ABLE 2024 Mini Workshops – Association for Biology Laboratory Education

Mini workshops are offered as 45-minute sessions or as 90-minute Extended Minis on Friday. These workshops are opportunities to present novel approaches to teaching in biology labs. They may be presented as a hands-on wet-lab activity, demonstration, computer laboratory, or discussion. All will include attendee participation. Some 45-minute workshops may be offered twice throughout the day. This year we will be introducing Sponsored Mini workshops that are submitted and led by a member of a sponsoring organization – these are not demos, but committee approved exercises that meet all of the criteria for a mini workshop.

Conference attendees sign up for these sessions at the conference registration headquarters after arriving at the conference venue. Early sign-up is encouraged, as space is limited and sessions do fill up.

Name	Affiliation	Title	Location	Date
Gibson, J. Phil Extended Mini	University of Oklahoma	Data Wizardry 101: Unleashing the Magic of HHMI BioInteractive’s Data Explorer in Biology Labs	HJP 2217	Friday, 6/28 Session 1
Pike, Lisa Extended Mini	Francis Marion University	Exploring Q10 of Germinated Seeds by Asking – and Testing – Open-Ended Questions	HJP 3211	Friday, 6/28 Session 1
Penny, Brian Extended Mini	Saint Anselm College	Thinking About Models: CT (Computed Tomography) Exploration of the Human Heart	HJP 1226	Friday, 6/28 Session 1
Staffiere, Sarah Extended Mini	Colby College	Studying Leaf Litter Decomposition in the Field Using Commercial Tea Bags	HJP 3217	Friday, 6/28 Session 1
Vondrasek, Joanna Extended Mini	Piedmont Virginia Community College	Hands-on Biology Labs for Correctional Centers	HJP 1236	Friday, 6/28 Session 1
Tanner, Kimberly Extended Mini	NSF Division of Undergraduate Education	National Science Foundation Opportunities	BPS 1230	Friday, 6/28 Session 1
Pattison, Donna Extended Mini	University of Houston	Using ChatGPT as a Tool to Write a Scientific Journal-Style Paper for a Bioinformatics Project	HJP 3239 Please bring Mac or Windows laptop	Friday, 6/28 Session 1
Debets, Cassandra Extended Mini	University of Manitoba	Teaching Undergraduates About Graphing: A Laboratory Tutorial for all Levels of Undergraduate Biology Students	HJP 3233	Friday, 6/28 Session 1
Fiore, Deborah Extended Mini	Bridgewater State University	Immobilizing Green Algae to Algae Beads	HJP 1235	Friday, 6/28 Session 1
Yezerski, Ann	King’s College	Modeling Gene Circuits	HJP 1229	Friday, 6/28 Sessions 2&3
Thuecks, Suzanne	Washington College	Take this Grading and Bin It: Simplify Lab Report Grading with the Bins-Based Grading System	HJP 2217	Friday, 6/28 Sessions 2&3
Barry, Rachel	University of California, Irvine	Using Computational Tools to Visualize SARS-CoV-2 Genome Variation	HJP 3211	Friday, 6/28 Sessions 2&3
Barriga, Paola	University of Georgia	Practicing Reflection as a Driver to Successful Careers for Undergraduates and Teaching Assistants	HJP 3217 Please bring Mac or Windows laptop	Friday, 6/28 Session 3
Wollschlager, Jenny	University of Minnesota Rochester	Making Sense of the Senses	HJP 2242	Friday, 6/28 Sessions 2&3
Paczolt, Kimberly	University of Maryland College Park	A Framework for Using Student-Derived DNA Samples in Laboratory Exercises	HJP 3233	Friday, 6/28 Session 2
Burke, Jennifer	University of Lethbridge	Exploring a Community of Practice on Science Graduate Teaching Assistants	HJP 3239	Friday, 6/28 Sessions 2&3
Goldstein, Jessica	Barnard College	Reflections on Who Belongs in Science: Curricular Innovations Implemented in an Intro Bio Lab Class	HJP 3233	Friday, 6/28 Session 3
Lemke, Hans	University of Maryland	Clear and Concise Results in Student Writing: Quantitative Comparison Statements to the Rescue	HJP 3217	Friday, 6/28 Session 2
van der Weele, Corine	University of Maryland	Pipette a Rainbow: Combining Lab Skills and Communication in a Single Exercise to Make Both Better	BPS 0207	Friday, 6/28 Session 3
Sarpal, Ritu	University of Toronto	Mapping Cell Fates	HJP 2230 Please bring a Mac or Windows laptop	Friday, 6/28 Sessions 2&3
Nishitani, Allison Sponsored Workshop	miniPCR bio	Discovering Lemur Diversity: Teaching Conservation Genetics Through an Authentic Case Study	HJP 1236	Friday, 6/28 Session 2
Cagle, Duane Sponsored Workshop	Science Interactive	Bringing Science to Life Online: Hands-on Testing of Lactase Specificity for In-Person & Online Learning Environments	HJP 1235	Friday, 6/28 Session 2
Pinnix, Matt Sponsored Workshop	Carolina Distance Learning	Exploring the Microbial World for Online Learners: A Mini-Workshop	HJP 1226	Friday, 6/28 Session 2
Meir, Eli Sponsored Workshop	Simbiotic Software	Teaching and Assessing Experimental Process Skills using Pre-Lab Computer Activities	HJP 1235	Friday, 6/28 Session 3
Martin, Kathryn Sponsored Workshop	Vernier Science Education	Colors and Light: Investigating Plant Pigments	HJP 1226	Friday, 6/28 Session 3

