Ash T. Zemenick, Sarah C. Jones, A. J. Webster, Elizabeth Raymond, Kate Sandelin, Natasha Hessami, Tim Kowalczyk, Marjorie G Weber, Caroline (Lina) Lund Dahlberg
To maintain recruitment and retention, biology teachers face the challenge of finding relatable role models for their students. Our ever-increasing scientific knowledge has been facilitated by people from many different backgrounds, identities, and experiences. However, textbooks and lectures typically present researchers as one-dimensional people that live only to perform science. Highlighted scientists are also overwhelmingly members of majority and privileged backgrounds and groups. The lesson includes materials that will help students create their own slide deck of information about the research and outside interests of scientists at their own institution. The lesson also includes materials that can be used to help initiate discussions about representation and inclusion in science. The lesson introduces students to the research that is being done on their own campus as a way to humanize researchers. The lesson allows students to progress beyond being passive consumers of resources to themselves identifying relatable role models/role models from marginalized groups/backgrounds/identities. In general, the lesson helped students make personal connections to scientists at their institution, humanized scientists, that it made professors less intimidating, and increased their reported confidence in their ability to do research in the future. We provide templates, rubrics, and scaffolding materials from an undergraduate introductory course that instructors can directly implement to engage students in discovering the human side of the researchers on their own campuses and beyond.
{"title":"Diversifying and Humanizing Scientist Role Models Through Interviews and Constructing Slide Decks on Researchers’ Research and Life Experiences","authors":"Ash T. Zemenick, Sarah C. Jones, A. J. Webster, Elizabeth Raymond, Kate Sandelin, Natasha Hessami, Tim Kowalczyk, Marjorie G Weber, Caroline (Lina) Lund Dahlberg","doi":"10.24918/cs.2022.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.1","url":null,"abstract":"To maintain recruitment and retention, biology teachers face the challenge of finding relatable role models for their students. Our ever-increasing scientific knowledge has been facilitated by people from many different backgrounds, identities, and experiences. However, textbooks and lectures typically present researchers as one-dimensional people that live only to perform science. Highlighted scientists are also overwhelmingly members of majority and privileged backgrounds and groups. The lesson includes materials that will help students create their own slide deck of information about the research and outside interests of scientists at their own institution. The lesson also includes materials that can be used to help initiate discussions about representation and inclusion in science. The lesson introduces students to the research that is being done on their own campus as a way to humanize researchers. The lesson allows students to progress beyond being passive consumers of resources to themselves identifying relatable role models/role models from marginalized groups/backgrounds/identities. In general, the lesson helped students make personal connections to scientists at their institution, humanized scientists, that it made professors less intimidating, and increased their reported confidence in their ability to do research in the future. We provide templates, rubrics, and scaffolding materials from an undergraduate introductory course that instructors can directly implement to engage students in discovering the human side of the researchers on their own campuses and beyond.","PeriodicalId":72713,"journal":{"name":"CourseSource","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69329289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jessie B. Arneson, Jacob Woodbury, Jacey Anderson, Larry B. Collins, A. Cavagnetto, W. B. Davis, E. Offerdahl
At the heart of scientific ways of knowing is the systematic collection and analysis of data, which is then used to propose an explanation of how the world works. In this two-day module, students in a large-lecture course are immersed in a biological problem related to the Central Dogma and gene expression. Specifically, students interpret experimental data in small groups, and then use those data to craft a scientific argument to explain how alternative splicing of a transcription factor gene may contribute to human cancer. Prior to the module, students are assigned a reading and provided PowerPoint slides outlining the basics of alternative splicing and refreshing their understanding of gene regulation. Students complete a pre- class assignment designed to reinforce basic terminology and prepare them for interpreting scientific models. Each day of the module, students are presented experimental data or biological models which they interpret in small groups, use to vote for viable hypotheses using clickers, and ultimately leverage in a culminating summary writing task requiring them to craft a data-driven answer to the biological problem. Despite the novelty of the argumentation module, students engage in all aspects (inside and outside of the classroom) of the activity and are connected across data, hypotheses, and course concepts to explain the role of alternative splicing in gene expression and cancer.
