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Undergraduate introductory biology students struggle when communicating quantitative data. This activity provides students with a real-world research experience to improve their quantitative literacy in science communication. Students were provided with a national sports media report that described a professional football athlete requiring 9,000 calories daily. Students were then asked to determine whether, based on their own research and calculations, the reporter had correctly calculated the total calories coming from the reported foods. Students discovered that their different sources of caloric information provided very different (albeit accurate) calculated totals, ranging from 6,000 to 11,000 calories. Importantly, the students generated professional letters outlining their calculated differences and sent them to the sports reporter. The professional letters to the reporter were assessed via rubric for accuracy of calculations, appropriate research evidence, professionalism, and readability for a nonexpert. A majority of the students provided accurate calculations; however, students scored lower on their professional writing skills, ability to cite appropriate research evidence, and readability for a nonexpert. Additionally, summative quantitative problems were individually completed and assessed, and activity cohorts achieved significantly higher on these problems compared with the non-activity cohort. Finally, surveyed students indicated that the activity helped prepare them for quantitative problems on the summative exam and helped them identify major course learning objectives. In conclusion, given an authentic research activity, students can take ownership of their learning and practice their communication to the general public about quantitative scientific information.

American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Curriculum Guidelines highlight the importance of instruction about informational flow in organisms, including regulation of gene expression. However, foundational central dogma concepts and more advanced gene regulatory mechanisms are challenging for undergraduate biology students. To increase student comprehension of these principles, we designed an activity for upper-level biology students centered on construction and analysis of physical models of bacterial riboswitches. Students manipulate an inexpensive bag of supplies (beads, pipe cleaners) to model two conformations of a riboswitch in a bacterial transcript. After initial pilot testing, we implemented the activity in three upper-level classes at one research-intensive and two primarily undergraduate institutions. To assess student perceptions of learning gains, we utilized a pre/post-activity 5-point Likert-type survey instrument to characterize student perceptions of confidence in both their understanding of riboswitches and their ability to apply the central dogma to riboswitches. Median post-test ranks were significantly higher than median pre-test ranks (p < 0.0001) when compared by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (n = 31). Next, we assessed post-activity knowledge via use of a rubric to score student responses on exam questions. More than 80% of students could correctly describe and diagram examples of riboswitches; data from initial iterations were used to enhance curriculum materials for subsequent implementations. We conclude that this riboswitch activity leads to both student-reported increases in confidence in the ASM curriculum dimension of gene regulation, including central dogma concepts, and demonstrated student ability to diagram riboswitches, predict outcomes of riboswitches, and connect riboswitches to evolutionary roles.