Undergraduate Toxicology Curriculum Resources

The Faculty United for Toxicology Undergraduate Recruitment and Education (FUTURE) Committee leads SOT efforts to provide quality toxicology resources and support impactful instruction of undergraduates, guided by the Toxicology Learning Framework and national initiatives such as Vision and Change.

We welcome feedback about curriculum resources and encourage discussion in the ToXchange community Undergraduate Educator Network where SOT members can post comments and questions. This community is open to all SOT members interested in undergraduate education. Comments can be sent to Betty Eidemiller

Education Resources

SOT participates in two collections for curriculum resources for science faculty to share resources among SOT undergraduate educators but also promote use of toxicology principles in multiple undergraduate courses.

CourseSource

The Society of Toxicology is a partner in CourseSource, which publishes articles related to biological and physics disciples and aligned with the learning goals established by professional societies representing the disciplines, rooted in the principles of the Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education. Vision and Change creates a framework centered on Core Concepts (such as Evolution) and Core Competencies and encourages inclusive and evidence-based teaching practices that increase recruitment and retention of STEM students.

We are recruiting submissions to add to the toxicology collection. Articles use the Toxicology Learning Framework to articulate learning objectives.

Publishing Educational Toxicology Exercises in CourseSource: A Step-by-Step Workshop for Preparing Your Manuscript—This workshop at the 2022 SOT Annual Meeting equips educators to use CourseSource and inspires them to submit their inclusive, evidence-based educational resources. In the first part of the workshop, Erin Vinson, managing editor of CourseSource, reviews the design of the CourseSource website and its features, and the various types for submissions. In the second part, Lauren Aleksunes (“Repurposing Drugs as Countermeasures for Chemical Weapons: An Interactive Training for Undergraduate Students”), Joshua Gray (“Pick Your Poison: A Semester-Long Toxicology Project Integrating Toxicology Core Concepts and Scientific Communication”), and Mindy Reynolds (“A Case Study Approach to the One Environmental Health Hypothesis”) discuss their curricula and the preparation of CourseSource manuscripts. The last section provides time for participants to prepare their own concepts for submission.

LifeSciTRC

The Life Sciences Teaching Resource Community (LifeSciTRC) is supported by nine biological sciences to provide an online community for life science educators at all levels. Resources submitted to the site are accessed free and available to everyone and range in type from course syllabi, lectures, lab activities, published teaching articles, and videos, to name a few. SOT editors review materials submitted for the toxicology collection and we encourage sharing of items that benefit the teaching of toxicology concepts.

SOT Teaching Collection

Before joining CourseSource and LifeSciTRC, SOT coordinated collection of toxicology-related teaching resources. The materials included met the collection criteria during peer review. The authors have granted SOT permission to publish this material but retain intellectual property rights to their materials.

Toxicology Curriculum Resources

Item

Description

Contributor

Resource Title: Rubric for research paper

Resource File #1

Course Title: Environmental and Human Toxicology with Lab

Course Number: Biol 4460

Type: Assignment

Audience: Senior Biology Majors, primarily pre-Health (Med, Dental, Pharm)

Exclusions: None

This is a 5–7 page (single-spaced) paper assignment where students choose a pharmacological agent (list included) and describe the target organ effects, non-target organ effects, metabolic pathways, incidences of overdose, antidotes and their mechanisms

Eva Oberdorster

Resource Title: Introduction to Toxicology Debate

Resource File #1

Course Title: Introduction to Toxicology

Course Number: BIO394

Type: Assignment

Audience: Juniors and Seniors

Exclusions: None

This is an activity that can be used in an introductory toxicology course. It allows the students to go into more detail about particular topics and also enables them to become more comfortable working in groups. Sample debate topics have been provided.

Mindy Reynolds

Resource Title: Policy Papers

Resource File #1

Course Title: Principles of Toxicology Seminar

Course Number: BIO 220L

Type: Assignment

Audience: Sophomore toxicology majors; sophomore, junior, and senior biology, environmental science, biochemistry, and chemistry majors

Exclusions: The case studies are from the NCCSTS and should be excluded.