Abstracts – Extended Minis

Data Wizardry 101: Unleashing the Magic of HHMI BioInteractive’s Data Explorer in Biology Labs
J. Phil Gibson, University of Oklahoma
Collecting data is often easier than determining what the data says. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn to use HHMI’s BioInteractive Data Explorer with existing datasets. In addition, participants will reflect on the common challenges instructors face when teaching students how to analyze, interpret, and present the data the students have collected. Participants will then work with Data Explorer using their own data or provided data sets. The session will conclude with attendees reflecting and discussing how to use Data Explorer within their own labs. Intended for high school or college freshman, biology majors and non-majors.

Exploring Q10 of Germinated Seeds by Asking – and Testing – Open-Ended Questions
Lisa Pike*, Elizabeth Jones^, and Jeremy Rentsch*, * Francis Marion University, ^ Shenandoah University
We have designed a multi-week freshmen biology lab where students integrate various biological concepts through open-ended, student-driven research and experimentation. Lab groups first use Vernier CO2 probes to test whether or not mealworms show Q10, which helps them understand the connection between cellular respiration and temperature. Then we ask students how they would test if plants, specifically germinating seeds, also show Q10. After a discussion on how procedures might need to be adjusted, we charge students with asking their own question about how an external factor may affect Q10. Students each come up with a question, design an experiment, and test their question. A lab report is the end product, which requires research into the primary literature and a statistical analysis of data. The example we are presenting is from a student who tested how various salt concentrations affect the Q10 of germinating seeds. The student found that at concentrations of 2.18 ppt and 4.375 ppt (1/16 and 1/8 the concentration of seawater) there was no significant difference between the Q10 of the control and treatments, but at concentrations of 8.75 and 17.5 ppt (1/4 and 1/2 the concentration of seawater) the control had a significantly greater Q10 (at 2.5) than the treatments (1.4 for 8.75 ppt and 1.7 for 17.5 ppt). Fewer seeds germinated at the higher salt concentrations, but Q10 used the rate of production, not the total amount of CO2 produced, so we felt that this data accurately reflects what happens to Q10 when seeds are subjected to salty soils, as might occur in coastal areas as sea level rises causing salt water intrusion. Intended for freshman-junior college level, biology majors.

