Student Attitudes toward Web-Enhanced Instruction in an Introductory Biology Course

Abstract

This study examined student attitudes toward the introduction of a Web component into a general biology course for undergraduate nonmajors at a midsized rural university. The Web component primarily allowed asynchronous learning outside the classroom and increased student-to-student interaction. Students could use the Web site to access chapter outlines, grades, critical-thinking and problem-solving questions, self-grading quizzes, and the course syllabus. It was found that the Web component had a highly positive effect on student learning, problem-solving skills, and critical-thinking skills. The effects of the Web-enhancement tool were assessed using essays, short answer and multiple choice questions, and in-class discussion. The attitude of females in the course toward Web-based learning was found to be significantly more positive than that of males. Furthermore, females in the class were found to use the Web more often than males. Student use of the Web was found to be independent of age, racelethnicity, year in school, computer experience, and learning style. The fact that there was no relationship between attitude and learning style indicated that the materials posted were suitable for all types of learners. Most students used the Web to take quizzes, post to the bulletin board, access their grades, and download chapter outlines and critical-thinking and problem-solving questions. All of these facilities allowed for asynchronous learning. The chat room was the least used Web component, possibly because it required the students to log on at specific times (synchronous learning). However, the majority of the students did access the logs of each of the chat sessions that were posted on the Web. Findings from this study suggest that instructors should use the Web for the posting of course syllabi, grades, quizzes, questions, and materials that encourage student-to-student and student-to-faculty interaction. The materials posted to the Web should address the different learning styles of the students and be diverse and interesting enough to encourage student participation.