Engaging "At-Risk" Students by Utilizing Cyber-Technology in the Biology Classroom
Abstract
Engaging “At-Risk” Students by Utilizing Cyber- Technology in the Biology Classroom
Improving performance of at-risk college students (typically first-generation with documented academic deficiencies), requires persistent faculty effort to engage students in the classroom. Many of the intended majors within the Department of Biology at Delaware State University, a Historically Black Institution, do not continue in the program due to failure of first or second year courses (General Biology and Cell Biology). A cohort of DSU faculty have been awarded a Targeted Infusion Grant from the National Science Foundation to integrate cyber-technology into these critical Biology courses with the intent of improving student performance and increasing retention in the Major. Web technologies provide rich, immersive learning environments through visualizations, animated graphics, interactive applications and real scientific data. Three fundamental Biology courses now provide on-line, interactive resources for students to access, read, and review outside of class. Class time is instead directed towards applying course material to working scenarios and recognizing how the information is related to human diseases and physiological processes and functions. Routine “iClicker quizzes” are administered in each class to assess the students’ understanding of course content. Initial results indicate that student learning is increased as measured by 12-15 % increase of students passing exams in the target Biology courses.Participants attending this workshop will:
- Understand Flipped Classrooms as a change in teaching philosophy; Link to active student engagement
- Learn the “how to” flip your classroom (various models)
- Identify strengths and challenges in “Flipped Classrooms”
- Identify a course they teach that could be flipped and begin examining course elements to determine what changes might be needed in order to flip the course
Location
Room 1002
Recommended Citation
Fox-Lykens, Rebecca; Lloyd, Andrew; and McGary, Sabrina, "Engaging "At-Risk" Students by Utilizing Cyber-Technology in the Biology Classroom" (2015). SoTL Commons Conference. 118.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2015/118
Engaging "At-Risk" Students by Utilizing Cyber-Technology in the Biology Classroom
Room 1002
Engaging “At-Risk” Students by Utilizing Cyber- Technology in the Biology Classroom
Improving performance of at-risk college students (typically first-generation with documented academic deficiencies), requires persistent faculty effort to engage students in the classroom. Many of the intended majors within the Department of Biology at Delaware State University, a Historically Black Institution, do not continue in the program due to failure of first or second year courses (General Biology and Cell Biology). A cohort of DSU faculty have been awarded a Targeted Infusion Grant from the National Science Foundation to integrate cyber-technology into these critical Biology courses with the intent of improving student performance and increasing retention in the Major. Web technologies provide rich, immersive learning environments through visualizations, animated graphics, interactive applications and real scientific data. Three fundamental Biology courses now provide on-line, interactive resources for students to access, read, and review outside of class. Class time is instead directed towards applying course material to working scenarios and recognizing how the information is related to human diseases and physiological processes and functions. Routine “iClicker quizzes” are administered in each class to assess the students’ understanding of course content. Initial results indicate that student learning is increased as measured by 12-15 % increase of students passing exams in the target Biology courses.Participants attending this workshop will:
- Understand Flipped Classrooms as a change in teaching philosophy; Link to active student engagement
- Learn the “how to” flip your classroom (various models)
- Identify strengths and challenges in “Flipped Classrooms”
- Identify a course they teach that could be flipped and begin examining course elements to determine what changes might be needed in order to flip the course
