Topic: Evaluating the Impact of the “Storytelling in Cell Biology” Approach
When: Monday, April 5 from 12 - 1 pm
Where: Virtual (sign up for the Zoom link)

The next dB-SERC lunch discussion will take place Monday, April 5 from 12 – 1 pm. Dr. Kirill Kiselyov from the biology department will give his second talk on his course transformation. The purpose of this discussion is to share ideas and provide feedback. The abstract is below:

The science of cell biology integrates biochemistry of molecular interactions into the cell- or tissue-wide context. Many undergraduate students struggle aggregating cell biological knowledge components into a complete picture and incorporating research literature into the learning process. To address this problem I transformed an undergraduate cell biology class by introducing a concept of storylines that are selected by groups of students for development throughout the semester. Each storyline integrates molecular and organellar concepts discussed during the semester into the cell- and tissue-level functions, conditions or diseases, shared and discussed during online poster sessions. Three semester-long studies conducted with an undergraduate cell biology class at the University of Pittsburgh utilized pre- and post-assignment assessments of confidence and specific knowledge gains, which show that both parameters are significantly improved following each assignment. Other high cognitive level activities accompanying this approach include questions to the audience formulated by the presenting groups, which, for some groups, showed marked improvement during the semester. The surveys of attitude and factual knowledge  administered at the end of the semester suggest that the approach is seen as beneficial and enriching. I conclude that it is possible to vertically integrate a complicated class using storytelling and that such integration is positive and useful.