H5P as an active learning tool builds content-based critical thinking skills in Biological Sciences and student confidence in problem-based learning

Abstract

Abstract Recent studies have demonstrated that active learning or learning by doing has a more significant positive impact on learning outcomes than reading or watching videos. However the availability of free and open source tools for creating these active learning exercises has been limited by the requirement of computer programing skills. With the development of H5P technology, an open source, on-line tool (www.h5p.org), faculty and even undergraduate students can create interactive exercises that facilitate the learning process and promote formative learning. H5P is a plugin for existing publishing systems that enables the system to create interactive formative assessments, such as multiple-choice quizzes that provide feedback in real-time on responses. Using this technology I created an active learning exercise that was implemented in an undergraduate General Biology I course for Biology majors at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, in Fall 2019. In this exercise students designed interactive multiple choice questions at both low and high levels of Modified Bloom’s Taxonomy. Based on surveys of their subjective impressions, a majority (73%) of the students reported that their confidence increased in explaining course-content (n=44). Content knowledge was also assessed before and after implementing this exercise This exercise was also implemented in an undergraduate Immunology course (n=11) on the topic of the regulation of V(D)J recombination. Here, I present how to introduce and implement this exercise among undergraduate students who are Biology Majors. The outcomes from this work suggest that this platform is an effective and versatile tool for building student confidence in explaining scientific content in the biological sciences.