On line lab practical: effective option for station based lab exam Ann C. Smith Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics.

On line lab practical: effective option for station based

lab examAnn C. Smith

Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics

The Course

• General Microbiology (BSCI 223)– Survey course – 250 students per lecture section– 1- 2 lecture sections per semester– Lab component

• Lab Curriculum– American Society for Microbiology guidelines– Preparation for advance Microbiology labs

The Laboratory

Fundamental/minimal requirements:

• Attain competency in techniques

• Learn vocabulary

• Understand the nature of working with organisms that are potential pathogens

Challenges

• Survey course with are large enrollment of students and 10 – 15 teaching assistants

• Some lab techniques are repeated to allow students options for review, but some are only experience one time in one lab

• During lab students see the results to their own work or their groups work but are not exposed to a wider variety of alternate scenarios

• Students do not have an option to repeat work or come back to lab to review

Goals

1. Design a mechanism for students to review lab results and extend learning of lab material.

2. Design a comprehensive lab exam that provides

• a challenge and re-enforcement of learning for the students and

• an assessment tool for the instructor

Initial Approach

1. Review • Set up stations in “Demo” lab, open at set times

• Use of bulletin board displays

• Short in-lab quizzes with Practical-style questions

2. Exam• Traditional lab practical

• Stations, timed

Problems

• Lab Prep takes significant time (with three labs taking the exam simultaneously, there is a requirement for three “set ups”.

• During the time that all 300 – 440 students pass through the lab exam displays are altered or destroyed.

• Lab practical set up (timed, stations) stressful for students

• Lab practical set up is stressful for instructors.

• Lab practical set up does not allow for variation in exam questions from section to section.

Solutions ~ technology

• Course Learning Center in WebCT– Organization– Communication– New learning opportunities that complement

lab and lecture• Use of quiz toolOn line Lab review quizzesOn line Lab exams

On line Lab Review quizzes

• Design– Data base of questions– Use of images captured from lab

Lab Review Quiz Set up

Lab Review Quizzes

• Impressions -> Goal 1(option for students to review/extend lab learning) is realized

• Positive– Options for students to review lab data/concepts– Options to extend learning through the automated feedback option– Students receive immediate feed back– Easy access for students through the online course environment– * increases student competency with technology

• Negative– Time to set up (but once the data base is established it

is easy to modify and use!)

Goal 2- the comprehensive lab exam

• On line lab practical– Offered for the first time in Fall 2001

– Two online exams per semester:

• Midterm

• Comprehensive Final

– Lab meets in computer lab for the exam days. TA’s proctor exam.

– Grading is automated in the same manner as the quizzes.

Grading

• A breeze!• The system grades the exams automatically.

Grades are held until all students have completed the exam.

• Once grades are released, students can see questions, their answers, and the automated feedback.

• In WebCT grades are automatically listed in a spreadsheet which can be downloaded to a spreadsheet program.

Impressions

+ Learning goals– Comprehensive exam in same style as review– Allow good assessment of learning

+ Versatility+ Easy to maintain and update+ Cataloging feature+ No grading+ Scores on Exams have increased• Initial set up investment is significant.

Students love the system!

• “Very helpful”

• “Keep them online”

• “Great way to study”

• “Very useful and easy to access”

• “I like the quizzes and the lab exams because of the pictures and different types of questions.”

Acknowledgements

• Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics

• College of Life Sciences

• Undergraduate Technology Apprentice Program

• Office of Information Technology

On line exams- Set up

• See the set up in WebCT

• www.courses.umd.edu

• See me for guest password