1. Combining Multimedia and Online Learning to Promote Active Learning in an Introductory Science Course
You can contact us at: or
Donald P. French, Professor of Zoology, Oklahoma State University
Connie Russell, Assistant Professor, Angelo State University

2. Copyright Donald P. French and Connie P
Copyright Donald P. French and Connie P. Russell, This work is the intellectual property of the authors. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the authors. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the authors.

3. Overview How People Learn
How/Why we incorporate technology into a brick-n-mortar classroom
Our systems for on-line support of a brick-n-mortar classroom
Assessment Results
What we used to build it

4. How People Learn
People are not blank slates or empty vessels to be filled
A common misconception among faculty is that students enrolled in their first course in a subject are entire ignorant of the subject and therefore a clear precise lecture on a topic will impart to them a correct understanding of the topic.

5. They don’t retain isolated information
They must organized it
Information must fit into some “conceptual framework” to be understand and retained. People take in information from their environment and place it within some organizing system in their mind. Without the organizing system, the information is lost.
But how does this organization arise?

6. Organization reflects connections
Concept
Concept
People learn by “attaching” new knowledge to what they already know. If they can make a connection they retain the information and use it. If not, it is lost. This is the underlying concept in the Theory of Constructivism.

7. So according to Theory of Constructivism
People come with prior knowledge
People must find a connection between new and old knowledge to be able to incorporate the new
Some prior knowledge may be misconceptions that must be (self)identified and changed
The tenets of this theory are as stated. Of particular importance is the issue of misconceptions. Because people are not blank slates, they come with some understanding of most topics. However their understanding of the concept may be partially or completely wrong. However just telling someone that is wrong (if and when you have identified the misunderstanding) is not effective. People must realize for themselves that they are wrong. And reconstruct their understanding so that it correctly fits the situation.

8. How should teaching accommodate learning?
Present material in context
Provide concrete, meaningful examples
Allow social interaction
Provide opportunity to assess students current conceptions/understanding
Strive to have students reach a deep understanding
While this is by no means and exhaustive list, it serves to identify some of the general teaching practices that help students construct their knowledge. By presenting information in a meaningful context it is easier for students to see the connections to what they know. It facilitates their recall of the information. By talking/working with others, students test their understandings usually in a less threatening way than is provided by the teacher alone or on tests. Giving the students time and exercises that promote a deep understanding also helps them build more detailed, “stronger” connections to other information, facilitating their retention.

9. Active Learning Classroom
Involves students in physical and mental activities that engage students with the subject
“hands-on” experiences
Social interaction
Problem solving
To accomplish this, we recommend creating an active learning classroom where students interact and are asked/expected to participate.

10. So how does this work?
We do this by presenting “Scenarios” to the students – stories or descriptions of situations that provide a context and problems to solve. In this example we take the students on a dive with a researcher who cuts her hand underwater. She notices that her blood is not red but a brownish-green! She swims to the surface, along with the greenish-brown plants she has collected and finds that at the surface both her blood and the plants are red!! The students are asked to explain both the observations and, eventually, why the plant is red and not green like others. The discussions (and topics) include – properties of light, action potentials, color vision, the vertebrate eye, natural selection, the evolutionary advantage to seeing color, the light dependent and independent of photosynthesis and more. The software is available at To try the software in action please either of us to obtain a password. To view it in action, try

11. Theory Sections - Format
Intersperse Lectures and in-class exercises
Duration:
5 Minutes
30 seconds
Longer periods
Students work in groups (35-63!)
We present materials using multimedia and work with our students in groups, interspersing lecture and discussion as need to engage students and help them solve problems and construct concepts.

12. Types of exercises Solve problem Offer Opinions Observe - Generalize
Sample test questions
Offer Opinions
Observe - Generalize
Observe and Propose Hypotheses
Design Experiment
We keep the students engaged in discussion in a variety of ways. Here you can see one of the presenters talking to a groups of students who are working on explaining a process that is illustrated in an animation on the screen.

13. What does multimedia provide students?
Multisensory context in which to introduce/apply concept
Visualization of abstract phenomena
Opportunity to make observations that can form the basis for generalizations, hypotheses
Provides a common experience for students
In our classes we use multimedia extensively. As you can see (if present, or have visited the web site) our multimedia presentations do not just simply entertain or present information. The provide the context for the interactions. The animations provide visualizations of abstract concepts and let students (working in groups) construct their understanding of the concepts thorough observation and discussion with peers while being aided, rather than lectured at, by the professor. Because most student audiences include a wide range of students, whose primary, secondary learning modalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.) and level of abstract thinking (concrete, transitional, formal/abstract) may differ our use of the software is designed to accommodate a wider range of students. We can also let students practice being scientists by observing and suggesting explanations.

