Student-Centered Education in the Molecular and Life Sciences II

University of Richmond

July 20, 2011

Hal WhiteUniversity of Delaware

Active-Learning Strategies

Evolution

Structure andFunction

Information Flow

Transformation ofEnergy and Matter

Systems

5 Core Concepts 6 Core Competencies

Apply ScienceProcessQuantitativeReasoning

InterdisciplinaryNature of Science

Modeling andSimulation

Communicate and Collaborate

Science and Society

Vision and Change - Recommendations

• Integrate Core Concepts and Competencies throughout the Curriculum

•Focus on Student-Centered Learning

•Promote Campuswide Commitment to Change.

•Engage the Biology Community in the Implementation of Change.

Should be required reading for allSTEM teaching faculty

A large body of evidence shows that humans achieve greater

conceptual understanding and retain information longer when they

are actively involved—a process that enables them to construct knowledge. For a majority of

students, lecturing is not the most effective mode of instruction.

• Description & Comparison of PXnL Pedagogies

• Groups and Group Formation• Classic Articles as Problems• Concept Mapping• Assessment – IFAT Quizzes• Peer Facilitators• Q & A

Active-Learning StrategiesWorkshop Outline

The PXnL Pedagogies of Engagement:PBL, PLTL, &

POGIL

PBLProblem-Based

LearningIn PBL, students work together in small groups to solve real-world problems. PBL is an active and iterative process that engages students to identify what they know, and more importantly, what they don't know. Their motivation to solve a problem becomes their motivation to find and apply knowledge.

http://www.udel.edu/inst/why-pbl.html

PLTLPeer-Led Team

LearningPLTL is an active-learning strategy to help students interact with course material on a personal level. Carefully designed Workshops are created to accompany the lecture course. These Workshops replace traditional Teaching Assistant led recitation sessions. Each Workshop has a Peer Leader, who previously did well in the course, and a small group of 6 to 8 students. Workshops meet each week to work through a set of problems carefully designed by the professor to cover important topics discussed in lecture and the text.

http://chem.chem.rochester.edu/~workshop/

POGILProcess-Oriented

Guided Inquiry LearningPOGIL is a classroom and laboratory technique that seeks to simultaneously teach content and key process skills such as the ability to think analytically and work effectively as part of a collaborative team. Students work in small groups on specially designed guided inquiry materials that supply students with data or information followed by leading questions designed to guide them toward formulation of their own valid conclusions—essentially a recapitulation of the scientific method. The instructor serves as facilitator, observing and periodically addressing individual and classroom-wide needs.

http://www.pogil.org/about

All PXnLs are designed to:

• Promote higher-order thinking skills;

• Help students learn to reason though problems, instead of using algorithmic approaches;

• Build conceptual understanding through active engagement with the material;

• Foster growth in teamwork and collaborative problem-solving skills.

PXnLs Attempt toBreach the Perception Filter

Long-Term Memory

An “infinite”

expandable long-termstorage space

Limitedthinking-holdingspace

WorkingMemory

Space

Perception Filter

Inco

min

g In

form

atio

n

Adapted from: Johnstone (1996) J. Chem Educ. 27, 262.

Storing

Retrieving

Feedback Loop for Perception Filter

“5 ± 2”

Comparisons among PXnLs

PBL POGIL PLTL

Are lectures retained? Sometimes No Yes

Course format or supplemental

Course format Course format Supplemental

Group problem solving sessions

During normal class hours; usually, all groups in the same room

Extra sessions held outside normal class hours; each group in a separate room

Is the course grader present?

YesInstructor ± Peer Facilitators

YesInstructor

NoPeer Facilitators

Comparisons among PXnLs-2

PBL POGIL PLTLProblem types Complex, open-ended,

real world, deliberately vague

Structured by Learning Cycle: Exploration, Invention, Application

Similar to most challenging examination problems structured for group work

Duration Varies from a single class to an entire semester

One activity lasts one period; unfinished portions are homework

One session lasts 1-2 hr, with many problems per session

How are “concepts” treated?

Problems drive concept discovery on a need-to-know basis

Develop concepts through group work, reinforce w/ application

Probe and apply concepts introduced in text, lecture, and homework

In-class textbook use?

