Dr. Bev Dow McHenry County College Crystal Lake, Illinois Design and Delivery of Online Biology Labs Faculty Summer Institute, 2009

Design and Delivery of Online Biology Labs

Faculty Summer Institute, 2009

DESIGN

Lab kit Same labs, same equipment Returnable kits Cost to student: $150 + deposit Staff time: replace consumables, maintain equipment Kits from supplier (e.g., www.labpaq.com; www.esciencelabs.com) Cost to student: $150-$200 No staff time required Possible issues with hazardous materials

Same labs, same equipment

Returnable kits

Cost to student: $150 + deposit

Staff time: replace consumables, maintain equipment

Kits from supplier (e.g., www.labpaq.com; www.esciencelabs.com)

Cost to student: $150-$200

No staff time required

Possible issues with hazardous materials

Lab kit Simpler labs that meet the same learning outcomes Nonreturnable kit with basic lab supplies Cost to student: $30 (same lab fee as F2F class) + grocery store consumables Staff input: assemble kits at the beginning of each semester. The central paradox of online labs: Students spend more time doing less complex activities

Simpler labs that meet the same learning outcomes

Nonreturnable kit with basic lab supplies

Cost to student: $30 (same lab fee as F2F class) + grocery store consumables

Staff input: assemble kits at the beginning of each semester.

The central paradox of online labs: Students spend more time doing less complex activities

Course Selection: Plant Science Lab materials are readily available Lab materials can be eaten Labs can be done safely at home Course content builds on life experience Content is often overlooked in Biology curricula

Lab materials are readily available

Lab materials can be eaten

Labs can be done safely at home

Course content builds on life experience

Content is often overlooked in Biology curricula

Graduated cylinders Tree Finder 6-oz cups Hand lens Beans Castor beans Corn Peas Forceps Stir rod Droppers Chromatography Paper Razor blade

Lab Design Focus on course objectives Lab skills Following directions Making solutions/serial dilutions Extractions Propagation Germination Dissection

Focus on course objectives

Lab skills

Following directions

Making solutions/serial dilutions

Extractions

Propagation

Germination

Dissection

Lab Design Focus on course objectives Cognitive skills Experimental design Observation Data collection Data analysis (averaging, graphing) Drawing conclusions

Focus on course objectives

Cognitive skills

Experimental design

Observation

Data collection

Data analysis (averaging, graphing)

Drawing conclusions

Lab Design Revise existing labs Find household substitutes for lab supplies Acid  Vinegar Base  Baking soda Nonpolar solvent  91% isopropanol Mix experimental and observational Make labs fun and relevant

Revise existing labs

Find household substitutes for lab supplies

Acid  Vinegar

Base  Baking soda

Nonpolar solvent  91% isopropanol

Mix experimental and observational

Make labs fun and relevant

Corn ( Zea mays) stem, x.s. Magnification 400X Use photographs of microscope slides

Use photographs of microscope slides

Students observe and draw structures

Watch plants grow Vegetative propagation Seed germination

Watch plants grow

Student’s photo

Graph comparing root and shoot growth from seeds in the jar

Foster collaboration Students share data on discussion boards Replicate the same experiment (transpiration rate of celery) Groups of students use different values of the variable (effect of sugar on yeast fermentation)

Students share data on discussion boards

Replicate the same experiment (transpiration rate of celery)

Groups of students use different values of the variable (effect of sugar on yeast fermentation)

Transpiration in celery: Students graph individual and class averages. Student’s photo

Effect of sugar on yeast fermentation: Four groups of students use 0 to 3 teaspoons of sugar in a “sponge” of yeast, water, and flour. Procedure adapted from Mitchell, J. K & Warden, M.A. 2001. Fun Microbiology: Making quick soft pretzels using a variety of flours. The American Biology Teacher 63 (1): 50-53. Available from ProQuest. Student’s photo

Students average each group and compare

Students make dough with the rest of the sponge and bake pretzels Student’s photo

Experimental Design Design an experiment to test the effect of paper and plastic bags on fruit ripening. Replicates Control Method for recording data (color, odor, texture)

Design an experiment to test the effect of paper and plastic bags on fruit ripening.

Replicates

Control

Method for recording data (color, odor, texture)

Student’s photo

DNA Extraction Extraction buffer of salt, baking soda, and detergent Extract DNA from chicken breast (almost always works), onion (works most of the time), and another plant tissue of the student’s choice. Procedure modified from Carlson, S. 1998. The Amateur Scientist: Spooling the Stuff of Life. Scientific American 279 (3): 96-97. Available from Academic Search Premier.

Extraction buffer of salt, baking soda, and detergent

Extract DNA from chicken breast (almost always works), onion (works most of the time), and another plant tissue of the student’s choice.

Procedure modified from Carlson, S. 1998. The Amateur Scientist: Spooling the Stuff of Life. Scientific American 279 (3): 96-97. Available from Academic Search Premier.