14. Characteristics of Scenarios
Provide Stories or Situations
About topics to which students can relate
Present Question(s)
Connect variety of topics
Our Scenarios, which were written by a group of faculty and programmed by the presenters, provide contexts and questions. They also…

15. … do not follow any particular textbook but integrate different topics and concepts.
There are 10 scenarios:
Psychics and Scientists – Research Methods, Scope and limits of Science through classroom and faculty research
Fire and Ice – Introduces thermoregulation, Osmoregulation, gradients, Laws of thermodynamics through trip to Desert and Tundra
Out of the Rainforest –Introduces Natural Selection, Competition, Coevolution Cellular Respiration, Cell membranes, through trip to rainforest
Chemical Defenses – Nervous system, cellular structure and function, through an attempt to save a poisoned child
Marooned on the Galapagos – Genetic Drift, Evolution, Speciation. Through a crash landing on the Galapagos islands
Rainbow connection – Vertebrate vision, sensory systems, mimicry, photosynthesis through a dive
Emerging Diseases – Population biology, Immunity, antibiotic resistance, endosymbiosis through a discussion of the spread of TB among native peoples of the Amazon
Family Reunion – Mitosis, Meiosis, Mendelian and Molecular Genetics through a presentation of a family affected by cystic fibrosis and cancer
Hogs and Chickens – Nutrient cycling, energy pyramids, trophic levels, biomagnification through a discussion of the impact of hog and chicken farms in OK
Why do we care about fat – endocrine system, fat metabolism, sexual selection through a discussion of the issues related to physical appearance and health in our society.

16. Provide opportunities to apply concepts in different contexts
Evolution – pervasive throughout semester
Others applied repeatedly, e.g.
Gradients
Surface-to-volume ratio
Structure/Function
Laws of Thermodynamics
To help students develop the ability to apply concepts we present them in various contexts throughout the semester. Our intention is not just repetition, it is repeated application so that student begin to see how certain concepts can be applied to understand particular phenomena. Note how in this case we illustrate surface-to-volume ratio using pictures of birds so that students can observe and compare their shapes. We introduce the concept and its application in a discussion of thermoregulation, but then reuse the idea when we discuss osmoregulation, cell size, chloroplast and mitochondrion shape, diffusion, and other applications.

17. Integrate-Connect Information
Tundra (Biome)
Thermoregulation
Respiration
Cellular Respiration
Again, with the structure of our scenarios and the use of multimedia software, we can illustrate and examine connections at various levels of organization. Here we illustrate our discussion of thermoregulation and cellular respiration at the ecosystem-organism-organ-sub-cell levels.
from different levels

18. Software is Centerpiece
The software that we have written is the focal point of the discussions. Written in Macromedia Authorware, it incorporates photos and drawings produced using Adobe Photoshop, CorelDraw, CorelPhotoPaint, or Macromedia Fireworks, animations produced in Authorware, Flash, GIF or Director, audio, in any of the popular formats , and movies, in Quicktime, MPEG, Windows Media, or Real format. You can see the button bar and drop down menus that allow the faculty member to control the flow or action. Menus give access to web-based as well as local materials.

19. Software Design Recommendations
Minimize the use of text
Make labels available as needed
Make navigation obvious and as non-linear as possible
Use sound and special effects sparingly
Avoid embedded explanatory narration
Consider “options” to fit instructor-student needs
Over the years we have learned the following from experience. Don’t use a lot of text – students then ignore the instructor or the illustrations and animations as they scramble to copy down the words. Labels should be made to appear and disappear as needed. In Authorware we can set labels to appear when the user clicks, double-clicks, right clicks, or hovers over an object. In this way the screen is not cluttered with text and focus is maintained on the object of discussion. Navigation has to be consistent and obvious. We sometimes forget and do not indicate where a hotspot is. It also should allow the user as much flexibility as possible. Linear “presentation-style” electronic slideshows do not let the faculty member navigate to what the students request to see nor allow for easy review. We programmed the software to allow faculty to customize the flow without changing the content or materials. They can respond to what the students want while in-class.
Sound and special effects can be appealing, add humor, focus attention, evoke emotional responses. Over use dulls this. Poor choices of sounds can mislead students. Remember they relate what they sense to what they know. So a vacuum cleaner sound means “sucks up and cleans”, and might not be she sound to use, as we found out, when we were enzymatically breaking something down.
Research has shown that students are much more likely to listen to the instructor in the room with them than the narrator on a video. Avoid TV mode!
Our software has many more illustrations and effects than needed. Sometimes students need more details rather than fewer. SO keep them there and accessible, but hidden until needed.

20. Do all the students see the same connections at the same rate?
No!!
So must offer support
Based on what we have said so far, this seems pretty obvious. While students learn as we have described, they are not used to the challenge of integrating information in the classroom this way. They also need help in seeing as many connections as we “experts” do. So we help them in a variety of ways ….

21. We use websites to offer support.
Basic
Alternative Representations
Organizational Tools
Formative assessment tools
Extensions
more detailed explanations
other applications
….many of which are thorough the WWW. We provide concept maps, interactive exams, interactive tutorials, lecture outlines, tables to help students organize their ideas, and links to many other sites with additional applications or greater detail.

