Table1_Integrating Bioinformatics Tools Into Inquiry-Based Molecular Biology Laboratory Education Modules.pdf

The accelerating expansion of online bioinformatics tools has profoundly impacted molecular biology, with such tools becoming integral to the modern life sciences. As a result, molecular biology laboratory education must train students to leverage bioinformatics in meaningful ways to be prepared for a spectrum of careers. Institutions of higher learning can benefit from a flexible and dynamic instructional paradigm that blends up-to-date bioinformatics training with best practices in molecular biology laboratory pedagogy. At North Carolina State University, the campus-wide interdisciplinary Biotechnology (BIT) Program has developed cutting-edge, flexible, inquiry-based Molecular Biology Laboratory Education Modules (MBLEMs). MBLEMs incorporate relevant online bioinformatics tools using evidenced-based pedagogical practices and in alignment with national learning frameworks. Students in MBLEMs engage in the most recent experimental developments in modern biology (e.g., CRISPR, metagenomics) through the strategic use of bioinformatics, in combination with wet-lab experiments, to address research questions. MBLEMs are flexible educational units that provide a menu of inquiry-based laboratory exercises that can be used as complete courses or as parts of existing courses. As such, MBLEMs are designed to serve as resources for institutions ranging from community colleges to research-intensive universities, involving a diverse range of learners. Herein, we describe this new paradigm for biology laboratory education that embraces bioinformatics as a critical component of inquiry-based learning for undergraduate and graduate students representing the life sciences, the physical sciences, and engineering.

在线生物信息学（bioinformatics）工具的迅猛发展对分子生物学（molecular biology）产生了深远影响，这类工具现已成为现代生命科学领域不可或缺的核心组成部分。有鉴于此，分子生物学实验室教育必须培养学生以务实有效的方式运用生物信息学的能力，使其能够适配各类职业发展需求。高等院校可通过采用灵活动态的教学范式获益良多——该范式将前沿生物信息学培训与分子生物学实验室教学的最佳实践有机结合。北卡罗来纳州立大学（North Carolina State University）的跨校区生物技术（Biotechnology, BIT）跨学科项目，开发了兼具前沿性、灵活性与探究式学习特色的分子生物学实验室教育模块（Molecular Biology Laboratory Education Modules, MBLEMs）。该模块采用循证教学实践，并契合国家学习框架，整合了一批实用的在线生物信息学工具。参与该模块的学生可通过战略性运用生物信息学，并结合湿实验室实验（wet-lab experiments），探究现代生物学的最新研究进展（如CRISPR、宏基因组学（metagenomics）），以此解决科研问题。MBLEMs属于灵活的教育单元，提供一系列基于探究式学习的实验室练习，既可作为完整课程独立开设，也可作为补充内容嵌入现有课程体系。因此，该模块旨在为从社区学院到研究密集型大学的各类院校提供教学资源，服务于多样化的学习者群体。本文中，我们将介绍这一全新的生物学实验室教育范式——该范式将生物信息学作为面向生命科学、物理科学及工程领域本科生与研究生的探究式学习核心组成部分。