Textbook used as one of many resources

Textbook not used in class; reading done after group work

Textbook is resource for problem solving work sessions

Comparisons among PXnLs-3

PBL POGIL PLTL

Ideal group size 4 3-5 6-8

Permanent groups? Yes No Yes

Groups and Group

Formation

Problem-Solving Ability in Groups

Impossible

TrivialA B C D

Group Members

Pro

ble

m D

ifficu

ltyCan’t Solve

Might Solve

Solutionobvious

Group Potential

Problem solving is what you do when you don’t know what to do, otherwise it is not a problem. Wheatley (1984)

Forming GroupsHomogeneous vs. Heterogeneous

Your Class

“Homogeneous” Groups

“Heterogeneous” Groups

Student

Selected

InstructorSelected

What Aspects of Heterogeneity are Important

for You?

Age?

Gender?

Skills?

Academic Record?

Personality Type?

Learning Style?

Ethnici

ty?

Major?

If you know you want to form heterogeneous groups, but don’t

know critical information about your students, what can you do?

Let the students help you.

Forming Heterogeneous Groups Without Prior

Information• Never been to a workshop on active learning, add 25 -• Been to ≥ 1 POGIL, PLTL, or PBL Workshop, add 50 -

• Have tried a “PXnL” strategies in my classroom, add 75 -

• Teach with a “PXnL” pedagogy regularly, add 100 100

When you have calculated “Your Number”,

line up in numerical order.

• If you are Male, add 100 100• If you are Female, add 200 -

• I teach at a University, add 200 200• I teach at a Liberal Arts College, add 400 -• Sum the last 4 digits of your office Phone Number 19

GRAND TOTAL (Your Number) 419

Ice BreakerMeet the other members of your Group

• Make a list of four interesting things about yourself, one of which is false.

• Each group member in turn share your list with the others in your group and see if they can guess which item is false.

From Terry Platt

One of these statements about me

is false• I have never owned a cell phone.• I played center on my high school

basketball team.• I have written a book about dragonflies.• I drove a school bus to Mexico and back.

Teaching = Learning?

Introductory Science Courses Stereotype

1. Lecture format that is content-driven.

2. Abstract concepts introduced before concrete examples.

3. Enrollments typically more than 100.

4. Limited student-faculty interaction.

5. Grading based on a few multiple choice examinations that emphasize recall of information.

6. Reinforce intellectually immature students to a naïve view of knowledge.

Characteristics of Good Problems

• Engage interest

• Require decision and judgment

• Need full group participation

• Open-ended or controversial

• Connected to prior knowledge

• Incorporate content objectives

Classic Articles as PBL Problems

Advantages

• Authentic (not contrived)

• Complex

• Relevant to the Discipline

• Introduce Important Historical Figures

• Encourage use of Library and Internet

Science as Literature?

“There is no form of prose

more difficult to understand

and more tedious to read that

the average scientific paper.”

Francis Crick (1995)

Introduction to Biochemistry:

An Article-Based PBL Course

• 3 Credits, No Laboratory, 8:00 AM MWF • Theme - Hemoglobin and Sickle Cell Anemia• First Biochemistry Course for Sophomore

Biochemistry Majors• Required for the Major• Taught in a PBL Classroom• Enrollment 20 - 35• Uses Juniors and Seniors as Group Facilitators

Introduction to BiochemistryCourse Description

• Heterogeneous groups of 4 discuss and work to understand about ten classic articles.

• Articles presented in historical context, show the development of scientific understanding of protein structure and genetic disease.

• Assignments and examinations emphasize conceptual understanding.

• Instructor monitors progress, supervises tutors, presents demonstrations, and leads whole class discussions to summarize each article.

Constructing Meaning from Stokes (1864)

Experience it yourself

• What was done? Read Section 11 of the Stokes article. In the left-hand column of the work sheet, transform Stokes’ description into a multi-step protocol suitable for an undergraduate chemistry laboratory experiment.

• What was seen? In the middle column, describe what observations students would make.

• What happened chemically? In the last column, explain briefly in words the chemical basis for the observations.

• How do we represent it? On the back of the work sheet, construct a diagram (model) that represents the chemistry.

