Promoting Online Students’ Understanding of Scientific Process

1. Promoting Online Students’ Understanding of Scientific Process Mary V. Mawn SUNY Empire State College July 17, 2009

2. Research question • Can the review of primary literature in an online genetics course promote student understanding of how scientific information is acquired and interpreted?

3. Study Context • The study site is an online genetics course, in which students are asked to select and review articles in topics in genetics. • Students report that they enjoying these reviews (provides breadth), but they also report not feeling connected to their classmates. • These online discussions “feel” difficult to participate in. Each participant needs to read many articles before being able to constructively participate in the discussion. • Finally, the reviews have been rather superficial, and students often select articles which are not from primary sources.

4. Why is this interesting? • The U.S. Dept of Education (2009) stated in recent report: • “Policy-makers and practitioners want to know about the effectiveness of Internet-based, interactive online learning approaches and need information about the conditions under which online learning is effective.” • “…the field lacks a coherent body of linked studies that systematically test theory-based approaches in different contexts.” • With the growing number of campuses moving their instruction to the online environment, studies are needed that demonstrates effective teaching practices and its impact on student learning outcomes. • Without the benefit of a physical lab space, how can science “process” skills be effectively taught in an online environment?

5. Experimental Design • Pre/Post-course surveys will be administered that measures student views for how scientific information is acquired. • Teams of four to five students will be formed, and each group will discuss research articles of increasing complexity. These discussion interactions will be characterized using Bloom’s taxonomy. • Students will be asked to reflect on their views of scientists early/late in the semester. • Students will complete a capstone project where they synthesize information and demonstrate the progression of a research study. This project could take the form of a grant review board or a research paper.

6. Reference • U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. (2009). Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, Washington, D.C. Retrieved July 6, 2009 from: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf