1. Using the One-Room Schoolhouse Method to Integrate Undergraduate Research into
the Biology Undergraduate Experience
Primary Authors: Caroline Benzel and Lindsey Cundra
Co-Author: Dr. Reid Schwebach, Department of Biology George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Abstract
Outcomes and
Future Prospects
Methods
The One-Room
Schoolhouse Method
Initial outcomes included the discovery of 16 novel phage and 15
unique research outcome papers (student papers, not for
publication). Student Assessment of their Learning Gains (SALG)
instrumentation was used to investigate how the course enabled
student learning (Mathieu et. al., 1997). SurveyMonkey was also
used to gather learning-focused feedback from students as well as
to assess their views of the peer-mentorship aspect of the course.
Our survey results indicated students had positive experiences
from the peer-mentorship. One respondent commented, “I liked the
trust given to the students. It motivated me to want to work harder.”
This quote emphasized how the course structure evoked not only
individualized thought but also helped to build their confidence as
independent researchers.
Due to the individual student attention and flexibility of the course,
many exciting opportunities presented themselves as continuations
and expansions, which followed the 3-week intensive research
framework. The team is now using a computational bioinformatics
approach for the next semester of the course to take place in July of
2016. The course has also been incorporated into an upper-level
option for a new bioinformatics concentration in Mason’s Biology
Department. The course will be a core experience for
undergraduates to complete an 18-credit bioinformatics
concentration in the biology degree.
• Hagstrom, F., Baker, K.F., & Agan, J.P. (2009). Undergraduate research: A cognitive apprenticeship model. Perspectives on Issues in Higher Education, 12, 45-52.a
• Hanauer, David I., Deborah Jacobs-Sera, Marisa L. Pedulla, Steven G. Cresawn, Roger W. Hendrix, and Graham F. Hatfull. 2006. Teaching scientific inquiry. Science 314:1880-1881.
• Harmon, B. 2006. A qualitative study of the learning processes and outcomes associated with students who serve as peer mentors. Journal of First-Year Experience & Students in Transition 18: 53-82.
• Henderson, L., Buising, C., & Wall, P. (2008). Teaching undergraduate research: The one-room schoolhouse model. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 36, 28-33.
• Karcher, M. (2008) The Cross-Age Mentoring Program: A Developmental Intervention for Promoting Students' Connectedness Across Grade Levels. Professional School Counseling: December 2008, Vol.
12, No. 2, pp. 137-143.
• MacRae, P., & Garringer, M. (2008). Building Effective Peer Mentoring Programs in Schools: An Introductory Guide (Rep.). The Mentoring Resource Center.
• Mathieu, R., Carroll, S., Weston, T., Seymour, E., Lottridge, S., & Dolan, C. (1997). Student Assessment of their Learning Gains. Retrieved December 1, 2015, from http://www.salgsite.org/
• Miller, J.E., Groccia, J.E., & Miller, M.S. (2001). Student-assisted teaching: A guide for faculty student teamwork. Bolton, MA: Anker.
• University of Colorado at Boulder. (2014). Learning Assistant Program. Retrieved June 10, 2014, from https://laprogram.colorado.edu/
• Varma-Nelson, P. (2004). The peer-led team learning workshop model. In PKAL: Volume IV: What works, what matters, what lasts. Washington, DC: Project Kaleidoscope.
Figure 6: “Romeo”, Novel Phage(s) discovered by an
Undergraduate during the Summer 2015 Pilot
Program
Acknowledgements
• Undergraduate Research Scholars Program(URSP), OSCAR Dr. Rebecca Jones
• GIS Coordinator, Dr. Nektaria Tryfona
• GMU, SRsGS, AYGS teachers, students and other faculty
• Mason’s 4-VA program provided funding for the course
Figure 2: GIS Curriculum Outline
References
Figure 3: Microbiology Curriculum Outline
George Mason University implemented a novel research program
encompassing an intensive ecological study of soil bacteriophage,
specifically how their genome changes in response to climate factors. The
research curriculum integrated interdisciplinary themes, including
environmental microbiology, field-based environmental research,
introductory bioinformatics and introductory Geographic Information
Systems (GIS). The design of the three-week research experience was
developed using the one-room schoolhouse method. The one-room
schoolhouse method is a teaching approach wherein the learning
environment contains students at different levels of experience and ability
(Henderson, Buising, & Wall, 2008). By utilizing Student Assessment of
their Learning Gains (SALG) instrumentation, we were able to determine
students had positive views about the power of peer-mentorship, the need
for integrated research experiences as undergraduates and that the
course provides them with hands on research skills. The next installment
of the course will use a computational bioinformatics approach and the
course has now become listed as an upper level course for a new
bioinformatics concentration in Mason’s Biology Department.
