Using the BioDatamation strategy to learn introductory college biology: value-added effects on selected students\u27 conceptual understanding and conceptual integration of the processes of photosynthesis and celluar respiration

The purpose of this exploratory research was to study how students learn photosynthesis and cellular respiration and to determine the value added to the student\u27s learning by each of the three technology-scaffolded learning strategy components (animated concept presentations and WebQuest-style activities, data collection, and student-constructed animations) of the BioDatamation™ (BDM) Program. BDM learning strategies utilized the Theory of Interacting Visual Fields™ (TIVF) (Reuter & Wandersee, 2002a, 2002b; 2003a, 2003b) which holds that meaningful knowledge is hierarchically constructed using the past, present, and future visual fields, with visual metacognitive components that are derived from the principles of Visual Behavior (Jones,1995), Human Constructivist Theory (Mintzes & Wandersee, 1998a), and Visual Information Design Theory (Tufte, 1990, 1997, 2001). Student alternative conceptions of photosynthesis and cellular respiration were determined by the item analysis of 263,267 Biology Advanced Placement Examinations and were used to develop the BDM instructional strategy and interview questions. The subjects were 24 undergraduate students of high and low biology prior knowledge enrolled in an introductory-level General Biology course at a major research university in the Deep South. Fifteen participants received BDM instruction which included original and innovative learning materials and laboratories in 6 phases; 8 of the 15 participants were the subject of in depth, extended individual analysis. The other 9 participants received traditional, non-BDM instruction. Interviews which included participants’ creation of concept maps and visual field diagrams were conducted after each phase. Various content analyses, including Chi\u27s Verbal Analysis and quantitizing/qualitizing were used for data analysis. The total value added to integrative knowledge during BDM instruction with the three visual fields was an average increase of 56% for cellular respiration and 62% increase for photosynthesis knowledge, improved long-term memory of concepts, and enhanced biological literacy to the multidimensional level, as determined by the BSCS literacy model. WebQuest-style activities and data collection provided for animated prior knowledge in the past visual field, and detailed content knowledge construction in the present visual field. During student construction of animated presentations, layering required participants to think by rearranging words and images for improved hierarchical organization of knowledge with real-life applications

Comparative analysis of biology textbooks with regard to cellular respiration and photosynthesis

Ankara : The Program of Curriculum and Instruction, Bilkent University, 2012.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 2012.Includes bibliographical references leaves 112-124.The topics of cellular respiration and photosynthesis in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and Ministry of National Education (MEB) biology textbooks were analysed and compared with regard to content, presentation and learning strategies by using content analysis as a research method. Interviews were conducted with five practising biology teachers. Both textbooks follow a general to specific (deductive) order in the topics and have similar features in terms of readability and typography. The assessment strategies of neither textbooks focus on measuring higher order cognitive levels. The differences between the two textbooks are prominent in the content, presence and absence of major themes, number of student-centred activities, real life connections and use of technology. The MEB textbook had more comprehensive content but with many details which were not appropriate for the students‘ level. While the IBDP textbook included all major themes in the two topics, the MEB textbook lacked some important ones. The MEB textbook is richer in terms of student-centred activities, experiments and real life connections. The IBDP textbook is richer in terms of technology. The findings of the content analysis were supported by the ideas of the practising teachers.Gök, Tuğba İnançM.S

Gaps in College Biology Students\u27 Understanding of Photosynthesis: Implications for Human Constructivist Learning Theory and College Classroom Practice.

The main research question of this study was: What gaps in biochemical understanding are revealed by a range of university introductory biology students as they work through a critically acclaimed multimedia program on photosynthesis, and what are the corresponding implications for elaboration of the Ausubel-Novak-Gowin Learning Theory (ANG, now Human Constructivism)? Twelve students, mixed for ability, gender and ethnicity, were recruited from two sections of Bio 101. Before and after instruction in photosynthesis, in-depth clinical interviews were conducted during which participants completed a range of cognitive tasks such as sorting, concept mapping, explaining and predicting. Some tasks involved interacting with a computer simulation of photosynthesis. This study primarily employed qualitative case study and verbal analysis methods. Verbal analysis of the clinical interviews revealed numerous gaps that were categorized into typologies. The two major categories were propositional gaps and processing gaps. Propositional gaps were evident in development of participants\u27 concepts, links and constructs. Significant among these were conceptual distance gaps and continuity of matter gaps. Gaps such as convention gaps and relative significance gaps seem to be due to naivete in the discipline. Processing gaps included gaps in graphic decoding skills and relevant cognitive habits such as self-monitoring and consulting prior knowledge. Although the gaps were easier to detect and isolate with the above-average participants, all participants showed evidence of at least some of these gaps. Since some gaps are not unexpected at all but the highest literacy levels, not all the gaps identified are to be considered deficiencies. The gaps identified support the attention given by ANG theorists to the role of prior knowledge and metacognition as well as the value of graphic organizers in knowledge construction. In addition, this study revealed numerous gaps in graphic decoding, indicating that both direct experience and explicit instruction are needed if students are to learn how to learn with graphics, especially those graphics central to understanding a computer simulation\u27s representations of structures, inputs, processes and outputs. It is hypothesized that gaps similar to those revealed in this study may be at the root of some alternative conceptions documented in the literature

Peer Led Team Learning in Introductory Biology: Effects on Critical Thinking Skills

