Using a Laboratory Teaching Module to Train Undergraduate Students in Cell Culture Based Research
Authors: Furnari Julia Lynn , Aguanno Ann 
Published: June 2021

Undergraduate biology students routinely conduct authentic scientific research. At PUI institutions lacking graduate programs like ours, undergraduates often participate in laboratory‐based research early in their academic career, well before they have acquired the requisite lab skills and foundational concepts necessary for success at the bench. To address this, in 2013 our lab developed and published a research training program for undergraduates that relies on structured, skills‐based activities and peer mentoring. Recently we developed and published a laboratory teaching module for use in sophomore‐level cellular and molecular biology course, that uses cell culture‐based experiments to teach core concepts in cell signaling and cell cycle control. The ease and success of this teaching module led our research group to modify our traditional training program and use this teaching module instead to train our newest undergraduate researchers. This teaching module employs the mouse mammary tumor (MMT) cell line to model breast cancer and includes activities designed to teach fundamental concepts while developing experimental design and analysis skills. Specifically, students learn to grow and characterize animal cells in culture and test the effects of traditional and non‐traditional chemotherapy agents on cell proliferation. Students determine the optimal cell concentration for plating and growing cells, learn how to prepare and dilute drug solutions, identify the best dosage and treatment time course of anti‐proliferative agents, and ascertain the rate of cell death in response to various treatments. The module employs both a standard cell counting technique using a hemocytometer and a novel cell counting method using microscopy software. The experimental procedure lends to open‐ended inquiry as students can modify critical steps of the protocol, including testing homeopathic agents and over‐the‐counter drugs. Here we report evaluation of the effectiveness of a pilot program that used this teaching module to train undergraduate researchers. Freshman and sophomore level research students performed the teaching module over a twenty week period during the 2017/2018 academic year. The students worked as a team and were mentored by an upper level undergraduate researcher in our lab. Students also met twice weekly with the lab PI. Assessment of student learning relied on evaluation of the initial skill and knowledge base of the students by the PI and student mentor, followed by weekly evaluation of achievement of learning objectives specific to the teaching module and research training. Assessment instruments included written, oral and practicum along with actual experimental results. Our initial findings strongly suggest that this educational module, which requires students to use the scientific process to apply foundational concepts while developing laboratory and experimental skills, is a highly effective means of training undergraduate researchers.

Support or Funding Information

Marymount Manhattan College Faculty Research Award

Sister Collette Mahoney Science Research Grant

Badgeley Foundation

Joseph A. Alexander Foundation

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.