New Graduate Course Proposal
BI 594
Methods in Biological Research
1. Bulletin Description,
BI 594: Methods in Biological Research (1-3-3) 6 cr.
Prerequisite: Open to Biology Department Graduate Students or permission of Graduate
Director or Department Head.
This is a course designed to teach research methods at the graduate level. Students will
participate in three two-week rotations in scientific research laboratories. Topics will vary with
offering. Course will meet for six hours daily for six weeks.
Course will be graded on a standard letter grade scale.
2. Rationale – state:
1. This course is needed to provide a research experience for graduate students in the
biological sciences that does not include an independent thesis project. This
experience is critical and this intensive course will offer students the ability to learn a
variety of biological techniques in a short period of time in a research laboratory setting.
2. This course will be a requirement for the Master of Science in Post-Secondary Biology
Education program. It will be available as an elective in the Master of Science in
Biology program and other programs not in the Biology Department.
3. Course Outline
(a) Topics: The scientific topics to be covered in this course will vary dramatically between
offerings as they will be linked to the research programs of those teaching the course. Examples
might be cancer biology, neuromuscular junction function, parasitism of native mammals,
fisheries ecology, microbial interactions in plant root systems, or many others. However, all
offerings of the course will be united by an emphasis on the skills needed to read scientific
literature in a biological subdiscipline, learn specific methodologies needed for a specific
experiment, design and conduct experiments, and analyze and present data.
(b) Course Objectives:
Students will be able to:
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Decipher scientific literature related to specific subdisciplines of biology
Demonstrate proficiency in lab and/or field skills linked to specific subdisciplines of biology
Design scientifically valid experiments and conduct them successfully
Analyze and present data relevant to three different biological subdisciplines
(c) Evaluation Methodologies
Students will be required to show proficiency in each of the topic modules by 1) reading, writing
about, and presenting on the relevant scientific literature 2) Demonstrating proficiency in
particular lab and field skills by either study outcomes or by hands-on demonstration quizzes, 3)
Designing and conducting a short scientific experiment which is then written up in a scientific
format and also presented orally to the class. The students will compile all the written material
(including data) into a portfolio.
While there will be flexibility in the design of the course, the basic structure would be to have
three two-week modules, each instructed by a different faculty member with support from a
graduate teaching assistant. During each module, the first week might focus on increasing
content understanding of the specific subdiscipline through the reading of the primary literature
and the acquisition of specific hands-on skills (e.g. DNA extraction, confocal microscopy,
organism trapping, etc.). The second week would likely include development and conduct of a
small research study, either individually or in a small group as appropriate, followed by data
analysis. The module would conclude with the presentation of the results of the student work to
the group and with the submission of written analysis.
(d) Course Materials
Course materials will vary between offerings and will be linked to the primary literature that is
related to the module discipline. We are not aware of another similar course taught on campus
and undergraduates will not be taking this course.
4. Course Objectives.
The objectives of this course are to give students research experience in three different areas of
biology using a research laboratory rotation approach. Rotation topics/instructors will vary with
each offering and may be tailored to the cohort of students (e.g. health related, general biology
relation, natural resources related, etc.)
Students will learn about different areas of biological science through short lectures and handson research experiences designed by faculty currently working in the research field of each
rotation.
Students will design biological experiments that lead to collection and analysis of data.
Students will acquire hands-on laboratory skills related to each of the rotations.
5. Staffing. This course will be taught during the summer session by Biology Faculty with expertise
in different areas of biology. The Biology Faculty have already agreed to take on this summer
course load and no new faculty staffing will be necessary to support this course. It may be
necessary to provide teaching assistant support for preparation of materials, but this is a
relatively minor assignment and should be easily staffed by existing personnel.
It is anticipated that the course would be capped at 15 students and if there was greater interest
another section could be offered (if staffing was available). More than 15 students in the
section would be unmanageable in the research laboratory setting and would significantly
decrease the value of the experience.
6. Equipment and Supplies. This course will require a budget to allow purchase of expendables
and reagents as well as contribute to the general repair of damaged equipment. A portion of
the summer funding generated by this course, in addition to the student lab fee, will be used to
directly support the expendables and reagents.
7. Library Holdings. No new library holdings should be needed.
8. Costs. Summarize projected additional costs to support the class.
TA support – 1 TA for summer
Faculty pay. Cost of the course will be split so that each faculty member teaches 2 credit of the
entire 6 credit load and will be paid at the appropriate summer rate.
Reagent and equipment funds
9. Effects on Other Departments. We are not aware that this course will impact any other
departments, although students in other related departments (e.g. HPER, Psych, or CLS) might
be interested in taking the course, thus increasing options for graduate students in other
programs.
10. Implementation Date. Summer 2015