scholarly journals Further Effects of Phylogenetic Tree Style on Student Comprehension in an Introductory Biology Course

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. ar17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Dees ◽  
Caitlin Bussard ◽  
Jennifer L. Momsen
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Student Understanding ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Student Comprehension ◽  
Construction Tasks ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Introductory Biology Course ◽  
The Impact

Phylogenetic trees have become increasingly important across the life sciences, and as a result, learning to interpret and reason from these diagrams is now an essential component of biology education. Unfortunately, students often struggle to understand phylogenetic trees. Style (i.e., diagonal or bracket) is one factor that has been observed to impact how students interpret phylogenetic trees, and one goal of this research was to investigate these style effects across an introductory biology course. In addition, we investigated the impact of instruction that integrated diagonal and bracket phylogenetic trees equally. Before instruction, students were significantly more accurate with the bracket style for a variety of interpretation and construction tasks. After instruction, however, students were significantly more accurate only for construction tasks and interpretations involving taxa relatedness when using the bracket style. Thus, instruction that used both styles equally mitigated some, but not all, style effects. These results inform the development of research-based instruction that best supports student understanding of phylogenetic trees.

scholarly journals Effects of Phylogenetic Tree Style on Student Comprehension in an Introductory Biology Course

2017 ◽  
Vol 79 (9) ◽  
pp. 729-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Dees ◽  
Danielle Freiermuth ◽  
Jennifer L. Momsen
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Tree ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Performance Gap ◽  
Student Difficulties ◽  
Student Comprehension ◽  
Construction Tasks ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

Phylogenetic trees have become an important component of biology education, but their utility in the classroom is compromised by widespread misinterpretations among students. One factor that may contribute to student difficulties is style, as diagonal and bracket phylogenetic trees are both commonly used in biology. Previous research using surveys found that students performed better with bracket phylogenetic trees across a variety of interpretation tasks. The present study builds on prior research by comparing how students interpret diagonal and bracket phylogenetic trees in the context of an introductory biology course and by expanding the style comparison to include construction tasks. Students performed significantly better with bracket phylogenetic trees for some, but not all, interpretation tasks. In addition, students who constructed bracket phylogenetic trees were significantly more accurate compared to those who used the diagonal style. Thus, our results reinforce previous research for interpretations, and the performance gap between styles extended to construction tasks. It remains to be seen, however, if such differences persist after instruction that balances the use of diagonal and bracket phylogenetic trees.

scholarly journals Advantages and Challenges of Using Physics Curricula as a Model for Reforming an Undergraduate Biology Course

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Donovan ◽  
L. J. Atkins ◽  
I. Y. Salter ◽  
D. J. Gallagher ◽  
R. F. Kratz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Student Understanding ◽  
Introductory Physics ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Student Work ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
How People Learn ◽  
Introductory Classes ◽  
Physics Curriculum

We report on the development of a life sciences curriculum, targeted to undergraduate students, which was modeled after a commercially available physics curriculum and based on aspects of how people learn. Our paper describes the collaborative development process and necessary modifications required to apply a physics pedagogical model in a life sciences context. While some approaches were easily adapted, others provided significant challenges. Among these challenges were: representations of energy, introducing definitions, the placement of Scientists’ Ideas, and the replicability of data. In modifying the curriculum to address these challenges, we have come to see them as speaking to deeper differences between the disciplines, namely that introductory physics—for example, Newton's laws, magnetism, light—is a science of pairwise interaction, while introductory biology—for example, photosynthesis, evolution, cycling of matter in ecosystems—is a science of linked processes, and we suggest that this is how the two disciplines are presented in introductory classes. We illustrate this tension through an analysis of our adaptations of the physics curriculum for instruction on the cycling of matter and energy; we show that modifications of the physics curriculum to address the biological framework promotes strong gains in student understanding of these topics, as evidenced by analysis of student work.

