Just-in-Time Teaching in Biology:

Blending Active Learning with Internet Technology

Kathy Marrs

IUPUI Department of Biology

November 15, 2002

Challenges Students Bring to Science Courses

Most students take 4 or 5 classes Most students are not majors Most students have jobs Many students have family responsibilities

Many students have weak backgrounds Most students come to class unprepared Some students just don’t care

Challenges for College Science Faculty

Delivery of course content, plus…

Critical Thinking = Scientific Literacy Math Skills = Problem Solving Scientific and Technical Writing Other Principles of Undergraduate Learning Teaching large classes ~ Student : Faculty ratio Course retention (DFW) rate Time management

Pedagogical Challenges

Incorporating current learning theory into classroom: “Current research on learning indicates that all new learning depends on the learner’s

prior knowledge and current state of understanding. If students’ initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the new concepts they are taught, or …they may revert to their preconceptions outside of the classroom.”

How People Learn, Bransford, Brown and Cocking 2000.

Incorporating classroom research into semester: Research that asks questions about the nature of teaching and learning, and the effect

of classroom interventions on course and student outcomes.

Incorporating assessment of student learning into classroom: “Largely missing from science classrooms, particularly large lecture classes, is formative

assessment, which is intended to provide feedback during learning exercises so that students can have an opportunity to revise and improve their thinking and instructors can tailor instruction appropriately.”

In Learning Science and the Science of Learning, Mestre and Cocking, 2002.

Scientists and Educational Theories of Learning

From Learning Science and the Science of Learning, Rodger Bybee, Ed., NSTA Press 2002:

“As scientists, we are familiar with theories. Theories help us describe, explain, and predict natural events and phenomena. We readily accept that theories change, and acknowledge that theories are essential to the practice of science.

“As science professors, we tend to distain, distrust, or disregard educational theories. We may assume that educational theory results from research with students very different from the ones we teach. Consequently, these educational theories seem to have little relevance for our own teaching.

“However, educational theories of learning are as essential to the practice of teaching just as scientific theories are essential to the practice of science.”

Constructivism: A Current Educational Theory

Constructivism: One of the most well-supported theories of human learning today. Strong base in the research literature (Reviewed in How People Learn, 2000) Developed by Jean Piaget (1952, 1978), Jerome Bruner (1966), and many others. Forms the foundation of the Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy (AAAS, 1993)

The National Science Education Standards (National Academy of Sciences, 1995)

Learning is actively constructed and is built on prior experiences. New knowledge students learn is based on prior knowledge. Effective learning by students requires feedback. Expectations affect performance. Learning is not necessarily an outcome of teaching.

(There are many other Theories of Learning )

What is Just-in-Time Teaching? A Teaching and Learning Strategy

High Tech Aspect: use of the web Low Tech Aspect: interactive lectures

Combines the best features of traditional in-class instruction with the communication and resource potential available via the web.

Incorporates: Key ideas of constructivism. Use of formative assessment. Collection of data for classroom research.

JiTT is Used Extensively in Science

and Math Education

Developed to Teach Undergraduate Science

Physics…then Biology, Chemistry, and Math Courses for science and non-science majors Used in graduate-level courses in Biology at IUPUI

Now used at over 70 Universities Including Harvard, Stanford, Brown, US AFA, IUPUI

Endorsed by Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL)’s What Works series in Science and Math Education

IUPUI WebScience Project funded by the NSF

-See also Indiana University Research and Creative Activity, 4/99-Book available through Prentice Hall

Recent Work on JiTT in Biology

2000 NABT Meeting, Orlando 2000 PKAL Workshop, Keystone CO 2001 HASTI Meeting, Indianapolis 2001 EduCause Meeting, Indianapolis 2002 NSTA Meeting, San Diego 2002 NSF Chautauqua Short Course, US AFA 2002 IPFW Seminar 2002 Assessment Institute, IUPUI (2003) NSF Chautauqua Short Course, US AFA

2002 Marrs, Blake and Gavrin, Journal of College Science Teaching, in press

2003 Special JiTT issue of Journal of College Science Teaching

Research Goals

Question: Can a classroom environment using constructivist-based JiTT activities improve student performance in Biology?

