Conceptual Learning in Genetics
Unlock the power of conceptual learning in genetics. Dr. Darrell J. Killian explores innovative teaching methods that transform memorization into meaningful, long-term knowledge.
Darrell J. Killian, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology, Colorado College
One of the many challenges that students face in a genetics course is being presented with a large volume of new information. Many students rely on memorization as a study tool, which is often only successful for the simplest assessments and does not convert into meaningful long-term knowledge. A conceptual approach to teaching and learning genetics provides students with a deeper meaning to the information being conveyed and emphasizes the connections between ideas. Students who engage in conceptual learning are better equipped to analyze and interpret new information, which is critical for thinking like a scientist. Join Dr. Darrell J. Killian as he discusses conceptual learning in genetics and discusses some of the pedagogical features of Concepts of Genetics, now in its 13th edition.
About the speaker
Darrell J. Killian, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology at Colorado College
Darrell received a B.A. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Wesleyan University, earned a Ph.D. in Developmental Genetics from New York University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado–Boulder in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Darrell’s research focuses on the genetic regulation of animal development using C. elegans as a model system. Darrell is currently an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology at Colorado College where he teaches several undergraduate courses on the topics of genetics, molecular biology, stem cells, and developmental neurobiology, and runs a research lab with undergraduate research assistants. Darrell is part of the author team, led by William S. Klug, that writes Concepts of Genetics and Essentials of Genetics, both published by Pearson.