Smith, M. U., & Adkison, L. R. (2010). Updating the model definition of the gene in the modern genomic era with implications for instruction. Science & Education, 19, 1-20. doi:10.1007/s11191-008-9161-7

has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Analogies for Teaching Mutant Allele Dominance Concepts

  AUTHORS: Rebecca L. Seipelt-Thiemann

  KEYWORDS: Analogy; Genetics; Allele Dominance

  JOURNAL NAME: Creative Education, Vol.3 No.6A, October 25, 2012

  ABSTRACT: Analogies connect new and familiar concepts and ideas by providing a comfortable and known framework within which students can integrate new concepts. Use of analogies to aid understanding of abstract and/or complex ideas is commonly used in molecular sciences, such as genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry. Five analogies for different mechanisms of mutant allele dominance, a seemingly counter-intuitive idea in genetics, were designed and assessed in an upper division undergraduate/masters level course. Each of the five mechanisms, haploinsufficiency, acquired function, poison product, increased activity, and inappropriate expression, was described in the context of a human disease and molecular mechanism and followed by a descriptive analogy which mirrored the molecular mechanism using real world items or a video clip. The majority of students reported increased interest, understanding, and engagement following the analogies, as well as decreased confusion.