honeyeate answerfiv. If they car. The aim of to the very model bas( budget of: ... for the program so that minimal time would be spent learning the mechanics of ...
INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS IN SELF-STUDY AND MULTIMEDIA PROGRAMS
Ms Roslyn GJeadow Prof Pauline Ladiges School of Botany Dr Kathrine Handasyde Zoology Department
BIOLOGY
INCORPORATING
Ms Agnes Dodds Centre for the Study of Higher Education Dr Jeanette Lawrence Psychology Department
Dr Mark Burgman Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Melbourne
ABSTRACT
A multidisciplinary team has designed a new study program for a Biology unit on the Australian Fauna and Flora. Interactive computer programs, videos, printed materials and tutorials provide students with varied learning activities, with assessment exercises feeding back to students on their progress through the material. Self-study materials in the form of a work book were used
to structure students' work and played a central role in the self-study program. Timing of activities, tutorials and material submitted for assessment were designed to help motivate students, with a combination of attendance, submitting independent work and feedback in tutorials. Students enjoyed the course and found the various media informative and helpful. Feedback on the submitted activities was, overall, considered helpful and the standard of both submitted work and essays in the final examination were high. The particular mix of computer aided instruction, written materials, lectures, practicals and tutorials is one that could easily be adapted to any first year science course, distance education or open learning programme.
INTRODUCTION
Biology at the University of Melbourne currently has about 1200 students in first year. The need is to maintain quality of teaching and learning to large groups of students from a variety of backgrounds in the face of diminished resources. We have developed self-study materials whkh provide a framework to support student learning while encouraging independent thinking and integration of material. A new course has been designed by a multidisciplinary team for a small, subsidiary Biology unit on the Australian Fauna and Flora with a quota of 200 students. The course introduces students to the evolution, diversity, physiology and ecology of the Australian biota and discusses issues of conservation and management. As the course is completely new, and was offered for the first time in 1992, it has presented a unique opportunity to plan a first year science course from first
SCIENCE -
GLEADOW AND OTHERS
305
NATIONAL TEACHING WORKSHOP -
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY
principles, taking into account the problems of large lecture classes and the availability of computer software to develop appropriate independent learning modules. Lecturers in psychology and teaching and learning have worked in collaboration with subject specialists and tutors to provide a course with a sound scientific basis which inCOlporates currentIearning theory (Gardner and Stage 1990). Emphasis on Australian flora and fauna provides a stimulating context for the presentation of biological ideas. No material with this emphasis is currently aVailable. Interactive computer programs, videos, printed materials and tutorials provide students with varied learning activities, with assessment exercises feeding back to students on their progress through the material. Observations from previous years indicate that first year science students have difficulty integrating information from a variety of sources, such as lectures, practicals and textbooks. Material in this study programme is designed to encoruage integration by extending concepts fromlectrues into the multimedia programme and requiring students to draw on material activity. from a Variety of sources When answering questions and solving problems in a weekly written
Asse: A fin: manu farasl guidel activit tion ff essays
Itisknl 1984). detailei verypr.
Innovative teaching and learning methods are not necessarily better methods and We bave implemented thorough and careful evaluation of all aspects of course design. The particular mix of computer aided instruction, written materials, lectures, practicals and tutorials is one Which could easily be adapted to any large first year science course.
Tutors appropl general constrw
answer,
madeav COURSE DESIGN Activity
Outline
The activ The coruse is designed as a self-contained, second semester coruse. Traditional lectures are supported by a self-study programme in the form of a workbook, called an activity manual or bOoklet. An integrated programme of weekly self-study activities centre on the activity manual . Activities are varied to maintain interest and develop skllls in comprehension, analysis, graph and table interpretation and problem solving. Videos, slide shows and two computer aided learning packages provide additional material for analysis in some of the weekly actiVities. Tutorials, beld fortnightly, provide a platform for the multimedia activities and interaction with smaller groups of students. However, there are no traditional practical classes in this coruse. (Students must be currently enrolled in, or have successfully completed, general Biology Which does have weekly practicals throughout the year.) Timing of activities, tutorials and material submitted for assessment Were designed to help in tutorials. motivate students, with a combination of attendance, submitting independent work and feedback
students'
basis oft! from stud. also uses; 1993).
