Genome Engineering

Discussions

Genome Engineering discussions involve each student reading primary research literature before class, and then strategically discussing multiple elements of the literature in class for 1.5-2 hours. Prior to the pandemic, the discussions involved the whole class sitting in a circle followed by systematically going through and discussing each display item, assumption, result, and concept. The types of questions asked of each student were: what were the assumptions and what was the hypothesis, what was the experimental design and was it appropriately controlled, what does the data say and do the authors reach the appropriate conclusion, and what were the shortcomings and impact. The role of the instructor was to facilitate the discussion, maintain timing, answer questions, and ensured active participation. While this was an extremely effective method for accomplishing the three course principles described above, the approach lacked scalability. Paradoxically, the constraints of distance learning introduced a new opportunity for broadly scaling the teaching approach.

Due to distance learning, the discussions were implemented virtually as Zoom breakout rooms where each room contained ~5 students. Each group had a “student discussion leader” that fulfilled the mechanistic duties of the instructor as described above. The discussion leader was matched to an appropriate topic based on a survey. In this parallelized virtual format, the instructor rotates through the discussion groups at regular intervals and can be called to any subgroup at any time to address specific questions and provide additional context. After the discussions are completed, the whole class comes together and the instructor reconciles any unresolved questions and provides an overall summary.

Prior to the first discussion, roles and expectations for student discussion leaders and participants are clearly described. To ensure each student prepares for and engages in the discussion, the discussions are mandatory and graded as continuous performance assessments. The discussion format also provided a mechanism for constant support and feedback. For example, if a student didn’t understand a concept they were supposed to comment on, they would have to acknowledge this, which solicited support and feedback from the other students or the instructor. The discussion format is the innovative component and highlight of Genome Engineering, which receives overwhelmingly positive feedback from the students. The benefits of this non-​standard teaching approach are that they require students to independently prepare and think critically; understand the content deeply in order to explain it to their peers; practice constructing arguments and discussing science in groups; think beyond the content itself, including identifying flaws, gaps in logic, and future perspectives; and by going over content multiple times the students consolidate their knowledge.

Project

The course project is designed to accomplish two key goals: 1) consolidate course content and encourage deeper mastery; and 2) mimic the process by which scientists come up with new ideas, devise an experimental plan, and propose their plan. The project includes several milestones set throughout the semester, including: team formation, topic exploration, primary literature review, project development, and feedback meetings with the instructor. The deliverables of the project are an in-​class presentation and a project proposal. Due to distance learning, student groups were able to meet among themselves and with the instructor with greater frequency – providing additional opportunities for learning, support, and feedback.

Overall concept of the course before the pandemic – during – after

Prior to the pandemic, Genome Engineering incorporated three elements: lectures, discussions, and a
project.

Lectures
The goals of the lectures are to teach the fundamentals of genome engineering at the molecular and cellular level and provide real world examples of how they are being used in biomedicine. Genome Engineering lectures incorporate: 1) historical context to describe the innovation process and how unmet scientific needs are identified; 2) methods to discover, characterize, and evaluate molecular technologies; and 3) the genetics, molecular/cell biology, and synthetic/systems biology of genome editing technologies and their applications in basic and applied research.

Discussions
The goals of the discussions are to formally teach and mentor students on how to read, critically evaluate, question, and discuss new scientific information in the context of primary research literature. After reading primary research papers, the students come to class, sit in a circle, and systematically discusses each display item and concept.

This format ensures each student puts in the effort to understand the content deeply, which results in a highly productive and in-​depth discussion. To account for different student backgrounds, the instructor identifies difficult concepts or assumptions within each paper and incorporates these elements into the lectures.

Project
The course project is designed to accomplish two key goals: 1) enforce the consolidation of course content and encourage deeper mastery through the process of devising a new genome engineering technology or application, and 2) mimic the process by which scientists come up with new ideas, devise an experimental plan, and propose this plan in written and oral form. Several events, milestones, and deliverables are set throughout the semester to facilitate this process, including: a team building/forming exercise, exploration and defining a topic area, primary literature search/review, submission of an abstract and oral presentation slides followed by instructor feedback, and project development meetings between each team and the instructor. the project.