Excerpt from Stokes, Section 11

This [the decomposition of cruorine and separation of hematin] may be easily effected on a small scale by adding to the watery extract from blood-clots about an equal volume of ether, and then some glacial acetic acid, and gently mixing, but not violently shaking for fear of forming an emulsion. When enough acetic acid has been added, the acid ether rises charged with nearly the whole of the colouring matter, while the substance which caused the precipitate remains in the acid watery layer below. The acid ether solution shows in perfection the characteristic spectrum fig. 3. When most of the acid is washed out the substance falls, remaining in the ether near the common surface. If after removing the wash-water a solution, even a weak one, of ammonia or carbonate of soda be added, the

colouring matter readily dissolves in the alkali. G. G. Stokes

(1864)

Transforming Section 11 of Stokes’ Article into a Laboratory

Experiment

ProceduralStep

ExpectedObservation

ChemicalMeaning

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Decomposition of Cruorine and Extraction of Hematin

An experiment described in Section 11 of G. G. Stokes “On the Oxidation and Reduction of the Colouring Matter of the Blood.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 13, 355-364 (1864)

Question for Group Work on Midterm Examination

Prof. Essigsaure returned to his lab one night to prepare for a lecture demonstration based on the experiment presented in the second paragraph of Section 11 in Stokes’ 1864 article. Within minutes he was looking high and low for the glacial acetic acid and mumbling angrily about associates who don’t replace the things they use up. Frustrated, but undaunted, he figured any acid would do and substituted concentrated hydrochloric acid. After all, he reasoned, a stronger acid should work even better. — Not so. Sure enough the hemoglobin solution turned brown immediately upon addition of HCl but, much to his initial puzzlement, the resulting hematin did not extract into the ether layer.

Explain in chemical terms why HCl cannot be substituted for glacial acetic

acid in this experiment. Draw chemical structures and diagrams to support your argument. If you are uncertain of the explanation, please outline the possibilities you have considered or how you analyzed the problem.

Introduction to Biochemistry

Student Assignments

• Write an Abstract

• Construct a Concept Map

• Draw an Appropriate Illustration

• Critique from a Modern Perspective

• Find out about the Author

• Explore a Cited Reference

What does it mean when a student says, I understand?....

Does it mean the same thing to him or her that it does

to another student or to you?..…

How can your students demonstrate their understanding to you?

Concept Mapping

• What is a concept map?

• What are the features of a concept map?

• How do you construct a concept map?

Students Working on a Concept Map

What is a Concept Map?

A Concept Map Includes:

Nodes (terms or concepts)

Linking lines (usually with a unidirectional arrow)

Propositions

Linking phrases

needs a

Linking Phrase

Linking PhraseLinking Phrase

Linking Phrase

Linking Phrase

Linking Phrase

laptop

charge

Short Assignment

Arrange the following three terms and connect them with arrows and

linking phrases

Bacteria Pneumonia Antibiotics

BacteriaPneumonia

Antibiotics

Caused by

Treated with Kill

A Mini Concept Map

BacteriaPneumonia

Antibiotics

Caused by

Treated with

Kill

Variations on a Theme

Bacteria Pneumonia

Can cause

Trea

tmen

t forKilled by

By reversing the arrows, changing the linking words, and adding color, the focus and emphasis changes.

Antibiotics

Bacteria Pneumonia

Antibiotics

Can cause

Treatment for

Kill

Generate a concept map with a suitable title that uses the information in the following paragraphs.

In the environment, the element iodine occurs naturally as 127I, a non-radioactive (stable) isotope. Humans require iodine as a micronutrient. It accumulates in the thyroid gland where it is incorporated into thyroxine, a thyroid hormone that activates transcription of particular genes and stimulates metabolic rate. Goiters, greatly enlarged thyroid glands that were formerly observed among people living in iodine-deficient areas of the United States, have been virtually eliminated by adding small amounts of potassium iodide to table salt (iodized salt).

Significant increases in childhood thyroid cancer occurred following the 1986 Chernobyl accident due to the ingestion and inhalation of 131I, a short-lived (t½

≈ 8 days) radioisotope of iodine derived from the fission of uranium in nuclear power plants and nuclear bombs. In order to reduce the chances of getting thyroid cancer, people exposed to radioactive fallout downwind from the nuclear reactors damaged by the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami, have been given potassium iodide tablets to take daily during exposure.

Generate 10 substantive, well-articulated learning issues relating to the paragraphs.•What is the structure of thyroxine? How is it biosynthesized?•How does throxine get from the thyroid gland where it is made to the nucleus of cells where it activates genes?•What genes does thyroxine activate? Are they involved in altering the metabolic rate, or do they affect other cellular functions?•Is the formation of thyroxine the only biochemical role for iodine in the body?•Why does the thyroid gland enlarge when there is an absence of iodine in the diet? One might think it would shrink.•Are there any hazards to consuming a large amount of potassium iodide? How does the body excrete iodine?•Are there stable isotopes of iodine other than 127I?•What parts of the US are iodine-deficient? Are there areas where there is too much iodine?•What are the daily requirements for iodine for humans? Is that value different for children and adults? How does that compare to other micronutrients? What are some other micronutrients?•Do all organisms require iodine as a micronutrient?•How does uranium generate 131I in a nuclear reactor? What are the products of 131I decay? Are they also radioactive?•Are there different types of nuclear reactors? Do all nuclear reactors generate 131I?•Why are children more likely to develop thyroid cancer than adults after exposure to radioactive iodine? What are the statistics from Chernobyl that show 131I is more dangerous for children than adults?•What radioisotopes, other than 131I, are produced in a nuclear reactor accident or nuclear bomb explosion are of special concern for human health? Or, are all radioactive isotopes of concern?

