iPhone Support for Anatomy/Physiology Instruction Lifang Tien & Roger Boston, Houston Community College The goal of this study is to explore the viability of a new teaching and learning environment that will take advantage of mobile phone access to internet instructional materials. We had pilot iPhone access to Anatomy and Physiology course, and determine through comparative studies the value added by providing portable access to class materials and interactions. The viability of mobile learning was evaluated through three areas of the learning process: the interest level of learning; the collaborating level of learning; and in‐depth understanding of the concepts. A survey designed for analysis of these areas have been compared between the experience group (mobile phone accessible) and control group (PC accessible only). Our preliminary data show: 1) students connecting time has significantly increased (20% of our students’ connecting time has doubled; 80% of our students’ connecting time increased at least 30‐70%); 2) 100% of the students believed iPhone has increased their connection both socially and academically; and 3) 95% of students believed iPhone has helped them to understand the class material better. This study has showed the mobile computing did improve our students learning outcomes. This study is supported by Houston Community College chancellor’s innovation fund.
A Pedagogical Strategy for Teaching Human Biology to Non‐Science Majors Laurie J. Bonneau, Trinity College Non‐majors often have difficulty with undergraduate science courses; they face them with trepidation and have difficulty figuring out what and how to study. That these issues apply to human biology, a subject in which students have a natural interest, signals a mismatch between student efforts and teacher expectations. Over several years of teaching human biology to students in the arts and humanities, I have adopted the approach of providing students with banks of essay questions from which exam questions will be taken. Such questions are comprehensive and detailed, and encompass the entire scope of course material. Statistical comparison of my Human Biology course using this approach vs. more traditional methods reveals a significant improvement in student performance as measured through their mastery of the material and their course grades. Under this model, students go through a period of adjustment early in the semester (during which their grades are lower), followed by significant improvements thereafter. Combined with positive course evaluations, these findings suggest that providing a pool of potential essay exam questions ahead of time improves learning and grades; it also reduces test anxiety and helps students to focus their studies on the most significant aspects of the subject.
Problem Solving is an Essential Part of Teaching Anatomy and Physiology Dalia Giedrimiene, Saint Joseph College In general, it is clear that critical thinking is essential to understand science and to apply it in practical settings appropriately. Biology education, including Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) teaching, has been criticized for emphasizing mindless memorization over analytical and creative science. A good starting point in the development of critical thinking skills is a use of practical examples or problem‐based cases meaningful to the student. Adding problem‐based learning (PBL) component to A&P studies may significantly enhance the active learning process and to improve critical thinking skills. Learning from case‐based problems requires them to synthesize the new material with previous knowledge, allowing the students to update and expand their existing skills. A problem‐based approach facilitates the development of collaborative skills by the student without stifling their individuality. Relating the lecture material with applicable cases or problems, the subject of A&P becomes much more attractive to all students. Based on own experiences, most students showed more willingness to undertake additional homework in order to solve problem related cases. Hopefully, PBL enhancement of A&P studies will lead to a new design of laboratory activities and engage the learner in more classroom discussions.
Promoting Student Learning with Unlimited Exam Attempts and Online Testing Barbara Krumhardt, Iowa State University Anatomy and physiology are challenging subjects for many of our students. To increase student success in these classes and promote deeper learning, unlimited attempts on exams taken via the Blackboard online learning system were allowed over each testing period of four days. All exams were taken in a proctored testing facility on campus with 4 hours of study (or wait) time required between attempts. To make this promote learning, exams were composed of 4 or more questions covering each learning objective. With about 50 learning objectives per exam, this meant developing a large test bank. With each attempt, a student would see new randomly‐selected questions covering learning objectives. Additionally, the answers for questions were displayed in random order, so students always saw a new exam with each attempt. Students learned to study all learning objectives, not just the questions seen on prior attempts. Seventy‐three percent of
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