Hands-on Biology Labs for Correctional Centers
Joanna Vondrasek, Elsa Spencer, and Anne Allison, Piedmont Virginia Community College
In 2023, incarcerated students in the U.S. became eligible for federal Pell grants to fund higher education. Most bachelor’s and associate degree (A.S.) programs require at least one science-with-laboratory course. Correctional centers have stringent restrictions on the types of materials that can be brought into the facilities, and many also have limited technology access, which combine to make lab instruction challenging. We have developed a non-majors biology laboratory curriculum with materials that have been approved for use at several Virginia correctional facilities of varying security levels. These materials include a student laboratory kit in a shoebox plus some shared classroom materials such as micropipettes and microscopes. Where prohibitions on materials make equivalent labs in the correctional centers difficult, we have paired the incarcerated students’ hypothesis generation and protocol design with photographic data from previously-conducted experiments. We will demonstrate a selection of the labs we have adapted from the on-campus curriculum for our non-majors biology course, which satisfies general education requirements for an A.S. in General Studies and will transfer to most 4-year institutions in Virginia. We will also discuss some of the challenges broadly facing laboratory instruction in correctional centers. Intended for college freshman, non-majors.

National Science Foundation Opportunities
Kimberly Tanner, Program Director, NSF, Division of Undergraduate Education, and Lawrence S. Blumer, Morehouse College
An important part of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) mission is fostering research and improvement in science education. The Division of Undergraduate Education in the Directorate of STEM Education has numerous grant opportunities that may be of particular interest to ABLE members. This workshop consists of a presentation on current NSF opportunities and an informal discussion – Q&A. Come with your ideas for improving biology learning and teaching and learn how you could develop a successful grant to support your efforts. Intended for instructors and administrators, biology majors and non-majors.

Studying Leaf Litter Decomposition in the Field Using Commercial Tea Bags
Sarah Staffiere, Colby College
Decomposition is an important ecosystem process that has a major role in the return of nutrients to the soil and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. In forest ecosystems, decomposition of organic matter takes place in the leaf litter and upper layer of soil. To allow our students to explore what certain anthropogenic alterations to the global climate and landscape could mean for decomposition, a project was run across 6 weeks of the semester in our Ecology course to compare the decomposition of two kinds of leaves under varying applied conditions. They buried two types of commercial tea bags as a standardized approach (teatime4science.org), ultimately measuring the decomposition of green tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) and rooibos tea leaves (Aspalathus linearis) on the forest floor in forested or edge habitats across six weeks of time. Students were in groups of three to four individuals and each group applied a treatment such as additional weekly watering, continuous warming of the soil, orapplication of fertilizer while other groups explored differing levels of habitat disturbance or explored sites with different dominant tree species. Tea bags were collected weekly for five weeks and final weights of bags was measured after 48 hours in a drying oven. Data was compiled across six lab sections among common treatments. Data analysis in RStudio involved estimating decomposition parameters and then statistically comparing those parameters between control data provided by the instructor and their specific treatment. Students communicated the findings of their project in the form of individual presentations at the completion of the semester. Intended for sophomore-junior college level, biology majors.

Teaching Undergraduates About Graphing: A Laboratory Tutorial for all Levels of Undergraduate Biology Students
Cassandra Debets, and Kevin G-E Scott, University of Manitoba
Many biology students often lack the skills and understanding of interpreting and presenting biological data. We designed interactive exercises to provide students with opportunities to practice data analysis skills and approaches to graphing in introductory and upper-level laboratories. All exercises were designed to fill a single 3-hour laboratory period, but individual components could be used as stand-alone activities in specific labs. Students are guided through a variety of short exercises that focus on the mechanics of data organization, brief analysis, and graph construction. Students work in small groups to tackle a unique dataset and prepare the data to present as a graph. Workshop participants will have a chance to engage with approaches to graphing using a variety of pre-collected data to explore the process students engage with. Throughout the workshop, we will discuss and highlight common student misconceptions or points of struggle we have observed after our implementations of these activities in a large enrollment (>1,000 student) majors introductory biology lab and upper-level physiology lab. Workshop participants will leave the workshop with ready to go teaching materials for graphing exercises at any level of undergraduate biology teaching. Intended for freshman-graduate college levels, biology majors and non-majors.

