OpenWetWare:Courses/QandA

Please use this area to post questions (or answer other's questions) about courses, curriculum development, using wikis in education, etc.

List of latest topics in biotech & bioengineering for a course

• User:Joseph: If i am to start working in a 6th Form, higher secondary school. i.e., pre-stage to University. And was to suggest a small list of latest topics to be included in Biotechnology and biological engineering to be carried out as practical sessions and theory too. What would the current OWW community suggest? Thanks!
  • Nkuldell 10:26, 1 September 2006 (EDT): There are a number of topics and teaching approaches that would be great to include if total academic freedom exists. But for the US at least, the public school math and science curriculum is prescribed by oversight bodies, like the National School Board [1] and their state counterparts. Do you need to consider such restrictions?
• User:Joseph: You are totally correct, there is indeed a body which governs the curriculum. However, students during tutorials and contact hours share a good deal of time discussing latest trends in Biology which might not necessarily lead to examinations per se but self-development and appreciation. Also, these might be very very ideal for later stages, i.e., University level, were perhaps students can choose titles for their dissertations and thesis projects. Thesis projects are 100% dependent on the lecturer and not pre-determined, and funding of course. Thanks Nkuldell.
• --Johncumbers 08:12, 3 September 2006 (EDT) Hi Jospeph, I'd suggest starting with Drew Endy's comic: http://www.nature.com/nature/comics/syntheticbiologycomic/index.html. Followed by the review article Foundations in Synthetic Biology" also in that issue of Nature. Then followed by the lab series that can be found here. http://openwetware.org/wiki/BE.109:Systems_engineering. cheers, JOhn
• Nkuldell 09:10, 3 September 2006 (EDT): and fwiw Drew, Randy and I are thinking about a freshmen class for MIT students. Our musings are at :20.020. Please add thoughts to the discussion page...