Evo-Ed: A Case-based Approach to Teaching Evolution

Peter White, Merle Heidemann, and Jim SmithMichigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI USA

Evolution of Toxin Resistance in Clams

Evolution of Toxin Resistance in Clams1. Algal blooms affecting marine ecosystems.2. Food webs and biomagnification of toxins.3. Human interaction with ecosystem.4. Different allele frequencies in geographically

isolated populations due to different environmental conditions.

5. Mendelian genetics, inheritance and dominant-recessive relationships.

6. Single nucleotide substitution mutation that changes the structure and function of a protein.

7. Action potential transmission through a neuron.Can you connect any of these topics to the curriculum you teach? If so, which ones?

Teaching EvolutionTeaching evolution necessitates the teaching of:1. Natural Selection2. Genetics3. Cell biology4. Central Dogma (DNA RNA Proteins)5. Population Genetics / Biogeography6. Community Ecology7. Phylogenetics8. …and more!

May, 2013

May, 2013

Structure and Function

- Cell Biology- Physiology

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

- Ecology- Biodiversity

- Animal Behavior

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

- Photosynthesis- Cellular Respiration- Species Interactions

Natural Selection and Evolution

- Natural Selection- Phylogenetics

- Population Ecology

Inheritance and Variation of Traits

- Genetics - DNA and mutation

- Cell division- Central Dogma

May, 2013

Structure and Function

- Cell Biology- Physiology

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

- Ecology- Biodiversity

- Animal Behavior

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

- Photosynthesis- Cellular Respiration- Species Interactions

Natural Selection and Evolution

- Natural Selection- Phylogenetics

- Population Ecology

Inheritance and Variation of Traits

- Genetics - DNA and mutation

- Cell division- Central Dogma

May, 2013

Structure and Function

- Cell Biology- Physiology

Inheritance and Variation of Traits

- Genetics - DNA and mutation

- Cell division- Central Dogma

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

- Ecology- Biodiversity

- Animal Behavior

Natural Selection and Evolution

- Natural Selection- Phylogenetics

- Population Ecology

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

- Photosynthesis- Cellular Respiration

- Species Interactions

May, 2013

Structure and Function

- Cell Biology- Physiology

Inheritance and Variation of Traits

- Genetics - DNA and mutation

- Cell division- Central Dogma

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

- Ecology- Biodiversity

- Animal Behavior

Natural Selection and Evolution

- Natural Selection- Phylogenetics

- Population Ecology

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

- Photosynthesis- Cellular Respiration

- Species Interactions

EVOLUTION

• “[Students] leave schools without fully understanding how well supported evolutionary theory is.”

• “Many teachers are not scientifically capable of teaching evolution using modern approaches.”

– Develop cases that promote the learning of evolution as an integrative biological theory.

– Provide teaching resources for science teachers so they can teach evolution as an integrative biological theory.

www.evo-ed.com

Trichromatic Vision Evolution in

Primates

Fur Color Evolution in Beach Mice

Seed Taste Evolution in Field

Peas

Toxin Resistance Evolution in Clams

“What does a Case look like?”www.evo-ed.com

Splash Page has brief descriptions of cases and links to resources

www.evo-ed.com

www.evo-ed.com

Case Splash Page has links to different aspects of the biology

www.evo-ed.com

www.evo-ed.com

What is a protein?

Draw a picture.What does this protein do?

Intro Bio II (LB145) S12Minute Paper #1

What is a protein?Draw a picture. What does this protein do?

Students have very crude mental models of proteins

Student “A”“A protein is a substance that is made up of amino acids. DNA is a protein. Proteins are containers for genetic information to be stored in. This protein houses material that determines hair color.”

Student “B”“A protein is a very important concept in cellular growth. I couldn’t, for the life of me, draw you one right now but hopefully I will be able to soon because I honestly have no idea where to even begin. (Added later) A protein is a chain of amino acids.”

Mouse Fur Color

c(tyr)

Tyrp1Tyrp2p

MC1R protein is stimulated and facilitates cAMP production.cAMP is used to regulate gene expression.

Select a Set of Mouse Case PowerPoint Slides

https://www.msu.edu/course/lb/145/smith/s13/index.html

Mouse Case:A Sample Lesson

Learning Objectives

Backward Design(Wiggins & McTighe 2005)

Assessment

Exam

Instructional Activities

Instructional Activities

Support for an integrated approach?