Thinking About Models: CT (Computed Tomography) Exploration of the Human Heart
Brian Penney, Saint Anselm College
Students are fascinated by virtual 3D presentations of anatomy, but typically fail to appreciate how these do not represent a real body. That is, these visuals are interpretations or models of real bodies, and differ in important ways. This presents an opportunity to teach about how scientists create and use models, a key Practice and Performance Expectation in the Next Generation Science Standards. In this exercise, students use 3D Slicer–a free, open source, multi-platform program for analyzing image stacks (https://www.slicer.org). We will create two models of the heart based on a freely downloadable CT scan of a human torso. These models are created from the underlying data in two different ways: either by colorizing and cropping the data or by segmentation, where a human user manually assigns to each heart region. By contrasting what was included or excluded in their two models versus the underlying data, two classroom models and an actual heart, students learn to appreciate what models accomplish and that different models can be correct for different applications. Additionally, students trace regions of the data while creating these models themselves, helping solidify their anatomical knowledge without worrying about artistic ability. Intended for high school or freshman-junior college levels, biology majors and non-majors.

Using ChatGPT as a Tool to Write a Scientific Journal-Style Paper for a Bioinformatics Project
Donna L. Pattison, University of Houston
The age of AI has arrived. It is important that both faculty and students understand both its potential power as a tool and its limitations. In this mini-workshop, participants will explore ChatGPT as part of the writing process for a journal-style paper on a bioinformatics research project. The class assignment requires students to look at the accuracy of the feedback and consider the quality of the prompts they choose, generate an outline for the introduction and discussion sections of their paper, and review the potential for unintentional plagiarism when using AI generated material. Intended for all levels, biology majors and non-majors. Please bring your Mac or Windows laptop.

Abstracts – Regular Minis

A Framework for Using Student-Derived DNA Samples in Laboratory Exercises
Kimberly Paczolt, and Hao Yiu, University of Maryland College Park
The use of student-derived data in the laboratory classroom is an appealing way to increase student engagement, but brings with it a number of ethical concerns, principally that such exercises may reveal aspects of students’ genetics which affect their personal identity. We will summarize our approach to using student DNA samples in two laboratory exercises, one using mitochondrial DNA sequence data and another using RFLPs to genotype SNPs associated with lactase persistence. These multi-week laboratory exercises are units of a general education laboratory course called BSCI150: Beyond Race: Human Biological Diversity, at the University of Maryland, College Park. Overall, past students were enthusiastic to participate in these exercises, with many choosing “analysis of their own DNA” as their favorite aspect of the course. During this workshop, we will walk participants through our effort to balance the novelty of allowing each student to analyze their own DNA with necessary ethical considerations such as informed consent, opt out procedures, and data privacy within each exercise. We will also share the unexpected outcomes, including how this unit structure became an impactful way to facilitate student discussion of research ethics, and the troubleshooting necessary for any participants who would like to use these units in their own courses. Intended for freshman-junior college levels, biology majors and non-majors.

Clear and Concise Results in Student Writing: Quantitative Comparison Statements to the Rescue
Hans Lemke, University of Maryland
Students and professionals alike often struggle to write clear and concise summaries of experimental results. Teaching students a systematic approach to writing quantitative comparison (QC) statements gives them a framework for writing about their results they can carry forward through their academic and professional careers. The process of writing and evaluating QC statements is based on the 4Cs: Calculation, Context, Comparison, and Clarity. In this workshop, participants will work through an exercise that introduces QC statements, has students evaluate statements based on the 4Cs, and gives them the opportunity to write their own statements based on an experiment they have previously completed.

