ABSTRACT
"Biotechnology Transforms Our World"
was developed as a one-semester lower division lecture/laboratory course that
fulfills a general education requirement for students who are not majoring in
the biological sciences. The aim is to provide an overview of biology with a
focus on the contributions of biotechnology. Multiple sub-disciplines of
biology are reviewed, including cell, molecular, evolutionary and organismal
biology, genetics and ecology. A case study approach presents applications of
biotechnology that directly relate to core biological concepts. Hands-on
laboratory exercises with recently developed techniques for analyzing DNA and
protein involve students in the scientific process. A variety of active
learning strategies and classroom assessment techniques are employed to assist
students with diverse learning styles. Student teams formulate oral and
written presentations of case studies as a culminating collaborative project.
Resources developed for the course include a student manual, course website
and instructor’s manual. Future teachers can greatly benefit from exposure
to this expanding field, since biotechnology will continue to generate seminal
knowledge in biology and provide advances that may raise controversial issues
to be addressed by an informed electorate.
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