Ian Quitadamo | Central Washington University (original) (raw)

Papers by Ian Quitadamo

Many higher education faculty perceive a deficiency in students' ability to reason, evaluate,... more Many higher education faculty perceive a deficiency in students' ability to reason, evaluate, and make informed judgments, skills that are deemed necessary for academic and job success in science and math. These skills, often collected within a domain called critical thinking (CT), have been studied and are thought to be influenced by teaching styles (the combination of beliefs, behavior, and

Journal of undergraduate neuroscience education : JUNE : a publication of FUN, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, 2014

A changing undergraduate demographic and the need to help students develop advanced critical thin... more A changing undergraduate demographic and the need to help students develop advanced critical thinking skills in neuroanatomy courses has prompted many faculty to consider new teaching methods including clinical case studies. This study compared primarily conventional and inquiry-based clinical case (IBCC) teaching methods to determine which would produce greater gains in critical thinking and content knowledge. Results showed students in the conventional neuroanatomy course gained less than 3 national percentile ranks while IBCC students gained over 7.5 within one academic term using the valid and reliable California Critical Thinking Skills Test. In addition to 2.5 times greater gains in critical thinking, IBCC teaching methods also produced 12% greater final exam performance and 11% higher grades using common grade performance benchmarks. Classroom observations also indicated that IBCC students were more intellectually engaged and participated to a greater extent in classroom disc...

eveloping the ability to think critically is an important element of under- graduate physiology e... more eveloping the ability to think critically is an important element of under- graduate physiology education and is influenced by many factors, including the learning environment, the social context of the learning environment, and the instructor's approach to teaching. In this work, we describe online learning modules (OLM) that were designed to promote higher-order critical thinking skills in students enrolled in

Agu Fall Meeting Abstracts, Dec 1, 2007

Central Washington University has started a five-year NSF-funded GK-12 project to bring the study... more Central Washington University has started a five-year NSF-funded GK-12 project to bring the study of our local river - The Yakima - into 5-11th grade science classes. Faculty members from Geological Sciences have teamed with others from Biology, Chemistry, and Resource Management to develop the Yakima WATERS Project (Watershed Activities To Enhance Research in Schools). This interdisciplinary outreach project teams graduate students with local teachers to bring authentic watershed research into the curriculum. The interdisciplinary research themes are: Riparian Ecology and Biodiversity; Water Chemistry and Quality; Geomorphology and Climate Change; and Changes in Land and Water Use. The Yakima Watershed contains several communities that are traditionally underrepresented in science - Native American, Hispanic, and rural populations. One of the key outcomes we will assess is whether a place-based science study such as this is successful in improving minority students' science scores and whether graduate students from underrepresented groups can be attracted and retained in STEM graduate programs. The project is in its early stages, so results of K-12 student science achievement are not yet available. One unexpected, but positive preliminary result is the possibility of further interdisciplinary research that may stem from the close project-driven interactions between people of different STEM subjects. Faculty members, graduate students, and teachers often fail to interact with members of other departments, but through Project activities support networks are forming and ideas for further research are being developed.

Science Teacher, Jan 3, 2005

Science and Children, Apr 1, 2007

Journal of Chemical Education, 2015

Advances in physiology education, 2002

Developing the ability to think critically is an important element of undergraduate physiology ed... more Developing the ability to think critically is an important element of undergraduate physiology education and is influenced by many factors, including the learning environment, the social context of the learning environment, and the instructor's approach to teaching. In this work, we describe online learning modules (OLM) that were designed to promote higher-order critical thinking skills in students enrolled in an upper-division Exercise Testing and Prescription course. The OLM provided students with an online learning environment in which to review clinical physiological details from authentic patient case data and develop exercise prescriptions (ExRx), by requiring students to critically analyze authentic patient case histories and collaborate on computer-based learning activities. On the basis of assessment data, we conclude that the OLM helped exercise science students develop the critical thinking skills necessary for development of effective exercise prescriptions by requi...

