Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education最新文献

{"title":"Unlocking potential: mentorship training perspectives from undergraduate peer mentors in course-based undergraduate research experiences.","authors":"Joseph E Panzik, Tevin Flom, Vincent M Pinnavaia, Abigail M Natoli, Sean F Notley, Caitlin J Light","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00007-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00007-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are high-impact educational practices designed to engage students in authentic research while fostering the development of critical skills for persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). A key, yet underappreciated, component of successful CUREs is the role of undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs). Despite their significance, there is a notable gap in training and professional development opportunities tailored to these undergraduates, potentially undermining the effectiveness and inclusivity of CUREs. This paper highlights the essential contributions of UTAs in CUREs. Specifically, this paper explores the specialized role of undergraduate peer mentors (UGPM, type of UTA) in a three-semester CURE program at Binghamton University and examines their experiences through four unique student perspectives. These accounts highlight the benefits and impacts of the UGPM role in CUREs and emphasize the need for both formal and informal training approaches to equip UGPMs with technical and interpersonal skills necessary for mentoring and teaching in CUREs. By drawing on UGPM perspectives, we identify some best practices for their professional development and advocate for more structured approaches to UTA or UGPM training. These recommendations aim to ensure that UTAs and UGPMs not only thrive as mentors but also enhance the learning outcomes and research experiences of their peers in CUREs.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0000725"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12369326/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144638310","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":"Student perceptions of supports and barriers for transferring quantitative reasoning in introductory biology lab courses.","authors":"Joelle Prate, Jeremy L Hsu","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00229-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00229-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Quantitative reasoning is a critical skill in biology and has been highlighted as a core competency by <i>Vision and Change</i>. Despite its importance, students often struggle to apply mathematical skills in new contexts in biology, a process called transfer of knowledge. However, the supports and barriers that students perceive for this process remain unclear. To explore this further, we interviewed undergraduate students in an introductory biology lab course about how they understand and report the transfer of quantitative skills in these courses. We then applied these themes to the Step Back, Translate, and Extend (SBTE) framework to examine student perceptions of the supports and barriers to their knowledge transfer. Students reported different supports and barriers at each level of the transfer process. At the first step of the framework, the recognition level, students reported reflecting on previous chemistry, statistics, and physics learning as helpful cues to indicate a transfer opportunity. Others, however, reported perceiving math and science as separate subjects without overlap, causing a disconnect in their recognition of transferable knowledge. In the second level of the framework, students recall previous learning. Students reported repetition and positive dispositions toward science and math as supportive factors. In contrast, gaps of time between initial learning and new contexts and negative dispositions hindered recall ability. The final level of the SBTE framework focuses on application. Students reported being better able to apply previous learning to new contexts in the biology lab when they could relate their applied skills to \"real-world\" applications, external motivating factors, and future career goals. These students also reported proactively seeking outside resources to fill gaps in their understanding. Generating data in a lab setting was also mentioned by students as both a supportive factor of application when they felt confident in their answers and a hindrance to application when they felt unsure about its accuracy.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0022924"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12369355/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144039962","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 discipline-specific pedagogical professional development graduate program fosters development of integrated scholars: an evaluation of the Future Undergraduate Science Educators (FUSE) program.","authors":"Marina L Ellefson, Mona M Monfared","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00044-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00044-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Here, we present a model for a decentralized, discipline-specific pedagogical professional development program for STEM PhD students interested in teaching and learning careers in higher education. The FUSE (Future Undergraduate Science Educators) program at UC Davis follows the structure of the University of California's Graduate Academic Certificate. FUSE scholars take 12 units of coursework, which span a variety of teaching-related topics, such as an introduction to Scientific Teaching, teaching portfolio development, and an authentic mentored teaching experience. By providing formal training in Scientific Teaching and offering a mentored teaching practicum, FUSE aims to decrease the time it takes between attaining a PhD and getting a teaching position. The FUSE program is unique in that it offers decentralized pedagogical training within the same academic unit in which students receive their research training. This positioning of FUSE has the potential to affect cultural change that elevates the value of teaching and integrated scholarship within the traditional graduate research training environment. Launched in Fall 2021, this program was designed to be modular and easily adaptable by other disciplinary units. This paper describes the process of developing the FUSE program, details of the program structure, and data on student perceptions of the value and impact of the program on their development of pedagogical, research, and professional skills. Student feedback on positive and negative aspects of the program was also collected. Student responses to closed-ended and open-ended questions revealed positive perceived impacts on the development of a wide range of pedagogical, career, interpersonal/personal, and research skills. The majority of students reported that the program had either no impact or a positive impact on their research productivity, supporting previous work that developing teaching expertise in graduate school does not oppose disciplinary research progress. The FUSE program serves as a model for an adaptable graduate curriculum in scientific teaching and evidence-based practices that fosters the development of integrated STEM scholars and takes advantage of the pedagogical expertise of teaching-focused faculty in research-intensive universities.