scholarly journals Teaching Animal Behavior in the Midst of a Pandemic: A Primer

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Hughes ◽  
Anna Young ◽  
Justin Merry ◽  
Gita Kolluru ◽  
Aimee S. Dunlap ◽  
...  

Face-to-face classes in animal behavior often stress experiential learning through laboratories that involve observation of live animals, as well as a lecture component that emphasizes formative assessment, discussion and critical thinking. As a result, behavior courses face unique challenges when moving to an online environment, as has been made necessary at many institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although online behavior courses may be remote, they can still be interactive and social, and designed with inclusive pedagogy. Here we discuss some of the key decisions that instructors should consider, provide recommendations, and point out new opportunities for student learning that stem directly from the move to online instruction. Specific topics include challenges related to generating an inclusive and engaging online learning environment, synchronous versus asynchronous formats, assignments that enhance student learning, testing format and execution, grade schemes, design of laboratory experiences including opportunities for Community Science, design of synthetic student projects, and workload balance for students and instructors.

Author(s):  
Samrat Bisai ◽  
Smriti Singh

In a multilingual classroom, students come from various cultural, linguistic, and racial backgrounds. They have different ideologies, opinions, and needs. In this regard, ‘one size fits all’ pedagogy is not only irrelevant but also absurd because the instructions and interactions in the classroom do not cater to the needs of all the students. Therefore, a carefully planned pedagogy that addresses the needs of the individual learners differently in the classroom is needed. In this scenario, implementing multilingual pedagogy in the classroom might be a better idea as it can address the needs of individual learners by making education inclusive and accessible to all. Multilingual pedagogy here is defined as a set of principles that are used to varying degrees in different approaches depending on the teaching context, learners, and curriculum (Neuner, 2004). This paper discusses various approaches, methods, and strategies within the framework of multilingual pedagogy that can be implemented in a classroom consisting of students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. To provide a clear picture of the theoretical ideas, the practical implementation of the ideas in some schools are also discussed. During the implementation, it is indicated that multilingual pedagogy holds the potential to enhance student learning.


Economics ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Thomas Scheiding

Introductory economics courses for undergraduates have increasingly been delivered online. This chapter documents not only the number of economics courses taught online and the types of institutions where they are offered, but it also highlights how the online environment changes how students learn and faculty members teach. As for how students perform in an online classroom and whether learning online is superior or inferior to learning face-to-face, the evidence is mixed. The overall finding with regard to student learning, however, is that there is no statistically significant difference in student learning in either the face-to-face or online environment. Finally, certain kinds of technology can enhance student learning in an online environment such as video lectures, blogs, and frequent homework assignments that guide students. This chapter concludes with a discussion of instructional design and how to make informed technology and assessment choices in the economics classroom that enhance student learning.


Author(s):  
Thomas Scheiding

Introductory economics courses for undergraduates have increasingly been delivered online. This chapter documents not only the number of economics courses taught online and the types of institutions where they are offered, but it also highlights how the online environment changes how students learn and faculty members teach. As for how students perform in an online classroom and whether learning online is superior or inferior to learning face-to-face, the evidence is mixed. The overall finding with regard to student learning, however, is that there is no statistically significant difference in student learning in either the face-to-face or online environment. Finally, certain kinds of technology can enhance student learning in an online environment such as video lectures, blogs, and frequent homework assignments that guide students. This chapter concludes with a discussion of instructional design and how to make informed technology and assessment choices in the economics classroom that enhance student learning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 293-296
Author(s):  
Kevin Yi-Lwern Yap ◽  
Shawn Ignatius Boon Heng Tan ◽  
Kai Zhen Yap ◽  
John Yin Gwee Yap

BackgroundAn in-house three-dimensional (3D) multiplayer online role-playing game was developed for professional skills training of pharmacy students. Students play the game in a post-apocalyptic world to save humankind from zombies. They solve virtual patient encounters through visual and motion-capture technologies. Their gaming perceptions and experiences were investigated.MethodA self-administered questionnaire obtained participants’ demographics, gaming interests, perceptions of game effectiveness, preferences on gaming elements and gameplay experience through the Game Engagement Questionnaire (GEQ). Pre-gameplay and post-gameplay assessments were tracked to assess student learning. Descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests were used for analysis.ResultsFifty-five students were recruited. Two-thirds of the gameplay group (67.9%) liked the post-apocalyptic fantasy settings and heroic storyline (66.0%). Three quarters liked the modern setting (73.1%), authentic plots (73.5%) and plot animations (72.3%). Participants felt the game was effective in training health communication and patient history-taking skills (81.8%). Participants’ test scores for counselling increased from 66.1%±7.6% (pre-gameplay) to 70.3%±8.0% (post-gameplay, p=0.004). The highest scoring GEQ dimension was sensory and imaginative immersion (2.92±0.74).ConclusionStudents found the game useful for pharmacy professional skills training. With proper implementation, this game can become a useful tool to enhance student learning and gear them towards clinical practices.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (136) ◽  
pp. 7-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Laurie Dickson ◽  
Melinda M. Treml

Author(s):  
S Salmiati ◽  
Yuhandri Yunus ◽  
S Sumijan

The Covid-19 pandemic has a major impact on the world of education. Government policies to implement Distance Learning (PJJ) have an impact on learning in schools. Increasing ICT competence is needed to support the smooth running of PJJ. One of them is through ICT guidance activities during the Covid-19 Pandemic. SMP Negeri 1 Lengayang carried out online and face-to-face ICT guidance activities during the Covid-19 Pandemic. However, student learning outcomes in online and face-to-face learning have not shown maximum results. Various obstacles arise that affect student learning outcomes. Teachers have difficulty measuring the level of students' understanding of ICT guidance. Predicting the level of understanding of students is important as a measure of learning success during the Covid-19 Pandemic. This study aims to predict the level of understanding of students in online and face-to-face learning during the Covid-19 period, so that it can also help schools to take the right policies to improve the quality of learning for the future. This study uses the Backpropagation method of Artificial Neural Network (ANN). ANN is a part of artificial intelligence that can be used to predict. The data that is managed is a recap of the value of student cognitive learning outcomes during ICT guidance in online and face-to-face learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The results of calculations using the Backpropagation method with the Matlab application produce a percentage value for the level of student understanding, so that the accuracy value in prediction is obtained. With the results of testing the predictive accuracy of the level of understanding online and face-to-face with the 3-10-1 pattern, the best accuracy value is 95%. The prediction results can measure the level of students' understanding of learning during the Covid 19 Pandemic towards ICT guidance.


2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Griffin

The primary motivation for integrating any form of education technology into a particular course or curriculum should always be to enhance student learning. However, it can be difficult to determine which technologies will be the most appropriate and effective teaching tools. Through the alignment of technology-enhanced learning experiences with a clear set of learning objectives, teaching becomes more efficient and effective and learning is truly enhanced. In this article, I describe how I have made extensive use of technology in two neuroscience courses that differ in structure and content. Course websites function as resource centers and provide a forum for student interaction. PowerPoint presentations enhance formal lectures and provide an organized outline of presented material. Some lectures are also supplemented with interactive CD-ROMs, used in the presentation of difficult physiological concepts. In addition, a computer-based physiological recording system is used in laboratory sessions, improving the hands-on experience of group learning while reinforcing the concepts of the research method. Although technology can provide powerful teaching tools, the enhancement of the learning environment is still dependent on the instructor. It is the skill and enthusiasm of the instructor that determines whether technology will be used effectively.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document