ArticleCBE life sciences education2014
Introductory biology students' conceptual models and explanations of the origin of variation.
Article in CBE life sciences education, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed.
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- Examining and Supporting Mechanistic Explanations Across Chemistry and Biology Courses.CBE life sciences education · 2024Article
- Developing Student Expertise in Evolution: Cognitive Construals Complement Key Concepts in Student Representations.CBE life sciences education · 2024Article
- Missed connections: Exploring features of undergraduate biology students' knowledge networks relating gene regulation, cell-cell communication, and phenotypic expression.CBE life sciences education · 2023Article
- Students explain evolution by natural selection differently for humans versus nonhuman animals.CBE life sciences education · 2023Article
- Using Systems and Systems Thinking to Unify Biology Education.CBE life sciences education · 2022Article
- Improving Students' Understanding of Biological Variation in Experimental Design and Analysis through a Short Model-Based Curricular Intervention.CBE life sciences education · 2022Article
- Supporting Scientific Practice through Model-Based Inquiry: A Students'-Eye View of Grappling with Data, Uncertainty, and Community in a Laboratory Experience.CBE life sciences education · 2021Article
- BioSkills Guide: Development and National Validation of a Tool for Interpreting theCBE life sciences education · 2020Article
- Development of the Biological Variation In Experimental Design And Analysis (BioVEDA) assessment.PloS one · 2020Article
- Scaffolding Activities Increase Performance and Lower Frustration with Genotype-to-Evolution Models in Molecular Genetics.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2020Article
- Exploring Students' Descriptions of Mutation from a Cognitive Perspective Suggests How to Modify Instructional Approaches.CBE life sciences education · 2019Article
- Biological Variation as a Threshold Concept: Can We Measure Threshold Crossing?CBE life sciences education · 2019Article
- Authentic Inquiry through Modeling in Biology (AIM-Bio): An Introductory Laboratory Curriculum That Increases Undergraduates' Scientific Agency and Skills.CBE life sciences education · 2018Article
- Further Effects of Phylogenetic Tree Style on Student Comprehension in an Introductory Biology Course.CBE life sciences education · 2018Article
- Connecting Structure-Property and Structure-Function Relationships across the Disciplines of Chemistry and Biology: Exploring Student Perceptions.CBE life sciences education · 2018Article
- Investigating Undergraduate Students' Use of Intuitive Reasoning and Evolutionary Knowledge in Explanations of Antibiotic Resistance.CBE life sciences education · 2017Article
- University Students' Conceptual Knowledge of Randomness and Probability in the Contexts of Evolution and Mathematics.CBE life sciences education · 2017Article
- Effectiveness and Adoption of a Drawing-to-Learn Study Tool for Recall and Problem Solving: Minute Sketches with Folded Lists.CBE life sciences education · 2017Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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Abstract
Mutation is the key molecular mechanism generating phenotypic variation, which is the basis for evolution. In an introductory biology course, we used a model-based pedagogy that enabled students to integrate their understanding of genetics and evolution within multiple case studies. We used student-generated conceptual models to assess understanding of the origin of variation. By midterm, only a small percentage of students articulated complete and accurate representations of the origin of variation in their models. Targeted feedback was offered through activities requiring students to critically evaluate peers' models. At semester's end, a substantial proportion of students significantly improved their representation of how variation arises (though one-third still did not include mutation in their models). Students' written explanations of the origin of variation were mostly consistent with their models, although less effective than models in conveying mechanistic reasoning. This study contributes evidence that articulating the genetic origin of variation is particularly challenging for learners and may require multiple cycles of instruction, assessment, and feedback. To support meaningful learning of the origin of variation, we advocate instruction that explicitly integrates multiple scales of biological organization, assessment that promotes and reveals mechanistic and causal reasoning, and practice with explanatory models with formative feedback.
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