After being introduced to various environmental issues in seminar, students write papers in which they analyze information from the primary literature regarding the effects of the chemical(s) in question on biological systems and use this information to decide whether or not current regulatory limits (if they exist) on exposure are appropriate.

Stephanie Zamule

Resource Title: Dilutions Worksheet

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology

Course Number: Bio 358

Type: Assignment

Audience: Junior and Senior Biology and Chemistry majors

Exclusions: None

I use this worksheet to help students refresh basic calculations and principles of dilutions ahead of performing dose-response experiments

Stephanie Fretham

Resource Title: Primary Literature Discussion Prep

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology

Course Number: Bio 358

Type: Assignment

Audience: Junior and Senior Biology and Chemistry majors

Exclusions: None

Learning to read and discuss primary literature is a key objective of the course, this summary assignment is meant to help focus students as they read papers and prepare for in class discussion.

Stephanie Fretham

Item

Description

Contributor

Resource Title: Undergraduate Educators Webinar 11 January 2018

Resource File #1

Resource File #2

Resource File #3

Course Title: 0000

Course Number: Webinar

Type: Lab Activity

Audience: Undergraduate Educators

Exclusions: None

This is supplemental material for the webinar on 11 January 2018.

Vanessa Fitsanakis

Resource Title: Use of Behavioral Assay to Determine the Chronic Effects of Chlorpyrifos on Developing Zebrafish

Resource File #1

URL: http://www.bates.edu/catalog/?s=current&a=renderDept&d=BIO

Course Title: Experimental Molecular and Developmental Biology

Course Number: BIOs40

Type: Lab Activity

Audience: Upper level biology and biological chemistry majors. Could also be used for introductory neuroscience and toxicology labs

Exclusions: None

The goal of this short-term lab experiment is to demonstrate the behavioral effects of a prototypic insecticide and acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, chlorpyrifos, on developing zebrafish.

Larissa Williams

Resource Title: Molecular Biology Lab Class as a Vehicle for Teaching Environmental Toxicology

Resource File #1

URL: none

Course Title: Gene Manipulation Lab

Course Number: BIOL 264

Type: Lab Activity

Audience: Sophomore and Junior life sciences majors (e.g. Biology, Biochemistry, etc.)

Exclusions: None

Relatively few undergraduate life sciences programs offer classes in toxicology. In the molecular biology lab course at Kenyon College, I compensate by drawing from my research expertise in molecular toxicology to construct a course with significant toxicology content. This poster describes the approach and methods. [It was prsented in the Education Poster Session at SOT 2015 and was the basis for part of a subsequent webinar produced by the Undergraduate Education Subcommittee and aired on 12/15/16.]

Wade Powell

Resource Title: A Toxicological Study Using Zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a Model

Resource File #1

Course Title: Introduction to Toxicology

Course Number: 101

Type: Lab Activity

Audience: NS majors

Exclusions: None

A multi-week toxicological lab using zebrafish

Mindy Reynolds

Resource Title: Undergraduate Webinar 08 January 2018

Resource File #1

Resource File #2

Resource File #3

Course Title: Lab Resources

Course Number: 0000

Type: Lab Activity

Audience: Undergraduate educators

Exclusions: None

Supplemental material to help with the presentation

Vanessa Fitsanakis

Item

Description

Contributor

Resource Title: Is This Significant?

Resource File #2

Resource File #3

Course Title: 0001

Course Number: Undergraduate Network Webinar 08 Jan 2018

Type: Lecture Slides

Audience: Undergraduate Educators

Exclusions: None

Materials for statistics activity

Vanessa Fitsanakis

Resource Title: Opioid Active Learning Exercise

Resource File #1

URL: N/A

Course Title: Undergrad Tox

Course Number: N/A - Undergrad Tox

Type: Lecture Slides

Audience: Undergraduates without prior exposure to toxicology and undergraduates taking a toxicology course.

Exclusions: None

This active learning exercise focused on receptor signaling was used at NESOT as a think-pair-share exercise.