Questions progress, (l encouragel andpresen questions s decrease in questions f( in eucalypt atmosphere reference b( workwasnc from genera for direct as:
306
SCIENCE -
GLEADOW AND OTHERS
SCIENCE -
GLEA
NATIONAl TEACHING WORKSHOP -
of
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY
Assessment A final written examination, based on lecture and tutorial material and content from the activity manual, contributed 85% of students' assessment. Three of the weekly activities were submitted for assessment, making up the other 15 %. Regular meetings between tutors to discuss assessment guidelines ensured fair assessment. Questions on both the final examination paper and the weekly activities required students to demonstrate their understanding of the subject, accessing information from a number of sources and presenting answers in a variety of styles (short answer, notes, essays, reports, presentation of data). Itis known that students benefit from feedback on their progress (Woolfolk andMcCune-Nicolich 1984). A rapid marking scheme developed by Jeanette Lawrence was used to give students detailed feedback on their submitted answers (Lawrence and Dodds 1992). This is seen to be a very practical solution to the problem of giving individual feedback to large numbers of students. Tutors need not write detailed comments on each piece of work, but direct students to the appropriate response on the feedback sheet. Tutors could write additional comments but this was generally unnecessary. Unlike many science subjects, careful attention was paid to sentence construction, layout and expression as well as scientific interpretation. Some students found the answer sheets so helpful that they requested that sheets for the other (unassessed) activities be made available.
Activity Manual: Print Medium The activity manual played a central role in the self-study programme and was used to structure students' work. All activities were represented in the manual. Printed material either formed the basis of the activities or complemented other media, and all activities required written responses from students. A chemistty course recently developed by the Queensland Open Learning Project also uses a printed study guide to coordinate students' use of different media (Klease and others 1993). Questions varied in difficulty, usually beginning with some simpler comprehension, to encourage progress, and worked towards questions that required some analysis, graphing or estimations and encouraged scientific thinking and report writing. For example, students are given maps of past and present distribution of koalas in Australia and an overlay of the distribution of tall forests. The questions seek not only for the obvious correlation in areas, but a quantitative estimate of the decrease in area of forested land and correlate that with the availability of food (leaves). Other questions require students to calculate the effect of carbon dioxide levels on photosynthetic rate in eucalypts from a recent research paper, and then correlate that with changes in the earth's atmosphere from genuine data given in tables. Some activities required students to consult reference books which had been placed on reserve in several libraries on campus. The library work was not arduous and its primary aim was to get students into and using the library, and away from general textbooks. Each activity was self-contained and students did not need to ask tutors for direct assistance.
SCIENCE -
GLEADOW AND OTHERS
307
NATIONAL TEACHING WORKSHOP -
GRiFFITH UNIVERSITY
The activity manual was laid out using in-house desktop publishing technigues using current models of graphic design, It doesn't look like an ordinary practical manual and students appreciated the extra effort that went into the design.
Often v but not for the allowin of the g
Slides and Videos: Visual Medium
Good use was made of professional wildlife films such as the ABC's Nature ofAustralia series andBBC's Trials ofLife. CoPyright restrictions meant we were unable to edit seguences together from different programs but fast-forwarding sections during tutorials worked guite well. Not only did the videos provide complementary, new material but they also opened some eyes to the value of information available to the general public for their formal education. Some students either hired or bought their own copies of these excellent fihns, while others developed a keen interest in nature programs which are part of general television. General knowledge is important and encouraging important. students to realise that regular television programs are beneficial and interesting is
Computers: Interactive Multimedia Two interactive computer programs formed the basis of two separate tutorials and the accompa_ nying written activities. Mac Pracs were run using laboratories with 30 Macintosh SIs, one-on_ one, with a supervising tutor. Both programs were designed to last about 50 minutes.
Oneofl or 'nonthe lean accessel necessal Sclerop, frameWi
1992). questioll understa manual j program Extra int informat program. home' a(
program' Hypercard was usedforthe programming because ofits flexibility and ready availability, COming standard with all Macintoshes. The metaphor used by Hypercard is of a stack ofindex cards. Each card can contain graphics, colour photographs, text, audio material, movies or animations and is linked to other cards by a series of buttons (active areas of the card). Information on cards can be displayed all at once, or on demand depending on how it is programmed. Both programs used Hypercard software on Macintosh computers, allowing for a simple point and click routine with the mouse, but that is where the similarity between the two ends.