1. Identify misconceptions students bring to Biology courses.2. Create interactivity and active learning in large lecture class3. Improve student study habits and class attendance 4. Increase relevance of studying Biology to everyday life5. Enhance content knowledge in Biology

z Method: leverage technology to realize these goals!

z Outcome: Collect data to determine if this approach is effective in improving student study habits and content knowledge in Biology.

The JiTT Feedback Loop

InternetClassroom

Features of a JiTT Website - N100

– Warm Ups

– Chapter Outline

– Puzzle

– News

– What is Biology Good For?

The Interactive JiTT Classroom

Dynamic Syllabus: New web material posted each Friday. Lecture outlines Reading assignments Warm Up assignment due Wednesday, 9:30 am, 3 points each. Optional Good For assignment due Friday, noon, 3 points each.

Interactive Class: Class notes are ‘live’ and run from the web. Lecture for ~25 - 30 min. Incorporate Warm Up responses where appropriate. Turn lights up for a Cooperative Learning Exercise - small group

work and discussion, 3 points, ~15 minutes. Finish up lecture and discussion, ~25 - 30 min.

What are Warm Ups?

Preparatory questions on upcoming material.

Questions with answers not directly found in the text.

One or two each week, 3 points each (45 total).

Due two hours before class time.

Use everyday scenarios to introduce concepts.

Uncover and challenge student’s prior knowledge.

Warm-ups create a “need to know” - students use textbook as well as pre-existing knowledge to answer.

Sample Warm Ups Archive

Mitosis: Why do chemotherapy drugs, given to fight cancer, make a person’s hair fall out?

Biotechnology: Humulin, a drug made by Eli Lilly, is the human insulin protein made by bacteria. How can a bacteria make a human protein?

Genetics: If you and your spouse are carriers for sickle cell disease (Ss), you have a 1 in 4 chance of producing a child with sickle cell disease. If you have 4 children, does this mean that one of them will have sickle cell disease? Why or why not?

Evolution / Scientific Process: What is the difference between a theory and a belief?

Evolution / Natural Selection: What does the term Survival of the Fittest mean? How does the environment influence the survival of an organism?

Cellular Respiration: Why do people who are anemic (have low levels of functioning red blood cells) feel tired and weak?

Using Warm Ups for Formative Assessment

Warm Ups can be used to assess students understanding 'in progress' and give students feedback about their understanding.

Warm Ups can be used to determine how well students understand a concept before lecture material is presented, and before moving on to new material or before taking an exam.

Using Warm Ups to Enhance Student Learning

1. Warm Up assignments identify student beliefs, prior knowledge, and misconceptions.

2. Warm Up responses can be used before class to synchronize student responses with classroom instruction.

3. Warm Up responses are used in class to address prior knowledge and misconceptions, as a foundation on which to construct new knowledge.

Using Warm Ups to Synchronize Class Step 1: Synchronization

- Students have from Friday to Wednesday at 9:30 am to answer. - Student Warm Up responses are collected in a cgi-bin.

- Read the students’ responses before class (1 hour).- What do they understand - what are their misconceptions?

Step 2: Preparation- Select excerpts from students work (the good, the bad & the

ugly…) - Prepare a quick web page or overhead with sample responses. - Make minor adjustments in that day’s lecture material.

Step 3: Delivery- Class is a dialog based on faculty notes and student excerpts

from Warm Ups.- Prior knowledge is the starting point in that day’s discussion.

As a result, the class is...

Based on Prior Knowledge: Student Warm Up responses are used to develop subject material presented to class [Formative assessment].

Interactive: short lectures interspersed with group discussion and collaborative problem solving.

Based on Constructivism: Students build new knowledge on prior knowledge plus additional content knowledge discussed that day or week.

Analysis of Warm Up Responses

Warm Ups can be scored using a rubric to determine patterns of responses. This can be done at any time to obtain data on commonly observed misconceptions.

