Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education最新文献

{"title":"Developing metacognitive knowledge for effective AI-supported study behaviors in undergraduate biology: recommendations for instructors.","authors":"Vidya Adlakha, Madeline Arledge, Patrick McCay, Kailey Reeves, Fawaz Babatunde, Sharday N Ewell","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00338-25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00338-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of effective study behaviors is essential for student academic performance and persistence. Currently, it is reported that college students use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help them prepare for courses, suggesting they hold metacognitive knowledge of AI as a study tool. However, there is no set of recommendations to develop metacognitive knowledge of effective AI-supported study behaviors for students enrolled in introductory biology courses. In this essay, we draw on existing literature on study strategies, metacognition, and emerging studies on AI use in higher education to consider how students use generative AI to support their learning and how incomplete metacognitive knowledge of AI use can result in continued use of ineffective study strategies that negatively influence academic performance. We then offer recommendations to support the development of this knowledge in undergraduate courses. As generative AI continues to become a mainstay within higher education, we hope this essay equips instructors with the knowledge to promote student success in biology coursework.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0033825"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147785276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Training module and assessment strategy for light microscopy skills training in a research environment.","authors":"Kristopher E Kubow, Joseph A Harsh","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00179-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00179-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Training in specialized techniques and instrumentation is an important component of undergraduate and graduate education. While such training can occur in formal lab courses, it also occurs as students engage in research. Although training in a research lab setting is typically informal, implementing evidence-based practices from the classroom would be beneficial, particularly for learning complex techniques and instruments, for example, light microscopy. Using advanced microscopes for research is more complicated than using teaching microscopes in a course. In addition, microscopes are easy to misuse because they will generally always produce an image even if that image is suboptimal, misleading, or inaccurate. Here, we describe a backward-designed approach to individual or small-group microscope training for undergraduate life sciences research, including a training module and assessments. The approach was designed to be generalizable to a variety of microscopes and applications with performance tasks and survey measures to assess shifts in students' practical skills, knowledge, and attitude toward microscopy. Results are presented supporting the utility and efficacy of the unit and its components.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0017925"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130978/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145606810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Not simply \"active\": identifying types of active-learning tasks in introductory biology.","authors":"Benjamin D Jackson, Cristine Donham, Tessa C Andrews","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00284-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00284-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Active learning is a phrase that lacks clear definition, which has hampered researchers' efforts to investigate the nuances of effectiveness and instructors' efforts to capitalize on potential benefits for students. One way to advance our understanding of \"active learning\" is assessing by the type of intellectual work that in-class activities require of students. We systematically analyzed in-class work opportunities created for students in 55 introductory biology courses around the United States, each of which used active learning. We did so by adapting an observation approach grounded in the ICAP framework and analyzing classroom videos in 15-s segments. Instructors devoted about a quarter of class time to student work time, on average, but this varied widely. About half of these student work opportunities focused on recall, and half required students to generate answers beyond what had been presented to them, which can foster deeper learning and better transfer than recall alone. The ratio of these levels of intellectual work varied considerably across courses. We also tested whether course- and instructor-level factors predicted the amount and level of active-learning opportunities and found no significant relationships. This work provides a striated definition of active learning that will be useful to researchers studying active-learning outcomes and instructors aiming to harness learning benefits for their students.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0028425"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13131020/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147291195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Science communication tools: rubrics for generating posters and manuscripts that are authentic to the practice of science.","authors":"Tamarah Lynne Adair, Swati Agrawal, Yesmi P Ahumada-Santos, Regina Alvarez, Kirk R Anders, Mauricio Antunes, Mary Ayuk, María Elena Báez-Flores, Dondra Bailey, Frederick N Baliraine, Mitchell F Balish, Christa Tobey Bancroft, Michèle Barmoy, Tonya C Bates, Andrea Beyer, Suparna Bhalla, Dave Bollivar, Lisa M Bono, Rebecca Bortz, Tejas Bouklas, Kristen Butela, Christine A Byrum, Megan Carroll, Steven Michael Caruso, Nancy Castro, Kari Clase, Kristen Clermont, Sean T Coleman, Pamela L Connerly, Amaya M Garcia Costas, Steven Gaines Cresawn, Tom D'Elia, Aimee Danley, Megan K Dennis, Arturo Diaz, Erin L Doyle, Iain Duffy, Dustin Cole Edwards, Elvira Eivazova, Eric Engstrom, Christy Fillman, Christine L Fleischacker, Victoria J Frost, Julie Torruellas Garcia, Bryan P Gibb, Alyssa Mae Gleichsner, Sharon Gusky, Rebekah F Hare, Danielle Heller, Lee E Hughes, Jacob D Kagey, Bridgette Kirkpatrick, Karen K Klyczek, Kathryn P Kohl, Hari