Peer Learning and Support of Technology in an Undergraduate Biology Course to Enhance Deep Learning |
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| Authors: | Masha Tsaushu Tali Tal Ornit Sagy Yael Kali Shimon Gepstein Dan Zilberstein |
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| Institution: | *Department of Education in Technology and Science, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel;‡Faculty of Biology, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel;†Technologies in Education Graduate Program, Department of Learning, Instruction and Teacher Education, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel |
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| Abstract: | This study offers an innovative and sustainable instructional model for an introductory undergraduate course. The model was gradually implemented during 3 yr in a research university in a large-lecture biology course that enrolled biology majors and nonmajors. It gives priority to sources not used enough to enhance active learning in higher education: technology and the students themselves. Most of the lectures were replaced with continuous individual learning and 1-mo group learning of one topic, both supported by an interactive online tutorial. Assessment included open-ended complex questions requiring higher-order thinking skills that were added to the traditional multiple-choice (MC) exam. Analysis of students’ outcomes indicates no significant difference among the three intervention versions in the MC questions of the exam, while students who took part in active-learning groups at the advanced version of the model had significantly higher scores in the more demanding open-ended questions compared with their counterparts. We believe that social-constructivist learning of one topic during 1 mo has significantly contributed to student deep learning across topics. It developed a biological discourse, which is more typical to advanced stages of learning biology, and changed the image of instructors from “knowledge transmitters” to “role model scientists.” |
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