{"title":"Splicing it together: Using primary data to explore RNA splicing and gene expression in large-lecture introductory biology","authors":"Jessie B. Arneson, Jacob Woodbury, Jacey Anderson, Larry B. Collins, A. Cavagnetto, W. B. Davis, E. Offerdahl","doi":"10.24918/cs.2022.11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.11","url":null,"abstract":"At the heart of scientific ways of knowing is the systematic collection and analysis of data, which is then used to propose an explanation of how the world works. In this two-day module, students in a large-lecture course are immersed in a biological problem related to the Central Dogma and gene expression. Specifically, students interpret experimental data in small groups, and then use those data to craft a scientific argument to explain how alternative splicing of a transcription factor gene may contribute to human cancer. Prior to the module, students are assigned a reading and provided PowerPoint slides outlining the basics of alternative splicing and refreshing their understanding of gene regulation. Students complete a pre- class assignment designed to reinforce basic terminology and prepare them for interpreting scientific models. Each day of the module, students are presented experimental data or biological models which they interpret in small groups, use to vote for viable hypotheses using clickers, and ultimately leverage in a culminating summary writing task requiring them to craft a data-driven answer to the biological problem. Despite the novelty of the argumentation module, students engage in all aspects (inside and outside of the classroom) of the activity and are connected across data, hypotheses, and course concepts to explain the role of alternative splicing in gene expression and cancer.","PeriodicalId":72713,"journal":{"name":"CourseSource","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69329304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A colleague of yours has recommended you as a reviewer for CourseSource (http://coursesource.org/), a peer-reviewed open access journal of evidence-based teaching materials for undergraduate biology education.","authors":"R. Reimbayev","doi":"10.24918/cs.2022.9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72713,"journal":{"name":"CourseSource","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69329835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Creating a hands-on lab that conveys important information while simultaneously allowing for student autonomy can be difficult. This is particularly true for the field of microbiology, in which labs often rely on “recipe-style” instructions and materials that can be difficult to scale up for larger class sizes. For these reasons, microbiology concepts are often left out of introductory biology labs, the ramifications of which have been made apparent during the recent COVID-19 virus pandemic. Fundamental microbiology concepts, e.g., the prevention of communicable diseases, are important to teach in introductory biology classrooms – often a student’s only exposure to biology in their academic careers – in order to create a healthier community as a whole. Therefore, this general biology lab introduces an active-learning microbiology lab that teaches students about the microbial world. Students are first introduced to the three major types of symbioses and apply these concepts to microbial organisms on a symbiotic continuum. Next, the students are given examples of mutualistic bacteria, i.e., the human microbiome, through a mini lecture prepared by the instructor. The students are then introduced to examples of parasitic/ pathogenic microbes that can interfere with human health and cause relatable diseases (e.g., diarrhea, STDs, and athlete’s foot). Students then apply this information through a short matching game before learning common practices used to prevent the spread of these pathogens, including an active learning exercise and video on how to wash their hands like healthcare professionals. Finally, students are asked to generate their own questions about microbes before working through a handout that guides the students in using the scientific method to address their questions. This exercise thus provides students with the autonomy to ask their own questions about microbes, design their own experiments, prepare growth media their own way, and present their findings in a way that is both scalable for large class sizes and reduces the burden of lab prep common for microbiology labs.
