Publication Date
6-28-2024
Journal
Bioinformatics
DOI
10.1093/bioinformatics/btae208
PMID
38940150
PMCID
PMC11211835
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
6-28-2024
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
no
Keywords
Computational Biology, SARS-CoV-2, Humans, COVID-19, Genomics, Students
Abstract
MOTIVATION: We learn more effectively through experience and reflection than through passive reception of information. Bioinformatics offers an excellent opportunity for project-based learning. Molecular data are abundant and accessible in open repositories, and important concepts in biology can be rediscovered by reanalyzing the data.
RESULTS: In the manuscript, we report on five hands-on assignments we designed for master's computer science students to train them in bioinformatics for genomics. These assignments are the cornerstones of our introductory bioinformatics course and are centered around the study of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They assume no prior knowledge of molecular biology but do require programming skills. Through these assignments, students learn about genomes and genes, discover their composition and function, relate SARS-CoV-2 to other viruses, and learn about the body's response to infection. Student evaluation of the assignments confirms their usefulness and value, their appropriate mastery-level difficulty, and their interesting and motivating storyline.
AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The course materials are freely available on GitHub at https://github.com/IB-ULFRI.
Included in
Biomedical Informatics Commons, Clinical Epidemiology Commons, COVID-19 Commons, Epidemiology Commons, Medical Education Commons, Medical Sciences Commons, Medical Specialties Commons
Comments
This article has been corrected. See Bioinformatics. 2024 Oct 27;40(10):btae635.
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