Abstract

1. Virtual Labs for GE BiologyRobert Desharnais & Paul NarguizianCalifornia State University, Los Angeles Biological Sciences Frog Dissection animal anatomy Animal Behavior isopod behavior For more information, visit the Course Redesign ePortfolio for this project at: http://tinyurl.com/vlab-ePort “I liked the opportunity to put into practice what we were discussing in class and see the results for myself.” “I liked the fact that the virtual labs can be taken at home. It gave me a sense of independence. It made it possible for a lot of people to take this much needed course to graduate.” “Fun, interesting, and relevant to what we were learning in class.” “I liked the ease at which the experiments were manipulated, as well as the simple yet deep control of the experiment.” “Really simple to use, and you can go at your own pace.” Contact Information Robert Desharnais & Paul Narguizian RDeshar@CalstateLA.edu PNargui@CalstateLA.edu Model 1 – All Labs Online All labs were offered online Fall 2013 & Winter 2014 Drop-in help center staffed 30 hours/week Nine virtual labs were employed, one for each week of the academic quarter excluding one. Handout guided students though experiments designed around course concepts. Students answered multiple choice questions to assess their learning For 3 labs, students addressed a scientific problem by • formulating a hypothesis; • designing and carrying out experiments; • analyzing the results; • writing a brief scientific report. Use of on-line labs reduced costs: More students were served: There was a positive impact on time to graduation: Acknowledgements This project was supported by the CSU Enrollment Bottleneck Solution Course Redesign with Technology program. Motivation General education (GE) laboratory courses are a bottleneck for progress to graduation. At CSULA, a life science course with lab is required of every student. Enrollments in labs are limited to 24 students and each lab must be staffed by an instructor. Labs are taught in specialized facilities which are limited in availability. Many students are unable to register for these courses until their senior year. GE biology courses are a challenge for non-science majors. Labs are intended to involve students in doing science, but most wet labs are “cook-book” activities. The labs lack engagement and an opportunity for creativity Virtual labs provide an environment for students to explore scientific concepts by designing and carrying out their own experiments. They provide a hands-on opportunity for GE students to “achieve an understanding and appreciation of scientific principles and the scientific method” as specified in the CSU General Education Breadth Requirements. They are also less costly and can allow increased number of course offerings to relieve graduation bottlenecks. Abstract We redesigned a GE biology course by using existing web-based software to replace traditional wet labs. Two new modes of lab instruction were compared to the traditional offering: (1) all labs online with a “drop-by” help center and (2) a hybrid “flipped lab” model with two tracks of online and in-person labs alternating every week. Both modes included a face-to-face lecture. Engaging inquiry-based exercises were developed around each online activity. Assessment involved the tracking of students’ attitudes and performance using grades and pre-post-class surveys. CardioLab cardiac physiology EvolutionLab natural selection PopEcoLab population ecology DemographyLab human demography TranslationLab the genetic code FlyLab genetics of inheritance Enzymes enzymes & pH GE students using FlyLab to conduct genetic experiments. Model 2 – Hybrid Flipped Lab Flipped lab model: guided assignments at home and higher-level group activities aided by instructors in lab. Student met in-person every other week during Spring 2014 in the physical lab facility where • instructor introduced lab topic and software; • students discussed in groups their answers to the individual virtual lab assignments; • students worked in groups to formulate hypotheses, design and carry out experiments, analyze results, and produce a brief scientific report. Off weeks, students worked on individual virtual lab assignments similar to Model 1. Class was divided into two tracks, A and B, which met asynchronously throughout the quarter: Course Redesign Models Student Comments Addressing the Bottleneck Online Labs That Were Used More Information