22. You can visit either of our websites and explore them
You can visit either of our websites and explore them. You will find in:
Communicate: Information about professors and their schedules, listserv addresses, latest news, answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and a link to WebCT for our gradebook
Guest Access - information about the course, software requirements, past presentations
Information: Syllabi, calendar, list of all the lab times and the instructors, other scheduling information
Study Materials – On-line interactive glossary, Preliminary laboratory exercises, the software we use in lecture, various interactive tutorials, general tips on study skills, note taking, test taking, and time management, a set of streaming video lectures, copies of various course handouts, Tables for keeping track of and organizing concepts
Study Guides – Synopses of the scenarios with glossary links, textbook and study guide readings, related web links, hyperlinks to other areas of site, connections to interactive materials provided by the textbook publisher, Guides to help student prepare for lab, concept maps of lectures or particular processes, a list of what students are expected to know or be able to do, Interactive versions of past tests, preview materials, which allow the students to read the extended passages that will appear on exams before the exams.
Tech Support – help with using a computer with our website, links to the university system for finding their forgotten passwords or redirecting their university mail to their personal mail.
Many of our materials require passwords – please us to request one.

23. Evaluation
We have conducted many surveys of various types to evaluate our efforts and how the students use our materials. We will present a few results from a recent survey (Fall 2002) here. The survey was offered to 916 students, approximately 800 answered each question.
Each question was posed in the form of “I liked or would like ….” with the answers on a 5 point likert-type scale of : Strongly Agree, Agree, Neither Agree nor Disagree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree.
For the purposes of presentation, we combined Strongly Agree + Agree and Disagree + Strongly Disagree and ignored: Neither Agree nor Disagree. We also converted the frequencies to percentages of those answering.

24. I liked the multimedia lecture materials because they made the class more interesting.
As in many other studies, including may of our previous surveys, students find the multimedia interesting to watch

25. I liked the multimedia lecture materials because they helped me learn the material
But unlike most, our students also think it contributes to their understanding. We have used multimedia in many previous years, but only recently, with our new format, do a large majority of students think it contributed to their understanding.

26. I used the WWW site often
Not surprisingly, the students use our website.

27. I used the class website more than my textbook to study for class.
But they also use it far more than their textbook. While we and other faculty have complained that students don’t read for years, it is only recently that we have found that they do substitute something else.

28. I used the scenario study guides to help me take notes during class.
They do not necessarily see the web as a giant printing press…..

29. I think being able to access the scenario software on the WWW is very helpful.
They seem to have more interest in use the interactive features we have provided including the scenarios, …

30. I think the interactive exams on the WWW are very helpful.

31. I think the tutorials on the WWW are very helpful.
… and interactive tutorials.

32. I think the On-Line Essential Study Partner from McGraw-Hill helped me learn.
We make the publisher’s materials available to our students in several forms. While the students find our materials valuable – which in many cases are the materials provided by the publisher integrated into our pages – they do not perceive the same material as useful when they have to search through it. While much more study is warranted, we would suggest that his be considered when faculty are preparing a web site.

33. If I could replace the lecture with an on-line (WWW) component and just attend lab I would.
It appears that many of our students would be willing to take this course on line using our web materials. However these numbers may be misleading, since many of the students are from certain professors classes. In several professors classes the numbers were 20%. What can we infer from this? Perhaps, and this is very speculative, 20% represents a reasonable estimate of the our student population willing to take on-line courses – and that would still be a substantial number (150 students/semester) for whom we should consider developing such a class. On the other hand, it is also may imply something about the professors themselves and how well they encourage participation under this system.

34. What’s behind the curtain?
So what do we use to create and disseminate our materials?

35. Server Arrangement Application Server/ Streamer Quicktime Server
Real Server
(assorted media)
zoology.okstate.edu
(HTML)
At OSU, we have a Unix-based server that provides the bulk of our materials in the form of HTML pages. We stream our videos from a Macintosh Quicktime server maintained by a faculty member in the Chemistry Department and the Computer and Information Services Real server. The choice is historical, not related to Quicktime v. Real issues.
Our Authorware is streamed from a Win2K/IIS server, which also serves as our Database (MicrosoftSQL/Coldfusion) server. We use the database server to authenticate and record student responses when using our tutorials.
Many of the multimedia materials incorporated into our websites or Authorware programs are housed externally on the publisher’s (McGraw-Hill/WCBrown) server.

36. Authoring Tools Multimedia Website Authorware Flash Quicktime
Real Producer
Sound Forge
Premiere
Fireworks
Website
DreamweaverMX
ColdFusion
MicrosoftSQL
We use a wide variety of products to create our materials. The materials were and are programmed with the help of a few graduate and undergraduate assistants. Authorware was chosen approximately 10 years ago as the primary production tool because of its cross platform compatibility, its ability to handle a wide variety of media, and its relative ease of handling complex interactive and tracking functions. Authorware was developed as a tool for CBT.

37. Thank You http://zoology.okstate.edu/zoo_lrc/biol1114/guest
Donald P. French, Ph.D.
Oklahoma State University
Connie P. Russell, Ph.D.
Angelo State University
Feel free to contact either of us for more information.