Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic: sharing results and data obtained from the Ames Test

Abstract

We present a resource for instructors that contains results and data sets from the Ames test. Our aim is to share the results we have collected in previous semesters with other instructors, so they will be able to “conduct” the Ames test without the need to set foot in a laboratory classroom. Instructors will be able to use our online resource to perform the test remotely, as a supplement to their laboratory classroom, or even under hybrid circumstances. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought many changes, including the way we, as instructors, were able to carry out our educational curricula, since access to laboratory classrooms was not always possible. While COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, and thus access to laboratory classrooms is limited or null, instructors can use our online resource, without the need to set foot in a laboratory classroom. When COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and access to laboratory classrooms is permitted, instructors can follow the procedures we describe and compare their results with ours, which appear in Results and Discussion, or use our data sets as take-home assignments for their students. In addition to its use in detecting the potential mutagenicity of different samples, we have found the Ames test to be extremely useful for developing problem-solving skills by means of exercises like the ones included in this resource. Furthermore, the potential of this test as a starting point for problem-based learning is remarkable. Some suggestions for its use in active learning settings are provided.