Title: Extending the Use of Studsent-Designed Web Tutorials
Researcher:  Kelly C. Burke
Date: Spring, 2006


IN THE SPACE BELOW, PRESENT A STATEMENT OF YOUR PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT (APPROXIMATELY 500-1000 WORDS), INCLUDING A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SCOPE AND NATURE OF YOUR PROJECT, THE DESIGN OR OUTLINE TO BE FOLLOWED. DESCRIBE YOUR PLANNED ACTIVITIES AND TIMELINES.

This project proposal is an extension of my Spring and Fall 2005 projects. The project is designed to determine whether the use of student designed web tutorials facilitates learning of subject content and online literacy skills.  I would like to continue a 3rd semester to gather additional data and information from students; to increase the amount of success of the project (especially regarding the use of peer reviewed scientific journal articles, and to try out a tool in hopes of better assessing student content knowledge.  In science courses, we would like students to become familiar with cutting edge research and the importance of technical peer reviewed journal articles in scientific process.   In the two semesters I have tracked this project the students have the most difficulty in searching for, reviewing and using journal articles versus creating the tutorial.  Yet this is the component of the project which elevates it to the equivalent of a traditional research paper.  Students do seem to prefer this project to a traditional paper, but as stated in my previous proposals, online research relies heavily on the ability of the individual to distinguish sites that are appropriate, reliable, and accurate from sites that are not.  I think the assignment does increases content knowledge, reinforces information from the lecture and text in a format that traditional aged students are familiar with, increases the skills of students who might not be familiar with online research, and helps students develop critical assessment skills for online information.  My classroom research project will continue to concentrate on the general question, “Does the creating, exchanging, and taking of web tutorials increase content knowledge, quality of work, and online literacy skills in my Biosci 221 Microbiology classes?” 

However, in Spring of 2006 there will be three new areas of concentration to help answer these questions:

 The project will take approximately 6 weeks in the middle part of the course, during a major section on bacterial taxonomy, diagnostics, and disease.  I will be following the progress of two sections of Biosci 221; approximately 58-60 students.  At the beginning of this part of the course the students will be assigned a web tutorial project I call “Make One, Take One”.   The students will pick a topic (topics will be fairly specific to avoid repetition) to research online, will choose three appropriate websites and use Proquest to research and include 2 peer reviewed scientific journals.  The tutorials must include background information on the topic, 3 sites/2 articles, 20 questions, and a final 10 question quiz.  When these are completed they are turned in to me (with an answer key), and exchanged at random with other students who then take the tutorial—answer the question, take the quiz, and comment on the quality of the tutorial.  These completed tutorials are turned in to me for final assessment.  The tutorial is in lieu of a traditional research paper and is worth 10% of their final grade.  

Spring 2006 students will also be assessed on the content information via a short pre-, post-  project assessment.  Students will submit topics prior to completion of their tutorials.  All students will be surveyed regarding their knowledge of the topics chosen prior to and then again after completion of the project (new).

All students will be shown an example of a web tutorial (new—because this was not done during Fall 2005).  One section of Biosci 221 will receive in depth instruction in online research via a library tour and/or me, including review of appropriate sites.  The other class will not attend a tour and will receive only basic instruction/guidance.  I will survey the students regarding if/how the project increased their online literacy skills.

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF YOUR PROJECT? DESCRIBE THE RELEVANCE OF YOUR PROJECT TO STUDENT LEARNING?

  The main objective of this project is to continue the objectives of my Spring 2005 project.  I think that the objectives are relevant to student learning in the following ways:

WHAT EVALUATION METHODOLOGY WILL YOU USE TO PROVIDE PROGRESS MEASURES FOR YOUR PROJECT? INCLUDE A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR BENCHMARKS.