Exploring a Community of Practice on Science Graduate Teaching Assistants
Jennifer Leigh Burke, Laurie Pacarynuk, and Tegan Barry, University of Lethbridge
The role of graduate teaching assistants (GTA’s) varies across institutions. For some, completing a teaching assistantship (TAship) may be a requirement of their graduate program. For others TAships provide income, teaching opportunities, and experience for their future academic career. While not all graduate students have the opportunity to teach, those who do can make a lasting impact on their students’ learning and experience. GTAs teach most lab sections of undergraduate courses in STEM disciplines. To prepare GTAs for their role, laboratory coordinators typically organize weekly training sessions focused on reviewing content and demonstrations. GTAs are often hired because of their disciplinary content knowledge rather than their capacity to teach the content effectively. We hypothesized that one way to bolster effective teaching by GTAs would be to institute weekly Community of Practice (CoP) meetings. These meetings were attended by GTAs for first-year biology labs on a voluntary basis. Three faculty members worked together to host the meetings. Our initial data indicates that the CoP did, in fact, increase the pedagogical development of GTAs. This mini workshop will take participants through the CoP process and involve them in the pre-and-post CoP questions we utilized for our qualitative analysis. We will also lead a discussion on the use of CoP in SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) practices. Intended for senior – graduate college levels, biology majors.

Immobilizing Green Algae to Algae Beads
Deborah Fiore, Bridgewater State University
The use of immobilized algae, algae beads, has become a useful model to investigate the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in Introductory Biology labs. Algae beads can be purchased from several sources, but the process of immobilization of algae is inexpensive, simple, and offers an opportunity for students to practice basic lab skills. The process of growing green algae, immobilizing the algae, and utilizing the resulting algae beads can be integrated into Photosynthesis lab exercises in an Introductory Biology laboratory course. Participants of this workshop will make algae beads to take home. The beads will be made by harvesting green algae, Chlorella, cultures, immobilizing the algae in sodium alginate followed by cross linking the beads in CaCl2. Experimental activities using the algae bedas to investigate light intensity & algae concentration on photosynthesis and cell respiration in a General Biology lab will be demonstrated. In addition, algae culture set up and maintenance will be discussed. Intended for high school and freshman-junior college levels, biology majors and non-majors.

Making Sense of the Senses
Jenny Wollschlager, University of Minnesota Rochester
The special senses are a surprisingly complex topic in human physiology courses. They are also the perfect topic to integrate demonstrations. In this workshop we will explore touch, taste, olfaction, vision, and hearing. Participants will start with a hands-on activity to experience differences in receptive fields. We will then move onto a popcorn tasting and a vanilla sugar tasting to demonstrate the effects of different tastants, as well as visual and olfactory influences on taste. Next we will explore color perception in a way very similar to the blue and black or gold and white dress discussion that took over the internet years ago. We will also observe visual convergence and pupil dilation related to near and far vision. The final visual component will include a demonstration of the bleaching reaction using negative after-images. Finally, the link between visual cues and auditory perception will be explored using the McGurk effect. Students have found these demonstrations highly enjoyable and helpful to their understanding of the content. Any number or combination can easily be integrated into any sensory physiology lecture or laboratory, at any level from high school through senior undergraduates. Intended for all levels, biology majors and non-majors.

Mapping Cell Fates
Rita Sarpal, University of Toronto
A central question in the field of Developmental Biology is ‘How does a single-celled embryo give rise to a complex multicellular organism?’ Our understanding of embryogenesis rests on the construction of fate maps which allow us to study the future identity of cells within an organism. By labeling and tracking cells at various stages of embryonic development we can observe which tissues or organs they will become a part of at a later stage of development. Building a comprehensive fate map thus provides valuable insights into an organism’s developmental pathway. However, the experimental procedure to construct fate maps is tedious, time-consuming, and technically challenging, making it difficult to incorporate it as a lab for undergraduate students. In this mini-workshop, I will present a lab activity which I developed using a free user-friendly app called FatemapApp (http://fatemapapp.com/) in order to give students a flavor of how fate-maps are generated and what we can learn from them. This exercise focused on embryos from the following species: the 32-cell stage of the frog (Xenopus laevis) embryo, the gastrula stage of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo, and the 64-cell stage of the tunicate (Holocynthia roretzi) embryo. Students utilized FatemapApp to construct fate maps for these organisms, and subsequently presented their findings. This highly engaging and interesting lab activity was originally developed for online learning in 2020, and later incorporated as part of our regular in-person course. Intended for senior – graduate college levels, biology majors and non-majors. Please bring you Mac or Windows laptop.