Kotturi, Julia Y Lee-Soety, Heather Lindberg, Bhaswati Manish, Sergei A Markov, Matthew David Mastropaolo, James T Melton, Jon Mitchell, Sally Dixon Molloy, Denise L Monti, Tiara Perez Morales, María Alejandra Mussi, Holly Nance, Fernando Nieto, Imade Yolanda Nsa, Shallee T Page, Ricardo Parra-Unda, Vipaporn Phuntumart, Brett E Pickett, Richard Scott Pollenz, Sarah N Reardon, Jessica Rocheleau, Ombeline Rossier, Naomi Smith Rowland, Adam D Rudner, Elizabeth E Rueschhoff, Viknesh Sivanathan, Martha Smith Caldas, C Nicole Sunnen, Sarah J Swerdlow, Kissaou Tchedre, Kara Thoemke, Deborah Tobiason, Sara S Tolsma, Tara Turley-Stoulig, Quinn Vega, Patricia Waikel, Catherine Ward, Vassie C Ware, Jackie M Washington, Daniel Eric Westholm, Beth Wilkes, Daniel Williams, Elizabeth Williams, Ellen M Wisner","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00313-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00313-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Traditional undergraduate science courses often prioritize content mastery over authentic engagement with the scientific process. Course-based research, also referred to as course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), addresses this limitation by immersing students in authentic scientific practice. In course-based research, assessment practices can also mirror the authentic scientific practice, where extensive formative feedback supports refinement of skills and understanding. Here, we present two rubrics designed to support the teaching and assessment of science communication in a way that reflects how scientists prepare to disseminate their research findings. One rubric is for creating scientific posters and another for writing short-format manuscripts. Developed by approximately 100 faculty members who collaboratively implement CUREs through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education Alliance (SEA) program, these rubrics outline the authentic steps scientists take when preparing to communicate their research and provide performance levels that clarify expectations for both students and instructors. Together, these tools aim to further align undergraduate science education and authentic scientific practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0031325"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130995/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147285468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the power of microbes: the mud-battery project for high school students.","authors":"Runa Komoriya, Nanae Iwanami, Manami Hagiwara, Keisuke Tomita, Fumihiko Hayashi, Ruriko Nagashima, Akihisa Hirose, Serah Hoeks, Hibiki Ochi, Kazuya Watanabe","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00249-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00249-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microorganisms are expected to play vital roles in the development of sustainable societies, but this idea is still poorly understood by the general public. In addition, it would also be important for the future development of microbiology that young students understand this idea and become interested in microorganisms. To this end, we have initiated a citizen-science project known as \"the mud-battery project,\" in which junior high and high school students examine the ability of bacteria in mud to generate electric power using standardized mud-battery experimental kits supplied by the project. In schools and/or houses, students operate mud batteries using local mud taken around their residences and address their ideas on how high-power mud batteries can be constructed. Besides, according to results reported by the students, project researchers collect high-power mud batteries from students and use them for the isolation of novel and/or active electricity-generating bacteria with the expectation that these will contribute to the development of sustainable biotechnology processes, such as microbial fuel cells for generating electric power from food waste. In this way, students collaborate with microbiologists and take roles in advanced research projects toward the development of sustainable energy.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0024925"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130991/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145606762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A simple alginate bead biofilm model for undergraduate teaching of antimicrobial tolerance.","authors":"Lúcia Chaves Simões, Mariana Silva Simões, Marta Esteves, Manuel Simões","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00310-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00310-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biofilms play a crucial role in medical, industrial, and environmental microbiology, yet their structural complexity often makes them challenging to study in undergraduate teaching laboratories. We present a simple, fast, and effective method for exploring bacterial behavior within an artificial biofilm model. Through a hands-on activity, bacteria are entrapped in calcium alginate beads to simulate biofilm conditions and then exposed to an antimicrobial. Their viability is compared to that of the same bacteria in the planktonic state. This classroom approach introduces students to the impact of living in a sessile state on bacterial tolerance to antimicrobials, offering valuable insights into how the biofilm structure contributes to antimicrobial tolerance.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0031025"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130988/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146229158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A CRISPR workshop series for diverse learners in Hawai'i: design, implementation, and outcomes across 3 years.","authors":"Yu Wang, Lauren Higa, Sally Do, Zhiqing Fang, Noah Birn, Youping Deng, Zhiyue Wang, Zhi-Yan Du","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00315-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00315-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>CRISPR genome editing has revolutionized modern biotechnology, yet access to experiential training remains limited, particularly in underrepresented and geographically isolated regions. This report describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a CRISPR workshop series conducted over three consecutive years supported by the USDA Higher Education Challenge program and hosted at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Conducted over