KNOX COLLEGE NEUROSCIENCE PROGRAM SELF-STUDY

Transcription

1 Neuroscience, February 2, 2009 KNOX COLLEGE NEUROSCIENCE PROGRAM SELF-STUDY ORGANIZATION: 1. History of the Neuroscience Program and the Neuroscience Curriculum 2. Program Mission Statement and Goals 3. Plan for Assessment 4. Strengths, Weakness and the Future 5. Career Programming Appendix A: Goals Chart Appendix B: Neuroscience 399 evaluation form

2 Neuroscience-1 History of Neuroscience Program Neuroscience unites the disciplines of biology and psychology (as well as in some instances biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, philosophy, and linguistics) in the study of nervous system structure and function. In the early 1990s, in response to student interest, Heather Hoffmann redesigned some psychology courses and, using student research projects as the bridge, fostered interdisciplinary links among the biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and psychology departments. This made neuroscience a more visible opportunity for a range of students. In response to growing demand and in an attempt to formalize neuroscience within the Knox curriculum, an interdisciplinary team of faculty developed a minor in Behavioral Neuroscience that was approved in In 2004, Knox College was awarded funds from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to add a new major in neuroscience. With funds from HHMI, the college appointed a full-time neuroscientist, Esther Penick, to the biology department. Esther and Heather, as well as Judy Thorn (Biology), attended a Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) workshop on neuroscience education and in consultation with liberal arts faculty from established neuroscience programs, we assembled the curriculum for our major and minor (discontinuing the transitional Behavioral Neuroscience minor). We currently offer a single major and minor that integrates the behavioral and the cellular/molecular aspects of neuroscience. Numbers By 2006 (spanning approximately 15 years before the neuroscience program was in place), Knox had graduated over 30 students with interests/career goals in neuroscience, many of who had a self-designed major in neuroscience and 15 of who had a minor in Behavioral Neuroscience. In our first two years of offering a formal major ( ), we graduated 11 neuroscience majors. There are currently 5 graduating seniors and 15 underclass students as declared majors. We also have 2 graduated and 2 current (new) minors. Neuroscience Curriculum The lower level requirements for the major cover fundamental principles in biology and chemistry that are needed to understand nervous system functioning. Psychological contributions to neuroscience are integrated with this information in Neuroscience I (Neuroscience 240), which is team-taught by biology and psychology faculty. This first course, along with Neuroscience 241 (Neuroscience II), Neuroscience 340 (Methods in Neuroscience), and Neuroscience 399 (Research in Neuroscience) serve as the common core neuroscience curriculum. Research methods and statistics are covered by courses in biology (for those with cellular/molecular focus) or psychology (for those with behavioral focus). Students select from a range of established disciplinary courses (e.g., Behavioral Pharmacology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Physiology, Developmental Biology, Histology, Animal Behavior, Molecular Biology, Molecular Medicine, Artificial Intelligence) as well as Neuroscience 380 (Synapses) for advanced work in their area of interest. The capstone experience (Neuroscience 399) is an independent research project that spans two terms.

3 Neuroscience-2 Mission Statement The subject of neuroscience encompasses the study of a single molecule to the study of human interactions. Consistent with the broad subject area students are taught the biological basis of neuronal function, how neurons can integrate into systems and finally how neuronal function relates to behavior. In addition to the content of neuroscience, this department also stresses the techniques of scientific research and the techniques of specific disciplines within neuroscience, toward the goal of independence and creativity in scientific endeavors. In order to reach this level of ability, students learn to understand and critique scientific literature and further, use knowledge of the current literature to formulate their own experiments. Additionally, in order to be able to carry out new experiments, many classes contain extensive laboratory experiences geared towards teaching students specific techniques currently used in neuroscience research. Finally, as experimental results must be shared among the broader neuroscience community, students will be explicitly taught how to present their findings in writing and oral presentations. As a culmination of all the students have learned, a senior research project is required as part of the major. This project requires students to develop their own projects, perform the experiments and present the results. GENERAL GOALS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENT COMPETENCIES 1. Content A. Biological basis of neuronal function B. Neuronal modulation C. Neuronal integration D. Biological basis of behavior 2. Research Skills (Broad) A. Scientific method B. Basic statistical methods C. Critical reading of the literature D. Using the current literature as a basis for further experimentation E. Construction of individual project 3. Research Skills (Specific) A. Knowledge of techniques to study neuron and brain B. Basic technical skills in cellular biological research C. Basic technical skills in behavioral research D. Advanced technical skills in either cellular or behavioral research 4. Communication skills A. Writing i. Laboratory notebook ii. Writing a manuscript iii. Construction of graphs and tables iv. Writing a review paper

