Lecture Concepts Research Articles

Concept of Hybrid-Flexible Lecture using H.323 Protocol of Remote Conference System

This paper explores the innovative concept of Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) lectures, utilizing the H.323 protocol in remote conferencing systems, a timely response to the evolving educational landscape accelerated by the global pandemic. Yamaguchi University's multi-campus model adopted H.264 codec teleconferencing systems to facilitate remote lectures and conferences. However, the onset of COVID-19 and the subsequent surge in online learning necessitated a more versatile approach. This study delves into integrating on-premises conferencing systems with cloud-based services like Webex, showcasing a novel solution that marries traditional and online teaching methods. The paper details the technological underpinnings, particularly the H.264 codec and H.323 protocol, which are essential for high-quality, efficient multimedia communication. It then illustrates the practical application of these technologies in creating a HyFlex environment, demonstrating their effectiveness through a series of feasibility tests conducted at Yamaguchi University. These tests reveal how the Hybrid-Flexible model can overcome typical challenges such as cost, technology infrastructure, and student engagement, providing an equitable learning experience for remote and in-person participants. Conclusively, the paper presents an insightful case study of adapting to change in the educational sector, offering a scalable and efficient model for universities worldwide. It underscores the potential of leveraging existing technology in restructuring to bridge the gap between traditional and digital learning, heralding a new era in education that is more inclusive, flexible, and resilient to unforeseen challenges.

Introductory concept for teaching chirality - symmetry of the asymmetric

Chirality is traditionally a problematic subject for undergraduate students at the beginning of learning organic chemistry, yet it is of great importance in life sciences. If the initial introduction of chirality is conducted carelessly, students will face ambiguity through the rest of the course and education every time they come across chirality-related subjects. Although there are numerous methods for overcoming the problems of visualization of chiral molecules in 3D space, the connection of chirality with molecular changes like vibrations and conformations is usually not explained thoroughly. In this work, chirality is introduced on dynamic (real) systems, because students from the start should perceive molecules in their natural state of constant motion and change. Apart from the proposition of the lecture concept, exercises are also included, that employ free and readily available software.

393 Impact of Concurrent Enrollment in Laboratory and Lecture Sections of an Animal Reproduction Course on students’ Final Course Percentages

Abstract As undergraduate animal science student populations shift to more diverse backgrounds, hands-on learning activities have been shown to increase engagement and are necessary for students with diverse backgrounds in animal exposure. Student feedback and engagement in the classroom suggest that students value and seek hands-on learning opportunities. The outcomes of lecture courses with concurrent enrollment in laboratory or hands-on style courses warrant evaluation. Thus, our study aimed to investigate potential impacts of concurrent enrollment in lecture and laboratory sections on final course percentages. Data were collected from students enrolled in the farm animal reproduction lecture and (or) laboratory courses in the spring semesters of 2021 and 2022 including final course percentage in lecture, college classification (sophomore, junior, senior), gender, and degree option (science or production focus). Student learning outcomes and structure of the laboratory course were designed to provide hands-on learning opportunities that coincided with concepts discussed in lecture. A total of 193 students majoring in Animal Science were included in the analysis, of which 65 were concurrently enrolled in the laboratory and lecture, and 128 were enrolled in the lecture alone. Students concurrently enrolled in laboratory and lecture had a greater (P < 0.03) final course percentage in the lecture as compared with those enrolled in lecture alone. Students in the science degree option had a greater (P < 0.01) final lecture course percentage when compared with those in the production degree option. Neither student gender nor college classification affected (P > 0.10) final lecture course percentage. At the end of the semester, students were surveyed about perceived value of the laboratory course on their learning. Among students enrolled in laboratory sections, only 1.6% indicated the hands-on activities did not improve their learning of course concepts in lecture. In 2022, 82.2% of students enrolled in lecture, but not in a laboratory section indicated they wished they had enrolled in a laboratory section, because they believe it would have improved their grade in the lecture course. These student beliefs are supported by our results which indicate that not only did taking the laboratory and lecture together improve student final course percentages, but that students valued the hands-on learning opportunities provided in laboratory sections. Benefits of hands-on learning activities warrant providing student access to these types of activities and incorporating them in lecture courses when laboratory classes are unavailable to improve student performance and experiences.