(1) Student says he / she does not know how to answer the Warm Up.

(2) Student answers but shows minimal accurate knowledge. Student does not use information from the text or lecture notes to answer the question, and may reveal misconceptions. (Incorrect answer)

(3) Student shows some prior knowledge and may use terminology to answer the Warm Up question but does not give a complete answer to the question. (Partially correct but still incomplete).

(4) Student answers the Warm Up question correctly and completely. Student incorporates information from the text or class notes into the answer. Student may look for answer outside the class (web, etc).

Analysis of Student Responses on Chemotherapy Warm Up:

Level 1: “I know that the drugs do this, but I don't have the slightest idea why. There is probably a simple explanation that I am overlooking.” (4%)

Level 2: (minimal accurate prior knowledge) “I think it is because the drugs are trying to kill all of the bad cells and hair is dead cells, so the drugs just see hair as bad cells and gets rid of them.” (30%)

Level 3: (moderate accurate prior knowledge) “The chemotherapy drugs used to fight cancer attempt to kill off the living cancer cells. Hair cells are not nearly as hard to kill as cancer cells and this results in the killing off of many cells with the ultimate goal of killing the cancer cells.” (44%)

Analysis of Student Responses on Chemotherapy Warm Up:

Level 4: (answers correctly and completely) “Chemotherapy poisons all body cells to some extent, but particularly rapidly dividing cells undergoing mitosis such as cancer cells. It also affects other rapidly dividing cells (hair follicles, cells lining the stomach, and red blood cells) which causes some of the common side effects.” (22%)

N= 169, Biology N100, Spring 2001

More about Warm Up responses and analysis can be found in Marrs, Blake and Gavrin, Journal of College Science Teaching, in press, 2002

Common Misconceptions: Respiration

Level 1: I really don’t know, but my mom is anemic and she is tired all the time. Not enough Iron? (12%)

Level 2: (minimal accurate prior knowledge) “They feel tired and weak because they do not have enough oxygen in their blood. Since hemoglobin is what contains the oxygen, then low hemoglobin would mean the cells are deprived of oxygen. (42%)

Level 3: (moderate accurate prior knowledge) There is not enough oxygen being generated to handle the cellular respiration. We can't get oxygen to all our cells without our blood cells. (32%)

Level 4: (answers correctly and completely) There is not enough oxygen going through the bloodstream to the cells. Body cells do not produce enough ATP from cellular respiration without plenty of oxygen, so the person doesn’t make enough ATP energy and feels tired. (14%)

Research Goals

Question: Can a classroom environment using constructivist-based JiTT activities improve student performance in Biology?

1. Identify misconceptions students bring to Biology courses.2. Create interactivity and active learning in large lecture class3. Improve student study habits and class attendance4. Increase motivation for and relevance of studying Biology5. Enhance content knowledge in Biology

z Method: leverage technology to realize these goals!

z Outcome: Collect data to determine if this approach is effective in improving student study habits and content knowledge in Biology.

JiTT Improves Study HabitsWarm Ups made a significant difference in student study skills.

We asked students to report whether they ‘crammed’ for exams in Biology N100 (JiTT) vs. their other, non-JiTT classes: (n = 426)

‘Crammed’ in Biology N100

‘Crammed’ in other courses

A students 16% 44%

B students 34% 63%

C students 41% 65%

D students 64% 71%

F students 68% 69%

JiTT Improves Graduate Student Study Habits

1) Did you put off studying for Biotech 540 and as a result ‘cram’ for Biotech 540 tests (saving virtually all studying for the day/night before the test)? (34.4%) Yes

2) Do you ‘cram’ for other courses that you have this semester? (62.0%) Yes

3) Do you feel that the Warm Up assignments and web notes made you stay ‘caught up’ on class material? (96.5%) Yes

4) Do you feel that you are more, less, or equally well ‘caught up’ on your other graduate courses this semester?

