Effective use of course management systems to enhance student learning: Experimental Biology 2007 (original) (raw)
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AJP: Advances in Physiology Education, 2011
Integrating an open-source course management system You might find this additional info useful... articles, 8 of which can be accessed free at: This article cites /content/35/4/369.full.html#ref-list-1 2 other HighWire hosted articles This article has been cited by [PDF] [Full Text] [Abstract] , December , 2012; 36 (4): 284-297. Advan in Physiol Edu Interactive knowledge networks for interdisciplinary course navigation within Moodle [PDF] [Full Text] [Abstract] , December , 2013; 37 (4): 337-342. Advan in Physiol Edu E. Felder, M. Fauler and S. Geiler students and subjective effect on learning Introducing e-learning/teaching in a physiology course for medical students: acceptance by including high resolution figures, can be found at: Updated information and services /content/35/4/369.full.html can be found at: Advances in Physiology Education about Additional material and information Seluakumaran K, Jusof FF, Ismail R, Husain R.
Parasitologists United Journal
Background: Medical education for undergraduate students in preclinical sciences is challenging and often described as boring by students. Educators have to find interesting new methods to deliver information and increase students' engagement and performance. The incorporation of new technological tools can help in this regard. Objectives: This retrospective study investigated two technological tools: Google Classroom learning management platform and Google Quiz Forms for online assessment, as regards students' satisfaction, engagement, and performance. Design and Methodology: The same Parasitology course has been taught in a classic face-to-face way during the first year of the study and taught by blended learning technique over the second year. The performance of the students of each year was compared and a questionnaire was introduced at the end of the second year to assess the students' satisfaction. Results: Students who took full advantage of these tools showed improvement of their performance (Mean= 79 in the assessment versus 83.6 in their final exam (P=0.01) and achieved significantly better scores than those of year-1 and year-2 in the final exam (Mean= 83.6 versus 76.3 and 72.7 respectively, P<0.001). Among 128 questionnaire responders, 78.9% preferred the e-learning, 94.5% found the Google Classroom easy to use, 76.6% described it as a time saver for submission of assignments and 96.9% expressed their wish to continue to use the blended learning as well as the formative assessments in other courses and would recommend it to others. They all agreed that the formative assessments at the end of each lecture helped them in summarizing the delivered topic and consolidated the received information. Conclusions: Use of these mobile-friendly, freely available technological tools in resource-limited higher education institutions is recommended to improve the students' engagement and performance in the preclinical sciences.
International Journal of Instruction, 2024
The study focused on the assessment of the technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) of graduate students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Science Education (MASE) program and tested the effectiveness of a blended learning approach using online collaborative tools, a learning management system, and interactive resources in Biology. The specific objectives of the study included describing the profile of MASE students in terms of computer and internet resources and skills, measuring their confidence levels in the four TPACK constructs, finding significant differences in pretest and posttest scores, and obtaining student feedback on the use of Edmodo as a Learning Management System. The study employed a one-shot pretest-posttest experimental design using a combination of online resources and face-to-face interactions. Based on the results, there was an increase in the median values before and after the intervention, as shown by the difference between the pre-median and post-median. Pre-implementation, the TPACK confidence level of the students was rated fairly confident (FC), but it increased after to completely confident (CC). This suggests that the students' TPACK confidence level improved positively using the BL approach. Likewise, the t-stat value of 10.68 indicates a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores after implementing the blended learning approach. This suggests that the blended learning approach had a positive and noteworthy impact on the student's performance, as seen in the improved test scores. The study's results highlighted the benefits of Edmodo as well as the use of interactive online activities in their performance and TPACK as reported by the students.
Using Learning Management Systems for Course Projects: A Case Study of Student Collaboration
ctools.umich.edu
This case study examined how undergraduate students used project site capability available through the campus Learning Management System (LMS) to work together to produce a required group project. Students' survey responses and aggregated event log data were analyzed to see if students' project site use was consistent with their beliefs about project site activities and tools. Overall, students regarded the activities and related tools within the LMS very positively and thought that their assignments were more successful because of their use of LMS for their group project. Students rated activities related to the management of materials and communication within their group higher than interactive online activities such as answering questions from group members.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 2001
Many academic institutions across the country are incorporating computer and Internet technology into their classrooms. Rensselaer has developed a studio classroom that incorporates student collaboration and Internet technology. The purpose of this research was to examine student reactions and learning in an undergraduate biochemistry course taught in a studio classroom. Student reactions to the course, the technology, and working in groups were positive. Students liked using the technology, felt it helped them to learn the material, and thought working in groups was bene"cial for learning. Pre-test and post-test grades on a standardized examination indicated a signi"cant increase in learning. In addition, positive reactions to using the technology in the course, as well as student con"dence to do well in the course, were signi"cantly related to improved course performance.