Game-based learning in dental education.

The incorporation of interactive elements using technology increases student enjoyment and classroom learning effectiveness. This study investigated the usage of an online gamification platform in the dental school environment and compared game-based learning attitudes among students in different stages of their 4-year training program. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among dental medicine students in Years: 1 (Y1), 2 (Y2), 3 (Y3), and 4 (Y4) at a US-based dental school. The 11-item survey explored student perceptions on the effects of playing the Kahoots quiz game, using the 5-point Likert scale. Responses among male and female students were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test, with responses of students in different years of dental school analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Average student age was 25 (range 20-45 years) upon starting dental school. Of 206 study participants, n=129 (63%) were males and n=74 (36%) females, n=70 (34.0%) were Y1; n=52 (25.2%), Y2; n=48 (23.3%), Y3; and n=36 (17.5%), Y4. Males tried harder to answer game questions than females (p=0.027). Compared to students in the upper 3 years, the Y1 students reported that they tried harder to win (p=0.002), the games held (p=0.002) and motivated them to pay attention (p<0.001), helped them understand (p=0.021) and to retain lecture concepts (p=0.010), and aided in the preparation for exams (p=0.010). Dental students in all stages of their 4-year training programs, especially Y1 students, reported positive perceptions of gamified learning and believed that it was helpful in identifying difficult concepts and motivating them to study.

Analysis of Students' Mastery of Basic Physics Concepts in Lectures Using E-Books

The use of teaching materials has many benefits for students, one of which is to make it easier for students to find information and assist in mastering concepts. This pre-experimental study aims to describe students' mastery of Basic Physics concepts in lectures using e-books. The subjects of this study consisted of all students taking Basic Physics courses at the Biology Education Study Program, University of Mataram, with a total of 27 students. The research was conducted in 7 meetings, starting from October 24 2022 to December 5 2022. The concepts studied consisted of: Static Fluid, Dynamic Fluid, Vibration and Waves, Temperature and Heat. Student concept mastery data was obtained from giving essay tests at the 8th meeting. The level of mastery of the concept is divided into 8 grades namely A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, D, E. Students are declared to have passed if they get grade C, with levels of mastery of concepts ranging from 65 to less than 70. The results showed that the grades the lowest is 66.2 (grade C), while the highest is 91.5 (grade A). The average value of concept mastery is 77.8 (grade B). Thus, it can be concluded that the percentage of students' concept mastery who obtain a pass grade of 100%. The use of e-books can be an alternative teaching material that can be used by lecturers and students in an all-digital era. E-book users can access anytime and anywhere

Traumatology-an interdisciplinary task: exclusively for educational purposes?

Traumatology of the head and neck region is not only apart of otorhinolaryngology, but also has alarge overlap with neighboring disciplines of the head and neck region. In Freiburg, an interdisciplinary lecture on "ENT emergencies" was implemented in the 21/22 winter semester. The aim was to provide an even more realistic view on interdisciplinary patient care and to make evident the areas of intersection of four of the major head disciplines (otorhinolaryngology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, and maxillofacial surgery). Anew, special lecture in otorhinolaryngology was implemented as part of the regular online lecture series accompanying the semester. With reference to the clinical care of ENT emergencies, possible overlaps with neighboring disciplines were identified and explained by the discipline representatives or discussed in front of and with the auditorium. At the end of the semester, all participating students (n = 173) were invited to evaluate the seminar using the survey tool "EvaSys" (EvaSys GmbH, Lüneburg, Germany). In total, 78students participated in the evaluation process. The new lecture concept was very well accepted and immediately ranked top among the interdisciplinary lecture titles within the ENT lecture series. The clear communication of the term "interdisciplinarity" in the sense of acomplementary clinical cooperation was also very successful and was appreciated accordingly by students during the evaluation process. Pragmatic presentation of ideal clinical patient care using an interdisciplinary approach is possible within the regular ENT lecture series. This realistic portrayal, beyond any technical and/or professional differences, is of great interest to students and is considered clinically relevant. Thus, interdisciplinary lectures provide avaluable tool to teach the fundamental values of clinical interdisciplinary management for the best possible patient care.

