Special : Education Workshop

Abs # 60006: Introductory Biology; bringing your own research into the classroom.

Presenter:	Cyr, Richard j, rjc8@psu.edu
Authors	Cyr, Richard j (A)   Fisher, Deb D (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Penn State

Biology 110 is a large, first semester, introductory course for majors. In 1999, a multi-year study was initiated to examine the effect of computer technology in this course. By fall 2001, 41 on-line tutorials were completed, each containing the material that was typically delivered in a single, 50-minute lecture. Each tutorial has approximately 25 web pages, containing a terms list, goals, multiple pages of content (along with figures & animations), and different types of questions. Firewall questions are placed throughout each tutorial, and students must answer each correctly before the program allows them to proceed. The questions are designed to be instructive and evaluative, and context-specific feedback is immediately provided to each student. Review questions appear at the end of each tutorial. After completing each tutorial, students are immediately provided with a report of their score, and this report (along with other information) is stored in a database for access by the instructor. The instructor can use the report information to guide classroom activities. The method has eliminated the traditional lecture format and student performance has increased significantly on more difficult material. An on-line editing feature has been added, which allows instructors to modify the content of the tutorials as the course is unfolding. This feature will allow instructors, in various locations, to customize the course content to reflect their own background and research interests. The ability to rapidly and easily add research data to the archive of course material opens up new ways to bring the excitement of recent discoveries into the class. Moreover, the approach is web-based which opens the possibility of developing a library of shared resources.