Biological Sciences (61) Despite its increasing importance, there is a general lack of integration of bioinformatics concepts into the undergraduate curriculum in the life sciences and related disciplines where they could be readily applied. This project is addressing this problem through development, pilot testing and dissemination of a set of modules in bioinformatics that can be integrated into curricula in the biological sciences, computer science and other disciplines. Each module consists of approximately five hours of instruction with a problem-based learning component and illustrative homework assignment and addresses a fundamental concept in bioinformatics (e.g., algorithms, databases, etc.). At the University of Nebraska at Omaha approximately three hundred biology and computer science undergraduate students per year are directly impacted by this project. Through workshops at state-wide meetings and availability of the modules online, educators throughout the state and nation are being afforded the opportunity to integrate the modules into their curricula. The project team includes faculty experts in biology, computer science and bioinformatics who have been investigators on National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation projects and are receiving additional university support.
The intellectual merit of this project lies in the desire of the investigators to keep offerings in undergraduate education current with new developments in the field by developing, testing and refining new undergraduate curriculum materials that integrate bioinformatics concepts into other disciplines, especially biology, where currently few exist. The course modules developed for this project are instructionally flexible and can be integrated into many courses in several disciplines. As part of a formal evaluation process, the investigators are eliciting feedback on the content of the modules from other undergraduate bioinformatics programs, as well as undertaking pilot and field-testing efforts.
The broader impacts of this project lie in the broad dissemination plan adopted. The results of the project are being made available on a dedicated web site to be submitted as a resource to both the National Science Digital Library and the NSDL Pathway for Biological Science Education. Dissemination is also taking place at state and regional conferences of undergraduate educators in biological sciences, and nationally through articles in relevant scientific and educational journals such as Cell Biology Education and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education.