Joshua Gray

No resource submitted at this time.

Item

Description

Contributor

Resource Title: SMU Toxicology Lecture Syllabus

Resource File #1

Course Title: Environmental and Human Toxicology

Course Number: Biol 4460

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Senior Biology Majors, mainly pre-Health (Med, Dental, Vet)

Exclusions: None

Syllabus

Eva Oberdorster

Resource Title: Environmental Toxicology Syllabus (Kenyon College)

Resource File #1

URL: sorry-behind the firewall

Course Title: Environmental Toxicology

Course Number: BIOL 333

Type: Syllabus

Audience: An advanced undergraduate seminar for biology and biochemistry majors. Presumes substantial previous coursework in the major.

Exclusions: None

A topics-based course using primary literature as the major resource. Rather than surveying a wide variety of topics superficially, we will concentrate on selected issues, stories, and case-studies that illustrate important contemporary issues in environmental toxicology, presenting fundamental concepts on a largely need-to-know basis.

Wade Powell

Resource Title: Course Syllabus for Forensic Toxicology

Resource File #1

Course Title: Forensic Toxicology or Toxicology

Course Number: CHEM 4313 or BIOL 4313

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Required course for junior or senior forensic science majors; technical elective for junior or senior biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and science education majors

Exclusions: None

An integrated study of toxicology as it relates to forensic science. This course will provide an introduction to postmortem forensic toxicology, forensic drug testing. Analytical principles, both theory and applications, will be covered for the most commonly encountered analytes. This course is primarily theory and background.

William Luttrell

Resource Title: Environmental Toxicology Syllabus

Resource File #1

Course Title: Introduction to Environmental Toxicology

Course Number: PHCL347

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Senior pharmacy students - an elective

Exclusions: None

Introduction to chemical nature and reactions of toxic substances; their origins and uses; and aspects of exposure, transformation and elimination.

Kristine Willett

Resource Title: Introduction to Toxicology Syllabus

Resource File #1

Course Title: Introduction to Toxicology

Course Number: PHCL381

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Jr and Sr. Forensic Chemistry or Pharmacy majors

Exclusions: None

This course provides an introduction to the basic principles of general and forensic toxicology. It is appropriate in scope for undergraduate pharmacy, biology and forensic chemistry majors.

Kristine Willett

Resource Title: Introduction to Toxicology

Resource File #1

Course Title: Introduction to Toxicology

Course Number: BIO394

Type: Syllabus

Audience: undergraduates (juniors and seniors)-

Exclusions: None

This is a syllabus for an introductory toxicology course. The class is intended for juniors and seniors. It is a prereq that students have had O. Chem to take this course.

Mindy Reynolds

Resource Title: Toxicology Syllabus

Resource File #1

Course Title: Introduction to Toxicology

Course Number: BIO394

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Upper level undergraduates

Exclusions: None

Introduction to toxicology syllabus

Mindy Reynolds

Resource Title: Nazareth College Principles of Toxicology (course and seminar)

Resource File #1

Course Title: Principles of Toxicology

Course Number: BIO 220/220L

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Sophomore toxicology majors; sophomore, junior, and senior biology, environmental science, biochemistry, and chemistry majors

Exclusions: None

This 3-credit course is intended to introduce students to the basic tenets of toxicology. The text is supported by case studies from the NCCSTS and toxicology-in-the-news pieces. The 1-credit co-requisite seminar is designed to acquaint students with the primary literature and to develop their oral and written communication skills.

Stephanie Zamule

Resource Title: Principles of Toxicology syllabus

Resource File #1

Course Title: Principles of Toxicology

Course Number: Biology 3400

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Typically junior and senior biology, chemistry, and environmental science majors. Some allied health students

Exclusions: None

This is a syllabus for a 3 hour introductory course in Toxicology, typically taken by junior and senior majors in the areas of biology, chemistry, and environmental science.

