1. Research Problem In one sentence, describe the problem that is the focus of your classroom research project about student learning: Biology students at my institution are not equipped to define and solve Big Data problems in biology.

2. Research Question What is your research question? Does teaching mathematics strategies for gene annotation and expression analysis improve critical thinking skills in first year biology majors?

3. Research Methods My primary research methods include: 1.California Critical Thinking Skills Test-Numeracy, Quant-Q, Critical Thinking Assessment test, something else? 2.Exam questions (Bloomed) 3.Concept map (Bloomed Rubric) How will I collect these data?1.Administer survey before, mid-, and after exercise 2.(Post)midterm exam and final exam 3.Collect maps before, mid-, and after exercise My strategy to analyze these data will be: 1.Interval, Differences, Two Groups, Dependent Variables 2.Same as #1 3.Same as #1

4. Alignment of Research Question and Methods Demonstrate how your research methods and question align. The question asks how critical thinking skills change; all three assessment methods measure critical thinking skills with a defined rubric (validated survey, Bloomed exam, Bloomed rubric) How will the data help me answer my question? They will quantify the change in critical thinking skills during and after the perturbation (working with math tools).