Promoting a Culture of Learning based on Internal Values in Large Undergraduate Courses: The added Value of Technology (original) (raw)
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2013
As wider and more diverse audiences attend universities, nowadays, more advanced instructional approaches are required. The current study explores the role of technology in facing this challenge. We report on a continuation of a previous three-year long study, focusing on students' learning-culture, which examined a pedagogical-technological innovation infused into an introductory biology course at the Technion. An online-tutorial was used in the most advanced level of the intervention as the main resource for student self-learning of course content. In parallel, students participated in a more indepth process in small technology-enhanced knowledge-building teams, each focusing on a specific course topic. Findings indicated that students' learningculture was highly affected by the teaching culture encapsulated in the course design. In the current study, we interviewed six introductory courseinstructors at the same institution. These interviews, comprised of 427 utterances, w...
2013
As wider and more diverse audiences attend universities, nowadays, more advanced instructional approaches are required. We report on a continuation of a previous three-year long study, focusing on students' learning-culture, which examined a pedagogical-technological innovation infused into an introductory biology course, at an established academic institution. An online-tutorial was used in the most advanced level of the intervention as the main resource for student self-learning of course content. In parallel, students participated in a more in-depth process in small knowledge-building teams, each focusing on a specific course topic. Findings indicated that students' learning-culture was highly affected by the teaching culture encapsulated in the course design. In the current study, we interviewed six introductory course-instructors at the same institution. These interviews, comprised of 427 utterances, were analyzed phenomenographically. Findings reveal compromises in teaching, made by these instructors, based on their faulty views about the learning culture of "the typical student". We conclude that reciprocal relations exist between learning-culture and teaching-culture, which may cause stagnation of traditional instruction in higher-education.
Computers & Education, 2002
This study explores how university students respond to and perform in a web-based learning environment. We examine whether technology can serve as a catalyst for reforming post-secondary education, and more specifically whether it can help educators address the problem of passive learning among university level science students. To answer this question we examine students' experiences in an ''autotutorial,'' webbased version of a third-year, university genetics course. Our findings suggest that a carefully designed technology-enhanced learning environment, which combines online and face-to-face elements has the potential to assist students in thinking differently about teaching and learning science. Thus, we conclude that the medium can change the message. #
Comparing Community College Students' Learning Styles in General and Advanced Biology Classes
1994
This paper reports on an investigation into individual differences and group differences in learning styles, test anxiety levels, task performance, and students' attitudes regarding cooperative learning in beginning and advanced biology classes. The Transactional Analysis Inventory (TAI) and Test Anxiety Scale (TAS) were administered to two groups of general biology students and two groups of advanced biology students at a southeast Alabama community college. On the basis of the TAI, students who knew their TAI results were placed into activity groups so that at least two learning styles were represented in each group. At the end of the quarter, students again completed the TAI and the TAS, in addition to the Learning Styles Questionnaire; pre-and post-test scores and beginning versus advanced test scores were compared. Although both students and teachers felt that cooperative learning groups helped to reduce their test anxiety, no significant differences were found between the preand post-test TAS scores. Correlations were noted between learning styles and grades with concrete or hands-on learners having the highest grades in both class groups. Findings indicate that group activities not only prevented students from working in isolation, but also helped reduce shyness and increased social skills, team spirit, and a sense of belonging. The learning styles questionnaire is appended. (Contains 19 references.) (NAV)
Peer Learning and Support of Technology in an Undergraduate Biology Course to Enhance Deep Learning
Cell Biology Education, 2012
This study offers an innovative and sustainable instructional model for an introductory undergraduate course. The model was gradually implemented during 3 yr in a research university in a large-lecture biology course that enrolled biology majors and nonmajors. It gives priority to sources not used enough to enhance active learning in higher education: technology and the students themselves. Most of the lectures were replaced with continuous individual learning and 1-mo group learning of one topic, both supported by an interactive online tutorial. Assessment included openended complex questions requiring higher-order thinking skills that were added to the traditional multiple-choice (MC) exam. Analysis of students' outcomes indicates no significant difference among the three intervention versions in the MC questions of the exam, while students who took part in active-learning groups at the advanced version of the model had significantly higher scores in the more demanding open-ended questions compared with their counterparts. We believe that socialconstructivist learning of one topic during 1 mo has significantly contributed to student deep learning across topics. It developed a biological discourse, which is more typical to advanced stages of learning biology, and changed the image of instructors from "knowledge transmitters" to "role model scientists."
This study explored the impact of a student-focused pedagogical training initiative on college students' perceptions of learning and academic achievement in a year-long introductory biology laboratory program. Data were gathered over two academic years to evaluate the impact of a pedagogically focused instructor training initiative completed during the summer, between academic years one and two. The findings reflect studentfocused instructional practices continue to rate highly among students and deficiencies in instructor stand-and-deliver, technology proficiency skills, and quality of feedback are perceived to hinder student performance. There was no significant difference in student academic achievement between years one and two.
Mediating Students’ Fixation with Grades in an Inquiry-Based Undergraduate Biology Course
Science & Education, 2020
The paper analyzes focus group data to explore student perceptions of an inquiry-based undergraduate biology course. Though the course was designed to mimic the scientific process by incorporating uncertainty, peer review, and self-reflection, students came to class focused on getting As and with a developed schema for didactic instruction and passive learning. They perceived the autonomy and self-directedness of the learning experience as a threat to their grades, and responded with strategies that protected their grades and ego, but were deleterious to learning. Students could identify merits of the inquiry-based approach; however, they made clear: they prioritized grades, and were unwilling to trust an unfamiliar pedagogy if they perceived it jeopardized their grades. In the framework of self-regulated learning, the discussion considers how to scaffold students to foreground learning over achievement.
Measuring Student Attitude and Knowledge in Technology-Rich Biology Classrooms
Journal of Science Education and Technology, 2014
The use of technology in schools is now ubiquitous, but the effectiveness on the learning environment has mixed results. This paper describes the development and validation of an instrument to measure students' attitudes toward and knowledge of technology with the aim of investigating any differences based on gender after a course where the science department made use of technology as an integral part of teaching biology. In this study, conducted in one school in the state of New York, in the United States of America, the Students' Attitudes Toward and Knowledge of Technology Questionnaire was administered to nearly 700 high school science students. A principal component and principal factor analysis resulted in new scales from the validation of the instrument that demonstrated high reliabilities. There were statistically significant gender differences in all the scales of the questionnaire in favor of males.
Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 2016
Online courses are a large and growing part of the undergraduate education landscape, but many biology instructors are skeptical about the effectiveness of online instruction. We reviewed studies comparing the effectiveness of online and face-to-face (F2F) undergraduate biology courses. Five studies compared student performance in multiple course sections at community colleges, while eight were smaller scale and compared student performance in particular biology courses at a variety of types of institutions. Of the larger-scale studies, two found that students in F2F sections outperformed students in online sections, and three found no significant difference; it should be noted, however, that these studies reported little information about course design. Of the eight smaller scale studies, six found no significant difference in student performance between the F2F and online sections, while two found that the online sections outperformed the F2F sections. In alignment with general fi...