4 Neuroscience-3 B. Oral communication skills i. Constructing a talk-creating a story ii. Power point presentation iii. Description of data iv. Poster presentations Plan for Assessment In the neuroscience program, we (plan to) implement assessment in three ways. First and foremost, assessment is an ongoing process within the context of our courses. Further, we plan a more focused assessment of the senior research project and finally we have been attempting to assess the value of the tutorial course for Neuroscience 240. Details are provided below. 1. Course based assessment Consistent with the interdisciplinary nature of our program, we include several courses from other departments to constitute our major, e.g., introductory biology and chemistry, statistics and design courses as well as most of our electives. However, the neuroscience program offers six neuroscience-only classes (i.e., courses not part of other department curricula). In the section that follows, each neuroscience-only course is described. The learning/competency goals addressed by each course are presented in a chart in Appendix A. We plan to use this information when constructing our syllabuses in order to inform students of the specific objectives we have for the course and how we plan to achieve them. In effect, our grades provide feedback to the students as to how well they are meeting the goals that have been set out for them. This self-study has provided the opportunity for us to restate our goals in an explicit manor and to confirm that our curriculum addresses them. Neuroscience Neuroscience I This course begins by exploring the neuron and its unique cellular processes. We then attempt to understand selected homeostatic, cognitive, and emotional processes at and across integrated levels of analysis (genetic, physiological, chemical, anatomical, and systems). Students take three exams (objective & short essay questions) emphasizing the application of information. Students also complete three lab projects that include: 1) group dissection of a sheep brain with an individual practical quiz on the neuroanatomy, 2) learning to use BIOPAC programs to measure physiological processes in humans, in particular for this lab-- the speed of nerve conduction and 3) working as part of a team to assess and diagnose patients with a range of symptoms illustrating neurological deficits. The latter two lab projects require written reports describing method, results and conclusions. Neuroscience 240T Neuroscience Tutorial This tutorial is offered concurrently with the Neuroscience 240 course for (psychology) students who have not completed the lower level biology and chemistry courses. It enables Neuroscience 240 to serve two different audiences neuroscience majors and psychology majors (it is an elective for the psychology major). We intend students

5 Neuroscience-4 taking 240 to have little to no background in psychology, however the neuroscience majors taking this course will have had introductory biology and chemistry. This tutorial explores in depth concepts in chemistry, biology, and physics that relate to the neuron and its unique cellular processes allowing (psychology) students to better understand lecture content in 240. Neuroscience Neuroscience II This course extends what is learned in Neuroscience I. The goal of this course is to complete an introduction into the field of neuroscience. We examine, in depth, neuronal processing. We also examine the senses and neuronal control of movement. Other topics of the course include neuronal development, neurological and neurodegenerative diseases and learning and memory. Like in the first course students take three exams (objective & short essay questions) emphasizing the application of information. Although we have a separate lab period for this course, students only participate in three traditional labs: synaptic transmission, an EEG lab and (again similar to the first course) working as part of a team to assess and diagnose patients with a range of symptoms illustrating neurological deficits. The rest of the laboratory time is spent concentrating on discussing papers from the primary literature. This part of the course is designed for students to practice their reading and critiquing skills. A final part of the course requires students to read three papers from one researcher (of their own choosing) and present the goals of this researcher s laboratory and the outcome of their research. Neuroscience Methods of Neuroscience The goal of this class is to examine the methods and practices involved in neuroscience research. To engage students in these methods we administer a manipulation to rats, such as addition of a drug (menthol). In three-week lab sections, we examine the manipulation s effects in the brain, via biochemistry, electrophysiology, and behavior. There are short lectures covering the theory behind commonly used techniques. However, most class time is spent in discussions based on the relevant primary literature or running experiments. Students are assessed based on a variety of criteria. Student understanding on the primary literature is assessed with a midterm and final, with questions based on a paper from the primary literature. Student understanding of the literature and experimental design is assessed with student designed methods for one of the experiments we conduct. Lab technique assessment is based on lab performance and a laboratory notebook. Finally, three manuscript style papers measure student writing and analytic skills. Neuroscience Synapses This course examines the biochemistry, cellular biology, development and pathology of synapses. This is primarily a lecture-based course but we use one wet lab and computer simulations to better examine the subject matter. Assessments will be based on three exams, discussions and a final paper and presentation. The paper and presentation will focus on a topic of the student s choosing related to synapses and disease. The information discussed in the class derives from a textbook and the primarily literature. The history and scientists in the field will also be extensively discussed.

