Teaching the Central Dogma through an Inquiry-Based Project Using GFP

Abstract

The Central Dogma is a crucial concept needed to understand biotechnology and molecular biology. High school students often struggle with a meaningful understanding of this abstract concept. This paper presents an inquiry-based approach to increase critical thinking and understanding of the Central Dogma. Commonly used in high school classrooms is Bio-Rad pGLO plasmid containing green fluorescent protein (GFP), because of its accessibility and the fluorescence it emits when exposed to ultraviolet light. We use the expression of GFP in a high school hands-on class project so that students can visualize and understand the abstract concepts of the Central Dogma. Students will also explore protein structure and its importance for a functional protein. During the entire project, students will be guided by the instructor to build hypotheses and design experiments to test those hypotheses, exercising the scientific method. ©