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0004425"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12369324/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144227180","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":"An exploratory mixed-methods sentiment analysis of a social-emotional learning (SEL)-informed grant writing workshop in the biosciences.","authors":"Miroslav Suzara, Courtney Peña, Crystal Botham","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00219-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00219-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Grant writing is an important component of academic research success across disciplines, especially in the biosciences. It also tends to be an activity that is perceived with significant anxiety and stress. Typical grant writing training programs focus on the mechanical aspects of grant writing, but what is often left out of the conversation on how to support grant writers is the potential importance of the social and emotional factors related to grant writing training. To address this, we conducted a grant writing workshop that explicitly incorporated social-emotional learning (SEL) into its delivery. Through a comparative sentiment analysis, we used pre-post survey data (<i>n</i> = 31) to understand what effect the workshop had on participants' perceptions and attitudes toward grant writing. The survey analysis revealed that negative attitudes and perceptions about grant writing were proportionately reduced by 89% post-intervention, and positive attitudes increased proportionately by 143%. This mixed-methods study highlights the importance of incorporating SEL in grant writing support to combat the many challenges scientists face in the grant writing process.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0021924"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12369350/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144217238","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":"Assessing how a teaching professional development program for biology graduate students bolsters self-efficacy and shapes teaching perspectives.","authors":"Anisha S Navlekar, Nia Baker, Mackenzie Ghaemmaghami, Imani Obasi, Sochinenyenwa Onubogu, Cassandra O'Pry, Robert Posey, Jessica Tan, Karen Walulu, Joshua W Reid, Lisa B Limeri","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00008-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00008-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) teach undergraduates directly, and many are future faculty, making it particularly important for them to be trained in using evidence-based instructional practices. We implemented and assessed a teaching professional development program for 19 biology GTAs aimed to help them develop their teaching perspectives and improve their teaching self-efficacy. The program consisted of a pre-semester bootcamp of pedagogical workshops, mentoring sessions throughout the semester, crafting a teaching philosophy statement, and reflective peer teaching observation. We surveyed and interviewed students throughout the program to assess their growth and identify elements of the program that supported their growth. We found that participants' self-efficacy improved immediately following the pre-semester bootcamp, but these improvements did not persist throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, participants' teaching self-efficacy did not differ from GTAs in the department who did not participate in our program. Throughout the semester, our participants shifted toward the social reform perspective of teaching, which views good teaching as encouraging students to critically evaluate information and give them power to take social action to improve their lives. At the end of the semester, our participants more strongly endorsed the social reform perspective of teaching than GTAs who did not participate in our program. Our results suggest that pre-semester workshops supported novice GTAs before their class, but more sustained interactions may be needed for these boosts to persist. Our results also suggest that encouraging GTAs to reflect on what makes good teaching can help them solidify a coherent teaching perspective.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0000825"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12369321/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144227181","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":"Implementing an undergraduate learning assistant model to foster engagement and professional development in microbiology courses.","authors":"Katriana A Popichak, Paige E Gruber, Erica L Suchman, Jennifer L McLean","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00042-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00042-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Integrating undergraduate learning assistants (ULAs) into high-enrollment science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses has been shown to enhance student engagement, yet the impact on ULAs themselves remains underexplored. This manuscript presents a field-tested framework for implementing and sustaining a structured ULA program in a General Microbiology course, offering a replicable model for educators seeking to enhance student learning and ULA professional development (PD). Over the past decade, this program has been refined to provide structured mentorship, leadership opportunities, and active involvement in both in-class and out-of-class activities. The ULA program fosters student engagement by incorporating active learning strategies such as iClicker questions, group exams, and flipped classroom exercises, ensuring a collaborative and supportive learning environment. At the same time, ULAs develop critical skills in communication, teamwork, assessment, and pedagogy, which align with key PD objectives. Faculty observations indicate that students who engage with ULAs exhibit increased conceptual understanding, participation, and peer collaboration. Likewise, anonymous ULA feedback highlights significant growth in teaching confidence, leadership, and academic preparedness. This article serves as a practical guide for educators by outlining a structured, adaptable curriculum, detailing strategies for faculty mentoring, and providing implementation best practices. While formal assessment of learning gains is ongoing, preliminary findings suggest that ULAs serve as valuable instructional assets while simultaneously benefiting from the experience. This dual impact underscores the importance of structured ULA programs in enhancing undergraduate education and preparing future educators and professionals.