Karen Stine

Resource Title: Toxicology Course Syllabus

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology

Course Number: BIOL 3370

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Biology majors

Exclusions: None

An introduction to the principles of toxicology and the cellular, physiological, and ecological effects of toxicants, with an emphasis on the environmental and physiological effects of toxicants on different populations.

Melinda Pomeroy-Black

Resource Title: Introductory Toxicology Syllabus

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology

Course Number: 5417

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Undergraduates/seniors

Exclusions: I am a U.S. government employee.

Toxicology course for undergraduates, list of topics.

Joshua Gray

Resource Title: Toxicology Syllabus

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology

Course Number: Bio 358

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Junior and Senior Biology and Chemistry majors

Exclusions: None

This is the only Toxicology course on our campus, it is upper level with a prereq of Physiology and/or Organic Chemistry. The course fulfills requirements for both speaking and writing within the major and the lab component is a semester long student-designed research project.

Stephanie Fretham

Resource Title: Toxicology course for Undergraduates

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology & Human Health

Course Number: Chem451

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Biology and /or Chemistry

Exclusions: None

This one-semester undergraduate course provides a comprehensive review of toxic effects of a variety of drugs, chemicals and carcinogens with a core focus on the modern approaches in prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic toxicities.

Sidhartha Ray

Resource Title: Toxicology Lab Syllabus

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology Lab

Course Number: Biol 4460

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Senior Biology Majors, mainly pre-Health

Exclusions: None

lab syllabus

Eva Oberdorster

Resource Title: Intro/General Toxicology Syllabus

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology: The Science of Poisons

Course Number: BIOM 425

Type: Syllabus

Audience: Junior and Seniors, all majors

Exclusions: None

This is a broad introduction to toxicology for a non-toxicology major. Montana State University is a land grant institution and this course is developed to emphasize principles of ADME and introduce mechanisms of toxicity for a variety of toxicants and natural toxins.

Deborah Keil

No resource submitted at this time.

No resource submitted at this time.

Item

Description

Contributor

Resource Title: Eminent Toxicologist lecture Ken Ramos –Reprogramming of the Genome by Toxic Injury

Resource File #1

Course Title: --

Course Number: --

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: Advanced undergraduates studying molecular biology, toxicology, or cancer.

Exclusions: None

One of the Eminent Toxicologist Lectures organized by SOT's Undergraduate Education Network. A lecture video that could be used to accompany a paper and/or as a "flipped classroom" assignment.

Wade Powell

Resource Title: Benson Eminent Toxicologist Notes 2017

Resource File #1

URL: Lecture notes

Course Title: Benson

Course Number: Eminent Tox

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: Senior Undergraduate students or graduate students

Exclusions: None

Lecture notes to accompany Dr. Benson's Eminent Toxicologist Lecture

Kristine Willett

Resource Title: Eminent Toxicologist lecture Samuel Cohen - Chemical Carcinogenesis

Resource File #1

URL: https://vimeo.com/channels/1009234/210424933

Course Title: BIOL XXX

Course Number:

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: Undergraduate students. This resource could be effectively applied for introductory to intermediate level biology courses, including non-majors biology.

Exclusions: None

Brief instructor notes to accompany Dr. Cohen's Eminent Toxicology Lecture.

Wade Powell

Resource Title: Eminent Toxicologist Lectures Ruth Roberts

Resource File #1

URL: https://www.toxicology.org/education/edu/CurriculumResourcesFiles/385_Eminent_Toxicologist_lecture.docx

Course Title: Eminent Toxicologist Lectures

Course Number: N/A

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: senior undergraduate students, graduate students

Exclusions: None

Regulatory pharmaceutical toxicology provides a framework for testing and registration of new medicines to ensure patient and volunteer safety. In silico, in vitro, and in vivo toxicology studies are conducted sequentially, building a picture of the toxicity profile of each potential new drug. Although regulatory toxicology testing is specified by a set of international guidelines (defined by the International Council for Harmonization), each candidate drug requires a unique package of scientific tests that are designed, performed, and analyzed by skilled regulatory toxicologists. Most drugs that are not approved fail during this critical period due to safety and efficacy concerns. This resource addresses a number of questions such as How well do animal tests predict clinical outcome? And how will we move towards replacing animals in drug safety testing? The framework for regulatory toxicology testing and the challenges are outlined with potential solutions.