scholarly journals Integrating Quantitative Thinking into an Introductory Biology Course Improves Students’ Mathematical Reasoning in Biological Contexts

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Hester ◽  
Sanlyn Buxner ◽  
Lisa Elfring ◽  
Lisa Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Assessment ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Mathematical Reasoning ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Mathematical Skills ◽  
Experimental Section ◽  
Quantitative Skills ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

Recent calls for improving undergraduate biology education have emphasized the importance of students learning to apply quantitative skills to biological problems. Motivated by students’ apparent inability to transfer their existing quantitative skills to biological contexts, we designed and taught an introductory molecular and cell biology course in which we integrated application of prerequisite mathematical skills with biology content and reasoning throughout all aspects of the course. In this paper, we describe the principles of our course design and present illustrative examples of course materials integrating mathematics and biology. We also designed an outcome assessment made up of items testing students’ understanding of biology concepts and their ability to apply mathematical skills in biological contexts and administered it as a pre/postcourse test to students in the experimental section and other sections of the same course. Precourse results confirmed students’ inability to spontaneously transfer their prerequisite mathematics skills to biological problems. Pre/postcourse outcome assessment comparisons showed that, compared with students in other sections, students in the experimental section made greater gains on integrated math/biology items. They also made comparable gains on biology items, indicating that integrating quantitative skills into an introductory biology course does not have a deleterious effect on students’ biology learning.

scholarly journals 1, 2, 3, 4: Infusing Quantitative Literacy into Introductory Biology

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Bray Speth ◽  
Jennifer L. Momsen ◽  
Gregory A. Moyerbrailean ◽  
Diane Ebert-May ◽  
Tammy M. Long ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research University ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Quantitative Literacy ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Quantitative Skills ◽  
Numeric Information ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

Biology of the twenty-first century is an increasingly quantitative science. Undergraduate biology education therefore needs to provide opportunities for students to develop fluency in the tools and language of quantitative disciplines. Quantitative literacy (QL) is important for future scientists as well as for citizens, who need to interpret numeric information and data-based claims regarding nearly every aspect of daily life. To address the need for QL in biology education, we incorporated quantitative concepts throughout a semester-long introductory biology course at a large research university. Early in the course, we assessed the quantitative skills that students bring to the introductory biology classroom and found that students had difficulties in performing simple calculations, representing data graphically, and articulating data-driven arguments. In response to students' learning needs, we infused the course with quantitative concepts aligned with the existing course content and learning objectives. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated by significant improvement in the quality of students' graphical representations of biological data. Infusing QL in introductory biology presents challenges. Our study, however, supports the conclusion that it is feasible in the context of an existing course, consistent with the goals of college biology education, and promotes students' development of important quantitative skills.

scholarly journals Student Interpretations of Phylogenetic Trees in an Introductory Biology Course

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 666-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Dees ◽  
Jennifer L. Momsen ◽  
Jarad Niemi ◽  
Lisa Montplaisir
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Visual Representations ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Alternative Form ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Response To Instruction ◽  
Targeted Instruction ◽  
Correct Reasoning ◽  
Over Time

Phylogenetic trees are widely used visual representations in the biological sciences and the most important visual representations in evolutionary biology. Therefore, phylogenetic trees have also become an important component of biology education. We sought to characterize reasoning used by introductory biology students in interpreting taxa relatedness on phylogenetic trees, to measure the prevalence of correct taxa-relatedness interpretations, and to determine how student reasoning and correctness change in response to instruction and over time. Counting synapomorphies and nodes between taxa were the most common forms of incorrect reasoning, which presents a pedagogical dilemma concerning labeled synapomorphies on phylogenetic trees. Students also independently generated an alternative form of correct reasoning using monophyletic groups, the use of which decreased in popularity over time. Approximately half of all students were able to correctly interpret taxa relatedness on phylogenetic trees, and many memorized correct reasoning without understanding its application. Broad initial instruction that allowed students to generate inferences on their own contributed very little to phylogenetic tree understanding, while targeted instruction on evolutionary relationships improved understanding to some extent. Phylogenetic trees, which can directly affect student understanding of evolution, appear to offer introductory biology instructors a formidable pedagogical challenge.

