[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-594643-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":80,"doc-detail-594643-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","an-inquiry-infused-introductory-biology-laboratory-that-integrates-mendels-pea-phenotypes-with-molecular-mechanisms","An Inquiry-Infused Introductory Biology Laboratory That Integrates Mendel’s Pea Phenotypes with Molecular Mechanisms","","We developed a multi-week introductory biology laboratory in which college students investigate Mendel’s pea stem-length phenotype and connect visible traits to underlying molecular mechanisms. Students first apply gibberellic acid (GA) treatments to test whether short mutant lines show GA responsiveness, positioning the mutation within the GA signal transduction pathway. They then genotype the Mendel’s le allele using a dCAPS PCR assay. Surveys evaluate learning gains across understanding, science literacy, scientific practices, and collaboration, with notable confidence increases in most goals.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/an-inquiry-infused-introductory-biology-laboratory-that-integrates-mendels-pea-phenotypes-with-molecular-mechanisms/594643/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/an-inquiry-infused-introductory-biology-laboratory-that-integrates-mendels-pea-phenotypes-with-molecular-mechanisms/594643.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Ben ","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-19","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":26},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"How do students determine whether the short pea mutants respond to gibberellic acid (GA)?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"In weeks 1 and 2, students treat control and experimental plants with GA to assess GA responsiveness and infer where the mutation lies in the GA signal transduction pathway.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"What molecular technique is used to genotype the Mendel le allele?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"Students use a derived cleaved polymorphic sequences (dCAPS) PCR assay to genotype the Mendel’s le mutation during weeks 2 and 3.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"How were student learning gains assessed in the laboratory?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"The course administered surveys aligned to four learning goals: understanding the lab, basic science literacy, scientific practices, and working collaboratively.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},594643,1792433664,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,87,91,95,100,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":84,"show_sort_weight":85,"slug":86},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":131},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":26,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":101,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},2336478951081,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","An Inquiry-Infused Introductory Biology Laboratory That Integrates Mendel’s Pea Phenotypes with Molecular Mechanisms  \nPhilip Kudish, Erin Schlag & Nicholas J. Kaplinsky  \nDepartment of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA 19081 [Corresponding Author:](Corresponding Author: pkudish1@swarthmore.edu)[ ](Corresponding Author: pkudish1@swarthmore.edu)[pkudish1@swarthmore.edu](Corresponding Author: pkudish1@swarthmore.edu)  \nAbstract: We developed a multi-week laboratory in which college-level introductory biology students investigate Mendel’s stem length phenotype in peas. Students collect, analyze and interpret convergent evidence from molecular and physiological techniques. In weeks 1 and 2, students treat control and experimental plants with Gibberellic Acid (GA) to determine whether uncharacterized short mutant lines are GA responsive. These data allow students to place the mutation in the GA signal transduction pathway. During weeks 2 and 3, plants are genotyped for Mendel’s le mutation using a derived cleaved polymorphic sequences (dCAPS) PCR assay. This laboratory allows students to make a direct connection between modern molecular genetics and the easily scored phenotypes Mendel used as the basis of his fundamental discoveries. We administered surveys to assess student gains in accord with four learning goals: understanding the lab, basic science literacy, scientific practices, and working collaboratively. Student confidence increased significantly in the first three, but not in working collaboratively, although students reported greater confidence working in groups than alone.  \nKey words: Laboratory, Genetics, Inquiry-Based Instruction  \nINTRODUCTION  \nThe official position of the National Science Teachers Association is that an undergraduate laboratory experience “should not be a rote exercise in which students are merely following directions, as though they were reading a cookbook”(NSTA, 2006). Despite this, many undergraduate introductory biology laboratory exercises (including several currently taught at Swarthmore College) are selfcontained 3-hour affairs in which students follow prescribed protocols to reproduce known results. One pragmatic rationale for adherence to this traditional paradigm is the ease with which instructors can guide and evaluate the work of a large group of students. Another is interest in exposing students to a broad range of concepts and methods (Anderson, 2002) . Student success in these labs is usually defined as the degree to which results conform to predetermined outcomes. Even when successful, such “cookbook”experiences can be discouraging for students as they lack prospects for personal discovery or authentic contributions to science. Traditional labs can present the nature of science as confirmatory rather than exploratory and relegate students to the role of passive audience members rather than active participants (Munby & Roberts, 1998) . Pedagogical methods such as these have been described as disengaging and disempowering (Roth & Lee, 2004) .  \nIn response to the traditional paradigm, progressive educators have widely advocated inquirybased science education since at least the early 20th century (Dewey, 1938). Inquiry is marked by exploration of true unknowns, participation in experimental design, time for reflection and revision,  \nand a capstone such as a written or oral presentation (NRC, 2000) and is most fully realized in mentored student research experiences (Katkin, 2003) . Benefits of these experiences include procedural troubleshooting skills and a better understanding of the role of convergent evidence in establishing claims (Bleicher,1996; Kardash, 2000; Richie & Rigano,1996; Ryder, et al., 1999) . Such gains in concert with positive collaborative relationships with mentors or other group members have the potential to facilitate formation of scientific identities and to stimulate further participation and deeper membership in the scientific community (Hunter et al.","cbCaitWHBIbxnpBs","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitWHBIbxnpBs","pdf",113801,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Traditional “cookbook” laboratory paradigm\n## Inquiry-based science education rationale\n## Design of the inquiry-based lab integrating Mendel and molecular mechanisms","[{\"question\":\"How do students determine whether the short pea mutants respond to gibberellic acid (GA)?\",\"answer\":\"In weeks 1 and 2, students treat control and experimental plants with GA to assess GA responsiveness and infer where the mutation lies in the GA signal transduction pathway.\"},{\"question\":\"What molecular technique is used to genotype the Mendel le allele?\",\"answer\":\"Students use a derived cleaved polymorphic sequences (dCAPS) PCR assay to genotype the Mendel’s le mutation during weeks 2 and 3.\"},{\"question\":\"How were student learning gains assessed in the laboratory?\",\"answer\":\"The course administered surveys aligned to four learning goals: understanding the lab, basic science literacy, scientific practices, and working collaboratively.\"}]","An Inquiry-Infused Introductory Biology Laboratory That Integrates Mendel’s Pea Phenotypes with Molecular Mechanisms | PDF",1792079550,15]