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0004225"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12369369/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144276201","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":"From curriculum to engagement: strengthening microbiology education in secondary schools.","authors":"Lara Raquel Pinto Amorim, Betina da Silva Lopes, Raquel Henriques Ramalho Ribeiro, Maria da Conceição Lopes Vieira Dos Santos","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00107-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00107-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Raising citizens' awareness of the importance of microbiology in everyday life is crucial, especially considering the recent societal challenges such as emerging diseases or antibiotic resistance. Integrating this awareness into secondary education is essential, yet teaching microbiology requires alignment with national curricula. To evaluate how microbiology is incorporated into education, we analyzed and compared the life sciences/biology curricula of Portuguese, Spanish, and French secondary schools. Our findings reveal significant differences in how microorganisms, their functions, and applications are addressed. We highlight aspects of the Spanish and French curricula that could enhance microbiology education in Portugal, as well as challenges in including microbiology into existing curricula. Additionally, we review the state of the art of microbiology education, including ongoing initiatives aimed at supporting both teachers and students. To strengthen student engagement, we propose stronger collaboration between academia-comprising professors, researchers, and master's/PhD students-schools, and science communication institutions. In this context, we present the conceptual framework of the EduBiota program, designed for Portuguese students/teachers and citizens, with a focus on the human microbiota. The program offers a combination of state-of-the-art knowledge, in-person and online, resources, and mini projects led by university students and researchers, ensuring accessibility and relevance for both schools and the broader community.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0010725"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12369358/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144700032","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 latent class analysis of cultural wealth: insights into academic success in introductory biology at a Hispanic-serving institution.","authors":"Alexander Eden, Bryan M Dewsbury","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00012-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00012-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Success in STEM majors often depends on students' ability to navigate gateway courses, such as introductory biology, which establishes foundational knowledge and predicts retention in the major. However, disparities in performance within these courses often reflect systemic inequities rather than differences in ability. This study explores the role of cultural wealth, as defined by Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework, in shaping academic outcomes. Using data from 518 biology majors at a Hispanic-serving institution, we employed latent class analysis to identify distinct subgroups of students based on their cultural wealth profiles. Four latent classes emerged, characterized by varying levels of engagement across the CCW dimensions. Class 1 exhibited the highest cultural wealth but did not achieve the highest grades, highlighting the potential influence of unexamined mediators. Class 2, with moderate responses across dimensions, achieved the highest grades, suggesting a potential interaction of cultural wealth and external supports. Classes 3 and 4, with lower overall cultural wealth, exhibited lower academic performance. These findings reveal the complex interplay between cultural wealth and academic success in biology education.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0001225"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12369366/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143804441","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":"Student identities predict classmate and instructor fear of negative evaluation among undergraduates in large-enrollment introductory biology courses.","authors":"Katelyn M Cooper, Carly A Busch, Sara E Brownell","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00191-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00191-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Undergraduate biology students describe fear of negative evaluation (FNE), defined as a sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated in a social situation, as negatively affecting their experiences in active learning courses. Yet, few studies have examined who is prone to experiencing FNE, the severity and duration of FNE, and whether the effects of FNE are experienced equally among undergraduates. To address these gaps, we surveyed 494 undergraduates enrolled in active learning introductory biology courses about their FNE as it relates to students in their courses (classmate FNE) and to their instructor (instructor FNE). Students reported higher instructor FNE than classmate FNE. Using linear regressions, we found that women and nonbinary students, persons excluded based on ethnicity or race (PEERs), continuing-generation college students, LGBTQ+ students, and non-native English speakers had higher instructor FNE than their respective counterparts. PEER students also had higher classmate FNE than white students. Women, nonbinary, and PEER students were more likely than men and white students to report a greater negative impact of FNE on their abilities to articulate their thoughts about science in class. This work highlights the importance of reducing FNE with the intent to create more equitable active learning biology classrooms.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0019124"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12369367/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144040317","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":"BRAKE the OUTBREAK: a free online simulation helps students learn about vaccination, social distancing, R, and herd immunity.","authors":"Jessica Albert, Amanda Nouwens, Rena Ahn, Anna Muller, Kait Raffensperger, Grace Nguyen, Tristan Wisont, Anastasia McConachie, Parveet Mundi, Margaret Fitzgibbon, Nathaniel Kremer-Herman, Robert Rutherford","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00062-25","DOIUrl":"10.1128/jmbe.00062-25","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Brake the Outbreak</i> (BTO) is a free, online simulation of infectious outbreaks designed for educational use. A student using the simulation chooses a disease, vaccination percentage, social distancing rates, and other inputs. BTO then visually displays the resulting outbreak as it proceeds, including summary data, such as incidence and prevalence. BTO also shows emergent results like reproductive rate (R), which can be used to determine and test the herd immunity threshold (HIT) of the outbreak. BTO has been tested in the undergraduate microbiology classroom, where results suggest its use can enhance the learning of epidemiological content.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":"e0006225"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12369379/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144112161","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}