Transforming Words into PicturesVisualization

Allison, A. C., (1954) Brit. Med. J. 1, 290-294 Protection Afforded by Sickle-Cell Trait Against

Subtertian Malarial Infection.

Question for group consideration and subsequent class discussion:

How might you demonstrate that people carrying one allele for sickle cell hemoglobin

have increased resistance to malaria?

Quiz Time“Assessment”

• Multiple Choice Format• Lottery Ticket Design• Immediate Feedback• Partial Credit• Tremendous Discussion Stimulator• Students Like It• Potential for Multiple Use

• http://www.epsteineducation.com/• BAMBED 33, 261-2 (2005)

Features of the IFAT Scoring Sheets

Group Quizzes with IFAT® Answer Sheets

• Scoring of an IFAT® answer sheet used by a single PBL group for four successive quizzes. Note that the position of the star indicating the correct answer varies to discourage “peeking” that may have occurred with answer 12B.

• http://www.epsteineducation.com/• BAMBED 33, 261-2 (2005)

Peer Facilitators

Common Situations Encountered in Groups

1. Student who confidently presents information that is incorrect yet goes unchallenged by other group members.

2. Student who misses class or regularly comes late to class and requires class time for the more conscientious members of the group to fill him or her in on what was missed.

3. Unprepared student who routinely comes to class but doesn’t contribute to group discussions or projects.

4. Likeable talkative student who is unaware that he (or she) frequently interrupts others and dominates discussion thereby preventing contributions by quieter members of the group.

5. Student who readily understands the material but is not particularly interested in sharing that knowledge with other group members.

6. Student who thinks problem-based learning is not a good way to learn and deliberately or unconsciously disrupts the process.

7. Quiet student who has good thoughts to contribute but never seems to get the attention of other members of the group.

8. Students whose friendship outside of class creates a subgroup that frequently breaks off from the main group in class discussion.

9. Student who, due to illness or some other legitimate reason, misses a week or more of class.

10. Group that gets along well and is satisfied with a superficial procedural understanding and doesn’t seem to be aware or interested in a deeper conceptual understanding.

11. Student who has difficulty focusing on course material and frequently ends up discussing sports, the campus social scene, or the previous night’s TV show.

12. Student who ignores or puts down group members that have a different cultural background, racial background, or physical appearance.

13. Student who doesn’t listen to or seem to understand the points made by other group members.

14. Group that can’t make progress without assistance, and show signs of frustration (and perhaps resentment) when the tutor doesn’t provide the information desired.

15. Group in which a disparity in the abilities of members makes communication of concepts difficult.

16. Student who directs all of her/his questions to the tutor (and instructor).

17. Students who do all of the necessary work but do not seem to enjoy discussing problems and related concepts with one another.

Problem Identified by Peer-Facilitator Obs

%

Maj

%

10. Satisfied with superficial understanding 90 40

16. Student directs all questions to tutor 63 6

7. Quiet student who does not contribute 62 5

4. Likeable dominant student 49 12

1. Authoritative incorrect statements unchallenged 43 7

15. Students with disparate abilities 40 7

Common Group Problems Tutors Must Confront1

1 Based on responses from 126 peer-facilitators over 11 semesters

Course Web-Sites

Introduction to Biochemistry

www.udel.edu/chem/white/CHEM342.html

Tutorial Methods of Instruction

www.udel.edu/chem/white/UNIV460-044.html

http://www.udel.edu/chem/white/CHEM342.html

Acknowledgements

• National Science Foundation

• Fund for Post-Secondary Education

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute

• Pew Charitable Trusts

Prelude to the Final Exam

Always remember that it is possible to

be a worthwhile human being regardless

(or in spite of) how much biochemistry

you know. This won't necessarily help

you with biochemistry, but it may help

you keep your sanity.Hiram F. Gilbert (1992)

Reflections and Questions