Modeling Gene Circuits
Ann Yezerski, King’s College
One of the current trending terms in molecular biology is “gene circuit” which refers to the genetic control of intricate enzymatic pathways that are responsible for biochemical processes in the body. The more we learn about the molecular genetics and physiology of these pathways, the more difficult it is for students to conceive of all the interactions. In order to make these complex concepts more understandable, I have created an exercise using electrical circuits as analogs. Since electrical circuits can be just as complicated to understand, I use a child’s educational toy kit designed to teach electronics known as Snap Circuits. Through these activities, students can model pathways being studied in class and also be challenged to build their own gene circuit for any biochemical process. An example will be presented which applies the concepts to the classic fly eye pigments laboratory exercise. Participants will construct their own basic pathways and discuss options for use in courses such as Genetics, Biochemistry, and Cell Biology. Intended for sophomore – graduate college levels, biology majors.

Practicing Reflection as a Driver to Successful Careers for Undergraduates and Teaching Assistants
Paola Barriga, University of Georgia
Metacognition is the ability to reflect about our learning, to learn about ourselves, and to take the actions that help us learn. Metacognitive awareness allows students to identify their strengths and weaknesses as well as empowering them to use adequate learning strategies depending on the task. Students who reflect on their own thinking are known to learn more than their peers who do not. Metacognition is associated with learning outcomes, performance, and problem solving. Metacognition is not only a valuable practice while students learn during their college years, but due to the general trend of adults changing careers or jobs more often than it used to be, learning to reflect about best practices of learning will set up students to be successful lifelong learners who will adapt to new job demands and markets. The ability to reflect on our own behaviors and ways of learning is an indispensable soft skill sought by employers as much as teamwork is. During this mini workshop I will share two short exercises I have created to enhance the undergraduate reflection. The first exercise is a short reflective writing assignment to think about accountability and integrity. The second exercise is a reflection deployed after collaborating in groups during laboratory activities. These exercises offer definitions to key behaviors that allow building trust in any relationship (e.g. accountability and empathy) as well as having a positive learning experience. Participants who attend this mini workshop will receive some examples of undergraduate reflections and will have the opportunity to discuss potential changes to the activities that could allow them to incorporate such exercises in their courses. Participants will also receive an example of a survey developed to enhance self-reflection in teaching assistants who are grading the reflections from undergraduates because TAs should model behaviors that build trust. Intended for freshman-senior college level, biology majors and non-majors.

Pipette a Rainbow: Combining Lab Skills and Communication in a Single Exercise to Make Both Better
Corine van der Weele, University of Maryland
On the first day of the semester there are a lot of different issues to attend to and students can get overloaded with information when stepping through them in a serial fashion. It is necessary though to deliver this information before they can engage in the lab. In my 300 level Cell Biology and Physiology course, two basic skills are needed before beginning the first exercise which are knowing how to pipette and understand how to make good notes. Rather than going through these skills individually I have combined them into a single activity. Students learn to handle P1000 and P200 pipettes by pipetting volumes of colored liquids, but they must figure out the volumes they need and communicate that information to other groups effectively. Students use colored stock solutions to create a rainbow and combine this with an exercise on how to make notes and keep a notebook. This is a group exercise and as a group they have to decide how to write down what they did to create this rainbow. Then, notes are exchanged between groups and each group tries to replicate what was done based on these notes. After the exercise a class discussion on how well each group was able to follow the notes and come up with the same results will emphasize the importance of good note taking as a lab skill. Participants will have the opportunity to try their hand at a shortened version of this exercise during the workshop. Intended for freshman – junior college level, biology majors and non-majors.

