The Algae-in-a-Bottle Experiment: A High-Impact Learning Activity part of Pedagogy in Action:Activities
William Chamberlin, Fullerton College
The Algae-in-a-Bottle Experiment provides an engaging and flexible high-impact teaching tool for helping students to know, understand, and apply a number of concepts related to the biology and ecology of aquatic plants and their environments.

Carbon Sequestration in Campus Trees part of Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum:General Collection:Examples
Robert Cole, The Evergreen State College
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students use allometric relationships to calculate tree mass from trunk diameter in a stand of trees in the Pacific Northwest.

Searching Genbank part of Merlot Biology Pedagogic Collection:Teaching with Data:Examples
Jeff Bell, California State University-Chico
An active problem-based assignment that uses the Genbank database to teach the basics of molecular biology and molecular evolution

Phylogenetics problems part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Coached Problem Solving:Examples
Sarah Deel, Carleton College; Debby Walser-Kuntz, Carleton College
Students receive information about cladistics and apply this phylogenetic approach to two problems, collecting data, determining whether traits are ancestral or derived, and using this information to select the most parsimonious tree.

From Isotopes to Temperature: Working With A Temperature Equation part of Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum:General Collection:Examples
Dorien McGee
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students build a spreadsheet to examine from a dataset the relation between oxygen isotopes in corals and the temperature of surrounding seawater.

Which Strategy is Best to Ensure the Conservation of Endangered Species? part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Using Issues to Teach Science:Examples
Susan Musante, HHMI
Students learn about endangered species and actions humans have taken to address the issue of endangered species. The Xpeditions lesson has students think about their experiences with zoos, learn about the reasons ...

Constructing Phylogenetic Trees: The Whippo Story part of Merlot Biology Pedagogic Collection:Interactive Lectures:Examples
Scott Cooper, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
An interactive lecture in which students use data on feeding habits and habitat, skeletons, and DNA sequences to draw phylogenetic trees. -

Simple Mendelian Genetics: An interactive lecture using "DNA from the Beginning" part of Merlot Biology Pedagogic Collection:Interactive Lectures:Examples
Jeff Bell, California State University-Chico
An interactive lecture that uses flash animations showing the researcher and their experiments that were used to develop the basic concepts in Mendelian genetics. Includes multiple choice questions students can ...

Translation simulation part of Merlot Biology Pedagogic Collection:Conceptual Models:Examples
Scott Cooper, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
This module introduces students to the basics behind translation of a messenger RNA sequence into protein. In addition to text and movies, there are interactive shockwave animations that allow students to move ribosomes and tRNAs to perform translation.

Monohybrid Fruit Fly Crosses: A Simulation part of Merlot Biology Pedagogic Collection:Teaching with Data:Examples
Jeff Bell, California State University-Chico
This assignment uses a computer simulation of fruit fly genetics to have students design and interpret monohybrid crosses of a trait with simple dominant and recessive alleles. Detailed instructions with animated examples, background material, a sample report and a rubric are included.