Development of essential skills from a research project in biotechnology: coelomic fluid of earthworm induces adventitious roots in tobacco plants

Abstract

The goal of the study was to develop necessary skills for B. Tech students through an undergraduate project in biotechnology. Understanding of biotechnology involves keen observation of results and asking systematic and logical questions to find out the causes of key observation. This paper introduces teaching and attainment of essential skills during execution of their final year project. The project was focused on identifying the significance of coelomic fluid (CF) of earthworm in plant tissue culture medium by using the model plant tobacco. Project outcomes are: understanding the purpose of an experiment, conducting experiments in basic and applied areas of biotechnology, interpretation of results and communicate clearly during viva-voce examination and documenting the results in a scientific way. Essential skills viz: reading and understanding the literature, how to design an experiment with proper controls, logical explanation of results and communication skills were evaluated every month by rubrics designed by investigators. Assessment was further done by feedback system and surveys from the students. The project outcomes were matched with essential skills and their attainment was measured. Based on the evaluation it is concluded that this research project-based learning helped students to develop essential skills such as designing of experiments, logical explanation of results, communication and documentation of their observations with a conclusion in a scientific way.