The use of podcasting in higher education has escalated in recent years. The aim of this case study was to analyse undergraduate student use and perceptions of lecture audio recordings in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds. Students completed an online survey over a two-week period based on their use of lecture audio recordings in semester one of the 2011/2012 academic session (n = 131 responses). Of the podcasts available, 77% of students reported to have listened to at least 50% of recordings. The majority of students accessed podcasts using the virtual learning environment (91%) often in combination with either a media player (30%) or podcatching software (21%). Students usually listened to podcasts in private accommodation (83%) on a personal computer or laptop, with fewer listening whilst undertaking other activities e.g. walking (16%). Interestingly, 93% of respondents perceived podcasts to be important or very important to their studies, with 90% stating that concentration in lectures was improved as a result of access to podcasts. Furthermore, 73% of students indicated that the availability of podcasts did not influence lecture attendance. These data suggest that students make extensive use of lecture audio recordings, with a positive impact on study behaviour.
Natural history, defined in this context as the observation and description of the natural world, is fundamental to the broad discipline of ecology, yet is rarely integrated formally into undergrad...
Abstract Students express widespread dissatisfaction with academic feedback. Teaching staff perceive a frequent lack of student engagement with written feedback, much of which goes uncollected or unread. Published evidence shows that audio feedback is highly acceptable to students but is underused. This paper explores methods to produce and deliver audio feedback to a range of students engaged in a variety of academic tasks with the aim of maximising student engagement while working towards a framework which could increase the use of audio feedback by teaching staff.
Field courses provide excellent opportunities to engage students with their subject.Previous research has confirmed the considerable academic and pastoral benefits gained from taking students out of the classroom, especially in Biosciences and related disciplines.Here, we compare student attendance/attainment on a Level 5 Biosciences field course to South Africa to: (1) attainment on other Level 5 modules; (2) attainment at Level 6; (3) dissertation performance; and (4) grade trajectory between Level 5 and Level 6 for two successive cohorts.Students who attended the overseas field course tended to attain higher dissertation marks than non-attending peers and had a better grade trajectory, being more likely to improve their degree classification between Levels 5 and 6.We discuss possible (non-mutually-exclusive) reasons for this, including academic experience, undertaking challenging assessment at the end of Level 5 based on independent research (essentially a mini-dissertation), piquing students' enthusiasm, or simply that field trips attract students motivated to improve academic performance.Given the limited specific consideration of running field courses in unfamiliar environments (e.g.overseas) in Higher Education, we also discuss the potential additional benefits afforded by geographical novelty, considering: (1) student experience and enjoyment; and (2) student perceptions of learning.We found that, with appropriate preparation, running field courses in unfamiliar locations can add to the general benefits of fieldwork for student learning.Our findings do not support previous work suggesting that students can be disadvantaged by novelty, concluding instead that the novelty of the environment, and the new experiences thereby afforded, were positive.
At recent meetings and conferences and during online discussions I have heard it argued (yet again) that the provision of notes, PowerPoint presentations, podcasts and videos of lecture content wil...
Development of skills in bioscience undergraduates is seen as desirable by academic staff, students and employers, and this is reflected across most degree programmes. However, providing the opportunity for students to practise skills may alone be insufficient for their development. With an evident discrepancy between the skills expected of students and those exhibited, there is a clear argument for explicit teaching of skills in degree programmes. However, student engagement with such modules can be low and with large class sizes, this can be a particular challenge. We designed a module to develop a range of skills for bioscience students, from information gathering, literacy, time management, independence and teamwork, to higher levels skills such as critical and creative thinking and practise of the scientific approach. We provided a framework of lectures to introduce each component of the module, but our approach relied on small group sessions with problem-based activities and self-directed learning supported by computer-based resources. There are frequent, varied, low-stakes assessments, including peer evaluation with rapid feedback. This module builds on skills acquired by students in their first year, links to other second year modules and culminates in preparation of individual student plans for third year projects or dissertations. The module is very popular with students, and the increase in marks for student assignments (particularly the project plan), are evidence of its effectiveness.
The transition to undergraduate study is often a challenging step for students as they progress from relatively smaller school/college classes with a high degree of contact time with familiar staff to a university department where one-on-one interaction with staff members is significantly reduced. The first year tutorials module offers one of the few opportunities for students to interact with a member of academic staff in a small group setting. However, many students struggle to cope with this change in circumstances and do not adapt to university life. They may feel isolated, and rather than seek help, fail to attend tutorial sessions; particularly when attendance is not strictly monitored or enforced. Consequently, students may become disengaged and demotivated, resulting in failure of modules and poor student retention. The aim of this project was to enhance the experience of first year students, by promoting student engagement with staff and peers at the start of their undergraduate degree to increase student retention, pass rates and engagement with their degree programme. This was achieved by adding several new elements to the existing tutorial module, including introductory lectures, icebreaker and group activities, skills development sessions, student presentations, research seminars and preparation of a portfolio for skills development and reflection. In addition, attendance monitoring was used as a trigger for the identification of students that required support. These interventions resulted in an increased module pass rate and mean module mark, and fewer students scoring zero. Student feedback also suggested an overall enhancement in student engagement.
