Integrating Bioinformatics Tools Into Inquiry-Based Molecular Biology Laboratory Education Modules

The accelerating expansion of online bioinformatics tools has profoundly impacted molecular biology, with such tools becoming integral to the modern life sciences. As a result, molecular biology laboratory education must train students to leverage bioinformatics in meaningful ways to be prepared for a spectrum of careers. Institutions of higher learning can benefit from a flexible and dynamic instructional paradigm that blends up-to-date bioinformatics training with best practices in molecular biology laboratory pedagogy. At North Carolina State University, the campus-wide interdisciplinary Biotechnology (BIT) Program has developed cutting-edge, flexible, inquiry-based Molecular Biology Laboratory Education Modules (MBLEMs). MBLEMs incorporate relevant online bioinformatics tools using evidenced-based pedagogical practices and in alignment with national learning frameworks. Students in MBLEMs engage in the most recent experimental developments in modern biology (e.g., CRISPR, metagenomics) through the strategic use of bioinformatics, in combination with wet-lab experiments, to address research questions. MBLEMs are flexible educational units that provide a menu of inquiry-based laboratory exercises that can be used as complete courses or as parts of existing courses. As such, MBLEMs are designed to serve as resources for institutions ranging from community colleges to research-intensive universities, involving a diverse range of learners. Herein, we describe this new paradigm for biology laboratory education that embraces bioinformatics as a critical component of inquiry-based learning for undergraduate and graduate students representing the life sciences, the physical sciences, and engineering.