(19.8%) More, (62.6%) Less, (17.6%) Equal

Biology 540 (Graduate Biotechnology), n=37

So what’s wrong with cramming…?

Cramming is a technique most college students will use at times, but unfortunately, it is not an efficient way to acquire knowledge.

Research has shown that students learn more efficiently and retain the information longer when they study regularly, and retain much less information from a single, intensive study session.

Cramming is also associated with sleep deprivation. Students who come to a test at a physical and mental disadvantage do not perform as well as students who have has a good night’s rest.

1) Bybee RW, Ed. (2002) Learning Science and the Science of Learning.

2) Dolly, JP; Williams KS. (1986) Using Test-Taking Strategies to Maximize Multiple-Choice Test Scores. Educational and Psychological Measurement; (46)619-25.

3) Kirkland K; Hollandsworth JG, Jr. (1979) Test Anxiety, Study Skills, and Academic Performance. Journal of College Student Personnel; (20)431-35.

4) Hoover, JP. A Dozen Ways To Raise Students' Test Performance. (2002) Principal; (81)17-18.

JiTT Improves Class Preparation

1) Do you read the web notes before class?2) Do you do the readings from the text before class?3) Do you do read the textbook or the class notes (if

provided) before your other classes?

(1) Yes (2) Yes (3) YesA students: 78% 65% 53%

B students: 75 72 48C students: 63 61 51D students: 45 40 40F students: 46 42 42

Biology N100, n=162

How important is it to prepare for class?

“ A very important tip: It is definitely to your benefit to look at the notes and do the readings before class. As you can see, once we are in class, things move quickly. Because of the way this class is set up, as detailed in the syllabus, I come into class expecting that you have read the notes and the pages in the book. I do not expect you to understand it all, but that you are familiar with new terms and concepts for the day. If you have not gotten into this habit yet, please do so now.”

Class preparation helps to use class time as efficiently as possible.

If the value of the class depends on the quality of the participation, it is important to prepare for class.

Gardner H, & Boix Mansilla, V. (1994). Teaching for understanding within and across the disciplines. Educational Leadership, 51 (5), 14-18. [Image]

Effect of Cooperative Learning Exercises

a) Do you think the Cooperative Learning exercises help you to learn the class material? Yes (67%)

b) Do you prefer doing the Cooperative Learning exercises to listening to lecture for 75 minutes? Yes (72%)

c)Any positive or negative things you would like to say about them?

Q4 = Cooperative Learning is a good thing to have. No offense, Dr. Marrs, but ..…if it wasn't for the Coorperative Learning, I'd never come here.

Q4 = I like the cooperative learning exercises because they're the only thing that we do in the class to participate, and it gets boring just listening. I have to stay active.

Q4 = I think the exercises help me to understand the material a little better. I think maybe we do too many, but it definitely keeps me from getting too comfortable and falling asleep in class when I'm tired. They also take some of the pressure off of those horrible tests.

Q4 = I think that the Cooperative Learning exercises help me to learn the material. They are a mini review for me!! They definitely help break up the tedium of lecture. They are wonderful!! Plus I like the fact that they can kind of take attendance for those of us who show up to class everyday!

Research Goals

Question: Can a classroom environment using constructivist-based JiTT activities improve student performance in Biology?

1. Identify misconceptions students bring to Biology courses.2. Create interactivity and active learning in large lecture class3. Improve student study habits and class attendance4. Increase relevance of studying Biology to everyday life5. Enhance content knowledge in Biology

z Method: leverage technology to realize these goals!

z Outcome: Collect data to determine if this approach is effective in improving student study habits and content knowledge in Biology.

Impact of science on everyday Life. Examples:

“Keeping Us Healthy During Flu Season: Flu Vaccines” “Controlling Diabetes: Recombinant Human Insulin” “Boosting Red Blood Cell Production: Epogen” “Treating Breast Cancer: Herceptin” “Killing Weeds: RoundUp” “Saving Endangered Species: Cloning”

Optional, extra credit assignments (3 points each) Good For Archive:

“What is Biology Good For?”