Rebecca Dearman

Resource Title: Dr. Jack Dean's Eminent Toxicology Lecture materials

Resource File #1

URL: http://www.toxicology.org/education/edu/eminent.asp

Course Title: N/A

Course Number: N/A

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: Undergraduates and graduates interested in immunotoxicology

Exclusions: None

This is a resource meant to accompany Dr. Jack Dean's Eminent Toxicology lecture and frame its contents within Vision and Change.

Larissa Williams

Resource Title: Tox History Crossword Puzzle

Resource File #1

URL: http://www.crauswords.com

Course Title: Perspectives in Toxicology

Course Number: TOX 1101

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: This was developed for a one-credit freshman course but might be fun for others

Exclusions: The licensing applies only to the formatted material physically submitted (a single crossword puzzle on Toxicology History), not to any course or larger work of which the material may be a part of now or in the future, the content of the puzzle, or to the software which was used to create the material.

I use crossword puzzles to help undergrads review details and facts. They love them. I've been using Crossword Express (www.crauswords.com) to construct tox puzzles for 20 years. It's freeware and supported very well.

Sue Ford

Resource Title: Yves Alarie - eminent toxicologist notes

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology

Course Number: Toxicology

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: senior undergraduates

Exclusions: None

The resource is meant to accompany the Eminent Toxicologist lecture by the author above. It includes Learning Objectives, recommended prerequisite topics, study questions, and application of the lecture to Vision and Change Core Concepts and Competencies.

Joshua Gray

Resource Title: Eminent Toxicologist notes for Marion Ehrich

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology

Course Number: N/A

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: Undergraduates and graduates interested in neurotoxicology

Exclusions: None

This is a resource meant to accompany Dr. Marion Ehrich's Eminent Toxicology lecture and frame its contents within Vision and Change.

Joshua Gray

Resource Title: Lecture Notes and Learning Objectives for Eminent Toxicologist Lecture by Curtis Klaassen

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology

Course Number: 001

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: Senior undergraduates taking Toxicology.

Exclusions: None

Lectures Notes and Learning Objectives to Accompany the Eminent toxicologist lecture given by Dr. Klaassen.

Joshua Gray

Resource Title: Eminent Toxicologist Notes for Melvin Andersen Lecture

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology undergrad

Course Number: Toxicology undergrad

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: undergraduate students, graduate students, continuing education, undergraduate educators

Exclusions: None

Includes Learning Objectives, Recommended prerequisite topics, study questions, and Vision and Change Core Competencies for the recorded lecture.

Joshua Gray

Resource Title: Eminent Toxicologist Notes for Nancy Montiero Riviere Lecture

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology undergrad

Course Number: Toxicology undergrad

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: undergraduate students, graduate students, continuing education, undergraduate educators

Exclusions: None

Includes Learning Objectives, Recommended prerequisite topics, study questions, and Vision and Change Core Competencies for the recorded lecture.

Joshua Gray

Resource Title: Eminent Toxicologist Notes for Ernest Hodgson Lecture

Resource File #1

Course Title: Toxicology undergrad

Course Number: Toxicology undergrad

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: undergraduate students, graduate students, continuing education, undergraduate educators

Exclusions: None

Includes Learning Objectives, Recommended prerequisite topics, study questions, and Vision and Change Core Competencies for the recorded lecture.

Joshua Gray

Resource Title: Notes for Cheryl Walkers Eminent Toxicologist Lecture

Resource File #1

Course Title: Undergraduate Tox

Course Number: Eminent Tox

Type: Other Teaching Resource

Audience: Senior Toxicology Undergraduate students

Exclusions: None

These are instructor notes including: Learning Objectives, Study Questions and NSF Vision and Change Core Concepts and Competencies.

Kristine Willett