It was one of the strangest homework assignments Erin Syverson had ever had. The senior genetics major was asked to open a small vial and start spitting.

“I would much rather have gotten my blood drawn, but it’s a simple, effective way to collect DNA at home without a medical professional,” notes Syverson, who submitted her saliva to 23andMe, a private company that analyzes a person’s DNA—all 23 pairs of chromosomes, hence the name—for $99.

Syverson underwent the analysis as part of Genetics 677, Genomic and Proteomic Analysis. While DNA testing is not required for the course, professor Ahna Skop encourages her students to undergo it. Students may use their own results as the basis of their individual semester-long class project, which requires doing in-depth research about a particular genetic disease or disorder and presenting findings in class and on a website the student creates.

“Because they have a vested interest in their project, they are emotionally engaged and seek out answers from me, their classmates and beyond the classroom—for example, from doctors and their families,” says Skop. “The payoff I see in my course is deeper, longer-lasting learning due to this emotional investment.”

Those benefits are being cited all around the nation as more and more college genetics courses encourage students to get tested. They were confirmed by a recent study in the journal PLOS One showing that 70 percent of students who underwent personal genome testing self-reported a better understanding of human genetics on the basis of having undergone testing. They also demonstrated an average 31 percent increase in pre- to post-course scores on knowledge questions, which was significantly higher than students who did not undergo testing.

Syverson didn’t end up basing her research project on her own results, but she still found the testing worthwhile. “Through learning to interpret my own results and scrutinize them, I have learned a lot about not only the diseases they tested me for, but also how to think critically about genetic results,” she says. “I’ve also learned a lot about the state of the field and how to explain it to others, which will be very helpful for my future career as a genetic counselor.”

The course will be offered again next spring. Student presentations are posted at http://gen677.weebly.com/projects.html.