Microvascular Research, 2002

Coronary microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) play an important role in many physiological pro... more Coronary microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) play an important role in many physiological processes. Porcine CMECs from large breed pigs have been isolated and successfully cultured. However, because micropigs offer research advantages over large breed pigs, micropig CMEC (MPCMEC) cultures may be useful as an alternative in vitro porcine model for cardiovascular studies. We isolated MPCMECs from six Panepinto micropigs using a simplified technique and developed a system for their successful culture. MPCMECs were isolated by collagenase digestion of left ventricular samples obtained using sterile techniques. Primary isolates of MPCMECs grew steadily in complete DMEM supplemented with 20% FBS, 4 mM MgSO(4), and 500 microM dibutyryl cAMP and reached confluence in 7-10 days. Endothelial origin was demonstrated by rapid (4-h) uptake of acetylated low-density lipoprotein, immunostaining for the presence of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1, CD31), von Willebrand factor (vWf)-related antigen, vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and by positive staining using two fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled endothelial-specific lectins, Dolichos biflorus agglutinin and Ulex europaeus agglutinin-1. MPCMECs also exhibited immunostaining for alpha-smooth muscle actin. MPCMECs were successfully subcultured in the absence of dibutyryl cAMP and continued to express PECAM-1 and vWf, but not eNOS, to passage six. The typical morphology of subconfluent MPCMECs consisted of elongated cells that grew in a swirling, herringbone pattern.

Hybridoma, 1998

Affinity chromatography has been widely used for the purification of monoclonal antibodies (MAb).... more Affinity chromatography has been widely used for the purification of monoclonal antibodies (MAb). Traditionally, activated agarose beads conjugated with specific antisera have been used as a solid support in chromatographic protein purification. Magnetic beads conjugated with various antibodies have recently become an alternative method for the isolation of diverse proteins, nucleic acids, and cell types. In this study, murine anti-fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) immunoglobulin M (IgM) was isolated from protein solutions to compare immunoaffinity column chromatography and magnetic bead IgM purification methods. Using immobilized rat anti-mouse IgM MAb, an UltraLink 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carboiimide (EDC)/diaminodipropylamine (DADPA) immunoaffinity column and polystyrene-coated magnetic beads were used for the purification of mouse IgM from bovine serum albumin/phosphate-buffered saline (BSA/PBS) as well as from crude ascites. Protein quantitation and percent IgM yield were determined by reducing SDS-PAGE electrophoresis followed by silver staining, then IgM and protein contaminants were quantitated using densitometry analysis. IgM anti-FGFR1 binding specificity and immunologic activity were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). This study demonstrates that magnetic bead isolation of IgM from ascites is more effective than traditional affinity chromatography purification as determined by greater IgM yield, purity, and immunologic activity.

Plant Science, 2000

Molecular analysis of plant tissues with antibodies has traditionally been hindered by the presen... more Molecular analysis of plant tissues with antibodies has traditionally been hindered by the presence of high non-specific binding by plant cell walls and other components along with significant contaminants within sera that retard identification of specific plant tissue targets. Methods which rely on immobile solid supports conjugated with high-affinity molecular entities, have been used to purify sera. Despite their wide use, traditional antibody purification methods can result in low yields or activity and can produce significant levels of secondary contaminants, resulting in high non-specific background and dilution of tissue-specific signals. Mobile support matrixes like magnetic beads conjugated with high-affinity antisera have recently become an efficient alternative method for isolating and identifying diverse molecular targets. In this study, rabbit anti-calreticulin (CRT) immunoglobulin G (IgG) was isolated from whole anti-CRT sera with magnetic beads and tested by Western blot and immunocytochemistry for CRT localization in Pistia stratiotes plant tissues. IgG protein quantitation and purity was compared between purified and non-purified pre-immune and anti-CRT sera using spectrophotometric, reducing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and fluorescence staining followed by quantitative densitometry analysis. Anti-CRT IgG binding specificity after purification was determined by Western blot of total soluble protein extract. Purified and non-purified pre-immune and anti-CRT samples were subsequently utilized for CRT immunogold localization in Pistia tissue sections and visualized with confocal microscopy. The results demonstrate that magnetic bead purified anti-CRT IgG from whole serum shows enhanced specificity and reduced background. The ease of use and speed of this IgG purification technique should find widespread use in the plant biology field.

Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 2005

A case-based program called ATLes (Adaptive Teaching and Learning Environments) was designed for ... more A case-based program called ATLes (Adaptive Teaching and Learning Environments) was designed for use in a systemic pathology course and implemented over a four-year period. Second-year veterinary students working in small collaborative learning groups used the program prior to their weekly pathology laboratory. The goals of ATLes were to better address specific learning objectives in the course (notably the appreciation of pathophysiology), to solve previously identified problems associated with information overload and information sorting that commonly occur as part of discovery-based processes, and to enhance classroom discussion. The program was also designed to model and allow students to practice the problem-oriented approach to clinical cases, thereby enabling them to study pathology in a relevant clinical context. Features included opportunities for students to obtain additional information on the case by requesting specific laboratory tests and/or diagnostic procedures. However, students were also required to justify their diagnostic plans and to provide mechanistic analyses.

