6 Overcoming Throwaway Assignments
Co-creation in Molecular Biology Courses
Carlos Goller
Co-creation in Molecular Biology Courses
Key Takeaways
- Learners can co-create durable intellectual assets that help current and future scholars learn about various molecular biotechnology techniques and concepts.
- Promoting the sharing of reproducible methods is part of training in responsible innovation.
- Public access to student products encourages extending courses beyond a single institution.
Introduction
Undergraduate and graduate education in many disciplines often necessitates using molecular biology concepts and approaches. Several engineering, biophysics, design, forestry, and crop science trainees at NC State face the often daunting challenge of using molecular techniques to address questions in their fields of study. Thus, molecular biology training has become a cornerstone of workforce development in science and engineering. The number of resources available on the web and the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) help learners easily find resources; however, each individual has different needs and interests. In line with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and open pedagogy, instructors can actively encourage the creation of course products that meet learning objectives while harnessing students’ intrinsic motivation and creativity.
Learning Objectives
After completing this chapter, Open Pedagogy Scholars will be able to…
- Explain the concept of a durable intellectual asset or no-throwaway assignment in a course with molecular biology elements.
- List two examples of assignments that could be used in their courses.
- Discuss instructors’ limitations and opportunities in designing, implementing, grading, and maintaining durable intellectual assets.
Approach
What would a scholar in your field need to have or do to complete the process or design an experiment? Course and module-level objectives help educators use backward design to create learning experiences that help prepare current and future researchers. Typically, assignments have been limited to reports, exams, essays, and presentations. Instructors can now encourage using web-based tools and platforms to create digital assets that help learners practice key skills and share their work creatively. Students can work independently or in teams to synthesize information, conduct analyses, and prepare resources that can help them and others apply molecular biology techniques.
Examples
Instructors teaching courses with molecular biology components, including bioinformatics, have numerous options for designing exciting and open assignments. For example, in a first- and second-year biotechnology and sustainability course, student scholars develop multimedia-rich resources to teach others about electronic waste recycling practices in their communities. These resources are intended for public consumption and, when posted openly with permission from the author, can help raise awareness of community services from a different perspective. These and other student contributions become durable intellectual assets that help learners achieve the learning objectives and inform and empower audiences beyond the course.
Examples
Examples of open pedagogy projects and student assignments…
- Multimedia-rich projects to inform the public about community services and approaches using molecular technologies. For example, a public science project describing the process for recycling electronic waste in a county, or an approachable definition/description of metagenomics through visuals.
- A podcast and script with a community member or researcher of interest. Students can use various tools to record and edit audio from conversations with peers or experts. Students have interviewed lab members, authors, extension officers, community members, and family members to learn about the use of biotechnologies and their societal impact.
- A tutorial from the perspective of a graduate student. Often, learning from a peer can make daunting content more approachable. Further, explaining complex processes to others helps learners reinforce their understanding and gain confidence. Graduate students can be tasked with creating screencast tutorials to help users analyze data, install/navigate software, and explore graphs/tables.
Accessibility and Transparency
Remember to consider and emphasize accessibility and the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Discuss with the class and integrate the expectations for accessibility of the resources participants create into your assignment guidelines. For videos and podcasts, remind learners that starting with a script helps facilitate the recording process. Videos may require manual improvement of the captions.
Discuss carefully with participants the expectations for sharing and alternatives. Will students have the option to post anonymously? Can participants choose not to share their work? How will you respect the privacy and ownership of their intellectual property?
Resources
Instructors and scholars with limited time may be unable to devote time and resources to developing guidelines and support for student assignments that create a durable intellectual asset. Thus, examples from peers and ideas for implementation are always welcome! I learned from others developing similar assignments that embrace Open Pedagogy and the desire to co-create with students resources that will go beyond the course. Because of this, connecting with peers at NC State and beyond is critical, as you can learn about the options available and support for digital media production, data storage, and sharing.
Examples
Some inspirational resources focus on open education, pedagogy, and molecular biology.
- OER & Open Pedagogy Community of Practice
- University of Washington Open Pedagogy resources and assignments
- Open Pedagogy Approaches by Alexis Clifton and Kimberly Davies Hoffman
Challenges
The flexibility and independence of creative works can be a challenge. It often takes several course iterations to improve the guidelines to align with instructor expectations, learner workload, and available support/resources.
Exercises to overcome (some) challenges
While not all courses and experiences may be suitable for seamlessly integrating open pedagogy approaches, the exercises and approaches listed below could address some of my most common challenges.
- I can’t do all that! Start small: Overcome the hurdle of massive open projects and websites. Can you design and implement an assignment where students create or co-create a resource to help others achieve the course’s learning objectives?
- I will get various projects, none of which are exactly what I want. Scaffold! Help learners create a podcast, infographic, or case study one step at a time. Start with selecting a topic, finding resources, connecting with media specialists, and writing a draft. Before they know it (and often to your surprise!), you will have drafts that are solid foundations for improvement based on your assignment goals.
- These projects can’t be implemented in large-enrollment courses. I acknowledge that challenge. Consider encouraging teamwork!
Lesson Learned
I have embraced creating works with students as part of courses. I believe that, together, the co-creation process yields learning for all. However, it is essential to clearly describe the goals of the work and the process to students. Discussions about authorship, their intellectual contributions, and permissions have now found their way into the courses I teach.
Leveraging Scholar Contributions to Improve Training
Why do this?
Creating dynamic resources that others can utilize and build upon is empowering. It is the nature of knowledge discovery and sharing that scholars embrace.
Connecting OERs, scholars, and courses.
Connecting scholars and sharing OERs goes beyond a single course. We can learn from OERs created by students from other institutions. We can adapt modules for the courses we teach. The connections made facilitate, I believe, the creation of course resources while saving time for elements that make your course, topic, and students unique. Finding a partner at another institution has been truly rewarding: our students connect virtually, learn from each other, and experience how scholars can collaborate (openly!).
Contributing knowledge.
Key Takeaways (revisited!)
- Learners can co-create durable intellectual assets that help current and future scholars learn about various molecular biotechnology techniques and concepts.
- How will you design learning experiences to provide learners with ownership of their assignments?
- Promoting the sharing of reproducible methods is part of training in responsible innovation.
- How can you emphasize reproducible and open science principles by sharing methods?
- How will you train scholars to be responsible innovators?
- Public access to student products encourages extending courses beyond a single institution.
- How will you discuss their work as contributors with students?
- How will you be transparent about intellectual property and sharing while being aware of power dynamics at play as an instructor?
- How will you use other open pedagogy resources to promote the use of course-created, durable intellectual assets?
Media Attributions
Learner-created or co-created works that align with the course learning objectives and promote the contribution of intellectual resources that can be used beyond the length of the course
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach that aims to remove barriers to learning and access. UDL is based on the idea that all learners should have opportunities to succeed.
A planning framework that begins with identifying the desired learning outcomes for students, rather than starting with the content or activities.
To divide a larger task into more reasonable steps/tasks/milestones for learners to build toward a challenging assignment.
