Open Educational Resources

These open educational resources (OER) were created by Chapman University researchers. Open educational resources are resources for teaching, learning, and research that have been released in the public domain or with an open license.

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Resistant & Persistent Bacterial Cells

Jean-Louis Bru

An activity on the difference between resistant & persistent bacterial cells. This activity aims to build on the pre-lecture materials about resistant bacterial cells, so that students can make a connection toward persistent cells. In both cases, they make antibiotics less effective.

Learning Objectives

Recognize the importance of antibiotics in fighting bacterial infections. Understand how bacterial species become antibiotic resistant. Determine the difference between resistant and persistent bacterial cells.

Social and Collaborative

Students work together on this in-class activity in groups of 2-4 (3, ideally). Each student will have one of the following roles: encourager, recorded, investigator, and time keeper. At the end of the activity, students will download the Google Slides as PDF and submit it for credit, graded based on completion.

Recommended courses for the activity

This activity is recommended for students taking general microbiology. To a larger extent, this activity can be applied to classes that go over antibiotic resistance. This activity is straightforward enough to be used by students in lower division or upper division as long as they get lectured on antibiotic resistance. A short lecture is also provided in case you need to teach about antibiotic resistance.

How the activity works

First, each student takes a survey on basic knowledge about persistent, resistant, and sensitive bacterial cells.

Then, students review the concept of antibiotic resistance through the case study involving Vanessa who goes off to college and becomes infected with chlamydia. After taking antibiotics for a few days, she stops her treatment halfway because she feels better. Unfortunately, she eventually becomes much worse as the bacteria have become more aggressive and resistant to the antibiotics she has been taking.

Students continue working on this activity by going through a series of questions to explain the consequences of persistent cells. The life cycle of persistent bacterial cells and then the graph on the difference between persistent, resistant, and sensitive cells conclude the activity (on the right).

Each student finally takes a post-activity survey to ensure they understand the concepts and their thoughts on the activity.

Contents
- docx RESPER_Facilitation_Guide_SocialTools_v1.docx(DOCX | 2 MB) pptx
- RESPER_Activity_Deck_SocialTools_v1.pptx(PPTX | 2 MB) pptx
- RESPER_Lecture_Antimicrobial_Drugs_Antibiotic_SocialTools_v1.pptx(PPTX | 21 MB)
- RESPER_PrePostFeedback_Questions_SocialTools_v1.docx(DOCX | 69 KB)
- Activity_Deck_Setup_Info_SocialTools_v1.docx(DOCX | 249 KB)
- RESPER_Facilitation_Guide_SocialTools_v1.docx(DOCX | 2 MB)
- RESPER_Activity_Deck_SocialTools_v1.pptx(PPTX | 2 MB)
- RESPER_PrePostFeedback_Questions_SocialTools_v1.docx(DOCX | 109 KB)
- RESPER_Lecture_Antimicrobial_Drugs_Antibiotic_SocialTools_v1.pptx(PPTX | 21 MB)
A Molecular Mechanism of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT): An Evidence Based Lesson Applying Molecular Biology Through the Lens of Cancer

Sophie Hasson and Melissa Rowland-Goldsmith

This lesson aims to strengthen students’ critical thinking and molecular biology data analysis skills as well as their understanding of concepts related to the hallmark of cancer: tissue invasion and metastasis. Students begin by learning about the invasion of cancer cells, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), and an important protein involved in EMT: E-cadherin. They then apply molecular biology knowledge to analyze data from multiple papers to infer the relationship between Snail and E-cadherin in different types of cancers. Next, they continue to interpret data from many papers to determine that a repressor transcription factor is present during EMT in cancer cells to reduce the rate of transcription of E-cadherin. Throughout this process, they review some important molecular biology laboratory techniques, including but not limited to: qRT-PCR, Northern Blot, Western Blot, stable transfections, and orthotopic mouse models. Knowledge of the central dogma of molecular biology helps students understand how expression of E-cadherin is regulated during EMT in the context of cancer. Overall, this lesson allows students to think critically and apply foundational molecular biology knowledge to synthesize real data. In this lesson, students organically discover the relationship between two proteins involved in EMT. This lesson empowers students, encouraging positive attitudes about science as they draw exciting conclusions from their hard work and focus during complex data analysis.

Primary Image: A molecular mechanism of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT): An evidence-based lesson applying molecular biology through the lens of cancer. Cancer cells undergo many cellular changes during the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), which promotes one of the hallmarks of cancer: tissue invasion and metastasis. One mechanism of EMT involves the proteins E-cadherin and Snail.
The Impact of Climate Change on Sea Hare Respiration

Desiree Forsythe and Richelle Tanner

In this lesson, students interpret graphs of sea hare respiration. Then, students view and reflect on an interview with environmental scientist Dr. Richelle Tanner, who collected the data in the graph. This lesson was designed for a 75-min class period with in-person delivery. Target student level is introductory biology for majors. The materials here include an instructor guide (1_LessonGuide_The Impact of Climate Change on Sea Hare Respiration), an in-class presentation (Google slides; 2_PresentationSlides_The Impact of Climate Change on Sea Hare Respiration), and a link to the interview with Dr. Richelle Tanner, (BioGraphI Interview with Richelle Tanner).
Institutional Racism in the United States Revisited

Carmichael Peters, Louis L. Knowles, Rodè F. Cramer, Glennan Keldin, Hayley Nelson, and Lucia Beatty

This book aims to examine the current state of systemic racism in the United States as compared to baseline data collected in 1969. Using recent findings in the fields of history, economics, education, political science and public health, the work reveals the ways in which systemic racism in the US has and has not been addressed in the past five decades.
Figure Set Update: An Inquiry-Based Module Aligned with the 4DEE Framework for Teaching about Functional Responses and Biological Control

Rosny Jean, Linda Auker, Suann Yang, and Jeremy Hsu

THE ISSUE

Biological control agents are used in a wide range of contexts to limit damage from pests. However, the broader ecological consequences of such agents often are unclear before ecological risk assessments are performed. This Figure Set guides students to think through potential consequences of using biological control agents, and then uses a specific study to challenge students to interpret results from laboratory and caged field experiments. This Figure Set also introduces the concept of functional responses to students.
FOUR DIMENSIONAL ECOLOGY EDUCATION (4DEE) FRAMEWORK
- Core Ecological Concepts:
- Ecology Practices:
- Human-Environment Interactions:
- Cross-cutting Themes:
STUDENT-ACTIVE APPROACHES

Think-pair-share, drawing predicted results, designing experiments
STUDENT ASSESSMENTS

answering questions on a worksheet, sharing responses with the class, and completing post-class homework that assesses understanding of key concepts
CLASS TIME

This Figure Set is designed to span one 75-minute class, or split over two 50-minute class sessions.
COURSE CONTEXT

This Figure Set is designed for upper-division undergraduate ecology courses.