Premium
Enhanced Understanding of Biofuels Through Project‐Based and Service Learning in an Undergraduate Molecular Biology Course
Author(s) -
Miller Valerie P,
Jones Joshua B,
Waikel Rebekah L
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.577.4
Subject(s) - course (navigation) , biofuel , service learning , computational biology , biology , engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , psychology , pedagogy , aerospace engineering
Students in an upper‐level undergraduate Principles of Molecular Biology course at Eastern Kentucky University engaged in a 6‐week learning module on biofuels, which combined traditional classroom learning techniques with both project‐based learning and service learning. The project‐based learning component allowed students to pursue an independent research project with the goal of amplifying, subcloning, and sequencing a novel gene for an enzyme involved in triacylglycerol synthesis in algae. These independent research projects have contributed to a larger externally funded research project to study the regulation of algal enzyme genes involved in triacylglycerol synthesis, a necessary step in biofuels production. Students further enhanced their learning through a service learning project. Student teams of 2 to 3 undergraduate students partnered with middle/high school teachers to design and implement an interactive biofuels lesson. Pre‐ and post‐assessment demonstrated that both of these active learning techniques positively impacted student learning.