Is there a relationship between the case approach and learning?

The Evo-Ed Project:– A Case Approach to Evolution Education– Integrative cases that explore trait evolution across biological scales.

The Assessment Tool for Evaluating Evolution Knowledge(ATEEK)

- Iterative design process (Anderson and Bishop 1990)

1. Determine essential concepts important to evolution.2. Design an assessment tool that probes for those concepts.3. Field test the assessment tool.4. Evaluate student responses. Revise a given question if the

pattern of responses differs from the expected pattern.5. Field test the revised assessment tool.6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until satisfied with the pattern of

answers.

The ATEEKQ1. Jaguars can have an orange coat or a black coat. Orange jaguars have either two G alleles or one G allele and one g allele, whereas black jaguars have two g alleles.

When a jaguar has the genotype gg, what happens inside its cells so that a black coat is produced?

Q2. Toxican mushrooms contain a toxin that causes vomiting when ingested. Recently, some Toxican mushrooms were found that did not produce the toxin.

Describe in detail what might have happened at the molecular level so that these mushrooms no longer produce this toxin?

Q3. The non-poisonous Toxican mushroom has become more frequent in mushroom populations and poisonous Toxican mushrooms have become rare.

Define Natural Selection and use it to explain this scenario.

Q4. Considering genetic mutation –(i) Describe, at the molecular level, what a mutation is.(ii)Use your answer from part (i) to describe the process whereby a mutation results in

a change at the phenotype level.

Scoring the ATEEK

- A response could be scored as 0, 1, or 2.- 0: Answer is wrong of mostly wrong.- 1: Answer is partially right.- 2: Answer is completely correct or mostly correct.

- Average student GAIN calculated for each questionGAIN = Post-Course ATEEK Score – Pre-Course ATEEK Score

www.evo-ed.com

Gain

(p

ost-c

ours

e –

pre-

cour

se)

Learned evolution using

integrative cases

Did not learn evolution using

integrative cases

Q1: Jaguars can have an orange coat or a black coat. Orange jaguars have either two G alleles or one G allele and one g allele, whereas black jaguars have two g alleles.

When a jaguar has the genotype gg, what happens inside its cells so that a black coat is produced?

Learned evolution using

integrative cases

Did not learn evolution using

integrative cases

Gain

(p

ost-c

ours

e –

pre-

cour

se)

Q2: Toxican mushrooms contain a toxin that causes vomiting when ingested. Recently, some Toxican mushrooms were found that did not produce the toxin.Describe in detail what might have happened at the molecular level so that these mushrooms no longer produce this toxin?

Q3: The non-poisonous Toxican mushroom has become more frequent in mushroom populations and poisonous Toxican mushrooms have become rare. Define Natural Selection and use it to explain this scenario.

Gain

(p

ost-c

ours

e –

pre-

cour

se)

Learned evolution using

integrative cases

Did not learn evolution using

integrative cases

Learned evolution using

integrative cases

Did not learn evolution using

integrative cases

Gain

(p

ost-c

ours

e –

pre-

cour

se)

Q4i: Considering genetic mutation –Describe, at the molecular level, what a mutation is.

Learned evolution using

integrative cases

Did not learn evolution using

integrative cases

Gain

(p

ost-c

ours

e –

pre-

cour

se)

Q4ii: Use your answer from part (i) to describe the process whereby a mutation results in a change at the phenotype level.

The Evo-Ed Project:• “[Students] leave schools

without fully understanding how well supported evolutionary theory is.” Cases may help students understand how novel

phenotypes arise starting from the most basic building blocks of life.

Cases give students concrete examples of evolution.

Integrative approach good idea anyways? (Data seem to support it too)

The Evo-Ed Project:• “Many teachers are not

scientifically capable of teaching evolution using modern approaches.”

• Evo-Ed Website:http://www.evo-ed.com

• Explanation of cases andcorresponding .ppt resources.

Questions?

Discussion?

Acknowledgements:Partial support for this work was provided by the NSF TUES program under Award No. 1043876. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Thanks to Kathie Ellis, Joe Murray, Miles Loh, Mark Kauth, Kendra Cheruvelil, Chuck Elzinga, Gerry Urquhart, Cheryl Murphy, Andy Jarosz, Doug Luckie, Richard Lenski, Craig Nelson and Lyman Briggs College for their contributions to the project.

Questions?