1. Assisting Students in Making Connections Between Undergraduate Courses Vivian Dayeh vrdayeh@uwaterloo.ca Department of Biology

2. Research Challenge  The problem: –Students often perceive their courses as a series of disconnected pieces –Instructors may complain that their students do not remember material taught in a previous course  The possible solution: –Using ePortfolios (electronic portfolio) to aid students in making the connections between their courses

3. ePortfolios  Provides students with a medium to collect and organize artifacts that document their performance –Readily accessible electronic format online  Students can refer to that artifact when in a future course –Appreciate how their previous knowledge connects with a new concept introduced or enhanced in a current context

4. Research Team  Principal Investigator – Vivian Dayeh (Biology)  Co-investigators – Dragana Miskovic (Biology) – Doug Painter (Kinesiology)  Project Team Members – Katherine Lithgow (LT3) – Jane Holbrook (LT3)  Student Volunteer – Rema Saati

5. Project Goals  The project aims to: 1.Help students make connections between three courses – Biol 130, Biol 273 and Kin 105 2.Help students develop strategic learning practices 3.Help students articulate & evaluate what they have learned 4.Jointly promote student learning between two faculties to develop UW graduate skills 5.Add to the existing data on ePortfolios

6. Course Descriptions  Biol 130 – Introductory Cell Biology –Covers concepts & function of the cell  Biol 273 – Principles of Human Physiology 1 –Examines 5 major systems in the human: Nervous, Muscular, Cardiovascular, Respiratory & Immune  Kin 105 – Cardiovascular and Respiratory Responses to Exercise –Covers the cardiovascular, respiratory and thermoregulatory responses to physical activity in the human

7. Making Connections Biol 130 How cells communicate with other cells Biol 273 Communication between cells in a system Kin 105 Effects of physical activity on organ systems

8. Milestones TermDescription Summer & Fall 05 Determine artifacts students should retain from Biol 130, Biol 273 and Kin 105 Winter 06 Build online module in UW-ACE Summer 06 Pilot ePortfolio with Biol 130 class Fall 06- Winter 08 Follow group starting in Biol 130 (F06) through Biol 273 (W07) and Kin 105 (F07)

9. What to put in the ePortfolio  Artifacts –Specific assignments or reports completed in the course  One-minute summaries –Student written summary of a given topic  Self-assessment quizzes –Students complete these at the beginning of a course to gage their knowledge of material  Others: CV, copy of Undergrad transcript