News Page

News discussed or referred to in class.

Local newspapers on-line, popular science magazines, headline news.

Real world connection to improve science literacy.

Relevance recommended in the National Science Education Standards as a basis for developing scientific understanding and learning.

N100 News Page

Comments from JiTT Students about ‘Good For’s and News Pages

Q4 = Yes I enjoy reading the "What is Biology Good For" assignments, I learn a lot of details that I probably would not have known. The Good Fors help me to connect biology to the real world and it is very incredible. I have not yet had another class that helped connect connect the subject with the real world.

Q4 = I LOVE the Good Fors! I like the extra credit and it is great to see how biology is used in the real world. It is always frustrating when teachers can't answer the question "When am I ever going to use this?" Thanks for being so helpful!

Q4 = One of the best things about Dr. Marrs’ class in my opinion is that the information is usually so current. More than once a week I see things we have talked about. Often they are major news stories and it is a good feeling to be current to the advances in science and know what we have done is relevant to life stories.

Q4 = Why do you keep asking us questions like this?

JiTT and Content Knowledge

…but do N100 students ‘learn’ the material any better with this approach?

Pre-test

(% correct)

Warm Up CL Exercise Post test (% correct)

Mitosis 15%

18%

-

X

-

X

62%

78%

Genetics 12%

20%

-

X

-

X

48%

64%

Natural selection

10%

14%

-

X

-

X

25%

36%

Human Population Growth

15%

17%

-

X

-

X

65%

85%

More measures assessing JiTT’s

effectiveness in teaching and learning Increased retention rates: (lower DFW rates)

Examples: (Physics) 33% DFW lowered to 19% DFW.

Increased cognitive gains: Examples: Measurable gains in Force Concept Inventory, a standardized test in Physics, and on Pre-vs. Post class tests in JiTT Biology classes.

Increased classroom interactivity: based on reports from trained classroom observers.

Students prefer JiTT: to traditional lecture classes, based on course attitude surveys, anonymous end-of-course evaluations, and student focus groups.

“The web page was great. I’ve never had a class run from the web before and it was really neat. All of the different categories (Warm up, help, notes) were really great and made the class fun and interesting and different.”

Research Goals

Question: Can a classroom environment using constructivist-based JiTT activities improve student performance in Biology?

1. Identify misconceptions students bring to Biology courses.2. Create interactivity and active learning in large lecture class3. Improve student study habits and class attendance4. Increase relevance of studying Biology to everyday life5. Enhance content knowledge in Biology

z Still to come:

Finding different approaches to decreasing DFW rate. Deconstructing misconceptions about Evolution and Natural

Selection…

Practical Considerations

Comfort level with the web Student Professor

Time management Reading Warm Up responses Preparing student response page

Grading Student help is always useful.

What does Technology have to do with Learning?

Kozma and Johnston (CHANGE, 1991), offer eight ways that instructional technology can support learning:

enables active engagement in construction of knowledge, facilitates student responsibility in the learning process, allows visual representations in multiple formats (e.g. 3-D animations) drills students on basic concepts to reach mastery, allows access to resources which are increasingly (but far from

exclusively) online, provides immediate interconnections among concepts through

hyperlinks, improves communication (teacher/student, student/student), simulates laboratory work.

A final thought: Technology is just a tool; the benefits (or harm) from it comes from its use!

Where would I find the time?

Just-in-Time Teaching can be used as a tool to address aspects of teaching you may already be dissatisfied with:

It's frustrating to give a lecture, have students ask no questions afterwards, and then have students test poorly on the material.

It's difficult to establish a conversation in a large lecture class.

It's hard to keep the students' attention on the course on the five days of the week it doesn't meet.

It’s difficult to address institutional requests to incorporate different types of assessment into courses.

