A remote undergraduate biology seminar on SARS-CoV-2 literature

Abstract

At our small liberal arts college, we require undergraduates majoring in Biology and Biomedical Sciences to take a seminar in the spring of their senior year. Each year, the seminar focuses on a different topic in molecular biology and/or biochemistry. The course operates as a "journal club"-every week, a student presents a peer-reviewed research article, and the instructor moderates a discussion. When the transition to remote learning occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the seminar meetings were moved online to a Zoom-based platform, and the course topic was changed to focus on emerging research regarding the novel coronavirus. The continuation of the Biology senior seminar in a remote context was straightforward, and the SARS-CoV-2 virus furnished a rich theme for exploration of diverse topics in molecular biology and genetics.

Keywords: COVID-19; active learning; biology seminar; biotechnology education; curriculum design; distance learning; integration of research into undergraduate teaching; journal club; learning and Web-based learning; remote learning.