The evolution of complexity remains one of the most challenging topics in biology to teach effectively. We present a novel laboratory activity, modeled on a recent experimental breakthrough, in which students experimentally evolve simple multicellularity using single-celled yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). By simply selecting for faster settling through liquid media, yeast evolve to form snowflakeshaped multicelled clusters that continue to evolve as multicellular individuals. We present core experimental and curriculum tools, including discussion topics and assessment instruments, and provide suggestions for teacher customization. Prelab and postlab assessments demonstrate that this lab effectively teaches fundamental concepts about the transition to multicellularity. Yeast strains, the student lab manual, and an introductory presentation are available free of charge.

A logical question to be expected from students: “How could life develop, that is, change, evolve from simple, primitive organisms into the complex forms existing today, while at the same time there is a generally observed decline and disorganization — the second law of thermodynamics?” The explanations in biology textbooks relied upon by students and instructors are incomplete. A necessary but insufficient premise is that only total entropy of a system must increase. In this article, I present background information for a lesson plan on entropy and question biology textbook presentations on the second law and how life could evolve despite it. The principal concept is that biological information in macromolecules provides fresh insight into evolution in the earths thermodynamic system.

Students regard evolutionary theory differently than science in general. Students' reported confidence in their ability to understand science in general (e.g., posing scientific questions, interpreting tables and graphs, and understanding the content of their biology course) significantly outweighed their confidence in understanding evolution. We also show that those students with little incoming confidence in their understanding of evolution demonstrated more confidence and the most improved performance by the end of the semester. Collectively, our data indicate that regardless of prior experiences with evolution education, and in spite of myriad social challenges to teaching evolution, students can learn evolution.

We assessed the performance of students with a self-reported conflict between their religious belief and the theory of evolution in two sections of a large introductory biology course (N = 373 students). Student performance was measured through pretest and posttest evolution essays and multiple-choice (MC) questions (evolution-related and non-evolution-related questions) on the final exam and posttest. The two class sections differed only in exam format: MC with or without constructed-response (CR) questions. Although students with a reported conflict scored significantly lower on the final exam in the MC-only section, they scored equally well in the MC CR section, and all students in the MC CR section performed significantly better overall. As a result, (1) a religious conflict with evolution can be negatively associated with student achievement in introductory biology, but (2) assessment with constructed response was associated with a closed performance gap between students with and without a conflict. We suggest that differences in exam format and focus on student acceptance of evolution (either evidence-based or opinion), rather than reported conflict, may contribute to the inconsistencies in student learning of evolution across research studies, and that CR questions may help students overcome other obstacles to learning evolution.

In this activity, students examine nine hominin skulls for specialized features and take measurements that will enable them to determine the relatedness of these species. They will ultimately place each specimen on a basic phylogenetic tree that also reveals the geological time frame in which each species lived. On the basis of their data, and using similar scientific methods as paleoanthropologists, students will come to evidence-based conclusions about hominin evolution similar to those accepted by the scientific community (e.g., Tattersall & Schwartz, 2001; Sawyer et al., 2007; Palmer, 2010).

Students will analyze the coevolution of the predator—prey relationships between Tyrannosaurus rex and its prey species using analyses of animal speeds from fossilized trackways, prey-animal armaments, adaptive behaviors, bite marks on prey-animal fossils, predator—prey ratios, and scavenger competition. The students will be asked to decide whether T. rex was a predator, an opportunistic scavenger, or an obligate scavenger.

In 1858, Darwin published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. His explanation of evolution by natural selection has become the unifying theme of biology. We have found that many students do not fully comprehend the process of evolution by natural selection. We discuss a few simple games that incorporate hands-on activities to demonstrate to students this important aspect of biology.

This exercise demonstrates the principle of parsimony in constructing cladograms. Although it is designed using mammalian cranial characters, the activity could be adapted for characters from any group of organisms. Students score categorical traits on skulls and record the data in a spreadsheet. Using the Mesquite software package, students generate arbitrary cladograms and measure tree length. They then move taxa around to reduce tree length. The exercise can become competitive when students report out on tree lengths and try to achieve shorter trees than their peers. The resulting cladograms can be compared with a published mammalian phylogeny. The exercise illustrates phylogenetics, the principle of parsimony, and hypothesis testing using morphological data.

Evolutionary theory is the foundation of the biological sciences, yet conveying it to General Biology students often presents a challenge, especially at larger institutions where student numbers in foundation courses can exceed several hundred per lecture section. We present a pedagogically sound exercise that utilizes a series of simple and inexpensive simulations to convey the concept of evolution through mutation and natural selection. Questions after each simulation expand student comprehension; a class discussion encourages advanced thinking on mutation and speciation. A final paper requires students to synthesize their learning by summarizing selected papers on these topics. A grading rubric for the papers is included.