Advantages of Using JiTT

Delivery of Content Knowledge, plus…

Interactivity and Active Learning

Opportunities for Critical Thinking

Development and Use of Math Skills

Development of Scientific Literacy

Opportunities for Formative Assessment

Acknowledgements

JiTT Collaborators

Andy GavrinGregor NovakBob BlakeJeff Watt

Undergraduate Research Students

Traci SmithKelly SigmundRandy HeatonJennifer ManskeRegina BickelAric Anderson

N100 Inquiry Activities

Anna Musick

N100 Student Helpers

Lori BlueLaura FryTim HensleySylvia Lee

Visit the WebScience Project at IUPUI

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation

Just in Time Teaching resources and assessment in Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Math

Visit us on the web at

http://webphysics.iupui.edu/webscience/ webscience.htmlor

http://www.biology.iupui.edu/biocourses/N100

fini

Three Key Findings from How People Learn (2000):

Students: Teachers need to : Materials need to:

Come to class with prior knowledge and preconceptions.

Recognize preconceptions and adjust instruction.

Include structured activities to elicit and challenge student preconceptions.

Develop strong factual understanding based on concepts.

Teach subject matter as a set of larger concepts supported and illustrated by facts.

Connect facts to conceptual framework; provide relevant examples.

Set learning goals and monitor progress towards them.

Provide goals and objectives for learning.

Link learning goals with assessment.

The Call for Scientific Literacy

While scientific knowledge is growing exponentially, the time available to teach science is relatively constant.

Science for All Americans (AAAS , Project 2061, 1990) Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy (AAAS, 1993) The National Science Education Standards (National

Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, 1995)

These documents elaborate core content knowledge and science process skills for students and teachers to develop scientifically literate citizens in a technological society.

What is Learning?

Learning is the process by which we receive and process sensory data, encode such data as memories within the neural structures of our brain, and retrieve those memories for subsequent use.

A fairly standard consensual definition is "a relatively permanent change in behavior that results from practice." (Atkinson et al 1993). We are indeed becoming more confused: evidence from genetics, evolutionary psychology and neuroscience is arguing ever more strongly for predispositions for our behaviour. This is one of those areas for which Mark Twain’s (attributed) comment might have been coined:

“Many researchers have already cast much darkness upon this subject, and it is probable that if they continue, that we shall soon know nothing at all about it”

Even if psychologists ever agree about what learning is, in practice educationalists won't.

Technology in the classroom exposes students to skills needed for the 21st century job market

87% of US workers use computers on the job.

68% of all US workers use computers every day.

55% of all US workers use the internet as part of their normal workday.

How do experts differ from novices?

Research shows that Experts Notice features and meaningful patterns of information that are not

recognized by novices Have a great deal of content knowledge that is organized, and their

organization of information reflects a deep understanding of the subject matter

Are able to retrieve important aspects of their knowledge with little additional effort

(Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 1999)

Challenges Related to Science Education

Incorporating results from current research theory into teaching and learning.

Implementing Classroom Research Monitoring student learning throughout the semester. Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in

Science, Mathematics, Engineering , and Technology (NSF, 1996)"All students need access to excellent undergraduate education in science…

and all students need to learn these subjects by direct experience with the methods and processes of inquiry."

Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America’s Research Universities (The Boyer Commission, Carnegie Foundation, 1998)“The report recommends various ways in which undergraduates might be

exposed, early in college, to a research environment--by inculcating an idea of learning as an active rather than a passive process.”

The 5 Habits of Successful Students

1. Read course material2. Attend and participate in class regularly3. Spend out-of-class time to study

- Re-read text and notes- Reflect on material to gain understanding- Extend knowledge beyond course material- Apply information learned to problem solving

4. Persevere until concepts are grasped5. Seek help when needed

Have college students changed?

“Changing Priorities Drive Progress in Education”

“It used to be that chemistry classes were much more standardized in terms of who was in the audience as well as their backgrounds. Today, chemistry students in the U.S… are not all - nor even predominantly- male, they are not all between 18 and 22, they are not all middle class, they are not all white, and they are not all American.

“Depending on who is talking, teaching these nontraditional -as well as the more traditional- students is challenging, exciting, frustrating, uplifting, or depressing.” http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/cenear/980112/chang.html