Reflections on Who Belongs in Science: Curricular Innovations Implemented in an Intro Bio Lab Class
Jessica Goldstein, Jordan Balaban, Barnard College
Introductory Biology Lab classes provide opportunities for students to learn lab techniques, practice data analysis methods, and develop critical analysis skills. However, science is not done in a vacuum, and the connection between scientific research and broader social issues are important to highlight, particularly for introductory students who are early in their scientific career journey. This workshop will describe ways that we ask our intro bio lab students to reflect on what it means to be a scientist, who is included in scientific spaces, and why this matters. We have developed short modular assignments addressing these questions that we have been implementing in a semester-long introductory biology lab course for the past few years. In this workshop, we will describe the assignments, allow participants to interact with the assignment resources, and present data about how this appears to impact students’ feeling of belonging in STEM spaces. Assignments to be described include: (1) discussing “Science under the Scope” by Sophie Wang (https://freerads.org/2016/01/09/science-scope-1/), a comic series about science and social justice, (2) using the Scientist Spotlights Initiative Project https://scientistspotlights.org/about-us/, a program run by a group of students, teachers, and scientists who are committed to making the sciences more inclusive by highlighting diverse voices, and (3) demystifying the process of becoming involved in academic research as an undergraduate. The workshop will end with a discussion about how these resources might be modified for use at participant’s institutions. Intended for all levels, biology majors and non-majors.

Take this Grading and Bin it: Simplify Lab Report Grading with the Bins-Based Grading System
Suzanne Thuecks*, and Dan Johnson^, *Washington College, ^Wake Forest University
Tired of spending your nights and weekends grading lab reports, feeling like your comments are not even read by students? Bins-based grading may be for you, and your large introductory lab courses too! Dan Johnson has implemented this method of commenting and grading on papers in introductory biology labs at Wake Forest University, training many GTAs in the process. Suzanne Thuecks uses the system in introductory biology at Washington College, a small liberal arts school, and has trained professors and adjuncts. By using strategic commenting on rough drafts and clear communication with students, we improve student writing while drastically reducing instructor time in grading. In this mini workshop, you will try out bins grading yourself using one of our rubrics, and model reports from our collection. Or, you can bring reports from your own students to try it out. A detailed open-source resource guide is available online to help you adapt bins-based grading to your particular needs. Intended for all levels, biology majors and non-majors.

Using Computational Tools to Visualize SARS-CoV-2 Genome Variation
Rachael Barry*, and April Williams^, *UC Irvine, ^Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Computational and quantitative skills are important for a well-rounded modern biology education. In this workshop, we present a standalone lesson created for undergraduate microbiology courses that provides an introduction to data visualization in R using the Posit Cloud interface. In this lesson, students follow a step-by-step protocol to analyze sequencing data of SARS-CoV-2 genome variants using pre-made R scripts. They create a map of mutations found across the genome as well as a series of graphs depicting the types of mutations observed and their frequency. A series of questions throughout the activity promote group discussion about topics in genetics and virology. These questions also encourage students to make predictions about the data based on their prior knowledge and compare them to the maps and graphs they create, building authentic research skills. The final part of the lesson requires students to make modifications to the provided R code in order to display data about a gene of their choosing within the virus genome. This lesson requires no prior coding or R experience. All data analysis is done using free cloud computing resources and requires no specialized equipment other than computer and internet access. Intended for sophomore – junior levels, biology majors and non-majors.

