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Teaching students to see biologically relevant interactions when you can't see them; Protein visualization instruction in the online classroom
Author(s) -
Dean Diane M.
Publication year - 2016
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.30.1_supplement.666.3
Subject(s) - visualization , computer science , mathematics education , reflection (computer programming) , value (mathematics) , software , psychology , artificial intelligence , programming language , machine learning
Biochemists use visualization of protein structures as a means to understand stability, ligand interactions and protein‐protein interactions. Papers that involve protein structure analysis are common in the biochemical literature. Students are shown the pictures and exposed to the conclusions of these analyses but are rarely explicitly taught to examine the images. Teaching master's level students in the online environment presented an additional barrier to teaching molecular visualization, because the students are remote from both the instructor and the institution, hands‐on instruction was impossible. However, biochemistry students must be taught this incredibly valuable tool. Lessons that first help the student navigate the Cn3D software were developed. These were expanded upon with a lesson that uses a literature reference and examines a protein‐protein interaction utilized in vaccine development. Students can use the paper and the protein database files to examine the interactions of different amino acids in the Cn3D generated images of the structures. The assignment also requires students to reflect upon the learning and expand it to another biological topic of interest. The reflection should encourage students to appreciate the value of the tool because it helps him/her to consider the use of this type of analysis to explore biological questions. The learning is then tested in both the midterm and the final exam as students are required to examine protein structures and explain the importance of different interactions viewed through images the students produce using the Cn3D software. Finally, students must demonstrate mastery of developing a hypothesis for potential protein structural changes caused by mutations as part of the culminating comprehensive examination for the MS degree. Hence I will present a series of assignments that explicitly develop student's appreciation of the power of protein visualization and its use to solve important biological questions.