scholarly journals Immersive 3D Experience of Osmosis Improves Learning Outcomes of First-Year Cell Biology Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. ar1
Author(s):  
Nicole B. Reinke ◽  
Mary Kynn ◽  
Ann L. Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
First Year ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Short Answer ◽  
Base Level ◽  
High Base ◽  
Multiple Choice Exam ◽  
Short Answer Questions

An immersive 320° 3D experience of osmosis was perceived by cell biology students to be fun, useful, and educational. Performance of all students improved on a multiple-choice exam question, and those students with moderate to high base-level knowledge also performed better on short-answer questions.

scholarly journals Gamified lessons support molecular genetics education of first year biology students during COVID-19 lockdown

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas M. Andronicos ◽  
Terry J. Barnett ◽  
Raphael Roberts ◽  
Siew Chong ◽  
Lea Labeur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Molecular Genetics ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
First Year ◽  
Failure Rates ◽  
Genetics Education ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Student Failure ◽  
Student Grades ◽  
Short Answer Questions

This study compared the associated impact of gamified molecular genetics lessons on undergraduate student grades for pre-COVID-19 blended delivery and COVID-19 online only delivery of a first-year biology course. When the molecular genetics gamified lessons were used by on- and off-campus students to support their learning, most students had successful learning outcomes in either blended or online only learning environments. In contrast, students who chose not to use these lessons had significantly greater failure rates for both the molecular biology and the genetics short answer questions in the final invigilated exams. Importantly, there was noticeable gamified lesson fatigue observed by both on- and off-campus students and therefore when incorporating gamified lessons into courses, curriculum design needs to be carefully considered. In conclusion, the use of gamified lessons was associated with significantly reduced student failure rates for molecular genetics concepts studied in a university foundational biology course.

scholarly journals The Analysis of Reading Exercise in English Textbook Entitled Pathway to English for The SENIOR High School Grade X

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-13
Author(s):  
Anita Sitompul ◽  
Kammer Tuahman Sipayung ◽  
Jubil Sihite
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Choice ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Short Answer ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Matching Test ◽  
Multiple Choice Item ◽  
Short Answer Question ◽  
Short Answer Questions ◽  
Test Completion

This study is aimed to analyze the types of Reading Exercises on the English textbook used by the first year students of SMA SWASTA METHODIST 7 Medan. The objective of the study is to find out the types of reading exercises on English textbook used by the first year students of SMA SWASTA METHODIST 7 Medan. The design of the study is descriptive qualitative research. The qualitative data were obtained by the steps that mentioned in the procedure of the research, i.e. reading, identification, classification and simplification. The researcher analyzed the exercise in three steps,identifying the topic, clutser the topic, draw explanation. The object of the study is the reading exercises created by Th. M. Sudarwati and Eudia Grace entitled by Pathway To English and published by Erlangga, 2017. The data was collected only by taking documentary analysis. It means that the writer document reading exercises on students� English textbook and analyzed its types of reading exercises. The final result of this study shows that are five types of reading exercises on the English textbook they are Types of reading exercise are Matching Test, True/ False Reading Test, Multiple Choice item test, Completion item tests, and Long and Short answer questions. The result of reading exercise analysis shows that there are controlled exercise and guided exercise. In controlled exercises the researcher didn�t find exercise in Pathway to English textbook. And in guided exercises there are find in multiple choice in vocabulary 2 exercise. Matching cued word matching 3 exercise, matching picture cued sentence 1 exercise, vocabulary matching 5 exercise, matching selected response fill in vocabulary 7 exercise. True or false 3 exercise, completion item in the following of text 1 exercise, completion are in the text itself 9 exercise. In short answer question 6 exercise, long answer question 8 exercise. But, the researcher didn�t find exercise in multiple choice contextualized vocabulary / grammar and multiple choice vocabulary / grammar.

scholarly journals Inquiry-based learning to improve student engagement in a large first year topic

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masha Smallhorn ◽  
Jeanne Young ◽  
Narelle Hunter ◽  
Karen Burke da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Multiple Choice Exam ◽  
The Impact

Increasing the opportunity for students to be involved in inquiry-based activities can improve engagement with content and assist in the development of analysis and critical thinking skills. The science laboratory has traditionally been used as a platform to apply the content gained through the lecture series. These activities have exposed students to experiments which test the concepts taught but which often result in a predicted outcome. To improve the engagement and learning outcomes of our large first year biology cohort, the laboratories were redeveloped. Superlabs were run with 100 students attending weekly sessions increasing the amount of contact time from previous years. Laboratories were redeveloped into guided-inquiry and educators facilitated teams of students to design and carry out an experiment. To analyse the impact of the redevelopment on student satisfaction and learning outcomes, students were surveyed and multiple choice exam data was compared before and after the redevelopment. Results suggest high levels of student satisfaction and a significant improvement in student learning outcomes. All disciplines should consider including inquiry-based activities as a methodology to improve student engagement and learning outcome as it fosters the development of independent learners. 