{"title":"Small Organisms with Big Consequences: Understanding the Microbial World Around Us","authors":"William C. Beckerson","doi":"10.24918/cs.2022.27","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.27","url":null,"abstract":"Creating a hands-on lab that conveys important information while simultaneously allowing for student autonomy can be difficult. This is particularly true for the field of microbiology, in which labs often rely on “recipe-style” instructions and materials that can be difficult to scale up for larger class sizes. For these reasons, microbiology concepts are often left out of introductory biology labs, the ramifications of which have been made apparent during the recent COVID-19 virus pandemic. Fundamental microbiology concepts, e.g., the prevention of communicable diseases, are important to teach in introductory biology classrooms – often a student’s only exposure to biology in their academic careers – in order to create a healthier community as a whole. Therefore, this general biology lab introduces an active-learning microbiology lab that teaches students about the microbial world. Students are first introduced to the three major types of symbioses and apply these concepts to microbial organisms on a symbiotic continuum. Next, the students are given examples of mutualistic bacteria, i.e., the human microbiome, through a mini lecture prepared by the instructor. The students are then introduced to examples of parasitic/ pathogenic microbes that can interfere with human health and cause relatable diseases (e.g., diarrhea, STDs, and athlete’s foot). Students then apply this information through a short matching game before learning common practices used to prevent the spread of these pathogens, including an active learning exercise and video on how to wash their hands like healthcare professionals. Finally, students are asked to generate their own questions about microbes before working through a handout that guides the students in using the scientific method to address their questions. This exercise thus provides students with the autonomy to ask their own questions about microbes, design their own experiments, prepare growth media their own way, and present their findings in a way that is both scalable for large class sizes and reduces the burden of lab prep common for microbiology labs.","PeriodicalId":72713,"journal":{"name":"CourseSource","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69329863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mechanisms that contribute to the development of cancer are numerous and complicated, though most can be traced to a set of mutations in cell cycle regulatory genes that throw the process of cell division off balance. Communication of these complex mechanisms in an engaging way often presents a challenge in a large introductory course with students from varied backgrounds and at distinct knowledge levels. We present a mixed active learning approach to facilitate student understanding of how mutation-mediated disruptions in cell cycle regulation can lead to the development of lung cancer. This lesson includes a case-based scenario, a card game about cell cycle checkpoints, mutations, and disrupted mechanisms in cancer, a problem-solving worksheet about mutations, and several electronic audience response questions interspersed throughout to monitor student progress. Through assessment of student content knowledge and perceptions, we have found this lesson to be an effective, engaging, and enjoyable way for students to learn about the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development. Mastery – p53 Mutation Worksheet; S6. Metastatic Mastery – In-class Presentation; S7. Metastatic Mastery – Pre-Post Assessment; and S8. Metastatic Mastery – Student Perceptions Survey
{"title":"Metastatic Mastery: A Case and Game-Based Approach to Learning About Cancer Mechanisms","authors":"Sayali S. Kukday, Emilyn Frohn, Alice Paige","doi":"10.24918/cs.2022.23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.23","url":null,"abstract":"Mechanisms that contribute to the development of cancer are numerous and complicated, though most can be traced to a set of mutations in cell cycle regulatory genes that throw the process of cell division off balance. Communication of these complex mechanisms in an engaging way often presents a challenge in a large introductory course with students from varied backgrounds and at distinct knowledge levels. We present a mixed active learning approach to facilitate student understanding of how mutation-mediated disruptions in cell cycle regulation can lead to the development of lung cancer. This lesson includes a case-based scenario, a card game about cell cycle checkpoints, mutations, and disrupted mechanisms in cancer, a problem-solving worksheet about mutations, and several electronic audience response questions interspersed throughout to monitor student progress. Through assessment of student content knowledge and perceptions, we have found this lesson to be an effective, engaging, and enjoyable way for students to learn about the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development. Mastery – p53 Mutation Worksheet; S6. Metastatic Mastery – In-class Presentation; S7. Metastatic Mastery – Pre-Post Assessment; and S8. Metastatic Mastery – Student Perceptions Survey","PeriodicalId":72713,"journal":{"name":"CourseSource","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69329015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
While traditional didactic coursework is important for learning about the scientific aspects of HIV/AIDS, it is difficult to convey social aspects of the epidemic. Due to effective drug therapies, an HIV diagnosis is now considered a chronic lifelong health condition if medication is taken properly and on time. Despite scientific advances, stigma and discrimination are still directed against people living with HIV/AIDS in part due to misinformation about the current state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This mock drug therapy lesson was designed to allow students to experience how easy or difficult it is to adhere to drug therapy. The goal of this experience is to enhance understanding of HIV drug therapies and highlight the challenges faced by people living with HIV. In this activity students are assigned to one of three drug regimens that have been used to treat HIV/AIDS throughout history. Over six days, students take Tic Tac ® mints or Kool-Aid ® drink mix as replacements for medication and record their adherence, taking the “medication” properly and on time. Students then complete a reflective written assignment to report adherence and discuss challenges of the activity. In the following class period on HIV drug treatments, students engage in small group and class discussion about their experiences. Adherence data from the activity is examined during class to discuss the challenges of medication adherence. This lesson increased student learning of HIV drug therapies and medication adherence while successfully highlighting some of the social aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
