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Leaving a Trail a Breadcrumbs
Stephanie Stockwell and Amanda Biesecker JMU Department of Integrated Science and Technology Introduction to TBL Finding activities Tips on writing activities Practice writing an activity question Our research comparing TBL to traditional lecture
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The problem: 68% surveyed employers say higher education is NOT doing an adequate job of preparing 21st century graduates. “Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views On College Learning In The Wake Of The Economic Downturn” AACU 2010
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Employers call for a greater emphasis on…
Communication 89% Critical Thinking & Problem Solving 75-81% Collaboration 71% Creativity 70% Information management 68% Statistical skills 63% Community and global civic responsibility and awareness 52% “Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views On College Learning In The Wake Of The Economic Downturn” AACU 2010
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One Solution: Active Learning
Encouraged by NRC and NSF to improve science education Increases performance on cognitive measures Benefits disadvantaged or at-risk students Benefits students with learning disabilities Examples: writing, discussion, problem-solving, working in teams, creating, evaluating...
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Let’s focus on improving THESE!
One approach: team activities in Team-Based Learning
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Team-based learning: How does it compare to lecture?
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Team-based learning: What does it look like?
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Common student concerns
“I am a little bit nervous about being able to understand everything I have to teach myself.” “I don’t want to let my group down or be let down by my group.” “How will I know what’s important if you don’t tell me?”
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Preparation for class: Focused readings
Assigned reading (textbook, handout, etc.) Focus points Pre-class assignments Crossword/ simple questions Muddy points Optional extra credit homework
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The Dilemma Our situation – wanting to use active learning to improve critical thinking Our problem—finding good active learning activities that... foster higher order thinking keep students interested and on task promote teamwork and communication
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Where to find ready-made activities
Med Ed portal ( National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science ( Team-Based Learning Collaborative ( But... What if you can’t find an activity suitable for your content, course level, course format…?
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What works for us… Identify learning objective(s) Find inspiration
Assign team role and define task Rough outline (i.e. Part I/II) Write starter questions Transform questions for data analysis Edit (challenge questions)
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Theme Story Role Inspiration
Nuclear structure & exp. design Radiocarbon date the Shroud of Turin Researcher in Zurich, Houston, or Oxford Student “muddy points” Isomers Find new indications for the infamous morning sickness drug, thalidomide Drug developer Old lecture Membranes & cellular traffic Find a treatment for an antibiotic resistant “Super Bug” Doctor at RMH News article Nucleic acid & virus structure/function Develop a bacteriophage therapy for antibiotic resistant bioterrorist attack Scientist at the CDC Sept. 11th VT vs. JMU football game Cellular respiration Investigate a possible diet drug overdose Medical examiner at RMH Buffalo case study Cancer & genetics Monitor cancer biomarkers in a patient and design a personalized treatment Valerie’s doctor “Self” magazine article; student request
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Your turn… Select a theme for YOUR activity. Your story?
What role will the students play? What will their task be? Identify learning objective(s) Find inspiration Assign team role and define task
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Identify learning objective(s) Find inspiration
Assign team role and define task Rough outline (i.e. Part I/II) Write starter questions Transform questions for data analysis Edit (challenge questions)
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Theme Story Role Inspiration Nuclear structure & exp. design
Radiocarbon date the Shroud of Turin Researcher in Zurich, Houston, or Oxford Student “muddy points” Isomers Find new indications for the infamous morning sickness drug, thalidomide Drug developer Old lecture Membranes & cellular traffic Find a treatment for an antibiotic resistant “Super Bug” Doctor at RMH News article Nucleic acid & virus structure/function Develop a bacteriophage therapy for antibiotic resistant bioterrorist attack Scientist at the CDC Sept. 11th VT vs. JMU football game Cellular respiration Investigate a possible diet drug overdose Medical examiner at RMH Buffalo case study Cancer & genetics Monitor cancer biomarkers in a patient and design a personalized treatment Valerie’s doctor “Self” magazine article; student request
