Article Exploring DNA Structure with Cn3D

Researchers in the field of bioinformatics have developed a number of analytical programs anddatabases that are increasingly important for advancing biological research. Because bioinfor-matics programs are used to analyze, visualize, and/or compare biological data, it is likely thatthe use of these programs will have a positive impact on biology education. Over the past years,we have been working to help biology instructors introduce bioinformatics activities into theircurricula by providing them with instructional materials that use bioinformatics programs anddatabases as educational tools. In this study, we measured the impact of a set of these materialson student learning. The activities in these materials asked students to use the molecularstructure visualization program Cn3D to locate, identify, or analyze diverse features in DNAstructures. Both the experimental groups of college and high school students showed significantincreases in learning relative to control groups. Further, learning gains by the college studentswere correlated with the number of activities assigned. We conclude that working with Cn3Dwas important for improving student understanding of DNA structure. This study is oneexample of how a bioinformatics program for visualization can be used to support studentlearning.