6 Neuroscience-5 Neuroscience Research in Neuroscience. This course is the capstone course in the neuroscience major. Students design their own projects, based either from their own interests or based from a professor s project. Students must read the relevant literature, design the methods needed to answer the question, perform the experiments and analyze the results. After students must write a manuscript style paper with an extensive review of the literature. This course is designed to illustrate the life of a researcher as well as coalesce the specific skills we hope students will gain throughout their time in the neuroscience major. Assessment is based on the paper and an oral presentation. Both the paper and presentation will be rated higher based on the design and methods used throughout the project. 2. Focused assessment of Neuroscience 399 There will be a separate assessment of the research experience completed by the researcher supervisor. There appears to be multiple advantages to the capstone assessment: (1) tracking our effectiveness at helping students to meet our goals, (2) clearer expectations for the student (if provided to them in advance), (3) consistent criteria for evaluation of students (both within and between faculty) and (4) documentation of student research in a single source information that could be helpful for curricular changes/faculty hires. See Appendix B for assessment form. 3. Assessment of tutorial course for Neuroscience 240 This course carries 0.5 credits for the students who take it and 0.5 credits for the instructor. Is it worth it? We are attempting to assess this through a number of means. Instructor designed survey: For the first two years we asked tutorial students to rate what they think their performance without tutorial would have been on a scale from 1 (better) to 5 (worse) (n =14) 4.4 average 2007 (n =17) 4.0 average 2008 (n =14) open-ended comments, 9 said they would have done (significantly) worse, 3 said (somewhat) worse and one was not sure. In open-ended comments from all years, several students added that they would have failed the course without tutorial. A few said that even if their grade would have been the same without tutorial, it made them more comfortable in general ( my nerves felt better ), more comfortable with the material and/or comfortable asking questions.

7 Neuroscience-6 Exam scores: We compared performance on the three exams across 4 groups: Those taking: 1. Biological Psychology* lacking biology background (in 2001, 2002, 2004) 2. Biological Psychology with biology background (in 2001, 2002, 2004) 3. Neuro 240 with tutorial (in 2006, 2007, 2008) 4. Neuro 240 without tutorial (in 2006, 2007, 2008) Although confounds complicate these comparisons*, they provide some useful data. Average exam grades: Bio Psyc lacking background: 64.4 Neuro 240 with tutorial: 68.4 Bio Psyc with background: 72.9 Neuro 240 without tutorial: 74.1 Exam scores for the psychologists (those lacking bio background/those in tutorial) were higher with tutorial, whereas scores for biologists (those with background/those not in tutorial) are not that different between these courses, indicating that tutorial may assist with performance on exams. * Biological Psychology was the predecessor of Neuroscience 240. ** These are all between (not within) group comparisons and groups differ by at least several factors e.g., Bio Psyc was taught by a single (psychology) instructor (Hoffmann) and content and hence exams were somewhat different. Standard course evaluations: This course is consistently rated above to well above the faculty average on all questions. In particular: 2006 (fac, avg.) 2007 (fac. avg.) (fac. avg.) Quality of the Course: Excellent 83 % (44%) 82% (43%) 42% (42%) Good 17% (39%) 18% (39%) 50% (38%) Neutral 8% (10%) Significant Contribution: Strongly Agree 75% (42%) 45.5% (42.2%) 58% (43%) Agree 8% (37%) 45.5% (36.6%) 25% (36%) Neutral 17% (14%) 9.1% (14.1%) 17% (14%) + same instructor for tutorial and lecture. Judy taught the tutorial all three years, but she also team taught 240 in 2008 when Esther was on leave. Hence there was more overlap between lecture and tutorial. Considerations

