assisting students in making connections between undergraduate courses
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Assisting Students in Making Connections Between Undergraduate Courses. Vivian Dayeh [email protected] Department of Biology. Research Challenge. The problem: Students often perceive their courses as a series of disconnected pieces - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Assisting Students in Making Connections Between
Undergraduate Courses
Vivian [email protected] of Biology
Research Challenge The problem:
– Students often perceive their courses as a series of disconnected pieces
– Instructors may complain that their students do not remember material taught in a previous course
The possible solution:– Using ePortfolios (electronic portfolio) to aid students in
making the connections between their courses
ePortfolios
Provides students with a medium to collect and organize artifacts that document their performance– Readily accessible electronic format online
Students can refer to that artifact when in a future course– Appreciate how their previous knowledge connects with
a new concept introduced or enhanced in a current context
Research Team
Principal Investigator – Vivian Dayeh (Biology)
Co-investigators – Dragana Miskovic (Biology)
– Doug Painter (Kinesiology)
Project Team Members – Katherine Lithgow (LT3)
– Jane Holbrook (LT3)
Student Volunteer – Rema Saati
Project Goals The project aims to:
1. Help students make connections between three courses – Biol 130, Biol 273 and Kin 105
2. Help students develop strategic learning practices
3. Help students articulate & evaluate what they have learned
4. Jointly promote student learning between two faculties to develop UW graduate skills
5. Add to the existing data on ePortfolios
Course Descriptions Biol 130 – Introductory Cell Biology
– Covers concepts & function of the cell
Biol 273 – Principles of Human Physiology 1– Examines 5 major systems in the human: Nervous, Muscular,
Cardiovascular, Respiratory & Immune
Kin 105 – Cardiovascular and Respiratory Responses to Exercise– Covers the cardiovascular, respiratory and thermoregulatory
responses to physical activity in the human
Making Connections
Biol 130How cells communicate with other cells
Biol 273Communication between cells in a system
Kin 105Effects of physical activity on organ systems
Milestones
Term Description
Summer & Fall 05
Determine artifacts students should retain from Biol 130, Biol 273 and Kin 105
Winter 06 Build online module in UW-ACE
Summer 06 Pilot ePortfolio with Biol 130 class
Fall 06-Winter 08
Follow group starting in Biol 130 (F06) through Biol 273 (W07) and Kin 105 (F07)
What to put in the ePortfolio Artifacts
– Specific assignments or reports completed in the course
One-minute summaries– Student written summary of a given topic
Self-assessment quizzes– Students complete these at the beginning of a course to
gage their knowledge of material
Others: CV, copy of Undergrad transcript