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.

Understanding of mechanical waves among second-year physics majors

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (11) ◽  
pp. 1155-1161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin M. Kennedy ◽  
John R. de Bruyn
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Test ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Of Maryland ◽  
Physics Courses ◽  
Mechanical Waves ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Level Of Instruction ◽  
Common Misconceptions

We investigate the understanding of mechanical waves in a class of second-year physics majors at a Canadian university. We administered a previously-developed diagnostic test (Wittmann. Ph.D. thesis, University of Maryland. Unpublished. 1998.) pre- and post-instruction to second-year students, and pre-instruction to a group of first-year students. We find that common misconceptions identified in previous studies involving students in first-year physics courses persist among our second-year students, although the fraction of students holding these misconceptions decreases with instruction. We also find that application of wave concepts becomes more consistent, and that the correlation between the students’ own perception of their understanding and their diagnostic test scores increases significantly as their level of instruction advances. We describe two tutorial exercises developed to address areas in which conceptual understanding is weak.

scholarly journals Evolving Strategies for the Incorporation of Bioinformatics Within the Undergraduate Cell Biology Curriculum

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 233-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry E. Honts
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Sequence Analysis Tool ◽  
Biology Curriculum ◽  
Simple Sequence

Recent advances in genomics and structural biology have resulted in an unprecedented increase in biological data available from Internet-accessible databases. In order to help students effectively use this vast repository of information, undergraduate biology students at Drake University were introduced to bioinformatics software and databases in three courses, beginning with an introductory course in cell biology. The exercises and projects that were used to help students develop literacy in bioinformatics are described. In a recently offered course in bioinformatics, students developed their own simple sequence analysis tool using the Perl programming language. These experiences are described from the point of view of the instructor as well as the students. A preliminary assessment has been made of the degree to which students had developed a working knowledge of bioinformatics concepts and methods. Finally, some conclusions have been drawn from these courses that may be helpful to instructors wishing to introduce bioinformatics within the undergraduate biology curriculum.

scholarly journals Building Learning Communities in Residential Colleges

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-68
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Muldoon ◽  
◽  
Ian Macdonald ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Regional University ◽  
Traditional Lectures ◽  
The University ◽  
Senior Students

This paper addresses the retention issues presented when large numbers of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and associated disadvantaged educational histories live together on-campus. It reports research in progress on a new approach taken at the University of New England (UNE), Australia, aimed at encouraging the growth of learning communities in colleges through the training and subsequent support of senior students charged with helping first year students negotiate the transition to successful university study. It outlines the issues faced by both the first year students and the senior students, strategies implemented, outcomes to date and plans for further change. UNE is a regional university with 5,000 on-campus students, half of whom live in seven residential colleges. It appears that for these students, traditional lectures and workshops on learning strategies and techniques are not as effective as layered, personal ‘at the elbow’ learning support in a non-threatening, social environment.

scholarly journals Foundation phase teachers’ (limited) knowledge of geometry

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kakoma Luneta
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Van Hiele ◽  
Limited Knowledge ◽  
Basic Concepts ◽  
Level 1

This study is about student teachers’ conceptual understanding of shapes. While the National Curriculum Statement stipulates that by the time learners exit high school they should have grounded knowledge of basic geometry and know shapes such as polygons and polyhedrons and their properties, this study finds that the majority of student teachers have limited knowledge of basic geometry and require not remedial, but re-learning of these basic concepts. The Van Hiele levels of geometric thought model is used as a lens to gauge and understand students’ knowledge of geometry. A cohort of 128 first-year students registered for a foundation phase programme took part in the study. It was found that while Grade 12 learners are expected to operate at levels 3 and 4 of the Van Hiele’s levels, the majority of the participants in the study were operating at level 1, the level of the learners they will be teaching when they complete the course. Suggestions are made for how to address this problem.

scholarly journals Atomic orbitals and their representation: can 3-D computer graphics help conceptual understanding?

