Bioscience Students Research Articles

Development and evaluation of a peer‐tutoring program for graduate students*

Many interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs admit students of different educational backgrounds who receive a first year of a general curriculum education. However, student preparation for this curriculum varies, and methods are needed to provide academic support. Graduate student peer tutoring was piloted as an initiative funded by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Initiative for Minority Student Development award to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (UMDNJ-RWJMS) and is now offered to all students in the interdisciplinary Molecular Biosciences Ph.D. program between Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and UMDNJ-RWJMS. Tutoring occurs individually or in small groups and has grown over the past 5 years in the number of students tutored and hours of tutoring. The program was evaluated by surveying and interviewing both tutors and students concerning process variables (e.g. awareness, frequency) and impact variables (e.g. perceived benefits, motivators), as well as by assessing changes in exam scores for the four core courses of the first-year graduate curriculum.

Work placements enhance the academic performance of bioscience undergraduates

The UK Government's recent emphasis on the graduate workforce raises the profile of work placements within higher education. Anecdotally, the authors find that students on their optional bioscience sandwich degrees benefit academically from placement experience but there is little supportive evidence of this in the literature. To investigate rigorously the link between sandwich placement and academic performance, two cohorts of bioscience students (n = 164) were described in terms of gender (male = 0, female = 1), pre-university qualifications (HESA score), academic performance (%) for each year of degree study (first, second, and final), and mode of study (non-placement = 0, placement = 1). Multiple regression analysis yielded the following predictive equation where all terms were significant: Final % = 28. 80 + 2. 97 (gender) + 0. 14 (HESA score) + 0. 44 (Second%) + 3. 82 (mode). On average, placement students gain an advantage of nearly 4% in their final year performance. Given that the final year contributes 75% towards degree classification, over a quarter of placement students may benefit from the independent effect of mode of study by crossing a threshold into a higher degree class.

Importance of peer support and tutor involvement in entrepreneurship education for overseas Bioscience students

AbstractAn increasing number of Bioscience courses embed entrepreneurship learning outcomes within the curriculum, across a number of modules and/or within a dedicated module. The level 2, Developing People and Products module is one such example, involving students in 100 study effort hours over 7 weeks. This module was delivered to students (n=37) from Hong Kong, who were bridging to final year BSc Hons Biotechnology and BSc Hons Food Technology Management, by a blend of distance and face-to-face activities. The module was evaluated in week 7 by a student questionnaire. The Biotechnology cohort was identified as less likely (99% confidence level) to consider starting a business, which appears to relate to related career aspirations. Although 39% of the students had no business background, they prioritized “knowledge of business” as the best thing associated with the module, and agreed the module was effective in developing their understanding of venture creation. A significant correlation (99.9% confide...

Teaching Ethics to Bioscience Students — A survey of Undergraduate Provision

AbstractA survey has been carried out to investigate the provision of ethics teaching to students following Bioscience programmes at UK Universities. We report that 69% of undergraduate programmes described by respondents included an ethical component, although it may not be appropriate to extrapolate this value nationally. When ethics is taught, it is a little more likely to appear in the second year of a degree than in the third year, but with only limited use being made of the first year. In the vast majority of cases this teaching is carried out by bioscience staff from within the institution, but with the frequent involvement of staff from other Departments (e.g. Philosophy) and/or invited experts from outside the University. The majority of bioscience respondents were aware of the requirements for ethics in subject benchmark statements. A certain level of apprehension about teaching ethics was noted. Requests were made for additional teaching resources, including case studies, audio-visual material ...

An exercise to teach bioscience students about plagiarism

Plagiarism is an issue of increasing concern to educators, yet students are not always clear about the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable practice. An exercise to help bioscience students make this important distinction is described.

Comparison of soluble and immobilised enzymes

This short article was written in response to a proposed practical featured in the Spring 2002 issue of the Journal of Biological Education. Beaumont, Cotterill and Williams described a system representing a useful way by which the deleterious effects of free radical attack on enzymes can be demonstrated to undergraduate bioscience students, using β-glucosidase.

Biosciences on the Internet: a student's guide

From the Publisher: Most biological science departments run general skills courses for their first years, which include some combination of a range of topics from lab skills, writing and presentation to basic maths, statistics and IT. The IT section of these courses tend to include some internet coverage but the trend towards learning how to find, access, manage and correctly cite online resources is rapidly becoming a required necessity for every student throughout their undergraduate career. At present, there are no internet guides that specifically target this audience, despite the increasing importance placed on the use of online resources and the difficulties students encounter trying to make effective use of the information that is available. There are a lot of resources on the internet and students, especially first years, can feel swamped. As well as needing a guide, students need support to help them identify good, reliable information on the net. They also need guidance in administering the organisation of their searches and the materials that they discover on the internet. This simple guide will help bioscience students to access the information they need on the internet, and to make the most efficient and effective use of their time online.

