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Computer
Aided Instruction in Biology Laboratories at UPJ
will give students opportunities to explore
biology while developing problem-solving and
critical thinking skills using computer
simulations and the Internet
Project director, Karen Lee, Biology,
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown,
envisioned the concept of installing computers
in Krebs Hall at UPJ to assist in the teaching
of general biology, vertebrate anatomy, and
anatomy and physiology labs. Project co-director, Wes Traister, lab instructor, had come
up with the same idea, and “When we both
started talking to other people in the
department, we decided to pool our ideas,” Lee
said. The result was the grant award that will allow the
necessary computers to be installed to add a
virtual lab where a fully equipped lab would be
too expensive or impractical to outfit.
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Karen
Lee |
“Our
primary objective is to add laboratory exercises that we
don’t include currently because they are impractical,
expensive, or technologically difficult,” Lee stated.
These exercises would include simulations of DNA
fingerprinting and the physiology of nerve cells. While she admits that this virtual lab is not a perfect
substitute for the real thing, she adds, “[the lab]
will allow us to add basic physiological concepts to the
anatomy and physiology lab and encourage students to
think and explore areas of biology that are not
currently included in the introductory laboratory
curriculum.”
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