scholarly journals Open problem-based instruction impacts understanding of physiological concepts differently in undergraduate students

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon M. Franklin ◽  
Lin Xiang ◽  
Jason A. Collett ◽  
Megan K. Rhoads ◽  
Jeffrey L. Osborn
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Open Problem ◽  
Instructional Methods ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Multiple Choice Questions ◽  
Short Answer ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Multiple Choice Exam

Student populations are diverse such that different types of learners struggle with traditional didactic instruction. Problem-based learning has existed for several decades, but there is still controversy regarding the optimal mode of instruction to ensure success at all levels of students' past achievement. The present study addressed this problem by dividing students into the following three instructional groups for an upper-level course in animal physiology: traditional lecture-style instruction (LI), guided problem-based instruction (GPBI), and open problem-based instruction (OPBI). Student performance was measured by three summative assessments consisting of 50% multiple-choice questions and 50% short-answer questions as well as a final overall course assessment. The present study also examined how students of different academic achievement histories performed under each instructional method. When student achievement levels were not considered, the effects of instructional methods on student outcomes were modest; OPBI students performed moderately better on short-answer exam questions than both LI and GPBI groups. High-achieving students showed no difference in performance for any of the instructional methods on any metric examined. In students with low-achieving academic histories, OPBI students largely outperformed LI students on all metrics (short-answer exam: P < 0.05, d = 1.865; multiple-choice question exam: P < 0.05, d = 1.166; and final score: P < 0.05, d = 1.265). They also outperformed GPBI students on short-answer exam questions ( P < 0.05, d = 1.109) but not multiple-choice exam questions ( P = 0.071, d = 0.716) or final course outcome ( P = 0.328, d = 0.513). These findings strongly suggest that typically low-achieving students perform at a higher level under OPBI as long as the proper support systems (formative assessment and scaffolding) are provided to encourage student success.

scholarly journals Has student learning been improved by the use of online and offline formative assessment opportunities?

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Peat ◽  
Sue Franklin
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
First Year ◽  
Online Assessment ◽  
Differential Impact ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Final Performance ◽  
Research Plan

For almost a decade we have been providing a large group of first year, undergraduate biology students with both offline (paper based) and online assessment resources to support them in their learning. This paper reports on an investigation of the students’ use of these assessment resources, as well as their perceptions of the usefulness of these resources to their learning. The research plan enabled us to investigate any correlations between use or non-use of the assessment resources and final performance in the course. The results show that while the majority of students use and find useful both offline and online assessment resources, use has no differential impact on final learning outcomes.

scholarly journals Conceptual understanding of osmosis and diffusion by Australian first-year biology students

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole B. Reinke ◽  
Mary Kynn ◽  
Ann L. Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
External Force ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Regional University ◽  
Biology Curriculum ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
Common Misconceptions

Osmosis and diffusion are essential foundation concepts for first-year biology students as they are a key to understanding much of the biology curriculum. However, mastering these concepts can be challenging due to their interdisciplinary and abstract nature. Even at their simplest level, osmosis and diffusion require the learner to imagine processes they cannot see. In addition, many students begin university with flawed beliefs about these two concepts which will impede learning in related areas. The aim of this study was to explore misconceptions around osmosis and diffusion held by first-year cell biology students at an Australian regional university. The 18-item Osmosis and Diffusion Conceptual Assessment was completed by 767 students. From the results, four key misconceptions were identified: approximately half of the participants believed dissolved substances will eventually settle out of a solution; approximately one quarter thought that water will always reach equal levels; one quarter believed that all things expand and contract with temperature; and nearly one third of students believed molecules only move with the addition of external force. Greater attention to identifying and rectifying common misconceptions when teaching first-year students will improve their conceptual understanding of these concepts and benefit their learning in subsequent science subjects.

scholarly journals T ransitioning a L arge Biology Class from a n i n Person t o a n Online Exam During the COVID 19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Dr. Niki Sharan ◽  
◽  
Dr. Meaghan Cuerden ◽  
Dr. Denis Maxwell ◽  
Dr. Anne Simon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Student Understanding ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Biology Class ◽  
Course Material ◽  
On Line ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Multiple Choice Exam ◽  
Online Format

As occurred in many Universities worldwide, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic required us, professors at Western University (London, Canada), to quickly convert a first-year biology course with over 1200 enrolled students from an in-classroom format to an on-line format. This transition included the course exams. While the first multiple-choice exam in February 2020 was in-person and proctored, we changed the second multiple-choice exam in March 2020 so that it was completed by students online at home without a proctor. We had concerns about this online conversion, including whether the grades would represent student understanding of the course material when access to peers and other resources during the exam was not monitored. In this report we show student scores on the online exam were highly correlated with their prior in-person exam. A similar correlation was observed with prior first-year students who took similar exams in February and March 2019 which were both in-person and proctored. These results provide some reassurance that it is possible to rapidly transition the delivery of an exam from an in-person format to an online format without compromising the exam process.

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