National Student Survey (NSS) results show that many students are dissatisfied with the amount and quality of feedback they get for their work. This study reports on two case studies in which we tried to address these issues by introducing audio feedback to one undergraduate (UG) and one postgraduate (PG) class, respectively. In case study one audio feedback was given to half of the UG class whereas the other half received written feedback for a low stake (10%) exam style essay. In case study two audio feedback only was given to the PG class for a purely formative assignment which formed the basis for a final, summative piece of work. In both studies, audio feedback was received favourably as students found it clear, detailed and personal. A comparison between audio and written feedback (case study one) indicated that audio feedback left students more satisfied and provided more explanatory as well as motivational comments than written feedback. Generating audio feedback proved to be significantly more time consuming (by five minutes per script) than written feedback, but was more efficient in the sense that it produced nearly 10 times as much and higher quality feedback per unit of time. However, neither form of feedback led to an increase in students' subsequent performance in a final, summative exam essay. We conclude that audio feedback is better feedback in terms of student experience but it is still unclear if audio feedback can lead to higher attainment than other forms of feedback.
I describe a novel research-led module that combines reduced academic marking loads with increased feedback to students, and allows students to reflect on and improve attainment prior to summative assessment. The module is based around eight seminar-style presentations (one per week), on which the students write 500-word ‘news & views’ style articles (short pieces highlighting new results to a scientific audience). Students receive individual written feedback (annotated electronically on the work), plus an indicative mark, on their first submitted report. For subsequent reports, only a subset is marked each week, such that each student receives feedback on two further submissions. Simultaneously, they have access to written feedback on their peers’ reports (a total of two reports per student enrolled on the module). Students are encouraged to read and apply the general and specific messages from all the feedback to their own subsequent work (using it as feed-forward). At the end of the module, students self-assess their eight submissions and select the two they believe are their best pieces to put forward for summative assessment. Combining data from three cohorts, student attainment increased throughout the module, with higher marks for the two chosen reports than for the two marked reports or their first report. Students selecting previously unmarked reports also showed a greater increase in their mark for the module than students selecting reports that had previously received a mark. Module evaluation forms revealed that the students found access to feedback on others’ work helpful in shaping their own assignments.
Students studying either animal or veterinary science at Charles Sturt University are required to be competent in recognising a range of plants that are potentially poisonous to domestic grazing animals. In 2013 these students used a newly developed application ‘Visual Learning – Agricultural Plants of the Riverina’ (VL-APR) for their poisonous plant recognition training. VL-APR has two main advantages over poisonous plant books or other computer-based applications. Firstly, an average of nine images per species is available, so a range of growth stages and variation in structure is shown. Secondly, multiple interactive quizzes and tests are available so students are actively engaged in the learning process. At the start of session the animal and veterinary science students obtained an average class mark (for recognition of 40 species) of 11.9%, with a wide range of individual student marks (0.0 to 40.0%). A class of first year agricultural science students was also tested and scored a similar ave...
Abstract An exercise is described in which second year undergraduate bioscientists write a reflective commentary on the ethical implications of a recent biological/biomedical news story of their own choosing. As well as being of more real-world relevance than writing in a traditional essay format, the commentaries also have potential utility in helping the broader community understand the issues raised by the reported innovations. By making the best examples available online, the task therefore has the additional benefit of allowing the students to be genuine producers of resources.
During a recent email exchange a previous editor of this journal used a phrase that has stuck with me over recent days. He described UK based Bioscience PedR (discipline based education research) as having ‘come of age’ a phrase that to members of my generation and culture more usually signifies the milestone of reaching the age of 21. What a coincidence then that this is the twenty-first volume of Bioscience Education.
This paper uses the reflections of a recent workshop on biology and the humanities subject areas to consider the potential for designing a first year interdisciplinary module that brings together teachers and learners in the Biosciences with their counterparts in English and History. It considers three building blocks of module design: aims and objectives; teaching and learning strategies; and assessment; and provides a commentary on the discussion of interdisciplinarity in the broader literature. The authors argue that interdisciplinary teaching and learning must be transformative, but not in the way many previous advocates of interdisciplinarity have assumed. Rather than transcending disciplines, the authors contend that the aim should be to enhance disciplinary understanding. Learners should emerge from the interdisciplinary module not having lost their identity as biologists, but having enhanced it. They should have become ‘better’ biologists in the sense of having developed a broader, critical understanding of the precepts of their discipline, as a first step to an understanding of biology inflected with a literary and historical awareness.
