A new approach to teach molecular biology in high school using Python
01 Dec 2016-pp 1-5
TL;DR: The utility of Python programming language as a teaching material for high school students in learning biology is investigated and how there is a connection between student successes in learning Biology with creative use of Python programs is established.
Abstract: Teachers' role in 21st century is undergoing a transition from the orthodox ‘chalk and talk’ method to a student-centered, activity-based approach that maximizes students' active-learning opportunities and engages them to solve various problems. Teachers play an important role in today's technology-rich classrooms that significantly affect students' learning. For this reason it is time for the students, taking up biology in senior school, to realize that their responsibilities towards the subject have changed, since recent trends in information and communication are redefining biology and taking precedence over the traditional methods. The present study is designed to investigate the utility of Python programming language as a teaching material for high school students in learning biology. This paper also highlights the strengths in using Python Language in some selected topics of biology and establishes how there is a connection between student successes in learning biology with creative use of Python programs.
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TL;DR: A programming course for teacher training disciplines that are taught in training units of the Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU) are developed and recommendations to apply features of the programming language Python in the professional activities of future teachers are given.
Abstract: At present, teaching programming to future teachers is superficial or is excluded from computer science curricular. Only programming fundamentals are taught during computer studies, and skills acquired during the training are not applied in practice. The aims of this article are 1) to develop a programming course for teacher training disciplines that are taught in training units of the Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU), and 2) give recommendations to apply features of the programming language Python in the professional activities of future teachers. This work applies the iterative methodological approach to undertake the study in various groups of students of NEFU from 2016 to 2019. Quantitative and objective indicators are used. Results show which modules of Python are the most appropriate for students to study for their future professional teaching activities. The training course "Use of the language Python by future teachers" is developed, and will be taught in all training units of the university, that have teacher training disciplines. The article determines a direction of future research related to teaching programming, which is important for all computer studies.
5 citations
Cites methods from "A new approach to teach molecular b..."
...The use of PL/Python in some biology issues related to data processing improves the performance of students who have used Python programs to solve tasks during laboratory classes in biology (Sarkar, & Sarkar, 2017)....
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02 Jul 2020
TL;DR: The results of this study showed the importance of biology education students to understand the concepts related to molecular work because in the future they are not only become prospective educators, they also have demands as prospective researchers.
Abstract: Penelitian molekuler untuk menemukan gen pengkode resistensi Multidrug Resistance Prtotein A (MRPA) T. evansi dan perbanyakan gen secara Polimeration Chain Reaction (PCR) masih sedikit dilakukan dan sangat penting untuk dipahami oleh mahasiswa calon guru biologi. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis proses desain dan optimasi primer untuk gen target MRPA T. evansi yang dapat digunakan sebagai sumber belajar mahasiswa pendidikan biologi. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif mengenai tahapan mendesain primer secara online, optimasi primer secara laboratorium serta kajian mengenai pentingnya penerapan hasil studi ini dalam pembelajaran. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan terdapat tiga desain primer yang memenuhi syarat, selanjutnya dari tiga primer tersebut hasil optimasi di laboratorium menunjukkan hanya terdapat dua primer yang menunjukkan hasil yang baik dan dapat digunakan untuk penelitian amplifikasi gen MRPA T. evansi , yaitu primer pertama (F1’, R1’) dan primer kedua (F2’, R2’). Hasil kajian desain dan optimasi primer ini menunjukkan bahwa mahasiswa pendidikan biologi sangatlah penting untuk memahami konsep terkait dengan pekerjaan molekuler seperti mendesain dan optimasi primer, dikarenakan mereka memiliki tuntutan untuk menjadi seorang calon pendidik atau sebagai calon peneliti dimasa depan. Design and Optimization of Trypanosoma evansi MRPA Primer Coding Genes and Application to Molecular Biology Learning Abstract Molecular research to find Multidrug Resistance Prtotein A (MRPA) resistance coding genes and gene propagation by Polimeration Chain Reaction (PCR) is still little done and is very important to be understood by prospective biology teacher students. This study aims to analyze the design and primary optimization process for the T. evansi MRPA target gene that can be used as a learning resource for biology education students. This research was a descriptive study to described the step of primer design and optimization due to the importance of this steps to be applied as learning source. The results showed that there were 3 primer designs that qualified, then after the optimizing step there were only two primers that showed a good result, the first primer (F1, R1) and second primer (F2', R2). The results of this study showed the importance of biology education students to understand the concepts related to molecular work because in the future they are not only become prospective educators, they also have demands as prospective researchers.
3 citations
Cites background from "A new approach to teach molecular b..."
...Untuk alasan inilah saatnya bagi siswa sekolah menengah, untuk menyadari bahwa tanggung jawab mereka terhadap subjek telah berubah, karena adanya tren terbaru dalam informasi dan komunikasi (Sarkar & Sarkar, 2016)....
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References
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TL;DR: An international survey of opinions was organized for more than 500 students and teachers and the results of the survey provide information of the difficulties experienced and perceived when learning and teaching programming.
Abstract: Programming is related to several fields of technology, and many university students are studying the basics of it. Unfortunately, they often face difficulties already on the basic courses. This work studies the difficulties in learning programming in order to support developing learning materials for basic programming courses. The difficulties have to be recognized to be able to aid learning and teaching in an effective way.An international survey of opinions was organized for more than 500 students and teachers. This paper analyses the results of the survey. The survey provides information of the difficulties experienced and perceived when learning and teaching programming. The survey results also provide basis for recommendations for developing learning materials and approaches.
852 citations
Proceedings Article•
01 Jan 2006TL;DR: Examining how programming can be introduced at high school level and evaluating how suitable the programming language Python is to support both teachers and learners in this process find that students have difficulties in dealing with abstract concepts - even though the syntax for implementing these is simple.
Abstract: Deciding what to teach novices about programming and what programming language to use is a common topic for debate. Should an industry relevant programming language be taught, or should a language designed for teaching novices be used? Typically, these questions are raised at university level, but in this paper we address them from a high school perspective.We present a case study with a twofold goal: (1) examining how programming can be introduced at high school level, and (2) evaluating how suitable the programming language Python is to support both teachers and learners in this process. During the school year 2004/2005, an introductory programming course was given to four student groups in two different high schools. The students enjoyed programming and learnt to think in terms of re-use and interfaces. In addition, we found that many features of Python facilitated both teaching and learning (for instance, a simple and flexible syntax, immediate feedback, easy-to-use modules and strict requirements on proper indentation).Our findings support results from previous studies in that students have difficulties in dealing with abstract concepts - even though the syntax for implementing these is simple. In addition, compared to university students, high school students are young and have necessarily not yet developed the writing skills required for producing proper documentation. The course was designed to be well suited for high school students in general, but still all participants were boys. Since high schools should provide all-round learning to all students, we, as do all computer science teachers, face the challenge of making programming more appealing to girls.
107 citations
11 Jan 2003
TL;DR: The Computer Science Department at Centre College has restructured the CS I course so that it uses the language Python, devotes more attention to the Internet and the World Wide Web, addresses ethical and societal issues, and introduces students to programmable robots and an SQL database.
Abstract: In an effort to serve the needs of both majors and non-majors, the Computer Science Department at Centre College has restructured the CS I course so that it uses the language Python, devotes more attention to the Internet and the World Wide Web, addresses ethical and societal issues, and introduces students to programmable robots and an SQL database. This diverse course has been attractive to the students while still maintaining a strong emphasis on programming.
42 citations