A novel collaborative e-learning platform for medical students - ALERT STUDENT
BMC Medical Education, 2014
Background: The increasing complexity of medical curricula would benefit from adaptive computer supported collaborative learning systems that support study management using instructional design and learning object principles. However, to our knowledge, there are scarce reports regarding applications developed to meet this goal and encompass the complete medical curriculum. The aim of ths study was to develop and assess the usability of an adaptive computer supported collaborative learning system for medical students to manage study sessions. Results: A study platform named ALERT STUDENT was built as a free web application. Content chunks are represented as Flashcards that hold knowledge and open ended questions. These can be created in a collaborative fashion. Multiple Flashcards can be combined into custom stacks called Notebooks that can be accessed in study Groups that belong to the user institution. The system provides a Study Mode that features text markers, text notes, timers and color-coded content prioritization based on self-assessment of open ended questions presented in a Quiz Mode. Time spent studying and Perception of knowledge are displayed for each student and peers using charts. Computer supported collaborative learning is achieved by allowing for simultaneous creation of Notebooks and self-assessment questions by many users in a pre-defined Group. Past personal performance data is retrieved when studying new Notebooks containing previously studied Flashcards. Self-report surveys showed that students highly agreed that the system was useful and were willing to use it as a reference tool. Conclusions: The platform employs various instructional design and learning object principles in a computer supported collaborative learning platform for medical students that allows for study management. The application broadens student insight over learning results and supports informed decisions based on past learning performance. It serves as a potential educational model for the medical education setting that has gathered strong positive feedback from students at our school. This platform provides a case study on how effective blending of instructional design and learning object principles can be brought together to manage study, and takes an important step towards bringing information management tools to support study decisions and improving learning outcomes.
2010
Discussion and writing are very powerful ways to support learning. This article describes the use of a free, asynchronous online forum to expand student-teacher discussions beyond the time/place constraints of the physical physiology classroom. The main participants were medical students enrolled in physiology class at the University of Zagreb Medical School and their teachers. The assessment data were collected by the electronic administration of the software, by anonymous paper questionnaires, and by the results of the final examination in physiology. During one academic year, 25% (n ϭ 55) of 220 students enrolled in a traditional physiology course participated in online discussions. Physiology teachers and other faculty also joined the forum. All forum members (n ϭ 99) posted 395 messages. Nine documents were published by six students who participated in two online collaborative projects. The difference in the mean grade of the final examination in physiology between student members and nonmembers was statistically significant (P ϭ 0.0328, t ϭ 2.1526). Students who participated in Web discussions were self-selected. Likely, they are the most motivated students, who would perform better on the final examination with or without this resource. Nevertheless, using an online forum could be very successful in teaching critical thinking in physiology because the Internet removes traditional time/place barriers. However, new barriers related to technology and behavioral changes are created. For most teachers and students, the main obstacles to information technology implementation are lack of motivation and lack of professional incentives. To overcome these barriers, institutional support is needed for both students and teachers. Web-based learning; online teaching HUMANS HAVE LEARNED EFFECTIVELY by collaborating with each other for thousands of years. Neither the Internet nor any other technology is going to change that, but it can be a vehicle to enhance it through asynchronous collaboration tools like discussion forums (4). The American Association for Higher Education states that one purpose of educational institutions is to make better connections among people who want to learn, people who want to teach, and the world of information and ideas. Ideas, questions, and individual discoveries are not restricted to the "three-hours-per-week" contact time of the standard classroom. However, students' discussion opportunities and contact with their teachers are restricted to scheduled class meeting times and teachers' office hours. Recent interactive implementations of the World Wide Web offer opportunities for sharing ideas, posing questions, and presenting individual discoveries at a time of convenience, and better, at the time of
2009
We propose a framework for the development of course programs in higher education: Our vision is that all teaching in higher education should aim for maximal learning with maximal flexibility. Learning technology could be used to optimise this, implemented through continuous feedback from the students. We illustrate our vision with examples from the anatomy-physiology-biochemistry teaching at our school of nursing, where we have two sorts of classes: 1 ) Full-time students and 2 ) Part-time students, living in all parts of Norway, studying through distance education in a lifelong learning approach. The last couple of years, we have used video streaming and interactive multimedia lectures, combined with learning platforms including discussion forums and other learning resources. We present successes and failures with these various methods. We further discuss why we think some traditional classroom teaching should be included in every course program and present some low-cost solutions to well known pedagogical and technological problems with learning technology.