Systems Biology, one of the current approaches to the understanding of living things, aims to understand the behaviour of living systems through the creation of mathematical models that integrate the available knowledge of the system’s component parts and the relations among them. Accordingly, model building should play a central part in any biology degree program. One difficulty that we face when confronted with this task, however, is that the mathematical background of undergraduate students is very often deficient in essential concepts required for dynamic mathematical modelling. In this practical module, students are introduced to the basic techniques of mathematical modelling and computer simulation from a Systems Biology perspective.
Fieldwork is an important and often enjoyable part of learning in Bioscience degree courses, however it is unclear how the recent reforms to Higher Education (HE) may impact the future funding of outdoor learning. This paper reports on the findings from a recent survey of 30 HE Bioscience practitioners from across the UK. Their current level of fieldwork provision and factors affecting this provision in the future were explored. The data showed that the level of fieldwork had remained similar over the past five years and this was set to remain so over the next academic year and also into the next five years (when it may even increase). Funding of fieldwork was under review in most institutions due to the increase in student tuition fees and it was found that in some cases the cost of compulsory fieldwork will be subsumed within the overall course fee. Many influencing factors were discussed, but the most frequently raised topics were that of the development of employability skills during fieldwork and its importance in attracting and retaining students. Both topics are high on the agenda of HE institutions going forward into the new funding model, suggesting that fieldwork will remain a central part of the Bioscience curriculum.
Seven regional networking events, aimed at supporting and developing 'early stage' novice university bioscience teachers were held across the UK. These workshops allowed 230 participants to reflect on teaching styles, learn about Higher Education Academy resources and discuss strategies to deal with a range of teaching situations. Post-event feedback was sought, and the results are presented in this paper. Feedback on the events was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the need for such events to support the development of new teachers in higher education. Institutional training varies and these opportunities for sharing experiences, asking questions, networking and reflection on teaching practice were highly regarded. Most participants felt more confident about their teaching and believed that students were more directly engaged in their teaching after attending the events. Recommendations for support of this category of teacher include provision of discipline-specific events, opportunity for local area networking and support for the development of reflective practice in teaching and learning.
The validity of peer assessment as well as students experience and understanding of the process are recurrent themes in the educational literature. We studied postgraduates’ experience of summative peer assessment, in particular their perceptions of the process. Student experience was generally positive, and not affected by characteristics such as first language (English or not), area of origin (European Union versus international), previous degree (medical versus science), or current academic performance in the MSc class. Several key themes emerged and are discussed further with possible implications for both practice and future research.
Laptop computers were provided for use in three biology classes with differing formats (a second year lecture course of 100 students, a third/fourth year lecture course of 50 students, and a second year course with > 250 students, in groups of 25 during the laboratory portion of the class) to assess their impact on student learning and engagement. In lecture courses, laptop computers were used for web-based exercises to collect and analyse information while in the laboratory, these computers were used to compile student data into a single dataset for analysis. Over a three year study period, student responses were generated using surveys with a Likert response scale. In the third/fourth year lecture course, student satisfaction was the greatest; students strongly agreed that the laptop computers were enjoyable and helpful and felt that the classroom environment was very interactive. However, comparison of examination scores between years with and without laptop computer-based instruction did not show a measurable difference in student learning. In the second year lecture course, students had similar experiences but the average student responses were lower. In the laboratory course, student responses were neutral, possibly due to difficulties associated with limited time to familiarise themselves with the technology and/or variation in laboratory instructors. Student feedback indicated that technology can have a positive impact on student experience but difficulties with technical issues can counteract benefits, necessitating careful preparation and implementation of technology use.
Abstract Understanding students’ reactions to their feedback to coursework is crucial in being able to deliver feedback which motivates them and helps them to do better. This study focused on undergraduate bioscience students on a variety of degree programmes, at three UK universities, across all years. A questionnaire was completed by students when first reading their feedback, thereby accessing their initial reactions to the comments they received. Focus groups assisted in the analysis of these initial reactions and also enabled discussion on how the students felt about their feedback. Our findings suggest that, although many students value feedback irrespective of their emotional response to it, others are clearly motivated or de-motivated by specific factors within the feedback that they receive. We suggest that this initial emotional reaction is fundamental to the student’s subsequent engagement with feedback, and that feedback that immediately de-motivates a student is likely to be of very limited value to the ongoing learning process. Recommendations to improve feedback include the need to offer positive, constructive comments, meaningful annotations and comments which justify the given mark.
