NIH Biotechnologist: Authentic Exploration of Biotechnology in Health Science

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed NIH Biotechnologist: Authentic Explorations of Biotechnology, Genetics, and Genomics in Health Science project will produce a model lesson-"Restriction Mapping: Mapping restriction sites on a plasmid"-derived from the Biotechnologist instructional materials developed by the nonprofit Center for Image Processing in Education. Designed to be a supplementary activity for high school and college instruction, the lesson will be restructured using the Understanding by Design methodology of Wiggins and McTighe (2005); updated with current content material relevant to the mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); enhanced with technologies that promote customizability by instructors and interactivity for learners; and packaged in an eLearning format to facilitate testing and improve its usability for instructors and students. The lesson will introduce the learner to restriction mapping in an engaging manner, provide online tools that allow the learner to explore the topic by conducting a basic science experiment, analyze data gathered during the experiment, reflect on what they have learned, and integrate their discoveries with narrative accounts of the discovery of similar knowledge. The lesson will serve as a prototype for a full set of materials to be developed with funding from a Phase II SBIR grant. Updating, improvement, and repurposing of Biotechnologist will be conducted by Science Approach, a for-profit corporation. The project will accomplish the following milestones: (1) develop a model NIH Biotechnologist lesson by updating, improving, and repurposing the existing "Restriction Mapping: Mapping restriction sites on a plasmid" lesson from Biotechnologist; (2) pilot test the model lesson with a panel of high school teachers, college instructors, and undergraduate students to uncover usability issues, identify barriers to successful implementation of the materials, and receive feedback about the model lesson and planned set of materials; (3) analyze the pilot test data and revise the model lesson into a template for the full set of instructional materials to be produced in Phase II; (4) finalize a table of contents for the full set of NIH Biotechnologist materials; (5) Evaluate channels for collaborative development, marketing, and distribution of NIH Biotechnologist by exploring a relationship with the National Science Teachers Association; and (6) create a plan for developing and field-testing the full set of instructional materials during a Phase II SBIR project. By immersing students in real research data from NIH-supported research, the NIH Biotechnologist project will (1) help promote development of a scientifically literate public that can carry forward the endowment of science and technology that has provided the United States with its high standard of living and (2) introduce learners to the key role that NIH-supported research in biotechnology, genetics, and genomics plays in improving biomedical diagnoses, treatments, and research. The proposed NIH Biotechnologist: Authentic Explorations of Biotechnology, Genetics, and Genomics in Health Science project will involve high school and undergraduate students in learning about biotechnology, genetics, and genomics. Not only will the proposed instructional materials highlight the key role that NIH-supported research plays in improving biomedical diagnoses, treatments, and research, NIH Biotechnologist will promote development of a scientifically literate public that can carry forward the endowment of science and technology that has made the United States a leader in the field of biomedicine and provided its citizens with the high standard of living the nation enjoys.