Student-oriented learning: An inquiry-based developmental biology lecture course

Abstract

In this junior-level undergraduate course, developmental life cycles exhibited by various organisms are reviewed, with special attention - where relevant - to the human embryo. Morphological features and processes are described and recent insights into the molecular biology of gene expression are discussed. Ways are studied in which model systems, including marine invertebrates, amphibia, fruit flies and other laboratory species are employed to elucidate general principles which apply to fertilization, cleavage, gastrulation and organogenesis. Special attention is given to insights into those topics which will soon be researched with data from the Human Genome Project. The learning experience is divided into three parts: Part I is a «tutorial» in which the Socratic (inquiry) method is employed by the instructor (GMM) to organize a review of classical developmental phenomena; Part II represents an in «intellectual workshop» in which students study the details related to the surveys included in Part I as they have been reported in research journals; Part III focuses on a class project - the preparation of a spiral bound «book» on a topic of relevance to human developmental biology (e.g., Textbook of Embryonal Stem Cells). Student response to the use of the Socratic method increases as the course progresses and represents the most successful aspect of the course.