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“A Biological Arms Race”
Identify learning objective(s) Find inspiration Assign team role and define task Rough outline (i.e. Part I/II) The facts The inspiration DNA vs. RNA structure Ubiquity of viruses Definition of bacteriophages Pros/cons of antibiotic v. phage therapies Viral structure Structure/function of DNA, RNA, proteins, and lipids (macromolecules) Viral lifecycles Viral host range Basic bacterial phylogeny Basic mechanisms of transcription & translation Previous week: Super Bug antibiotic resistance Phage therapy as an alternative to antibiotics JMU vs. VT football game on September 11th, 2011
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Set the scene Sept. 11th, 2010 is a great day for college football—The JMU Dukes defeat their long-time rival and college football powerhouse Virginia Tech 21-16… Sad to see the weekend end, students return to their classes as usual on Monday morning. Unfortunately, the true events of the previous weekend are just beginning to unfold… On Tuesday and Wednesday approximately 50 students come to the University Health Center (UHC) complaining of fever, headache, and general malaise. These students are advised to return to their dorms/apartments to catch up on their rest and drink lots of fluids… Having an interest in infectious disease, the medical director of the UHC quickly recognizes that these students are all suffering from the pneumonic plague—a lung infection of the bacterial pathogen, Yersinia pestis, resulting from the inhalation of infectious cells… Given the natural rarity of the disease, it is likely that these outbreaks are a result of a bioterrorist attack at the previous VT-JMU football game… As the outbreak spreads throughout both campuses, health care workers are advised to prescribe antibiotics to all patients presenting any plague-like symptoms. You belong to a team of scientists in the Division of Emerging Infections and Surveillance Services (DEISS) at the CDC. Upon receiving the JMU Y. pestis samples, you get reports from both campuses that the antibiotic treatments are not working—the plague is spreading throughout student housing and patients are not improving. Both campus have seen the first of what is likely to be many casualties. This is a biological arms race and you are losing.
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Characterize the new phage.
Identify learning objective(s) Find inspiration Assign team role and define task Rough outline (i.e. Part I/II) The story Rough outline Bioterrorist attack of a VT vs. JMU football game—antibiotic resistant Yersinia pestis Student role: Team of scientists in the Division of Emerging Infections and Surveillance Services (DEISS) at the CDC Task: Develop a phage therapy to stop the epidemic Convince your boss. Isolate a YP phage. Characterize the new phage. Lytic vs. lysogenic Molecular make-up Define host range
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Starter questions Convince your boss. Part I: Isolate a YP phage.
Rough outline (i.e. Part I/II) Write starter questions Transform questions for data analysis Edit (challenge questions) Starter questions Compare/contrast antibiotic vs. phage therapies. Where might you find a YP phage? What makes a virus a virus? Structure/function of viral particles? What are the steps of a viral infection? What’s the difference between RNA and DNA? How are new viruses made? Is the host-range of a virus narrow or broad? Convince your boss. Part I: Isolate a YP phage. Part II: Characterize it. Lifecycle Molecular make-up Host range
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Effective formats Design an experiment (preferably using new techniques) Predict experimental outcomes Interpret existing data Draw conclusions from multiple pieces of data (e.g. weave new info with that from previous activities) Consider social context (e.g., ethics, environmental/economic impact) Make decisions and defend choices to other teams after simultaneous report
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Compare/contrast antibiotic vs. phage therapies
Suggestions for implementation: Specific (reasonable) choices, that need to be ranked, will help focus students. Defending choice to other groups will prompt great discussion and maximize productivity.
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Convince your boss. The facts DNA vs. RNA structure
Bloom’s level Create Evaluate Analyze Apply Understand Remember DNA vs. RNA structure Ubiquity of viruses Pros/cons of antibiotic therapies Definition of bacteriophages Viral structure Structure/function of macromolecules Viral lifecycles Viral host range Basic bacterial phylogeny Why phage therapy?
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Where might you find a YP phage?
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Which virus?
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Part I: Isolation The facts DNA vs. RNA structure Ubiquity of viruses
Bloom’s level Create Evaluate Analyze Apply Understand Remember DNA vs. RNA structure Ubiquity of viruses Pros/cons of antibiotic therapies Definition of bacteriophages Viral structure Structure/function of macromolecules Viral lifecycles Viral host range Basic bacterial phylogeny Why phage therapy? Select the source Select a virus type
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What makes a virus a virus?
