"Big Ideas" of Introductory Chemistry and Biology Courses and the Connections between Them.

Introductory courses are often designed to cover a range of topics with the intent to offer students exposure to the given discipline as preparation to further their study in the same or related disciplines. Unfortunately, students in these courses are often presented with an overwhelming amount of information that may not support their formation of a usable coherent network of knowledge. In this study we conducted a mixed-method sequential exploratory study with students co-enrolled in General Chemistry II and Introductory Biology I to better understand what students perceived to be the "take-home" messages of these courses (i.

Students' use of chemistry core ideas to explain the structure and stability of DNA.

Students tend to think of their science courses as isolated and unrelated to each other, making it difficult for them to see connections across disciplines. In addition, many existing science assessments target rote memorization and algorithmic problem-solving skills. Here, we describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of an activity aimed to help students integrate knowledge across introductory chemistry and biology courses.

Using PyMOL to Explore the Effects of pH on Noncovalent Interactions between Immunoglobulin G and Protein A: A Guided-Inquiry Biochemistry Activity.

Students' understandings of foundational concepts such as noncovalent interactions, pH and pK are crucial for success in undergraduate biochemistry courses. We developed a guided-inquiry activity to aid students in making connections between noncovalent interactions and pH/pK . Students explore these concepts by examining the primary and tertiary structures of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Protein A.