Student’s photo

Lab Final: Grocery Store Botany Students apply knowledge from the whole semester to identify plant parts of familiar vegetables (left) and types of fruits (not shown). Swiss chard Spinach Beets Carrots Sweet Potato Potato Garlic Onion Asparagus Cabbage Brussels Sprouts Rhubarb Bok Choy Cauliflower Leaf Leaf Root Root Tuber Tuber Bulb Bulb Stem Leaf bud Leaf bud Petiole Petiole Flower (or flower bud)

DELIVERY

Make Expectations Transparent Objectives Cognitive Manipulative Rubrics and checklists Text Graphs Drawings Photos

Objectives

Cognitive

Manipulative

Rubrics and checklists

Text

Graphs

Drawings

Photos

Lab 2: Factors Affecting Plant Cell Membrane Permeability Cognitive objectives: Observation: Make careful observations of your experiment Analysis and inference: Analyze your observations and draw conclusions about the nature of cell membranes. Manipulative objectives: Follow directions: Read carefully and follow the instructions carefully. It may be helpful to read through the whole lab well in advance of the due date so you can ask questions if you do not understand the procedure. Serial dilutions: Make a series of salt solutions by stepwise dilutions of a concentrated stock solution.

Cognitive objectives:

Observation: Make careful observations of your experiment

Analysis and inference: Analyze your observations and draw conclusions about the nature of cell membranes.

Manipulative objectives:

Follow directions: Read carefully and follow the instructions carefully. It may be helpful to read through the whole lab well in advance of the due date so you can ask questions if you do not understand the procedure.

Serial dilutions: Make a series of salt solutions by stepwise dilutions of a concentrated stock solution.

Student’s photo

Checklists

Rubrics CATEGORY Excellent Good Fair Poor Organization Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs. Related concepts are clearly linked. Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. Concepts are accurately discussed, but not clearly linked. Information is somewhat organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed and concepts are not linked. The information appears to be disorganized.

Illustrate with photos Paper chromatography of beet pigments 1. Roll leaf and cut it into thin strips 2. Mash leaf in alcohol 3. Filter extract though coffee filter.

Give examples and worksheets Example: Dilution factor = ml alcohol / total ml= 4.5 ml / 5.0 ml = 0.9 The final concentration of the diluted solution is: Original concentration x dilution factor = 0.91 (or 91%) x 0.9 = 0.82 or 82% Worksheet: ml 91% alcohol ml H 2 O Total vol. Dilution factor Final conc. 4.5 0.5 5.0 0.9 0.82 (82%) 4.0 1.0 3.5 1.5 3.0 2.0

Student’s photo

Make students accountable Photodocumentation Student photo verifying fruit dissection

Photodocumentation

Make students accountable Many low-stakes assignments 15 labs 6 unit quizzes and discussion boards 5 unit projects Assignment choices for multiple intelligences Visual (drawings, presentations) Kinesthetic (models) Verbal linguistic (creative writing)

Many low-stakes assignments

15 labs

6 unit quizzes and discussion boards

5 unit projects

Assignment choices for multiple intelligences

Visual (drawings, presentations)

Kinesthetic (models)

Verbal linguistic (creative writing)

Plagiarism Prevention: Unique products Build a model Student’s photo

Student’s photo A plant cell model made entirely of food.

Write a story instead of an essay Using information from Ch. 3, Ch. 6 and Ch. 10, write a story about Wanda Water, Ned Nitrate, and Marty Magnesium on their journey from the soil to their ultimate destinations in the plant. Your story should include symbols for apoplastic and symplastic movement, ….

Using information from Ch. 3, Ch. 6 and Ch. 10, write a story about Wanda Water, Ned Nitrate, and Marty Magnesium on their journey from the soil to their ultimate destinations in the plant. Your story should include symbols for apoplastic and symplastic movement, ….

The book says: “ Each clay particle has predominately negative electric charges on its outer surface that attract and reversibly bind cations , which are positively charged mineral ions such as potassium (K + ) and magnesium (Mg 2+ )…. In contrast, anions , which are negatively charged mineral ions, are repelled by the negative surface charges of clay particles and tend to remain in solution.”

“ Each clay particle has predominately negative electric charges on its outer surface that attract and reversibly bind cations , which are positively charged mineral ions such as potassium (K + ) and magnesium (Mg 2+ )…. In contrast, anions , which are negatively charged mineral ions, are repelled by the negative surface charges of clay particles and tend to remain in solution.”

The student writes: One fine day in the soil community, Marty Magnesium decided to hang out with his friend Ned Nitrate. He walked out from his clay house and wandered over to the nearest water source, knowing Ned liked to spend his time in the water. Marty had tried convincing Ned to live in a clay house like him, but Ned always claimed there was something about clay that repelled him.

One fine day in the soil community, Marty Magnesium decided to hang out with his friend Ned Nitrate. He walked out from his clay house and wandered over to the nearest water source, knowing Ned liked to spend his time in the water. Marty had tried convincing Ned to live in a clay house like him, but Ned always claimed there was something about clay that repelled him.

Final Reflections One thing that Plant Science has changed in me forever is before this class I kind of ignored trees while driving by, now I constantly look to see if I can identify the species. Also I tried beets for the first time because I had to buy them.

One thing that Plant Science has changed in me forever is before this class I kind of ignored trees while driving by, now I constantly look to see if I can identify the species. Also I tried beets for the first time because I had to buy them.

Final Reflections I really enjoyed the portions of the labs that required drawing or building models. For me writing and research is a challenge, I learn better when I use my hands…. This is the main thing I learned from this class. All these years I thought that I was not a school person, when really I was trying to learn and study in a way that doesn’t work for me.

I really enjoyed the portions of the labs that required drawing or building models. For me writing and research is a challenge, I learn better when I use my hands…. This is the main thing I learned from this class. All these years I thought that I was not a school person, when really I was trying to learn and study in a way that doesn’t work for me.

Thank you! Questions? Dr. Bev Dow [email_address]

Questions?

Dr. Bev Dow

[email_address]