Toward a Better Understanding of Population Genetics: Pop!World—A Virtual, Inquiry-Based Tool for Teaching Population Genetics

Population genetics is fundamental to understanding evolutionary theory, and is taught in most introductory biology/evolution courses. Many students are unaware that understanding this topic requires pertinent knowledge of mathematics and consequently struggle with the subject. As a response to this problem, a virtual tool (Pop!World) was developed that teaches introductory population genetics through intuitive, inquiry based visual discoveries. In seven modules students test hypotheses pertaining to the tenants of Mendelian and population genetics. The use of these exercises in a large introductory evolution (1,500+) course as part of a lab unit is described. Survey responses indicate that students perceive the tool as helpful, and a significantly higher interest in the field of evolution is reported after completion of the Pop!World section. Evaluations of multiple student assessments suggest an increased performance in the population genetics section of the course. Generally, we conclude that the visual and modular nature of PopWorld! represents a valuable approach to improving the understanding of the concepts of population genetics.