AN ACTIVE LEARNING PROJECT FOR TEACHING BIOINFORMATICS, PHYLOGENETICS, AND PARASITOLOGY

Area of Science:

• Biology Education
• Parasitology
• Bioinformatics
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Active learning strategies enhance student engagement and understanding in science courses.
• Molecular data analysis and phylogenetic tree construction are crucial skills in modern biology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an active learning project for general biology, ecology, evolution, and parasitology courses.
• To engage students in solving real-world parasitology problems using molecular data.
• To develop students' skills in bioinformatics and phylogenetic analysis.

Main Methods:

• Students role-play as biologists, analyzing molecular data sets.
• Utilizing MEGA software for phylogenetic analysis with GenBank sequences.
• Constructing phylogenetic trees to identify unknown taxa and answer research questions.

Main Results:

• Students gain practical experience in bioinformatics and molecular data interpretation.
• The project facilitates a deeper understanding of evolutionary relationships among parasites.
• Phylogenetic trees serve as evidence to address specific parasitological scenarios.

Conclusions:

• The project effectively enhances students' knowledge of parasitology and evolutionary biology.
• It equips students with transferable skills for interdisciplinary challenges in global health and conservation.
• This approach fosters the development of future scientists adept at addressing global issues.