Survey of C. elegans Curricula (1999)
Morgan (1999) noted that “Many of the features that make C. elegans an excellent research organism – its small size, rapid life cycle, and ease of cultivation – also make it useful for undergraduate instruction, including courses in genetics, developmental biology, and molecular biology.” While C. elegans
is popularly used in research laboratories, its use is increasing in education.
At the 12th C. elegans Meeting, a teaching workshop was held for educators who use C. elegans in their classrooms. During the meeting, the teachers exchanged their experiences, including how to provoke students’ interest in science. A poster session was held after the teaching workshop, where educators displayed and discussed how they have incorporated C. elegans into their curricula. After the meeting, I met with most of these C. elegans educators, discussed how they used C. elegans, and obtained their permission to include descriptions of their use in my project.