An online case study seminar for teaching C4 photosynthesis in an evolutionary context, by assembling multidisciplinary characters

Abstract

Photosynthesis is the predominant metabolic process for energy obtention in plants. Here we describe a case study where a set of anatomical, biochemical, and molecular characters are used to reconstruct the evolution of the C4 photosynthetic pathway, within the evolutionary framework provided by the genus Flaveria. Our main educational goal was to engage biology undergraduate students to solve a photosynthesis-related phylogenetic problem by stimulating them to assemble informative characters of diverse nature. This case study was successfully implemented as a seminar in a massive university introductory course, during the COVID19 lockdown. Using an online learning environment, most small groups achieved the Students Learning Outcomes, which were assessed through a questionnaire and an open-ended question. Individual performance was also evaluated through a specific exercise in the course’s midterm test. Finally, students were surveyed for their perception about the seminar through a poll. We concluded that this seminar could be easily adopted to promote the learning of complex and interdisciplinary content like the C4 photosynthetic pathway in undergraduate botanical education, even in a large online introductory course.