Exploring Cyberlearning in Biology Education

Exploring Cyberlearning

in Biology EducationNIMBioS Computational Biology Curriculum Tutorial

UT - KnoxvilleJuly, 2010

Teaching the Natural Sciences

Challenges we are all faced with todayExplosive growth of informationExpanding role of technologyChanges in the nature of the disciplineGrowing schism between learning and

schooling

Teaching the Natural Sciences

Challenges we are all faced with todayExplosive growth of informationExpanding role of technologyChanges in the nature of the disciplineGrowing schism between learning and

schooling

Information Overload

or Filter Failure

Clay Shirky

http://web2expo.blip.tv/file/1277460/

Teaching the Natural Sciences

Challenges we are all faced with todayExplosive growth of informationExpanding role of technologyChanges in the nature of the disciplineGrowing schism between learning and

schooling

Fall 2009 Student Survey:• 30,616 respondents• 104 colleges and universities• 12 two-year institutions• 81.7% under 25 years old• 87.4% enrolled full time

The Educause Center for Applied Research Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009.

http://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheECARStudyofUndergraduateStu/187215

Fall 2009 Student Survey:

• 98% own computers• 79% of freshman own computers less than one year old

ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009.

http://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheECARStudyofUndergraduateStu/187215

ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009.

http://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheECARStudyofUndergraduateStu/187215

Teaching the Natural Sciences

Challenges we are all faced with todayExplosive growth of informationExpanding role of technologyChanges in the nature of the disciplineGrowing schism between learning and

schooling

“In contrast to biological research, undergraduate biology education has changed relatively little during the past two decades. The ways in which most future research biologists are educated are geared to the biology of the past, rather than to the biology of the present or future.”

National Research Council (2003). Bio2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists,

Washington, DC, National Academies Press. http://www.nap.edu/books/0309085357/html/.

Our web-savvy students see their curricula as old-fashioned - “an arbitrary set of hoops to jump rather than a carefully considered set of courses.”

Undergraduate curricula “looks like Yahoo circa 1996 (i.e. knowledge organized in pre-selected categories).”

http://contexts.org/thickculture/2009/04/30/graduate-school-fail/

Teaching the Natural Sciences

Challenges we are all faced with todayExplosive growth of informationExpanding role of technologyChanges in the nature of the disciplineGrowing schism between learning and

schooling

Learning -In and Out of School

Collins & Halverson, 2009. Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schools.

Is Cyberlearning Part of the Solution?

Borgman, C. (2008), Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge. Report of the NSF Taskforce on Cyberlearning. NSF, Arlington, VA.

What is Cyberlearning?

C3 Cyberlearning is

… focused on distance education… focused on replacing labs or field experiences… focused on classroom or learning management

systems... focused on teaching about technology

… focused on integrating information and disciplinary literacy to support authentic science learning.

C3 Cyberlearning is not

Nature of science in policy documents

… undergraduates need to understand the process of science, the interdisciplinary nature of the new biology, and how science is closely integrated within society. Students also should be competent in communication and collaboration, as well as have a certain level of quantitative competency, and a basic ability to understand and interpret data. Vision and Change:

A Call to Action (2009)

Cyberlearning impacts funding opportunities:“Projects that explore cyberlearning, specifically

learning with cyberinfrastructure tools such as networked computing and communications technologies, are of special interest.”

National Science Foundation. 2010. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (TUES). 

from Learning, Working & Playing in the Digital Age by John Seely Brownhttp://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/seelybrown/seelybrown4.html

4 interrelated notions of authenticity

Materials and activities aligned with the world outside the classroom.

Assessment aligned with what students should learn from instruction.

Topics of study aligned with what learners want to know.

Methods of inquiry aligned with practices in a discipline.

from Thick authenticity: New media and authentic learning. Schaffer & Resnick (1999).

BioQUEST & 3P’sProblem PosingProblem Solving Peer Persuasion

http://undsci.berkeley.edu/

Visual Literacy and Animations

http://www.johnkyrk.com/photosynthesis.htmlhttp://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/forestbiology/photosynthesis.swf

Collecting Data from Images

Visualizing Data

http://www.swivel.com/http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/http://www.gapminder.org/

RSS Feeds: Staying Current

How do you promote cyberlearning?

Image: Panther

Kristin Jenkins Ethel Stanley

Stephen Everse John Jungck

Spring 2010C3 GroupJustin PruneskiBob Charland Hedy ChoiElia CrisucciKeith GarmireNeha GuptaAb MittalGrace NobelKelly PeriniJessica SteinerTori Wytiaz

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