Cell Biology Education, 2007

Increasingly, national stakeholders express concern that U.S. college graduates cannot adequately... more Increasingly, national stakeholders express concern that U.S. college graduates cannot adequately solve problems and think critically. As a set of cognitive abilities, critical thinking skills provide students with tangible academic, personal, and professional benefits that may ultimately address these concerns. As an instructional method, writing has long been perceived as a way to improve critical thinking. In the current study, the researchers compared critical thinking performance of students who experienced a laboratory writing treatment with those who experienced traditional quiz-based laboratory in a general education biology course. The effects of writing were determined within the context of multiple covariables. Results indicated that the writing group significantly improved critical thinking skills whereas the nonwriting group did not. Specifically, analysis and inference skills increased significantly in the writing group but not the nonwriting group. Writing students also showed greater gains in evaluation skills; however, these were not significant. In addition to writing, prior critical thinking skill and instructor significantly affected critical thinking performance, whereas other covariables such as gender, ethnicity, and age were not significant. With improved critical thinking skill, general education biology students will be better prepared to solve problems as engaged and productive citizens.

Cell Biology Education, 2008

National stakeholders are becoming increasingly concerned about the inability of college graduate... more National stakeholders are becoming increasingly concerned about the inability of college graduates to think critically. Research shows that, while both faculty and students deem critical thinking essential, only a small fraction of graduates can demonstrate the thinking skills necessary for academic and professional success. Many faculty are considering nontraditional teaching methods that incorporate undergraduate research because they more closely align with the process of doing investigative science. This study compared a research-focused teaching method called community-based inquiry (CBI) with traditional lecture/laboratory in general education biology to discover which method would elicit greater gains in critical thinking. Results showed significant critical-thinking gains in the CBI group but decreases in a traditional group and a mixed CBI/traditional group. Prior critical-thinking skill, instructor, and ethnicity also significantly influenced critical-thinking gains, with nearly all ethnicities in the CBI group outperforming peers in both the mixed and traditional groups. Females, who showed decreased critical thinking in traditional courses relative to males, outperformed their male counterparts in CBI courses. Through the results of this study, it is hoped that faculty who value both research and critical thinking will consider using the CBI method.

TECHNOLOGY AND TEACHER EDUCATION ANNUAL, 2001

Abstract Internet-based, distance learning solutions may prove effective in facilitating advanced... more Abstract Internet-based, distance learning solutions may prove effective in facilitating advanced study coursework for remotely located, place-bound students. However, the conditions for promoting online learning success have not been entirely defined. We present as an example the teaching challenges and benefits of an online graduate-level Instructional Design course for in-service teachers taught through Western Governors University and Washington State University. This paper addresses some of the teaching ...

Internet-based, distance learning solutions are finding increased use, and may prove effective in... more Internet-based, distance learning solutions are finding increased use, and may prove effective in facilitating advanced study coursework for remotely located, place-bound students. Despite the current emphasis on distance learning, the conditions for promoting online learning success have not been entirely defined. We present a case study that profiles the teaching challenges and benefits of an online graduate-level Instructional Design course for in-service teachers taught through Western Governors University and Washington State University. This work addresses some of the teaching challenges for this online instructional experience, focusing specifically on how teaching styles were used to build online learning community, to effectively promote productive and satisfying learning interactions, and develop student problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. Also discussed are those instructional design strategies that were repeatedly employed in multiple course sections to increase online student engagement, critical thinking, and enhance student learning. The findings of this study should prove of interest to anyone currently developing or delivering online instruction.

TECHNOLOGY AND TEACHER EDUCATION ANNUAL, 2002

Abstract The directors of PT3 projects at Washington State University, University of Idaho and Mi... more Abstract The directors of PT3 projects at Washington State University, University of Idaho and Milwaukee Public Schools articulate the participation incentives each of their programs offers teachers. The group also sent a request to PT3 project directors nationwide, asking for descriptions of incentives they were offering their program participants. The various enticements and restrictions used by PT3 projects to motivate faculty of K-12 schools and institutions of higher education are presented and discussed.