Fink’s Integrated Course Design and Taxonomy: The Impact of Their Use in an Undergraduate Introductory Course on Bioinformatics

Abstract

The Integrated Course Design (ICD), using Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning, popularly known as ICD/SL, is a handy way to create a better learning environment for students. It is a learner-centered approach with the desired end-product, but at the same time, it upgrades the teaching by improving the instructors’ delivery mechanism. Our goal of this study was to see whether ICD/SL affects students’ class participation and academic performance in the “Introduction to Bioinformatics” course offered at the Department of Biological Science, BITS Pilani, Pilani campus, India. Three class groups were chosen for this purpose: 2019–2020 (51 students), 2020–2021 (77 students), and 2021–2022 (72 students). The control group, 2019–2020, received no ICD/SL instruction; the remaining two groups, 2020–2021 and 2021–2022, received ICD/SL instruction that included revised learning goals based on Fink’s taxonomy and new teaching and evaluation activities. A Likert scale was utilized to assess students’ academic feedback using the Kruskal–Wallis test to determine the P-value. The findings showed that the treatment groups had higher class participation and academic performance in the summative assessment of final grades. In the experimental groups, the class participation was 23 to 27% higher compared to the control group. The absenteeism rate on the course decreased from 14% in 2019–2020 to 9% in 2020–2021 and 4% in 2021–2022. Also, in the treatment groups, 83 to 90% of students were in the High to Excellent category, compared to 74% in the control group. The failure rate of the course decreased from nearly 18 to 10% in 2021–2022 and only 6% in 2020–2021. There were significant differences between the treatment and control groups in class participation and academic performance (P < 0.05). This study has shown that the use of ICD/SL has the potential to improve students’ class participation and academic performance.