Abstracts – Sponsored Minis

Bringing Science to Life Online: Hands-on Testing of Lactase Specificity for In-Person & Online Learning Environments
Duane Cagle*, and Michele Barmoy^, *Science Interactive, ^Allegany College of Maryland
During this session, participants will get a feel for how interactive and hands-on learning can be for online students. During our mini workshop, we’ll conduct a hands-on science experiment, aimed at investigating the specificity of lactase. Attendees will use small-scale amounts of reagents and labware provided in our ready-made hands-on kits, and we’ll review concepts using a digital lab manual before performing the experiment. Attendees will then upload results into digital lab manual data tables and photo panels. Throughout the experiment, we’ll share best practices for creating an interactive online learning experience and how instructors can tailor hands-on labs to meet the unique learning objectives and needs of students across courses. Attendees will leave this session with practical strategies for creating a hands-on, experiential experience that more deeply engages students in their learning. The workshop will conclude with an open discussion on the effectiveness of the methodology for teaching enzyme specificity. Intended for college freshman, biology majors and non-majors.

Colors and Light: Investigating Plant Pigments
Kathryn Martin, Vernier Science Education
Engage in an immersive, hands-on workshop designed to help you make spectroscopy simple and exciting for your students. In this interactive session, participants will use our array spectrometer (Go Direct® SpectroVis® Plus Spectrophotometer) to capture spectra from a chlorophyll extraction using spinach, as well as exploring other spectra from berries, fruit, and olive oil. Finally, we will show participants how they can use extracts from algae powder to discuss the evolution of plants with students. This workshop will incorporate real-time graphing using our free Spectral Analysis app, available for computers, Chromebooks and mobile devices at https://www.vernier.com/product/spectral-analysis. Intended for all levels, biology majors and non-majors.

Discovering Lemur Diversity: Teaching Conservation Genetics Through an Authentic Case Study
Allison Nishitani, miniPCR bio
Lemur scientists from Duke University will highlight their research, going beyond the data, to share the ins-and-outs of fieldwork, the origin of the project and its implications for wildlife conservation in Madagascar. Based on data collected in the field, the Duke Lemur Center and miniPCR bio have developed a hands-on activity in which students use authentic morphological data collected at a field site in Madagascar to predict the species identity of lemurs. Using gel electrophoresis to perform DNA analysis, students evaluate their predictions and determine if a lemur species has been rediscovered. This activity was designed to bring hands-on molecular techniques to ecology and evolution units. Intended for high school or freshman college level, biology majors and non-majors..

Exploring the Microbial World for Online Learners
Matt Pinnix, Carolina Distance Learning, and Denise Woodward, Pennsylvania State University
Embark on an engaging journey with Denise Woodward, instructor at Penn State, and Matt Pinnix from Carolina Distance Learning as they lead you through an immersive mini-workshop focused on a hands-on Microbiology lab investigation for online learners. This workshop will provide participants with valuable insights into safely executing experiments from the comfort of their own spaces. Participants will gain a profound understanding of how this remote lab experience mirrors the richness of an on-campus setting, emphasizing the seamless integration of technology and practical learning. By delving into the intricacies of remote Microbiology experimentation, attendees will discover innovative approaches to fostering an authentic and interactive educational experience, transcending physical boundaries and creating a bridge between virtual and traditional laboratory settings. Join us to unlock the potential of remote learning in the realm of Microbiology, where safety, engagement, and educational efficacy converge. Intended for all levels, biology majors and non-majors.

Teaching and Assessing Experiential Process Skills Using Pre-Lab Computer Activities
Eli Meir, SimBiotic Software
With a push towards including more authentic scientific practices in introductory biology labs, students must learn and practice experimental process skills such as making hypotheses, designing experiments, and analyzing and presenting data. Students often come into our classes with gaps in these skills that must be addressed for them to benefit from the research experiences. In this workshop we will play with two computer activities derived from NSF studies targeting those challenges, and discuss implications from the research for how we teach difficult skills. The first is a simulation-based tutorial called Understanding Experimental Design which helps students with the fundamentals of doing a good experiment in biology. The second is an assessment called GraphSmarts that provides instructors information on where students are struggling in constructing graphs. For both, we’ll look at data on the role of feedback and constraint (amount of choice) in student learning and assessment for complex skills. Participants will take home PDFs of the graphing assessments. Bring your Mac or Windows laptop. Intended for all levels, biology majors and non-majors.