A virtual laboratory on cell division

Explore the process of mitosis by analyzing real cell images

resource type /

Lesson Plan

published / March 2, 2026

education level /

Undergraduate

Microscopic view of cells with fibrous cytoplasm and dark nuclei

This is some text inside of a div block.

in this lesson

table of contents will display on published page only

set h2 to populate the table of contents here

additional links

contributors

Graham Johnson

Sr. Director, Visualization & Data Integration

Details

Topic: Cell biology

Audience: Advanced undergraduate students

Open dataset/tool: 3D Cell Viewer

Resource type: Lesson

‍

About this lesson:

This lesson guides students through an exploration of a large dataset of human cell images with fluorescently tagged structures. Through this two-part activity, students are asked to generate a hypothesis and prediction related to the amount of time it takes a cell to complete each stage of cell division. Then, students explore the dataset and count the number of cells in each stage of mitosis, entering their data into a spreadsheet for later analysis. The CourseSource article features a teaching discussion where the authors comment on their experience teaching with the lesson and potential variations that other instructors could try.

‍

Materials

All materials are available in the “Article Files” section of the CourseSource publication.

CourseSource article

Slides

Student handout

Example grading rubric

Instructor webinar

featured education resources

explore more resources

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Gloved hand holding brush pointing to brain scan X-ray on dark background

Publication

Sleepy mice case study

Read about how undergraduate educators used open neuroscience data to create an in-class case study

Grid of colorful cells with purple, green, and pink hues on dark background

Lesson(s)

Cell biology bingo

Play a bingo game by identifying structures and organelles in real cell images

Lab technician working in biosafety cabinet with scientific equipment and supplies

Lesson Plan

Introduction to immunology

Learn about a common technique used to study the immune system through a model-building activity

3D printer nozzle depositing glowing green material onto a precision platform at night

Lesson Plan

Using open data to teach neurophysiology

Read how Cornell University educators designed a research project using open data from the Allen Cell Types Database

Colorful brain visualization with thousands of glowing circles representing neural networks and connectivity patterns.

Lesson Plan

Independent student research using the Allen Brain Map

Explore how undergraduate students can conduct independent research using open gene expression data.

Digital audio waveform editor showing multiple colored audio tracks with vertical playhead indicator.

Lesson Plan

Using the Allen Brain Map to teach data science

Access individual lesson plans and a full-term data science course modeled around the open data featured in the Allen Brain Map

science done differently. shared with the world.

explore our accelerators

brain science

Mapping every cell, connection, and circuit in the brain—openly shared with the world.

cell science

Decoding how cells become tissues, then programming that knowledge into powerful new research tools.

neural dynamics

Revealing the brain's hidden algorithms that transform neural activity into real-world behavior.

immunology

Creating the deepest open reference for the healthy human immune system ever built.

synthetic biology

Engineering cells to record their own histories, transforming how we understand disease over time.

research

Big questions, open answers, and science built to be shared.

education

Inspiring the next generation of scientists through open science resources.

impact

Our science is empowering researchers and advancing health worldwide.