8 Neuroscience-7 Should we continue with this course? Data seems to indicate that it is beneficial Do we need to change format/content? Do we need to expand (add a psyc component) or contract (should we limit questions to just the biological, we have not in the past)? Could we change instructor? Could Esther or a TA teach it? Article for Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience (JUNE) We plan to prepare an article submission for JUNE that describes: 1. Our interdisciplinary team-taught introductory neuroscience course. 2. The tutorial course attached to our introductory that allows it to address a broader audience (in particular psychology majors). 3. Our Methods of Neuroscience course. These components of our program are somewhat unique (at least as a package) and they may be of interest to neuroscience programs at other small liberal arts colleges, particularly those which only have neuroscience programs as opposed to departments. Strengths, weakness and the future A clear strength of our program is the seamlessness of it. Our three-course core sequence is well integrated. While we borrow many courses from existing disciplinary departments to constitute our program, there is a clear identity and coherence to our curriculum. Further, even though our core faculty has different disciplinary training, we share a similar philosophy of neuroscience education. Because of our size (there are only three core faculty) and our ease of interpersonal interaction (i.e., we all really like each other), we rarely have formal program meetings. We talk on a regular basis about courses, research and students. Moreover, and perhaps because of some of these characteristics, we also seem to have a close-knit group of majors. At this point we lack any staffing flexibility. We all have obligations to an existing department (which we mostly enjoy as well) and this limits what we can add to the major. We do have ideas for other courses (see below), but there are obstacles to growing and diversifying the curriculum. We would welcome cooperating faculty (hired in other departments) who can add courses to our list of electives in neuroscience. One way that we have added neuroscience courses is to make them a part of another curriculum (e.g., Behavioral Pharmacology). Even if sustained increases in the number of majors allowed us to expand the number of (core) neuroscience faculty we would be very careful with such a hire to make sure they compliment our existing dynamic as well as curricular needs. One gap in courses and research expertise is at the organismal/structure level. One semi-feasible (but staffing dependent) way to address this issue is to add a new course in Functional Neuroanatomy. Building on a histology course that has been in the Knox biology curriculum since the early 1970s we plan to integrate behavioral, developmental

9 Neuroscience-8 and anatomical approaches by focusing on a single project that will expose students to a range of techniques currently used in investigating neuroanatomy. A course in neuroanatomy must connect the gross anatomy and digital images for students to understand both the benefits and limitations of today s technology. Thus, the proposed course includes the production of digital images from sample preparation through data acquisition and interpretation. In this way, the course will prepare students for data analysis from the gross specimen to the digital image. Animal and human brain tissue will be available for students to study using histological equipment the College currently has, In addition, lectures on the theoretical basis of MRI technology will be complemented by data acquisition and analysis for MRI and fmri imaging. While most of the course s labs will take place on campus, we also plan to collaborate with the University of Iowa Department of Psychiatry for experiences in neuroanatomy and human imaging. The course will be taught in the fall term, with a required extension into December to accommodate travel to the medical school laboratories. Prerequisites will include a methods course in biology or psychology, and some background in neuroscience and/or advanced level biology. The course will fulfill the advanced research methods requirement in the neuroscience major. Another challenge we face is with visible identity of the program. While each of the core faculty has their own laboratory facilities and we share an animal colony, neuroscience is housed in different departments and floors of the science building. As a result, we lack identifiable space within the science building. While this situation could change if we renovate the science building, we need to determine a strategy for addressing this issue in the short run. Career programming for students The majority of our majors go on to professional (medical, dental, veterinarian) or graduate school. We have a relationship with the University of Illinois in which we invite their graduate students to speak about their work at Knox. In addition to discussing their research studies they also engage students about their lives beyond Knox. We also are developing a relationship with the University of Iowa that also may be helpful for informing/placing our students. Recently a speaker from Abbot Laboratories in Chicago, which has undergraduate internships and does hire people with a BA, spoke to a group of majors. We regularly alert our students about internship and employment possibilities. In addition to our own personal contacts, we are institutional and individual (Hoffmann) members of FUN (Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience). This organization provides us with additional resources for this purpose. We regularly take our students to conferences (Chicago chapter of Society for Neuroscience, Annual Emotions Symposium at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Seminars and Symposiums at the Gill Center for Biomolecular Science at Indiana University). We have heard talks from and interacted with top neuroscience researchers (including Nobel Prize Winners) and our students have presented their work at the Chicago meeting as well as the general Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting. The larger general meeting for SfN will be in Chicago this year and we plan to take students, some of which may present their work.

