1. “Molecular Basis of Human Disease” Course Context: this is an upper-division, large (300+ students) lecture course for biology majors Course goal addressed here: developing skill to analyze primary research papers Learning Objective Taxonomy Level/Categ ory Learning Activities Formative Assessment Summative Assessment Be able to interpret data from a research paper AnalysisIn-class group problem- solving Problem sets Discussion of papers in sections Clicker questions Online homeworks Quizzes Final exam Be able to design an experiment to understand the effects of a mutation in a specific gene on a developmental process Application, synthesis Group problem solving in class and in sections Groups’ worksheets Online homeworks Quizzes Final exam

2. Learning Activities Learning objective: be able to interpret data from a research paper Lecture: -Familiarize the students with the methods used in the paper (4 papers per quarter) -Model figure analysis: Identifying the question the experiment aims to answer Identifying the controls and why are they used Interpretation of the experimental results Was the question answered? Group activities in class: Similar data are shown, groups answer the questions above Discussion sections: Groups are assigned to present one figure from the paper

3. Formative Assessments: group work in-class, online homework Question 1. Analysis What was the effect of the mutation? A. Hyper-activation of the FGFR3 pathway B. Inhibition of the FGFR3 pathway C. No effect on the FGFR3 pathway Question 2. Synthesis You are asked to quantify the data from this experiment and summarize your results in the form of a graph. What would you measure (more than one correct answer is possible)? Draw the expected results of these measurements from the experimental and control animals as a bar graph, clearly labeling the axes and the columns. To ensure that you are capturing this variability, you will need to look at several _______ In the figure on the right, sections through the bone of a wild-type mouse (A) and a homozygous mutant in one of the components of FGFR3 signaling pathway (B) The sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin to better visualize the cells and the nuclei. PZ stands for proliferating zone, HZ stands for hypertrophic zone. AB

4. Summative Assessments: Quizzes, Final exam Be able to design an experiment to understand the effects of a mutation in a specific gene on a developmental process Synthesis. You are studying a recessive disorder that causes dwarfism in humans. You have discovered a gene coding for a growth factor that appears to be present in a severely decrease amounts in the chondrocytes of the affected individuals relatively to normal individuals. You hypothesize that the decreased dose of this gene’s product has an important role in the decreased bone growth. Design an experiment that would test this hypothesis. A. Describe the genotypes - of the experimental mice - of the control mice B.How would you measure the results of your experiment? Which cells will you be looking at and how will you specifically identify those cells? D. What result would refute your hypothesis?

5. Timeline 1.Re-evaluating the course curriculum and eliminating of diseases covered to allow more time to practice scientific data analysis and experimental design. July 2012 2. Writing learning objectives for all course units. Writing questions aligned with the learning objectives, on all Bloom’s levels. August - September 2012 3.To assess whether students’ skills in data analysis and experimental design change as a result of taking this course, a pre- and post- assignment will be designed, based on a paper not discussed in class August - September 2012 4. Teaching the course October – December 2012 5. Possibly: administering the same pre- and post assessment in the same course taught by a different instructor (Spring 2012) 6. Analysis of the data from pre- and post assessments and SALG surveys.