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The article discusses a study which examines trade book reading assignments for college freshmen science students, specifically evaluating the students' opinions regarding the assignments and correlations on overall course performance. Trade books are different than text books, in that trade books are published for a wide audience. Topics of discussion include plagiarism, handwritten assignments, and pass-fail grading criteria. Also discussed are reading assignments for extra credit and the fact that text books are rarely read by college students.

The article focuses on the call to teach the Darwin's theory of evolution. Charles Darwin published the books "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection," or the "Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life," in 1859. Teaching students the four components of Darwin's theory is an easy and logical introduction to a unit on evolution, but it is crucial that students can use the rubric to solve novel evolution problems, and not simply recite the key phrases for the four components of Darwin's theory.

This paper describes and evaluates a new type of multiple-choice test question that is relatively easy to construct and that challenges students' understandings of biological concepts. The questions involve a small narrative of scientific text that students must evaluate for accuracy. We call these questions "You are the Teacher" questions because the students are role-playing a teacher correcting a short-answer exam. This type of question can place a higher cognitive demand on a student than a basic knowledge question, but it can still be used within a multiple-choice exam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Part III. Presents information on a study that examined the effectiveness of the Electronic Cooperative Quiz program used in anatomy and physiology courses at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Creation and design of the program; Evaluation of the different methods of using the program; Implications of the research for cooperative learning and distance education.

Describes the structure needed for a cooperative quiz and documents how the quizzes can be used in different settings. Details on the theoretical underpinnings of cooperative learning; How to set the stage for a cooperative quiz; Comparison of individual versus cooperative quiz scores; Conclusions.

Information about a University of Minnesota seminar titled "The Science and Politics of Genetics and Reproduction" in which students re-enact an image of James Watson and Francis Crick displaying their double-helix model of DNA is presented. Topics include an overview of the seminar and the challenge to students to construct a helix model of DNA like the one shown in the photograph, but include British biophysicist Rosalind Franklin.