Vision and Change states that one of the major changes in the way we design biology courses should be a switch in approach from teacher-centered learning to student-centered learning and identifies active learning as a recommended methods. Studies show performance benefits for students taking courses that use active learning. What is unknown is…

Students' achievement in Biology is often looked up as a benchmark to evaluate the mode of teaching and learning in higher education. Problem-based learning (PBL) is an approach that focuses on students' solving a problem through collaborative groups. There were eighty samples involved in this study. The samples were divided into three groups: ICT…

We describe a classroom exercise to allow students to explore foraging strategies in higher vertebrates. The exercise includes an initial interactive session in which students act as predators and are guided through foraging simulations, and a subsequent student-led session where classmates are employed as experimental subjects. Students rated the…

An artificial, and generally unhelpful, divide between lecturers and students frequently occurs in higher education, especially among recent school-leavers. Bridging that divide allows lecturers and students to develop collaboratively to the benefit of both parties. Residential field courses provide an important forum to develop more mature…

The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of models of programmed instruction and conventional (informative-illustrative) expository teaching in terms of fulfilling the aims of the course "Human anatomy and physiology" which is included in the physiology programme and designed for undergraduate students majoring in biology…

The use of technology to capture the audio and visual elements of lectures, to engage students in course concepts, and to provide feedback to assignments has become a mainstream practice in higher education through podcasting and lecture capturing mechanisms. Instructors can create short podcasts or videos to produce "nuggets" of information for…

Given the problems associated with the traditional lecture method, the constraints associated with large classes, and the effectiveness of active learning, continued development and testing of efficient student-centered learning approaches are needed. This study explores the effectiveness of team-based learning (TBL) in a large-enrollment…

This study is an experimental introduction of web-based lecture delivery into a majors-level introductory biology course. Web-based delivery, achieved through the use of prerecorded Voice-Over PowerPoint video lectures, was introduced on a limited basis to an experimental section while a control group, with the same instructor, received standard…

Examined whether students who studied together outside class did better on exams than those who studied alone, and whether pedagogical method (cooperative/active learning versus lecture) influenced students' out-of-class study behavior. Mean exam scores were generally higher for students who studied in groups, regardless of teaching style, and…

Describes how to teach a visually-oriented biology lecture and laboratory course to blind students. Using several techniques in the laboratory enabled a student to have a meaningful laboratory experience. (SAH)

The intent of this study was to assess the content structure of college biology lectures and to determine the extent to which that structure differed in lectures by a given professor and among lectures of different professors. Content structure was based on the amount of contiguity and commonality of verbal elements between pairs of discourse…

Argues that the traditional lecture format is a poor mode for learning. Outlines a simple but effective approach for eliciting student participation in an intermediate-size lecture course (50-100). (CCM)

Classes of 100 students or more are not uncommon in higher education. With such large enrollments, it can be difficult for instructors to integrate active learning components to the traditional lecture format typically adopted in such large classes. To help address this problem, Johnny El-Rady discusses his use of an electronic classroom voting…

The purpose of this study was to determine transfer of learning from an introductory to an advanced course in biology. All lecture sections in the advanced course at New York City Technical College were used for random sampling in the study. These lecture sections consisted of a mixture of students who were exposed to techniques of transfer of…

Describes a study on the performance of Internet notes and PowerPoint lecture slides in a physical geology course and compares it with the traditional lecturing method. (Contains 12 references.) (YDS)