detailed picture of the demographics of the class and demonstrates that the course results in improved understanding of both cancer biology and how science is performed. Student responses to our survey strongly support the use of original literature as a teaching tool. We suggest that incorporation of primary literature into advanced undergraduate science courses is an effective approach for improving scientific literacy. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(4):408-416, 2019.
我们介绍了一门先进的、以探究为导向的本科癌症生物学课程，该课程将本科课程中常见的教师授课与研究生课程中常见的文献驱动讨论相结合。作为一门顶点课程，本课程的一个目标是整合生理学、细胞与分子生物学、遗传学和化学等先前课程的知识，以便学生对癌症和癌症治疗有最前沿的理解。一个相关目标是让学生从原始文献中学习科学是如何开展的，以及新的科学知识如何用于改善癌症治疗。我们报告了本课程的开发情况以及用于实现课程目标的方法。我们展示了一项为期5年的调查结果，该调查详细呈现了班级的人口统计学特征，并表明该课程能增进对癌症生物学以及科学研究方式的理解。学生对我们调查的反馈强烈支持将原始文献用作教学工具。我们认为将原始文献纳入本科高级科学课程是提高科学素养的有效途径。© 2019国际生物化学与分子生物学联盟，47(4):408 - 416，2019。
