Mendelian or Multifactorial? Current Undergraduate Genetics Assessments Focus on Genes and Rarely Include the Environment
ABSTRACT Undergraduate genetics courses have historically focused on simple genetic models, rather than taking a more multifactorial approach where students explore how traits are influenced by a combination of genes, the environment, and gene-by-environment interactions. While a focus on simple gen...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Society for Microbiology
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00093-22 |
| _version_ | 1797980722558926848 |
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| author | Kelly M. Schmid Dennis Lee Monica Weindling Awais Syed Stephanie-Louise Yacoba Agyemang Brian Donovan Gregory Radick Michelle K. Smith |
| author_facet | Kelly M. Schmid Dennis Lee Monica Weindling Awais Syed Stephanie-Louise Yacoba Agyemang Brian Donovan Gregory Radick Michelle K. Smith |
| author_sort | Kelly M. Schmid |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Undergraduate genetics courses have historically focused on simple genetic models, rather than taking a more multifactorial approach where students explore how traits are influenced by a combination of genes, the environment, and gene-by-environment interactions. While a focus on simple genetic models can provide straightforward examples to promote student learning, they do not match the current scientific understanding and can result in deterministic thinking among students. In addition, undergraduates are often interested in complex human traits that are influenced by the environment, and national curriculum standards include learning objectives that focus on multifactorial concepts. This research aims to discover to what extent multifactorial genetics is currently being assessed in undergraduate genetics courses. To address this, we analyzed over 1,000 assessment questions from a commonly used undergraduate genetics textbook; published concept assessments; and open-source, peer-reviewed curriculum materials. Our findings show that current genetics assessment questions overwhelmingly emphasize the impact of genes on phenotypes and that the effect of the environment is rarely addressed. These results indicate a need for the inclusion of more multifactorial genetics concepts, and we suggest ways to introduce them into undergraduate courses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:59:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2ed0b3a84a9d4f31accb8207129b7be5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1935-7877 1935-7885 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:59:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-2ed0b3a84a9d4f31accb8207129b7be52022-12-22T04:41:47ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologyJournal of Microbiology & Biology Education1935-78771935-78852022-12-0123310.1128/jmbe.00093-22Mendelian or Multifactorial? Current Undergraduate Genetics Assessments Focus on Genes and Rarely Include the EnvironmentKelly M. Schmid0Dennis Lee1Monica Weindling2Awais Syed3Stephanie-Louise Yacoba Agyemang4Brian Donovan5Gregory Radick6Michelle K. Smith7Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USABSCS Science Learning, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USABSCS Science Learning, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USABSCS Science Learning, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USADepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USABSCS Science Learning, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USASchool of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, University of Leeds, Leeds, United KingdomDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USAABSTRACT Undergraduate genetics courses have historically focused on simple genetic models, rather than taking a more multifactorial approach where students explore how traits are influenced by a combination of genes, the environment, and gene-by-environment interactions. While a focus on simple genetic models can provide straightforward examples to promote student learning, they do not match the current scientific understanding and can result in deterministic thinking among students. In addition, undergraduates are often interested in complex human traits that are influenced by the environment, and national curriculum standards include learning objectives that focus on multifactorial concepts. This research aims to discover to what extent multifactorial genetics is currently being assessed in undergraduate genetics courses. To address this, we analyzed over 1,000 assessment questions from a commonly used undergraduate genetics textbook; published concept assessments; and open-source, peer-reviewed curriculum materials. Our findings show that current genetics assessment questions overwhelmingly emphasize the impact of genes on phenotypes and that the effect of the environment is rarely addressed. These results indicate a need for the inclusion of more multifactorial genetics concepts, and we suggest ways to introduce them into undergraduate courses.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00093-22assessmentcurriculumenvironmentgenesgeneticsundergraduate |
| spellingShingle | Kelly M. Schmid Dennis Lee Monica Weindling Awais Syed Stephanie-Louise Yacoba Agyemang Brian Donovan Gregory Radick Michelle K. Smith Mendelian or Multifactorial? Current Undergraduate Genetics Assessments Focus on Genes and Rarely Include the Environment Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education assessment curriculum environment genes genetics undergraduate |
| title | Mendelian or Multifactorial? Current Undergraduate Genetics Assessments Focus on Genes and Rarely Include the Environment |
| title_full | Mendelian or Multifactorial? Current Undergraduate Genetics Assessments Focus on Genes and Rarely Include the Environment |
| title_fullStr | Mendelian or Multifactorial? Current Undergraduate Genetics Assessments Focus on Genes and Rarely Include the Environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mendelian or Multifactorial? Current Undergraduate Genetics Assessments Focus on Genes and Rarely Include the Environment |
| title_short | Mendelian or Multifactorial? Current Undergraduate Genetics Assessments Focus on Genes and Rarely Include the Environment |
| title_sort | mendelian or multifactorial current undergraduate genetics assessments focus on genes and rarely include the environment |
| topic | assessment curriculum environment genes genetics undergraduate |
| url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00093-22 |
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