{"title":"Mock Drug Activity Enhances Student Learning About the Challenges of HIV/AIDS Therapy","authors":"Amy E Hulme","doi":"10.24918/cs.2022.16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.16","url":null,"abstract":"While traditional didactic coursework is important for learning about the scientific aspects of HIV/AIDS, it is difficult to convey social aspects of the epidemic. Due to effective drug therapies, an HIV diagnosis is now considered a chronic lifelong health condition if medication is taken properly and on time. Despite scientific advances, stigma and discrimination are still directed against people living with HIV/AIDS in part due to misinformation about the current state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This mock drug therapy lesson was designed to allow students to experience how easy or difficult it is to adhere to drug therapy. The goal of this experience is to enhance understanding of HIV drug therapies and highlight the challenges faced by people living with HIV. In this activity students are assigned to one of three drug regimens that have been used to treat HIV/AIDS throughout history. Over six days, students take Tic Tac ® mints or Kool-Aid ® drink mix as replacements for medication and record their adherence, taking the “medication” properly and on time. Students then complete a reflective written assignment to report adherence and discuss challenges of the activity. In the following class period on HIV drug treatments, students engage in small group and class discussion about their experiences. Adherence data from the activity is examined during class to discuss the challenges of medication adherence. This lesson increased student learning of HIV drug therapies and medication adherence while successfully highlighting some of the social aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.","PeriodicalId":72713,"journal":{"name":"CourseSource","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69329353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Kubera, Nicole M. I. Nivillac, Scott Tanner, Paul Le, D. Begde, M. Wolyniak, A. Challa
As innovations and developments in genome editing technologies using CRISPR-Cas systems progress, the need to disseminate relevant knowledge and build skills among the next generation of young scientists in undergraduate classrooms is vital. Our efforts to enable undergraduate educators to bring CRISPR into their classrooms through in-person workshop training began in 2017 and went virtual during summer of 2020 under COVID-19 lockdown. In this report, we describe the proceedings of the virtual workshop and the feedback we received from the participants. An overwhelming majority of attendees reported that the virtual workshop facilitated gains in learning about CRISPR biology and experimental design. The plans shared by attendees to incorporate both virtual and hands-on CRISPR resources into their courses highlights the impact of this virtual CRISPR in the Classroom Workshop on educator confidence, and the likelihood of attendees to add CRISPR biology to their curriculum after participating in such a workshop.
{"title":"Workshop Report: Summer 2020 Virtual CRISPR in the Classroom","authors":"C. Kubera, Nicole M. I. Nivillac, Scott Tanner, Paul Le, D. Begde, M. Wolyniak, A. Challa","doi":"10.24918/cs.2022.17","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.17","url":null,"abstract":"As innovations and developments in genome editing technologies using CRISPR-Cas systems progress, the need to disseminate relevant knowledge and build skills among the next generation of young scientists in undergraduate classrooms is vital. Our efforts to enable undergraduate educators to bring CRISPR into their classrooms through in-person workshop training began in 2017 and went virtual during summer of 2020 under COVID-19 lockdown. In this report, we describe the proceedings of the virtual workshop and the feedback we received from the participants. An overwhelming majority of attendees reported that the virtual workshop facilitated gains in learning about CRISPR biology and experimental design. The plans shared by attendees to incorporate both virtual and hands-on CRISPR resources into their courses highlights the impact of this virtual CRISPR in the Classroom Workshop on educator confidence, and the likelihood of attendees to add CRISPR biology to their curriculum after participating in such a workshop.","PeriodicalId":72713,"journal":{"name":"CourseSource","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69329356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emily M. Wollmuth, Trevor J. L. Sless, M. Airey, Ethan D. France, Emily M. Stump, Meagan A. Sundstrom, Rachel L. Wilkins, Michelle K. Smith
The five Phanerozoic mass extinctions were central in shaping biodiversity on Earth today. Due to increasing biodiversity losses, there is debate about whether we are currently undergoing a sixth mass extinction. To help students better understand these issues and explore the ongoing debate, we developed a lesson that uses active learning approaches including small-group work, poll questions, and whole-class discussion. This lesson provides an overview of major events in Earth’s history, an introduction to extinction and mass extinction, and past and present conservation efforts. Students were assessed using two short take-home assignments, in-class poll questions, and quiz questions. Here we provide detail about the lesson and summarize student performance on the assessments. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the NSF.