Interactive Software Design
Sclerophylly : Plants in Australian environments
Sclerophylly describes the hard-leaved nature of many indigenous Australian plants and has important implications for tolerating drought and adaptations to Australian environments. It is a basic concept in the biOlogy of Australian plants. Students are introduced to the subject in lectures, but as the subject is by nature very viSUal, it was decided that it would be best to develop the subject in an interactive computer program. Aspects of sclerophylly can be seen at the whole forestlevel, but microscopic eXamination of the leaves provides more explanations _ a computer program can examine a subject from a range of magnifications and thus does something that neither traditional field trips nor laboratory practical classes can provide. 308 SCIENCE -
GlEADOW AND OTHERS
Managen
Helmetcc populatio' rnanagern
like arefe relevant b want, but play at bei honeyeate answerfiv If they car
The aim of to the very model bas( budget of: game', tha (developed Melbourne population principles (
NATIONAL TEACHING WORKSHOP -
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY
Often with computer aided learning the technology becomes an end in itself, engaging the student but not helping them to learn any science (Linn 1990). A straightforward interface was designed for the program so that minimal time would be spent learning the mechanics of the program allowing students to concentrate on the content. The stack has a consistent format, but the position of the graphics and the tasks to be petforrned vary from card to card to make it more interesting. One of the perceived benefits of computer programs is that material can be explored in any order or 'non-linearly' . It is possible to get 'lost' in computer programs if pathways are not defined, and the learning process can even become stressful (Lynch 1992). Providing resources that can be accessed from a more structured, central core avoids this problem and gives the students a necessary degree of security (Stringer 1992). The number of avenues of investigation in the Sclerophylly program was deliberately limited to five (Fignre I) giving students a defined framework within which they can control the rate and direction of their own learning (Lynch 1992). Questions were scattered throughout to encourage students' observational skills. All questions have on-line answers: positive feedback for correct answers and clues to help them understand if they don't give the expected response. Students are referred back to the activity manual at regular intervals, reinforcing the central role of the activity manual in the self-study program. Extra information for interested students was provided on demand, but did not contain essential information. A built-in glossary which can be updated and expanded as needed was built into the program. When students completed all branches of the program they were given a final 'takehome' activity: 'Design your own sclerophyllous plant using features you have seen in this program'.
Management and Conservation of helmeted honeyeaters Helmeted honeyeaters are Victoria's avian emblem and are reduced to one wild breeding population of around 50 birds - a genuine conservation issue. The program on conservation and management of helmeted honeyeaters falls into two parts. The first part of the program is rather like areference book providing background information on the subject, colour photographs of the relevant birds and so on. Students can explore the inforrnationin any order and for as long as they want, but probably taking about 15-20 minutes. In the main part of the program, students get to play at being a conservation manager using a mathematical model of the population of helmeted honeyeaters. Before students can get to this highly interactive part of the program, they have to answer five questions correctly, randomly selected by the computer out of a total of 20 questions. If they cannot do this, they are redirected to the reference section of the program. The aim of the program is not so much learning about one particular species but to expose students to the very real dilemmas facing conservation management: a budget, limited information and a model based on assumptions. Students are presented with a series of management options and a budget of $10 million. Once students have selected their management options they 'play the game', that is, the options are fed into a model of population growth in helmeted honeyeaters (developed by Michael McCarthy, a postgraduate student in Forestry at the University of Melbourne). Results are summarised in a table and students note the key points (such as, 'Did the population die out?') in their activity booklets. Students need only to understand the general principles of the model, and do not analyse any of the complex mathematics themselves. After
SCIENCE -
GLEADOW AND OTHERS
309
NATiONAL TEACHING WORKSHOP -
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY
recording their results, students can then choose another set of management options and repeat tbe process and see if they can improve the outcome, or perhaps maintain a good outcome for less money. As part of their project students have to consider the value of the model, the validity of the inherentadviser. assumptions and finally give recommendations for management as if they Were a ministerial
Figure!
Res Son
Uni' intel ilIun ques
Index card from the sclerophyHy program. Students can explore the five vegetation types in any order by cIicldng on the box. After they have completed a section, the box is checked, but they can whole revisitprogram. the section if they want to. The position of buttons across the bottom is consistent across the
com]
Com
A su camp
level I of the some up an)
in ard Follov studen
o
Nearly with th
BMl