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11 Appendix B Student Name Neuroscience Assessment1 Course Number Research Assessment Form Graduates with a major in biology will demonstrate an ability to conduct original neuroscience research and the skills necessary to write a scientific thesis. The Research Advisor will judge the researcher s capabilities, writing skills and oral presentation skills. A scoring key for each category is attached. Scientific Creativity/Originality NA Does the student have input into the project? Independent Research NA Is the student capable of working independently? Analysis of the Data NA Does the student make the appropriate conclusions and execute analyses independently? Statistical Analysis of the Data NA Does the student make the appropriate conclusions and execute analyses independently? Writing Skills NA Does the student write in the proper scientific manner? Oral Presentation NA Is the student capable of communicating his/her research goals and results? Research Title: Additional comments: Research Supervior(s)

12 2 Scoring Key for Thesis Assessment Scientific Creativity/Originality: Does the student have input into the project? 1. Student does not have input (or a clue) into project, depends on faculty to initiate ideas, experiments and direction. 2. Student depends on faculty for initial project and suggested experiments and direction. Once given the experiment, understands it. 3. Student depends on faculty for initial project and has input into the experiments and direction of the research. Has made improvements as the research progressed. 4. Student has initial proposal but depends on faculty for direction. Has made improvements as the research progressed. 5. Student has initial proposal and suggests possible experiments and direction of the research. NA. Student performed research at a different institution. Independent Research: Is the student capable of working independently? 1. Student needs constant direction and help even when repeating the same techniques. 2. Student is able to set up experiments but needs faculty assistance to complete the experiments and progress to next step. 3. Student is able to set up experiments but needs faculty assurance, has improved. 4. Student is able to set up experiments but needs reminders. Has made improvements in independence as the research progressed. 5. Student is able to set up and complete experiments with no faculty assistance. NA. Student performed research at different institution. Analysis of the Data: Does the student make the appropriate conclusions and execute analysis independently? 1. Student must be repeatedly taught how to analyze the data and interpret results. 2. Student can analyze the data after initial assistance from faculty but needs constant assistance in interpreting results. 3. Student can analyze the data independently and makes appropriate conclusions after initial assistance from faculty. 4. Student independently analyzes the data correctly but initially makes inappropriate conclusions. 5. Student independently analyzes the data correctly and makes the appropriate conclusions. Writing skills: Does the student write in the proper scientific manner? 1. Student s rough draft is not written in the proper person or tense and contains many grammatical errors. Material is not presented in the proper thesis format. Six or more revisions are needed to obtain the final thesis. 2. Rough draft is in proper tense but contains many grammatical errors and is not formatted properly. Four or five revisions are needed. 3. Rough draft is not in proper thesis format. Three revisions are needed to obtain final thesis. Adapted from the Council on Undergraduate Research, September 2005, Vol. 16, No. 1, p.44

13 3 4. Rough draft is in proper thesis format but style of writing needs improvement. 5. Student s thesis rough draft needs only minor revisions. Oral Presentation: Is the student capable of communicating their research goals and results? 1. Student needs lots of help from professor to prepare presentation and does not present the research well during presentation. 2. Student is capable of preparing presentation with some assistance from professor but does a poor job orally communicating results. 3. Student needs lots of help from professor to prepare presentation but communicates results very well during presentation. 4. Student is capable of preparing presentation with minimal assistance from professor and can communicate their results. 5. Student prepares presentation with minimal assistance from professor and can communicate results very well. NA. Student does not present. Adapted from the Council on Undergraduate Research, September 2005, Vol. 16, No. 1, p.44

14 GOALS COURSES Bio/neuronal function * * * * Neur modulation * * * * Neur integration * * * * Bio/behavior * * Sci method * * * * Stats * * Read literature * * * * Extend literature * * Indiv project * Know tech * * * * * Cell tech * Beh tech * Advanced tech * Lab notebook * * Prep manuscript * * Graphs/tables * * Prep review * * * Prep talk * * PPT * * * Describe data * * * Poster *

15 GOALS COURSES Bio/neuronal function * * * * Neur modulation * * * * Neur integration * * * * Bio/behavior * * Sci method * * * * Stats * * Read literature * * * * Extend literature * * Indiv project * Know tech * * * * * Cell tech * Beh tech * Advanced tech * Lab notebook * * Prep manuscript * * Graphs/tables * * Prep review * * * Prep talk * * PPT * * * Describe data * * * Poster *