Week 1
• Introduction to GIS and Course Overview:
Module 1
• Learn fundamental GIS concepts
Week 2
• GIS Concepts and Analysis: Module 2
• Conduct spatial analysis and build climate and
ecological data layers
Week 3
• The QGIS Tool and Projects: Module 3 and 4
• Experience the Quantum GIS (QGIS)
environment and disseminate results
Week 1
• Introduction and Initial Sample Collection
• Microbiological Techniques and Soil Sample
Collection at Environmental Studies on the
Piedmont
Week 2
• Observing Plaque Morphologies and Continued
Field Collection at GMU Fairfax Campus
• Phage Isolation and Purification Methodology
and Procedure
• Troubleshooting and Procedural Changes
Week 3
• Continued Phage Isolation and Purification
Procedure
• Guest Speakers
• Field trip and Collaboration with Microbial
Genomics Center at GMU-PW Campus
Figure 4: Example Visualization of GIS Layers Figure 5: Procedure for Isolation of
Mycobacteriophage
Figure 7: The 6 Sampling Sites located at Environmental
Studies on the Piedmont, Warrenton, VA
The Summer Institute was held at Mason’s Fairfax Campus from
July 6th, 2015 to July 24th, 2015. The three week research experience
integrated both Environmental Microbiology and Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) in order to visualize data and develop
computational thinking skills while analyzing the evolution of
bacteriophage in relation to climate change.
• The GIS component of the course was divided into 4 core GIS
modules which ran simultaneously with the environmental
microbiology portion of the outlined curriculum. (Figure 2 & 3)
• Over the course of the 3 weeks, the high school students along with
undergraduates traveled to designated sampling sites at
Environmental Studies on the Piedmont (Figure 7), Prince William and
Fairfax campuses to establish mesocosms.
The students collected soil samples in addition to climate data like
soil depth and returned to the microbiology lab to begin isolating
the phage (Figure 5).
• The bacterial host chosen was Mycobacterium smegmatis because it
is a safe soil inhabiting bacterium whose phage have a wide host
range. The soil samples were mixed with the host and plated.
• The plaque morphologies, which are zones of clearing from the lysed
bacterial cells, can be described in terms of density, size, turbidity
(which indicates the lysogenic cycle in which DNA is incorporated into
host) and growth rate.
• Computational analysis tools allowed us to visualize layers of climate
data right on top of our collected phage data. (Figure 4)
The design of the three-week research experience was developed using the
one-room schoolhouse method (Henderson, Buising, & Wall, 2008) and
included nine GMU undergraduates and five Academic Year Governor's
School high school students working alongside one another (Figure 1). The
one-room schoolhouse method is a hierarchal approach that provides an
environment in which more advanced students help teach and mentor
students who are just beginning their research journey. This is in contrast
to the more traditional approach wherein the students are stratified by age,
experience level or ability. Research based courses involving the peer-
mentorship aspect that the one-room schoolhouse method provides are
widely hailed as important courses for educators to consider (Hagstrom,
Baker, & Agan, 2009; Harmon, 2006; Miller, Groccia, & Miller, 2001; Varma-
Nelson, 2004). Further, programs involving cross-age peer mentoring are
desirable because of their positive research climates that promote student
interest in STEM and build scientific identity (Karcher, 2008; MacRae &
Garringer, 2008). These programs, wherein more advanced students help
teach and mentor younger students, provide a stimulating and cohesive
team environment (Henderson, Buising, & Wall, 2008). This method ensures
a highly advantageous style of learning through sustainable peer-
mentorships, which is important for both high school and undergraduate
research experiences (Hanauer et al., 2006). Another important aspect of
the course was the Learning Assistantships (LAs), which offered students
the chance to help co-teach the course alongside a lead faculty instructor
for the three week duration (Univeristy of Colorado at Boulder, 2014).
Figure 1: Phage Ecology Research Team Collecting Soil Samples