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Full-Text Articles in Biology

A Model Of The Use Of Evolutionary Trees (Muet) To Inform K-14 Biology Education, Yi Kong, Ankita Thawani, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy Pelaez Feb 2017

A Model Of The Use Of Evolutionary Trees (Muet) To Inform K-14 Biology Education, Yi Kong, Ankita Thawani, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy Pelaez

PIBERG Publications

Evolutionary trees are powerful tools used in modern biological research, and also commonly used in textbooks and classroom instruction. Studies have shown that K-14 students have difficulties interpreting evolutionary trees. To improve student learning about this topic, it is essential to teach them how to understand and use trees like professional biologists. Unfortunately, few currently used teaching frameworks for evolution instruction are designed for this purpose. In this study we developed the Model of the Use of Evolutionary Trees (MUET), a conceptual model that characterizes how evolutionary trees were used by professional biologists as represented in their research publications. The …


Guidelines To Avoid Typical Difficulties According To The Rubric For Experimental Design (Red), Annwesa Dasgupta, Nancy Pelaez Nov 2016

Guidelines To Avoid Typical Difficulties According To The Rubric For Experimental Design (Red), Annwesa Dasgupta, Nancy Pelaez

PIBERG Publications

Experimental design is an important component of undergraduate biology education as it generates knowledge of biology. Despite its importance, there is limited information about what students actually learn from designing experiments. Dasgupta et al (2014) reported on the development and validation of a Rubric for Experimental Design (RED), informed by a literature review and empirical analysis of thousands of undergraduate biology students’ responses to three published assessments. The RED is a useful probe for five major areas of experimental design abilities: the variable properties of an experimental subject; the manipulated variables; measurement of outcomes; accounting for variability; and the scope …