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Part I: Isolate a virus The facts DNA vs. RNA structure
Bloom’s level Create Evaluate Analyze Apply Understand Remember DNA vs. RNA structure Ubiquity of viruses Pros/cons of antibiotic therapies Definition of bacteriophages Viral structure Structure/function of macromolecules Viral lifecycles Viral host range Basic bacterial phylogeny Why phage therapy? Select the source Select a virus type How could you isolate? Label
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Structure/function of viral particles?
Predict the outcome of adding something that destroys… DNA RNA Protein Lipids
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Structure of nucleic acids?
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Part II: Characterize The facts DNA vs. RNA structure
Bloom’s level Create Evaluate Analyze Apply Understand Remember DNA vs. RNA structure Ubiquity of viruses Pros/cons of antibiotic therapies Definition of bacteriophages Viral structure Structure/function of macromolecules Viral lifecycles Viral host range Basic bacterial phylogeny Outcome of degrading… Why phage therapy? Select the source Select a virus type How could you isolate? Genome analysis Label
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Mechanism of infection?
Change, and predict… Support or refute?
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Host range? Pulling from the tools/assays shown previously, design a controlled experiment to test the virus’s host range.
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Infection predictions
Part II: Characterize The facts Bloom’s level Create Evaluate Analyze Apply Understand Remember DNA vs. RNA structure Ubiquity of viruses Pros/cons of antibiotic therapies Definition of bacteriophages Viral structure Structure/function of macromolecules Viral lifecycles Viral host range Basic bacterial phylogeny Outcome of degrading… Infection predictions Host range—design exp. Genome analysis
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Step back Write starter questions
Transform questions for data analysis Edit (challenge questions) Bloom’s level Create Evaluate Analyze Apply Understand Remember Editing: Trim to the appropriate length Get the most bang for your buck Review the complexity Levels should vary Sprinkle in lower-level questions Add challenge questions Introduce simultaneous report
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Effective formats Design an experiment (preferably using new techniques) Predict experimental outcomes Interpret existing data Draw conclusions from multiple pieces of data Consider social context (e.g., ethics, environmental/economic impact) Make decisions and defend choices to other teams after simultaneous report
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Your content… Overuse of antibiotics leads to resistance in bacteria.
Design an experiment (preferably using new techniques) Predict experimental outcomes Interpret existing data Draw conclusions from multiple pieces of data Consider social context (e.g., ethics, environmental/economic impact) Make decisions and defend choices to other teams after simultaneous report
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Comparing TBL to Lecture: Mixed-Majors Introductory Biotechnology Course
Experimental Question Course Does TBL work as well as traditional lecture? Do students perform as well on tests and exams? Does their confidence increase? Will majors respond differently to TBL than non-majors? Mixed majors First course in ISAT major General Education course in life sciences 2 x 50min classroom time 100-minute lab component TBL n =46 (2 sections) Lecture n=38 (2 sections) Honors TBL n=12 (1 section)
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Comparing TBL to Lecture: Experimental Design
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Regular lecture and TBL mean student performance on iRATs and tRATs
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Regular lecture and TBL mean student performance on iRATs and tRATs
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Non-cognitive Assessment: 17 Items on Likert Scale
Mastery of Content Items I am comfortable discussing the basic biology of: …antibiotic resistance in bacteria. …production of a protein from a gene. I am confident that I can read and understand news articles about: …genetically modified organisms. …genetic testing and/or counseling
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Non-cognitive assessment: 17 Items
* denotes significantly different (p<0.005) values within pedagogical groups. ˄ denotes significantly different (p<0.05) values of pre- and post-test values between major categories within a given pedagogical grouping.
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Conclusions No differences in... Weekly test performance
Midterm/final exam performance Change in confidence Change in attitude (d.n.s.) Any measure according to gender
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… and here’s what former students have to say…
“Class was very fun-- I WANTED to go even though attendance was not required.” “I barely studied for the final. I remembered everything from class.” “This was my favorite class– I never knew what we were going to be doing.” “It was challenging, but this is the first time a science course really stuck with me.” “I studied because I don’t want to look like an idiot in front of my team!” “Are there lecture sections of this class? That must suck.” “Time goes really fast in this class. In most classes I just watch the clock.” “The alternative teaching method, while incredibly frustrating, was somewhat effective. I learned a lot more biology than I ever have before.”
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Overall, evaluation comments are positive
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