Monthly Archives: May 2012

Cell Membrane Permeability – a Teaching Tidbit from SERSI12

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

This summer I was privileged to be the facilitator for the Cell/Development group at the Southeast Regional Summer Institute (SERSI), one of 7 replicate progeny of the National Academies/HHMI Summer Institute for advancing undergraduate biology teaching in the nation’s research … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning biology, Teaching Tidbit | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Lac Operetta – can Monty Python and Richard Wagner help students grasp gene regulation?

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

The E. coli lac operon is featured as the paradigm for prokaryotic gene regulation in our Biology 1510 Introduction to Biological Principles course. I want my students to learn the following key concepts): gene expression is regulated by proteins (transcription … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning biology | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Dear student (why I don’t want to lecture)

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

Is this your brain during lecture? Note that the electrodermal activity for this particular student shows the same flatline during class as while watching TV. While the paper does not indicate what went on during this student’s classes, in all … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning biology | Tagged | 2 Comments