three consecutive summers (2023-2025), the week-long, hands-on program engaged high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, educators, and community members through molecular-biology experiments, bioinformatics modules, and structured discussions on ethics and societal implications. Pre- and post-workshop assessments demonstrated significant learning gains, with mean quiz scores increasing from 58.7% to 80.2%, and all respondents (100%) reported increased confidence in genome-editing techniques. These results highlight the workshop's effectiveness in enhancing CRISPR literacy and supporting the development of scientific self-efficacy across diverse audiences. The initiative provides an adaptable workshop model and implementation guidance that other institutions can adopt to expand hands-on CRISPR training in diverse learning contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0031525"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13131019/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147500185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overproduction of a recombinant heat-stable catalase for use in an extremophile enzyme lab exercise.","authors":"Joseph W Scott, Adam Cusolito, J Jordan Steel","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00188-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00188-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The manganese-dependent catalase of <i>Pyrobaculum calidifontis</i>, a facultative aerobe that grows optimally at 90 ˚C, has been previously used in a teaching lab to highlight salient characteristics of hyperthermophilic extremophiles. However, accruing enough enzyme from the native organism, which would allow each student in a typical classroom to carry out the experiment individually, is difficult for several reasons, ranging from the fastidious growth requirements of <i>P. calidifontis</i> to the need of specialized equipment for preparing cell extracts. Here, <i>E. coli</i> was used in the overproduction of recombinant <i>P. calidifontis</i> catalase (kat_Pc). The recombinant catalase enzyme was activated with manganese and purified by heat treatment. Experiments discussed here indicate that the use of the recombinant enzyme is a viable alternative for instructors who may or may not have access to <i>P. calidifontis</i> or mechanical means of cell lysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0018825"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130975/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146087496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing an adaptable and sustainable model for immersive faculty career exploration at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs).","authors":"Jamie Batts, Jennifer Aumiller, Rivka L Glaser, William Harder, Verónica A Segarra","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00236-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00236-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Careers in the professoriate at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) may represent a good fit for trainees who want to remain in academia. Retaining talent in the biomedical and life sciences professoriate at PUIs will be critical to the training of undergraduates for careers in the STEM workforce. Early-career scientists seeking insights into career paths available at PUIs and small liberal arts colleges (SLACs) rarely have opportunities for on-site immersive career exploration and capacitation. While some programs exist, these are often short-term and rarely immersive, likely failing to expose trainees to some of the unique features and benefits of careers at PUIs and SLACs. Such programs are not described in the literature in a way that can enable interested institutions to adopt or replicate their successful elements. Our program aims to fill this gap by leveraging well-established resources (Collaborative Teaching Fellows Program at Goucher College and Stevenson University and Center for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching at Goucher College) to create a cohort-based model for PUI career exploration that can be adopted by other institutions, especially those near biomedical and life sciences research-intensive institutions. We call this program ACCESS (Accomplishing Career Exploration for Scientist Scholars) to PUIs. In this <i>Curriculum</i> article, we share the structure of the program and the outcomes of our program. The outcomes include those connected to trainees' preparedness to adapt their research for PUIs.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0023625"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13131017/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145588734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Delivering a multi-color, cell-based CRISPR experience to low-resource classrooms.","authors":"Andrew J Walters, Alexander T Lyons, Andrew A Williams, Drew Porter, Clark Riddle, Amanda Moravek, Makail Lunt, Julissa van Renselaar, David Hall, Tyson Barnes, Anna Scribner, Canyon Bryson, Ronald Sims, Charles Miller, Ryan N Jackson","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00232-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00232-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>CRISPR-based biotechnologies are widely used to diagnose and treat disease, engineer new crops, and examine gene function. The power, simplicity, and effectiveness of CRISPR tools ensure their place as a major biotechnological tool for advancing agriculture, science, and medicine. Thus, education on CRISPR system biology, function, and technology is needed to empower the public regarding the benefits and limitations associated with CRISPR technologies. However, high costs and infrastructure requirements prevent low-resource classrooms from accessing CRISPR-based educational experiences. To address this need, we developed a multicolor, cell-based experience that can be deployed in high school or undergraduate classrooms to educate students about CRISPR biology and biotechnologies. The minimal resource requirements and simplicity of the assay overcome barriers posed by other CRISPR educational tools, providing hands-on access to CRISPR-based experiences for previously unserved and underserved high school and undergraduate students.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0023225"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130985/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147515585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}