I teach Microbiology onground, non-majors General Biology as a hybrid, and Online Teaching and Learning, online of course! Best practices for online teaching stress ways to increase student-student interaction and student-instructor interaction. But, what about student-content interaction? In the sciences, we know how much content there is and how students get bogged down. How can we increase student interaction with the content of the course, especially in novel interactive ways that help them learn?
Another challenge in teaching science online or onground, is how to guide students away from the computer and investigate the world around them, the real one, not a virtual one. How does showing them videos, animations, online exercises, blogs, wikis, etc. translate into helping them investigate the natural world?
If we increase content interaction, get them to investigate their surroundings, can we help them develop the inquiry skills and science literacy that is really the point of science education? How can we use web tools to increase student learning in the sciences?
I'll be looking for and trying out web tools, and ideas from great teachers in a quest for better ways to teach Biology, Science Education, and Similar Stuff.
These are great questions to get us started!
ReplyDeleteonground versus online! learn something new every day... i like your design choices for your blog -- and the earthquake feed too.
ReplyDeleteHi Caryn-
ReplyDeleteI have a special fascination with EQs. I hate them and am a little terrified of them! Yet, I love plate tectonics and the dynamic nature of gigantic pieces moving around. So they are supercool and superscary at the same time.
I agree that you have raised a terrific question. Balance? I am married to professional scientist who is both very tech savvy for his job (although he wouldn't touch a blog, twitter or facebook with a ten foot pole) he routinely uses GIS and web tools for reporting rare birds..see how little I know! But... the fact remains that he could not do his job without being highly proficient with his naturalist/outdoor skills too.
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ReplyDeleteYou comment about interacting with the content made me think of trying to learn organic chem. or bio chem. online. I can't even imagine it.
ReplyDeleteI do think one issue that web 2.0 brings up related to this is it's interaction with science. I mean web 2.0 is great at finding consensus, example: sites like yelp and tripadvisor but consensus does not mean correct. Is there any data showing that a consensus has a bias towards correct?
Bill, that's very interesting...does consensus have a bias toward correct? Not in the case of the salem witch trials! But, you bring up such a good point. I think that we are in the midst of great change, but, what research is being done? All these great tools, are they working? Lots to be done.
ReplyDeleteBill, funny you should say that about learning biochem online. I took an online biochem course last year through MSU. It's not as bad as you think. The instructor posted a "notes" sheet for us each week that highlighted the content in layman's terms. I missed the lab hands-on aspect that was missing, but it was okay.
ReplyDeleteI'm designing an online human bio course, Kelly, so I'll have to pick your brain over the next month or so that we are all together. I'd like to use LabPaqs for the hands-on portion. It's a kit that can be personalized for your course with all of the materials they would need. We can even include a basic microscope if we want! Have you ever used LabPaqs? How do you incorporate hands-on activities?
Hi Cathy
ReplyDeleteThanks for your compliment on my blog design. I think I could get very caught up in that, so I had to stop!
I am familiar with Labpaqs. I've tested a couple labs out and have talked with their reps a few times. They seem pretty good and they will do some level of customization I think. We have not adopted their use for a couple of reasons. Our dept. hasn't wanted to do a fully online course. Currently ours are hybrids with lab onground--we have non-majors bio, physiology, cell/molecular as hybrids. We also sometimes teach a few non-lab classes 100% online. But, we have a bigger problem. As a community college we have articulation agreements with the UC's and Cal States. So far, they won't articulate a 100% online bio class. So, really we can't offer one. I think that will change at some point. Finally, we are concerned about the cost to the student. What CMS do you use--BB? Moodle? D2L? We use BB but are considering Moodle.