2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-325
Author(s):  
Jorge Trindade ◽  
Carlos Fiolhais ◽  
Victor Gil
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Virtual Water ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Visualization Techniques ◽  
The University ◽  
First Year University ◽  
Partial Success

Quantum mechanics is a non-intuitive subject. For example, the concept of orbital seems too difficult to be mastered by students who are starting to study it. Various investigations have been done on student's difficulties in understanding basic quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, there are few attempts at probing how student's understanding is influenced by appropriate visualization techniques, which are known to help conceptual understanding. ''Virtual Water'' is a 3-D virtual environment we have designed and built to support the learning of Physics and Chemistry at final high school and first-year university levels. It focuses on the microscopic structure of water and explores, among others, atomic and molecular orbitals. Having asked a group of first-year students of Sciences and Engineering courses at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, to describe how they conceive electrons in atoms we found some common misconceptions. We have tried, with partial success, to overcome them by making students explore our virtual environment. The most relevant characteristics of the virtual environment which contributed to student's conceptual understanding were 3-D perception and navigation.

scholarly journals Trialling a 4th Generation Approach to the First Year Experience: The CommUniTI

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharn Donnison ◽  
Sorrel Penn-Edwards ◽  
Ruth Greenaway ◽  
Rosemary Horn
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Satellite Campus ◽  
Regional University ◽  
Future Success

In 2014, we developed a new approach to supporting first year students’ transition into higher education building on the work of Kift, Nelson, and Clarke (2010) whose 3rd Generation Approach is one of transition pedagogy foregrounded by a whole-of-institution transformation. Our 4th Generation Approach focuses on students’ social capital and extends the remit beyond the institution. Our approach recognises students’ social capital as an unexplored resource to be drawn upon to inform the membership of a Community of Practice (CoP). The CoP members collaboratively develop strategies to support the development of students’ important cultural capital, which we consider essential for successful transition. In 2015, we trialled the 4th Generation Approach with a Queensland regional university satellite campus. This paper reports on the implementation of the CoP as one element of the 4th Generation Approach and the important refinements required for future success.

scholarly journals Gender differences in chemical engineering students identified in understanding of rolling motion

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Male Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Rolling Motion ◽  
Energy Principle ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Engineering And Technology

In this research papaer we presented the results of exploration of gender differences in conceptual understanding of rolling motion (velocities and work-energy principle). For this purpose, we have selected nine conceptual items and conducted experiment with 184 first year students at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb. Results show that male students significantly outperformed female students. We detected particularly large differences on items that tests knowledge of the rolling phenomena. Results of our research can help teachers to create lessons that are adapted to general student population.

scholarly journals Students' prior knowledge and threshold concepts in a first-year biology course: The lecturer as middleman

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (SI) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shalini Dukhan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
First Year ◽  
Threshold Concepts ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Teaching Activities ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Constructive Alignment ◽  
Dna And Rna ◽  
Dna And Rna Synthesis ◽  
Intended Learner

Constructive alignment focuses on alignment between curriculum, learning outcomes, teaching activities, and assessment. This study argues that for lecturers to set intended learner-centred outcomes, they need insight into students’ prior knowledge of a discipline’s threshold concepts. Little is known about how a syllabus’s assumptions of prior knowledge match up to what first- year students know. Yet this insight is necessary; new knowledge is built on existing knowledge, and learning is about moving to higher cognitive levels. To gain this insight, at the start of the 2018 academic year, 292 first year biology students voluntarily answered two formative, online multiple-choice assessments on DNA and RNA synthesis. The responses showcased their knowledge gaps versus what the syllabus expected. Data analysis of their responses was used to shape teaching activities. This study extends constructive alignment by showing how quality teaching in content-dense disciplines such as biology further requires that lecturers gauge students’ prior knowledge.

scholarly journals A Study Assessing the Potential of Negative Effects in Interdisciplinary Math–Biology Instruction

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Madlung ◽  
Martina Bremer ◽  
Edward Himelblau ◽  
Alexa Tullis
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Integrative Learning ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Biological Concepts

There is increasing enthusiasm for teaching approaches that combine mathematics and biology. The call for integrating more quantitative work in biology education has led to new teaching tools that improve quantitative skills. Little is known, however, about whether increasing interdisciplinary work can lead to adverse effects, such as the development of broader but shallower skills or the possibility that math anxiety causes some students to disengage in the classroom, or, paradoxically, to focus so much on the mathematics that they lose sight of its application for the biological concepts in the center of the unit at hand. We have developed and assessed an integrative learning module and found disciplinary learning gains to be equally strong in first-year students who actively engaged in embedded quantitative calculations as in those students who were merely presented with quantitative data in the context of interpreting biological and biostatistical results. When presented to advanced biology students, our quantitative learning tool increased test performance significantly. We conclude from our study that the addition of mathematical calculations to the first year and advanced biology curricula did not hinder overall student learning, and may increase disciplinary learning and data interpretation skills in advanced students.

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