Bioinformatics as an educational resource for teaching genetic variability by comparing restriction maps

Abstract

One of the features of the 21st century society is the incorporation of ICT in education, which can contribute to the teaching-learning processes. However, it is the teacher who gives the pedagogical meaning to these educational resources. In this sense, bioinformatics tools can contribute to the teaching of complex and abstract topics with concrete examples and without the need for laboratory practices that represent high economic costs. Considering the above, this research presents the design of the guide “Analysis of genetic variability in Pseudomonas species by comparison of restriction maps of the ptsN gene”, which used two free websites and shows step by step how to perform it. The guide was applied to 30 students of the subject “molecular biology” of the period 2018-1 of the bachelor’s degree in biology at UPN. A questionnaire and a structured survey were used to collect information to evaluate learning and to know the students’ perception of the relevance and feasibility of the educational resource. After working with the guide, students showed signifi cant progress in their cognitive, conceptual and procedural baggage, as evidenced by the answers obtained through the designed instruments. After the experience, the students considered that the guide was appropriate and viable for teaching genetic variability. Additionally, it became evident that it is possible to design contextualized activities at low cost.