A decline in numeracy skills among bioscienceunder graduates

This study provides evidence of a decline in basic numeracy skills among first-year bioscience undergraduate students. The results of two types of numeracy test are presented. The first, a test of conceptualised numeracy skills which forms a component of an introductory microbiology module, indicated a decline in numeracy skills between 1995 and 2000, and a significant positive correlation between students' highest mathematics qualifications and their scores for their first attempt at the test, with those possessing the highest grades at A-level attaining the highest marks. The second, a diagnostic test of basic numeracy skills revealed that bio-science students entering Stage 1 in 1999 and 2000 did not differ significantly in their ability to answer correctly the 15 questions posed, and no significant difference between males and females was apparent. However, inboth years, a high proportion of students (42 – 63%) encountered difficulties with those questions that requiredan understanding of fractions, indices, logarithms, or units of measurement. Only 6.3% of students answeredall 15 questions correctly. Once again, there was a significant positive correlation between students' scores inthe diagnostic numeracy test and their GCSE or A-level grades in Mathematics. Reasons for the perceived decline in numeracy skills and the educational implications are discussed.

Influences on choice of course made by university Year 1 bioscience students - a case study

This study, by questionnaire, of a cohort of university bioscience students, has clarified factors influencing course choice, particularly those relating to the role of schools. In-school experiences provided the earliest source of interest in science for the majority, with males developing interests earlier and ages 10-14 important for both genders. Interest and success in previous studies were the most popular reasons given as the main influence on course choice. Work experience was very influential for some. The practical nature of school science, intellectual satisfaction of studying science and quality of senior school teaching and examination results in biology and chemistry, were identified by almost all as encouraging influences. Significant gender differences were found for influences of early perception of science as difficult, study of physics at 14-16 and quality of physics teaching in the senior school. Advice from the university and attendance at an open day were influential, particularly for female students.

Design and Implementation of a Structured Course in Science Communication for Traditional Small‐Group Tutorials

SUMMARY This paper describes the replacement of traditional tutorials with a science communication course for Aquatic Bioscience students at The University of Glasgow. Our aims were: (a) to raise the standard of written and oral skills; and (b) address equity issues arising from the way in which our established tutorials were conducted. The content of each tutorial was at the discretion of individual tutors and students had criticized this arrangement because of differential experiences, workloads and outcomes. To tackle both issues, we proposed that tutors should use their tutorials to teach a common course on science communication. The type of course planned was ideally suited to teaching and learning in small groups, as the promotion of critical thinking and the development of attitudes and interpersonal skills were major considerations. Evaluation showed that students appreciated the concept of equity implicit within a common course. The emphasis on learning core skills was recognized as essential preparation for further study and future employment in a competitive market. Some tutors expressed concern at loss of ‘academic freedom’, and there were some difficulties with assessment procedures and in learning to teach in unfamiliar territory.

Analysis of Peer‐, Self‐ and Staff‐assessment in Group Project Work

Abstract Group projects were carried out by a class of 130 first‐year undergraduate students in biosciences. Seven possible sources of assessment at three stages of the projects were identified and practical considerations allowed four of these to be undertaken: peer‐assessment by the students of contributions towards (i) the practical work and (ii) towards the preparation of a scientific poster; (iii) peer assessment of poster presentations by other groups; (iv) assessment by staff of the poster presentations. These assessments provided complementary information to that obtained from more traditional methods of assessment, such as formal examinations. Peer (student)‐assessments appeared to provide more norm‐referenced assessments than corresponding staff‐assessments, although significant ‘assessor‐based’ variation was evident in both. Variations in the projects themselves also influenced the assessments made.

A High School Bio-Science Program: A proposal

This article will direct itself to a description of a proposed Summer High School Bio-Science Program. The general objectives of such a Program are two-fold: first, to help identify those high-ability secondary school students from a city's disadvantaged high schools who appear to have excellent potential for c rea t iv i ty , and second, to make each s tudent , who is accepted into the program, more aware of the many career opportunities in fields directly and indirectly associated with mental health. This latter objective would be accomplished through lectures by representatives of these careers, through field trips and by actual experience in the sciences. One would also hope tha t the High School Bio-Science Students would acquire, through their experience, such skills as lecturing to a group, conducting a group seminar discussion, and introducing lecturers. In addition, the students could learn something about the basic philosophies and techniques of research. Also, they could learn to think more scientifically, originally, critically, and creat ively , not only about their academic experiences, but also about themselves.