Pilot implementation of a cell culture‐based educational module in a gateway cellular and molecular biology course at a Liberal Arts PUI.
Authors: TRAN BRANDON , AGUANNO ANN 
Published: June 2021

Undergraduate biology students are required to learn, understand and apply a variety of cellular and molecular biology concepts and techniques in preparation for biomedical, graduate and professional programs and careers in science. In 2015, we developed and published a simple lab module to teach the concepts of cell division, cellular communication and cancer, through the application of animal cell culture techniques, to sophomore level biology majors. This lab module exploits the mouse mammary tumor cell line (MMT) as a model for breast cancer. Students learn to grow and characterize animal cells in culture and test the effects of traditional and non‐traditional chemotherapy agents on cell proliferation. Specifically, students determine the optimal cell concentration for growing cells, learn how to prepare and dilute drug solutions, identify the best dosage and treatment time course of the antiproliferative 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 the results of the initial implementation of this teaching module into a gateway cellular and molecular biology course at a liberal arts college in NYC. The application of the module was modified to fit into the last two weeks of the fall academic term, when students were learning about the core concepts of cell signaling, cell cycle control and cancer. This restricted time frame allowed for the study and application of core biology concepts and principles of lab methods but necessitated the elimination of hands‐on lab work. The students first read the published article describing the lab module and expanded their knowledge by selecting additional primary literature articles. Student learning was assessed through oral discussion, written instruments and a performance activity. Assessments posed questions about the lab module, specifically addressing core concepts, principles behind the methodology and data analysis. Students also expanded the experimental strategy and proposed additional experiments and predicted the results. Student knowledge base was initially tested by a pre‐survey at the start of this project, followed by a post‐survey at the end of the semester. Our results indicate that this teaching module helped students use the scientific process to understand the cell cycle, cellular signaling pathways, cancer and modes of treatment, while honing their ability to analyze experimental data in a way not routinely taught in the undergraduate classroom.

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.