{"title":"Is Earth Currently Undergoing a Sixth Mass Extinction?","authors":"Emily M. Wollmuth, Trevor J. L. Sless, M. Airey, Ethan D. France, Emily M. Stump, Meagan A. Sundstrom, Rachel L. Wilkins, Michelle K. Smith","doi":"10.24918/cs.2022.19","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.19","url":null,"abstract":"The five Phanerozoic mass extinctions were central in shaping biodiversity on Earth today. Due to increasing biodiversity losses, there is debate about whether we are currently undergoing a sixth mass extinction. To help students better understand these issues and explore the ongoing debate, we developed a lesson that uses active learning approaches including small-group work, poll questions, and whole-class discussion. This lesson provides an overview of major events in Earth’s history, an introduction to extinction and mass extinction, and past and present conservation efforts. Students were assessed using two short take-home assignments, in-class poll questions, and quiz questions. Here we provide detail about the lesson and summarize student performance on the assessments. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the NSF.","PeriodicalId":72713,"journal":{"name":"CourseSource","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69329390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Derek L. Dang, Sahar Moughnyeh, Emily Stephens, Vashti Convers, Sarah J. Adkins-Jablonsky, S. Raut
Higher education in STEM undoubtedly integrates the use of technology as a primary mode for content delivery to undergraduate students. This became especially salient throughout the shift to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite Learning Management Systems (LMSs) being the primary platform for delivering online instruction and fostering peer interactions, technologies embedded in LMSs do not maximize engagement, and therefore, students may not be able to share LMS materials with peers outside of the classroom. On the other hand, podcasts, episodic audio files that present information in a spoken word format, are commonly used in engaging students beyond the classroom across a variety of social media platforms. In contrast to traditional pedagogies, podcasts allow students to reflect on content rather than recite newly acquired information. This article outlines the basics of using podcasting in the classroom including recommendations for selection of podcast topics, formation of student groups, and production of a podcast, and highlights the anticipated student benefits along with potential applications. Previous studies have correlated student podcast usage to positive affectual experiences and learning outcomes, which play a role in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics retention. Furthermore, since podcasts use audio rather than visual recordings, podcasts can thus foster inclusion by helping to avoid barriers posed by video recordings such as students’ low confidence, various invisible barriers, or being overly conscious of their appearance. We recommend utilizing podcasts as a teaching tool to empower students to reflect and actively collaborate to synthesize course content related to classroom instruction and beyond.
{"title":"A Pandemic Pivot: Podcast as an Active Engagement Tool in the Classroom and Beyond","authors":"Derek L. Dang, Sahar Moughnyeh, Emily Stephens, Vashti Convers, Sarah J. Adkins-Jablonsky, S. Raut","doi":"10.24918/cs.2022.34","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2022.34","url":null,"abstract":"Higher education in STEM undoubtedly integrates the use of technology as a primary mode for content delivery to undergraduate students. This became especially salient throughout the shift to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite Learning Management Systems (LMSs) being the primary platform for delivering online instruction and fostering peer interactions, technologies embedded in LMSs do not maximize engagement, and therefore, students may not be able to share LMS materials with peers outside of the classroom. On the other hand, podcasts, episodic audio files that present information in a spoken word format, are commonly used in engaging students beyond the classroom across a variety of social media platforms. In contrast to traditional pedagogies, podcasts allow students to reflect on content rather than recite newly acquired information. This article outlines the basics of using podcasting in the classroom including recommendations for selection of podcast topics, formation of student groups, and production of a podcast, and highlights the anticipated student benefits along with potential applications. Previous studies have correlated student podcast usage to positive affectual experiences and learning outcomes, which play a role in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics retention. Furthermore, since podcasts use audio rather than visual recordings, podcasts can thus foster inclusion by helping to avoid barriers posed by video recordings such as students’ low confidence, various invisible barriers, or being overly conscious of their appearance. We recommend utilizing podcasts as a teaching tool to empower students to reflect and actively collaborate to synthesize course content related to classroom instruction and beyond.","PeriodicalId":72713,"journal":{"name":"CourseSource","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69329480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：