Changes in students’ mental models from computational modeling of gene regulatory networks
| Autor: | Tomáš Helikar, Nicholas J Galt, Joseph T. Dauer, McKenzie K. Kjose, Heather E. Bergan-Roller, Gretchen P. King |
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| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
media_common.quotation_subject
education Gene regulatory network Science education lcsh:Education (General) lcsh:LB5-3640 Education Mental models 03 medical and health sciences Modeling instruction Concept learning ComputingMilieux_COMPUTERSANDEDUCATION Curriculum 030304 developmental biology media_common Undergraduate Cognitive science lcsh:LC8-6691 0303 health sciences Computational model lcsh:Special aspects of education 05 social sciences Educational technology 050301 education Gene regulation lcsh:Theory and practice of education Conceptual model lcsh:L lcsh:L7-991 0503 education Discipline lcsh:Education |
| Zdroj: | International Journal of STEM Education, Vol 6, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2019) |
| ISSN: | 2196-7822 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s40594-019-0193-0 |
| Popis: | Background Computational modeling is an increasingly common practice for disciplinary experts and therefore necessitates integration into science curricula. Computational models afford an opportunity for students to investigate the dynamics of biological systems, but there is significant gap in our knowledge of how these activities impact student knowledge of the structures, relationships, and dynamics of the system. We investigated how a computational modeling activity affected introductory biology students’ mental models of a prokaryotic gene regulatory system (lac operon) by analyzing conceptual models created before and after the activity. Results Students’ pre-lesson conceptual models consisted of provided, system-general structures (e.g., activator, repressor) connected with predominantly incorrect relationships, representing an incomplete mental model of gene regulation. Students’ post-lesson conceptual models included more context-specific structures (e.g., cAMP, lac repressor) and increased in total number of structures and relationships. Student conceptual models also included higher quality relationships among structures, indicating they learned about these context-specific structures through integration with their expanding mental model rather than in isolation. Conclusions Student mental models meshed structures in a manner indicative of knowledge accretion while they were productively re-constructing their understanding of gene regulation. Conceptual models can inform instructors about how students are relating system structures and whether students are developing more sophisticated models of system-general and system-specific dynamics. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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