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Biology Course (biology + course)
Selected AbstractsCatchments as Basic Units of Management in Conservation Biology CoursesCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001William E. Magnusson No abstract is available for this article. [source] Context rich problems in oral biology teachingEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2002Jules Kieser Problem-based learning (PBL) has now been introduced in at least one of its various taxonomic forms in most dental curricula. We recently developed a novel form of PBL, referred to as Context Rich Problems, which we implemented in the Oral Biology course at the Otago University Dental School. A unique event, the teaching of second and third year students in the same year, allowed us to evaluate CRPs in these two academic years simultaneously. Our findings showed that second year students were not as positive as more mature third year students in accepting the transition from a traditional didactic form of teaching to PBL. Both groups, however, found that CRPs significantly enhanced their learning experience and both groups found that they needed less time spent on preparation than they had expected. In some respects, such as previous exposure to the web and electronic media, non-New Zealanders had had a significantly higher exposure. [source] Student learning and the teaching-research nexus in oral biologyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2001Jules Kieser Although frequently coexistent, we know little about the interactions among research, teaching and learning in higher education. This study examines the preferences of second and third year dental students for questions that require a research-based deep approach or questions that require a straightforward didactic approach. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate the opinion of 114 students who took part in the Oral Biology course. 56 second year students (75%) responded while 58 (84%) of third year students responded. Questions that required an interpretive approach were found to be most appealing by 70.2% of all students. Questions which required a regurgitative approach were favoured by 11.6% of students. No significant differences were found when the sample was broken down by country of origin, year of study or gender, suggesting that dental students preferred research-based learning rather than superficial didactic learning. [source] Comparing Web, Correspondence and Lecture versions of a second-year non-major Biology courseBRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2000Michael Collins A comparison of correspondence and Web versions of the same course indicated that, although the students were very satisfied with the Web version, the correspondence section achieved the higher mean final scores in three of the four semesters while the Web course achieved the higher mean score in only one semester. A literature search indicated that there are very few studies which compare the relative successes of Web-based courses and traditional (lecture) courses as this present study does. In addition most of these other comparative studies are based on only one offering of the Web-based course, whereas the present study evaluates the Web-based course over four different semesters. [source] The development and application of affective assessment in an upper-level cell biology courseJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 8 2007Elizabeth Kitchen Abstract This study exemplifies how faculty members can develop instruments to assess affective responses of students to the specific features of the courses they teach. Means for assessing three types of affective responses are demonstrated: (a) student attitudes towards courses with differing instructional objectives and methodologies, (b) student self-efficacy (confidence) in completing tasks common to practicing experts, and (c) interests in subject-specific topics and associated intellectual skills. The iterative processes used in refining the instruments and performing the statistical analyses of their effectiveness are detailed. An analysis of data obtained using these instruments is also included. Positive attitudes towards courses emphasizing analytical thinking increased significantly over the course of a 14-week semester, as did the measures of self-efficacy. Despite the rigorous analytical nature of the course experience, the initial strong interest in cell biology topics and higher order thinking skills remained unchanged. There were no significant differences based on gender in any of the affective measures. We discuss the apparent dichotomy, revealed in these assessments, between students' idealistic, academic attitudes towards the course's effectiveness and their opinions of its effects on them personally. We conclude by reporting how insights garnered both from these formal assessments and from anecdotal communications have prompted experimental modifications in the design and conduct of the course. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 1057,1087, 2007 [source] Development and evaluation of the conceptual inventory of natural selectionJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 10 2002Dianne L. Anderson Natural selection as a mechanism of evolution is a central concept in biology; yet, most nonbiology-majors do not thoroughly understand the theory even after instruction. Many alternative conceptions on this topic have been identified, indicating that the job of the instructor is a difficult one. This article presents a new diagnostic test to assess students' understanding of natural selection. The test items are based on actual scientific studies of natural selection, whereas previous tests have employed hypothetical situations that were often misleading or oversimplified. The Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS) is a 20-item multiple choice test that employs common alternative conceptions as distractors. An original 12-item version of the test was field-tested with 170 nonmajors in 6 classes and 43 biology majors in 1 class at 3 community colleges. The test scores of one subset of nonmajors (n,=,7) were compared with the students' performances in semistructured interviews. There was a positive correlation between the test scores and the interview scores. The current 20-item version of the CINS was field-tested with 206 students in a nonmajors' general biology course. The face validity, internal validity, reliability, and readability of the CINS are discussed. Results indicate that the CINS will be a valuable tool for instructors. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 952,978, 2002 [source] Determination of the Rh factor: A practical illustrating the use of the polymerase chain reactionBIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION, Issue 1 2005Santiago Imperial Abstract A practical experiment on the PCR is described that has been used over several years as part of an undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology course for chemistry students. In the first experimental session, students prepare their own DNA samples from epithelial cells of the mouth and use them as templates in the PCR. In the second session, they analyze the amplified DNA by electrophoresis and determine their Rh factor. [source] Lesson plan for protein exploration in a large biochemistry class,BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION, Issue 5 2003David W. Honey Abstract The teaching of structural concepts plays a prominent role in many chemistry and biology courses. When it comes to macromolecular systems, a thorough understanding of noncovalent interactions lays a strong foundation for students to understand such things as protein folding, the formation of protein-ligand complexes, and the melting of the DNA double helix. The incorporation of computer-based molecular graphics into the biochemistry curriculum has given students unique opportunities in visualizing the structure of biological molecules and recognizing the subtle aspects of noncovalent interactions. This report describes a series of visualization-based assignments developed to facilitate protein exploration in a large biochemistry class. A large enrollment can present special challenges for students to benefit from hands-on use of visualization software. Three of the assignments are described in detail along with a description of an on-line teaching tool used to manage the assignments and to coordinate the student groups participating in these exercises. [source] | ||||||||||