A research‐based laboratory course designed to strengthen the research‐teaching nexus

Abstract

We describe a 10-week laboratory course of guided research experiments thematically linked by topic, which had an ultimate goal of strengthening the undergraduate research-teaching nexus. This undergraduate laboratory course is a direct extension of faculty research interests. From DNA isolation, characterization, and mutagenesis, to protein expression and structural analysis, the research protocols were adapted to suit the weekly 3-hour biochemistry course. The experiments described are flexible and hypothesis driven, allowing original research to be conducted. Students gain practice in some of the most common techniques used in biochemistry and molecular biology, including minipreps and DNA spectrophometric analysis, DNA restriction digestion and agarose gel electrophoresis, PCR mutagenesis, DNA sequencing analyses, E. coli transformations, whole cell protein extractions, SDS-PAGE, immunoblots, molecular modeling, and bioinformatics. The studies that begun in the classroom were continued in the research laboratory by undergraduate students, and eventually, the results were published in peer reviewed research articles. This research-educational program effectively integrated basic research endeavors into the undergraduate curriculum. It proved to be synergistic by nature: research stimulated teaching and teaching supported research. In our experience, this is an effective mechanism to conduct productive research while satisfying teaching duties in undergraduate institutions, where scholarly research is expected but teaching is the primary mission.Keywords: Yeast, membrane protein complex, V-ATPase, mutagenesis, PCR, SDS-PAGE, western blots, undergraduate research.The demand on science faculty members to increase research productivity is an almost universal pressure. Even at small colleges and universities where teaching is the primary mission, research productivity is a major criterion for hiring, promotion, and tenure. In many instances, faculty members at such institutions find that satisfying research expectations is an even greater challenge than fulfilling the teaching requirements. Introducing undergraduate students to the idea of basic science research, and providing them with sufficient, and authentic, experiences to encourage their understanding and interest, is the stated goal of many recent suggestions for the revision of life sciences curricula [1][2][3][4]. With these dual challenges in mind, we developed the ''research laboratory course'' described below.This biochemistry guided-research laboratory course was developed and implemented in an undergraduate institution where the major commitment is teaching. The course was conducted for two consecutive years and involved a total of four laboratory sections, each consisting of 12 to 14 junior and senior students majoring in Chemistry. The experiments were a direct extension of the research interests of the first author; the protocols were adapted from her research laboratory to fit the constraints of a weekly 3-hour biochemistry laboratory course sche...

A 13‐week research‐based biochemistry laboratory curriculum

“…In a typical curriculum, a gene is mutated and the protein variant is expressed and purified for characterization, to compare to the wild‐type function. In practice, the curricula are widely varied in the breadth of coverage and novelty (Table ) . Some courses study a single protein, with site‐directed mutagenesis (SDM) positions and mutations pre‐determined by the instructor, who frequently also studies this protein in his or her research lab .…”

“…In practice, the curricula are widely varied in the breadth of coverage and novelty (Table ) . Some courses study a single protein, with site‐directed mutagenesis (SDM) positions and mutations pre‐determined by the instructor, who frequently also studies this protein in his or her research lab . Other courses are more wide‐ranging; for example, attempting to characterize wild‐type proteins of unknown function, where an unending source of targets exists .…”

An adaptable investigative graduate laboratory course for teaching protein purification

“…A large number of laboratory courses have been developed which strive to meld the two worlds of teaching and research . Described here is a novel semester‐long laboratory course in protein purification that allows students hands‐on experience in a wide‐range of techniques while allowing instructors the versatility to incorporate their own research interests and goals.…”

Special‐study modules in a problem‐based learning medical curriculum: An innovative laboratory research practice suppporting introduction to research methodology in the undergraduate curriculum

“…Recently, Parra et al . have described a novel research‐based laboratory course designed to strengthen the research‐teaching nexus [22]. There are common points between their 10‐week laboratory course of guided research experiments and our eight‐month (once a week) wet‐lab SSMs described in this manuscript: the experiments are a direct extension of faculty research interests; the research is most often financed by the project budget of the faculty; the experiments are flexible and “hypothesis driven, allowing original research to be conducted,” and students often endup publishing in peer‐reviewed journals.…”