A Semester-long Student-directed Research Project Involving Enzyme Immunoassay: Appropriate for Immunology, Endocrinology, or Neuroscience Courses

The following project aimed at promoting integrated and long-lasting learning is described for an Immunology course, but it may be adapted to other disciplines. Students were asked to develop and carry out a research project to examine the relationship between immune function and stress. The experim...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:CBE life sciences education 2007-01, Vol.6 (4), p.332-342
Main Authors: Goyette, Sharon Ramos, DeLuca, Jane
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allergy and Immunology - education
Biochemistry
Biochemistry - education
Biochemistry - methods
Biology
Course Evaluation
Critical Thinking
Curriculum
Educational Measurement
Endocrinology - education
Exercise Physiology
Experiments
Figurative Language
Humans
Immunoenzyme Techniques - instrumentation
Immunoenzyme Techniques - methods
Neurosciences - education
Problem-Based Learning
Program Evaluation
Research - education
Research Design
Research Projects
Scientific Literacy
Student Attitudes
Student Evaluation
Thinking Skills
Universities
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The following project aimed at promoting integrated and long-lasting learning is described for an Immunology course, but it may be adapted to other disciplines. Students were asked to develop and carry out a research project to examine the relationship between immune function and stress. The experiments were required to include the assessment of salivary cortisol and salivary IgA (sIgA) with enzyme immunoassays. All other aspects of the experiments were developed by student groups with appropriate guidance from the instructor. Data are presented for one group project that assessed the effect of music on cortisol and sIgA. Overall levels of sIgA and cortisol were consistent with reported values. Students found a significant decrease in cortisol over time. Additionally, there was a trend that supported the overall student hypothesis regarding the effect of stress and immune function. Compared with the same Immunology course that included an instructor-designed experiment using enzyme immunoassays for cortisol and sIgA, several assessments (e.g., final grades and comments on student evaluations) show that overall learning seemed to be much better in the course with the student-directed research project. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)
ISSN:1931-7913
1931-7913
DOI:10.1187/cbe.07-01-0001