scholarly journals Increased Course Structure Improves Performance in Introductory Biology

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Freeman ◽  
David Haak ◽  
Mary Pat Wenderoth
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Failure Rates ◽  
Exam Score ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Introductory Biology Course ◽  
The Impact

We tested the hypothesis that highly structured course designs, which implement reading quizzes and/or extensive in-class active-learning activities and weekly practice exams, can lower failure rates in an introductory biology course for majors, compared with low-structure course designs that are based on lecturing and a few high-risk assessments. We controlled for 1) instructor effects by analyzing data from quarters when the same instructor taught the course, 2) exam equivalence with new assessments called the Weighted Bloom's Index and Predicted Exam Score, and 3) student equivalence using a regression-based Predicted Grade. We also tested the hypothesis that points from reading quizzes, clicker questions, and other “practice” assessments in highly structured courses inflate grades and confound comparisons with low-structure course designs. We found no evidence that points from active-learning exercises inflate grades or reduce the impact of exams on final grades. When we controlled for variation in student ability, failure rates were lower in a moderately structured course design and were dramatically lower in a highly structured course design. This result supports the hypothesis that active-learning exercises can make students more skilled learners and help bridge the gap between poorly prepared students and their better-prepared peers.

scholarly journals Considering Grand Challenges in Biology Education: Rationales and Proposals for Future Investigations to Guide Instruction and Enhance Student Understanding in the Life Sciences

2018 ◽  
Vol 80 (7) ◽  
pp. 483-492
Author(s):  
William F. McComas ◽  
Michael J. Reiss ◽  
Edith Dempster ◽  
Yeung Chung Lee ◽  
Clas Olander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Student Understanding ◽  
Biology Teachers ◽  
Grand Challenges ◽  
International Group ◽  
Biology Instruction

An international group of biology education researchers offer their views on areas of scholarship that might positively impact our understanding of teaching and learning in biology and potentially inform practices in biology and life science instruction. This article contains a series of essays on topics that include a framework for biology education research, considerations in the preparation of biology teachers, increasing accessibility to biology for all learners, the role and challenges of language in biology teaching, sociocultural issues in biology instruction, and assisting students in coping with scientific innovations. These contributions are framed by a discussion of the value of defining several potential “grand challenges” in biology education.

A digital technology-based introductory biology course designed for engineering and other non-life sciences STEM majors

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 1227-1238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory Kohn ◽  
Michael J. Wiser ◽  
Robert T. Pennock ◽  
James J. Smith ◽  
Louise S. Mead
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technology ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Stem Majors ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

scholarly journals Comprehension in English Medium Instruction (EMI) lectures: On the impact of lecturer L2 English use

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-91
Author(s):  
Joseph Siegel
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Student Body ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Student Comprehension ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe importance and amount of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) usage and English Medium Instruction (EMI) lectures continue to increase on university campuses as universities worldwide seek to promote internationalization among both the student body and the faculty. While EMI has become a priority, the teaching and learning that occurs within this framework needs to be monitored for effectiveness and efficiency. Many of the teachers and students in these EMI courses do not share a common first language and likely have a first language other than English. Therefore, they are operating in EMI with varying levels of second language (L2) English ability, which can lead to low levels of student comprehension, learning and satisfaction unless the lecturer takes special care in their delivery of content. This paper explores the linguistic composition of EMI lectures in the Swedish context and reports survey findings of students’ self-reported levels of comprehension related to lecture content and their lecturer’s L2 English use. Three case studies are described and illustrate various linguistic factors that can contribute to or inhibit student comprehension in EMI lectures. Pedagogic implications are presented with the intention of supporting EMI lecturers and their students.

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