 The Tutorial project will be graded according a rubric.  I will measure success of the project based on a majority of the students earning a grade of “C” or higher on the project.  Content knowledge will also be assessed via section exam at the end of the project—probably on the final exam.  In addition, as part of my end of the semester survey/course evaluation I will ask students about the effectiveness of the tutorial project: Did the exercise facilitate their learning of material?  Did the exercise increase interest in the topic?  How did the fact that the tutorials are exchanged with other students effect your motivation to create a quality project?  In what ways, if any, did this project increase you skills in online research?  How difficult was it to access peer reviewed scientific journal articles?

WHAT TEACHING STRATEGIES/LEARNING CONCEPTS/PEDAGOGICAL THEORIES/TECHNOLOGY SKILLS DID YOU GAIN KNOWLEDGE OF THROUGH THE INTRIRUTE OF TEACHING AND LEARNING COURSES THAT YOU WILL APPLY TO YOUR CLASSROOM RESEARCH?

The web tutorial project was born out of the IT&L course EDU 090 Strategies in Online Teaching.  In science classes, we hope to take students on a field trip during the term.  This is very difficult in an online class.  The web tutorial was presented in EDU 090as a way for students to take a virtual field trip—to read, explore, and see images they might not see in class.  I have used this technique in my online classes and students have expressed that they enjoyed it and learned from it.  This term in my microbiology classes I decided to use this assignment because field trips are not usually taken.  I also wanted the students to learn how to access scientific journals via services like Proquest for research.  It is important that science students become familiar with the value and format of peer reviewed journals.  I did not want them to lose out on that experience by doing a strictly website based tutorial and so have added the journal article aspect.  In addition, in EDU 090 and also EDU 082 Teaching in the Community College and EDU 091 Case Studies in College Teaching a common teaching problem was addressed:  student motivation.  Designing, exchanging, and taking a peer’s tutorial is an attempt to increase interest and motivation to both learn content and to create a quality product.  I am finding that this is the case.  Students have commented that they really enjoyed doing the assignment and are excited for someone else to take their tutorial.  Most students, especially traditional aged students, are very comfortable browsing online and many already use websites for supplementing course information.  So although the idea came out of the online strategies class I decided to add it to a traditional onground course.  In EDU 082 the technique of surveying students was presented.  I have now incorporated surveys at the beginning of the class (interest survey), middle of the course, and final survey.  I will incorporate assessment of this project into the final survey. HOW MANY STUDENTS (APPROXIMATELY) WILL PARTICIPATE IN THIS RESEARCH PROJECT? 58

WHAT DO YOU (AS AN INSTRUCTOR) HOPE TO LEARN FROM YOUR RESEARCH? DESCRIBE ANY INSTRUCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OR IMPROVEMENT YOU HOPE TO GLEAN FROM THIS PROJECT.
What do you (as an instructor) hope to learn from your research? Describe any instructional development or improvement you hope to glean from this project.

I hope to develop a tool that I can use and modify for both online and on-ground classes.  I hope to develop the tool for use as an assignment and as a research project.  I think that with some additional objectives, it is also an appropriate project for HITE students. For the students, I hope to incorporate an online assignment that is more motivating and effective than a traditional assignment.  I hope to increase the student’s content knowledge, motivate them by using a tool they already use in their daily lives (web), and increase their online literacy skills.  As an instructor I hope to learn whether or not this assignment is effective because it is in lieu of a traditional paper. Though it is a fair amount of work for the student and instructor it is, hopefully, less than a traditional research paper.  Because the amount of content knowledge acquisition is high in science classes I look for techniques that will increase efficiency in learning.  So I hope to answer the following questions:  Should I continue to use the assignment?  Should I revise it?  How much instruction on online research do the students need?  Is this an effective way to efficiently increase student content knowledge?  Finally, surveying students has proven to be an effective learning tool for me.  Feedback from the students helps me assess my delivery, format, etc.  I know that the students feel empowered and engaged when they are allowed to affect what happens in the classroom, and this increases the quality of the classroom environment.  The feedback I receive increases the quality of instruction they, and subsequent students, will receive.  So in the end, I hope to develop a useful tool that increases student learning, and have student feedback that will effect positive changes in my teaching ability.