Association for Biology Laboratory Education

The cost of money: an inquiry-based laboratory activity identifying bacterial populations on foreign currencies
    

Sarah E Ruffell, Tianqi Yang, Fatima Al-husainawi, and Lingyi Yuan

Advances in Biology Laboratory Education, 2024, Volume 44

https://doi.org/10.37590/able.v44.art18

Abstract

The pedagogical landscape in the scientific domain has transformed, with the integration of personalized and experiential learning. This paper explores the development of innovative pedagogical approaches, which fuse together personalized and experiential learning, targeting individual learner needs while providing engaging and learner-centric experiences. A semester-long group activity is presented, which focuses on the development of microbiology lab preparatory skills, such as making growth medium, and performing phenotypic and genotypic testing on unknown organisms. More specifically, this activity was completed in groups of 2-3, requires ten 2-hour labs and incorporates biochemical tests and barcoding to uncover the identity of bacterial populations on foreign currency. Each student group must formulate a unique hypothesis that they test using the laboratory techniques available to them. Students use the data they have collected to formulate conclusions based on their hypothesis. This paper presents a novel framework that intertwines personalized and experiential learning, elaborating on its implementation, potential benefits, and challenges

Keywords:  personalized learning, experiential learning, semester, hypothesis formulation

University of California, San Diego (2023)