This study evaluated the potential effects of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) instructional model on undergraduate, biology peer leaders\u27 critical thinking skills. This investigation also explored peer leaders\u27 perceptions of their critical thinking skills. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test with control group design was used to determine critical thinking gains in PLTL/non-PLTL groups. Critical thinking was assessed using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) among participants who had previously completed and been successful in the second semester of a two-semester introductory biology course sequence. Qualitative data from open-ended questionnaires confirmed that factors thought to improve critical thinking skills such as interaction with peers, problem solving, and discussion were perceived by participants to have an impact on critical thinking gains. However, no significant quantitative differences in peer leaders\u27 critical thinking skills were found between pre- and post-treatment CCTST measurements nor between experimental and control groups. Additionally, students led by peer leaders attained significantly higher exam and final course grades in introductory biology than similar students not participating in PLTL. Finally, among introductory biology students who opted not to enroll in the associated lab course, those who participated in PLTL averaged more than a letter grade higher than those who did not, and this difference was statistically significant

Mapping the relationship between curriculum, pedagogy and digital technology to develop a predictive model for the improvement in students' attainment

The relationship between learning, pedagogy and technology is a complex area of injury. Working with, and analysing data generated by, twenty teachers and two hundred seventy-eight students from the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) in the United Arab Emirates, I was able to drill down into the complex interactions between curriculum, pedagogy and technology. From this work, I developed an original predictive model, which outlines the improvement in students' attainment due to the complex interactions of three critical elements - curriculum (C), pedagogy (P), and digital technology (T), what I call the CPT model. My analysis indicated that digital technology impacted positively on students' attainment when it was used with science subjects but less so when it was used with humanities subjects. Based on the literature review, the relationship between C, P and T had been widely investigated (see, for example, Mishra and Koehler (2006; 2013), Archambault and Barnett (2010), Angeli and Valanides (2009), Voogt et al. (2012)). However, none of the researchers dealt with this relationship and its impact on students' learning and attainment quantitatively or using a mathematical perspective. This study aims to highlight how the CPT model can predict the improvement in students' attainment as an outcome of using educational technology (the impact factor) and locate the most effective strategies of learning. This research fills the knowledge gap by developing a new model that explores the C, P, T correlations using three-dimensional equations that I have developed. As such, the study makes a significant contribution to educational technology literature through exploring the C, P, T impact on students' attainment. The research offers educators, policymakers and curriculum developers opportunities to leverage digital technology as a mean for enhancing attainment. Understanding the CPT relationship enables the development of focussed digital technology-supported curricular for students regardless of their academic level. I concluded this by arguing that the CPT model can guide both teachers and policymakers to locate the most effective strategy of learning to maximise the impact of digital technology on students' attainment. This PhD study contributes to knowledge by a new educational term called Tranology, which is a combination of two main types of learning, traditional and digital technology-based learning, please refer to sections 2.9 and 8.4. Furthermore, this study suggests the application of the vector space concept to organise the relationship between the elements C, P and T. In turn, this implies that these elements overlap over three-dimensional space, which is addressed in this study as the CPT space, rather than, overlapping over two-dimensional plane as demonstrated by Mishra and Koehler (2005; 2006; 2008), please refer to chapter 5. In terms of future scientific understanding and theoretical insights, the CPT model can be transformed from three-dimensional model (C, P and T) to four-dimensional model (4-D) that comprises the three dimensions of curriculum, pedagogy and digital technology (C, P and T) and the one dimension of a student's attitude towards learning (S) to produce 4-D model called the CPT-S curvatures. Please refer to section 8.6

Microbiology for Allied Health Students

This open textbook is a remix of Openstax Microbiology, CC-BY 4.0, and created through an Affordable Learning Georgia Round Six Textbook Transformation Grant. The textbook has the following supplemental materials within this repository: This is a collection of instructional materials for the following open textbook and lab manual: Microbiology for Allied Health Students Lab Manual Microbiology for Allied Health Students Instructional Materials Authors\u27 Description: Microbiology for Allied Health Students is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements for the single semester Microbiology course for non-majors and allied health students. The book presents the core concepts of microbiology with a focus on applications for careers in allied health. The pedagogical features of Microbiology for Allied Health Students make the material interesting and accessible to students while maintaining the career-application focus and scientific rigor inherent in the subject matter. The scope and sequence of Microbiology for Allied Health Students has been developed and vetted with input from numerous instructors at institutions across the U.S. It is designed to meet the needs of most microbiology courses allied health students. With these objectives in mind, the content of this textbook has been arranged in a logical progression from fundamental to more advanced concepts. The opening chapters present an overview of the discipline, with individual chapters focusing on cellular biology as well as each of the different types of microorganisms and the various means by which we can control and combat microbial growth. The focus turns to microbial pathogenicity, emphasizing how interactions between microbes and the human immune system contribute to human health and disease. The last several chapters of the text provide a survey of medical microbiology, presenting the characteristics of microbial diseases organized by body system. Accessible files with optical character recognition (OCR) and auto-tagging provided by the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation.https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/biology-textbooks/1015/thumbnail.jp

Selected papers on Hands-on Science II

This second volume of the "Selected Papers on Hands-on Science" the Hands-on Science Network is publishing, reunites some of the most relevant works presented at the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 editions of the annual International Conference on Hands-on Science. From pre-school science education to lifelong science learning and teacher training, in formal non-formal and informal contexts, the large diversified range of works that conforms this book surely renders it an important tool to schools and educators and all involved in science education and on the promotion of scientific literacy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio