Take Two and Call Me in the Morning

A Case Study in Cell Structure and Function

By Peggy Brickman

Abstract

In this “clicker case,” students read about a college student who becomes sick. As they set out to identify the cause of the illness, students learn about the differences between viruses, prokaryotes, and eukaryotes in order to decide which organism is causing the infection. The case consists of a handout that students partially complete before class as well as an in-class PowerPoint presentation (~3.4MB) with questions that the students answer using clickers. The case could be used in any introductory biology course or as a review of cell structure in an anatomy and physiology course.

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Date Posted

11/04/2008

Overview

Objectives

Identify or recall the different structural components and reproductive strategies in prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and viruses.
Differentiate between prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and viruses using factors such as size or the presence of unique structures.
Apply knowledge of the differences between viruses, prokaryotes, and eukaryotes to understand why various treatment methods work to specifically kill one class of organisms while remaining harmless to the human cells or other organisms.
Understand the evidence supporting the endosymbiotic theory (i.e., that membrane-enclosed organelles found in eukaryotes originated as free-living prokaryotes that were engulfed and then maintained because they established a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with their host cell).

Keywords

Cell; prokaryote; eukaryote; virus; organelle; Toxoplasma gondii; endosymbiosis; parasite; parasitic disease

Subject Headings

Biology (General)

Cell Biology

Microbiology

Physiology

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

Undergraduate lower division

FORMAT

PDF, PowerPoint

TOPICAL AREAS

N/A

LANGUAGE

English

TYPE/METHODS

Clicker, Interrupted