The Practical Connection

The Practical Connection

Skills-focused lab instruction improves critical thinking skills and experimentation views for all students

Instructional labs are fundamental to an undergraduate physics curriculum, but their possible learning goals are vast with limited evidence to support any particular goal. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of labs with different goals and structures on students’ critical thinking skills and views about experimentation, using an extensive database of survey responses from over 20 000 students at over 100 institutions. Here, we show that labs focused on developing experimentation skills improve students’ critical thinking skills and experimentation views compared to labs focused on reinforcing lecture concepts. We further demonstrate the positive impacts of skills-based labs over concepts-based labs on these outcomes across students’ gender and race or ethnicity. Our analysis also shows that activities to support students’ decision making and communication explain over one-half and one-third of the effect of skills-based labs on students’ critical thinking skills and experimentation views, respectively, while modeling activities have only a small effect on performance.Received 12 January 2022Accepted 14 March 2022DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010128Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Professional TopicsLower undergraduate studentsPhysics Education Research

The Symbolist Conception of Illustration and Tyra Kleen’s Nevermore

The Symbolist Conception of Illustration and Tyra Kleen’s <i>Nevermore</i>

Quantitative study showing how and why students access lecture recordings, and of the association between accessing and academic outcomes, in a biochemistry course.

Many factors predict academic performance at university but accessing lecture recordings has not been established as one. Our aims were to quantify how and why biochemistry students accessed lecture recordings and to determine any association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes. Lecture recording access data was collected and related to academic outcomes. On average, students accessed 46% of lecture recordings and each recording was accessed 2.3 times, but not to completion. After lecture delivery, students were slow to access lecture recordings, and the number of accesses was still increasing prior to the examinations. For the entire cohort, there were weak positive associations between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes for the semester, and between the access to lecture recordings in weeks 1-5 and 6-11 with the mid-semester and final examination, respectively. For programs, the weak association for the semester was only apparent for the pharmacy and biomedical science students, and not for the medical laboratory or nutrition students. The most common reason for accessing lecture recording was to "Revise lecture concepts for assessment purposes." For students, who did not attend lectures, lecture recordings were accessed predominantly as "I prefer the flexibility of online recordings." Flexibility was also the theme of the positive additional feedback on accessing lecture recordings. In conclusion, consideration needs to be given on how to persuade students to access lecture recordings in a timelier way. As accessing lecture recordings is weakly associated with positive academic outcomes for some program cohorts, this supports their continued availability.

Revamping a Classic Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Experiment to Improve Student Understanding of Chemical Analysis, Method Development, Validation, and Statistics

We have revamped a classic analytical chemistry laboratory experiment, “Determination of an Unknown Acid”, to provide students an opportunity to learn about new advances in the material sciences and their applications in analytical chemistry in an effort to reinforce the key concepts of chemical analysis. Specifically, students were given the opportunity to develop their own low-cost, low-maintenance, ease-of-use, multidimensional pH sensor with intrinsically conducting polyaniline material. The students tested their polyaniline pH sensor against the traditional glass pH electrode to determine an unknown acid concentration and performed statistical tests to validate the analytical capabilities of their electrochemical polyaniline pH sensor. Thus, the revamped laboratory experiment allows for the reinforcement of several fundamental analytical chemistry lecture concepts, including chemical analysis, method development, validation, and statistical practice utilizing a more cohesive hands-on laboratory learning approach. Furthermore, this revamped lab gives students the opportunity to evaluate and compare the analytical performance of the polyaniline pH sensor, such as its sensor lifetime against the glass pH electrode, and learn polyaniline’s electrochromic properties. This laboratory experiment can be easily disseminated to advance the objective of analytical curriculum, provide students an opportunity for multidimensional learning and well-connected critical thinking in analytical chemistry, and stimulate students’ creativity in developing next generation analytical sensor technology.

Using Gagné’s “Instructional Design” to teach clinically applicable knowledge in small groups

BackgroundAnesthesia trainees are expected to perform tasks under non-direct supervision as soon as possible in their clinical training. Often they rely on only superficial rote learning, which might lead to medical errors. We have developed a lesson plan that is based on this educational need using Gagné’s Instructional Design for the example of teaching the complex preoperative management of diabetic patients. Our aim was to use Gagne’s approach successfully for the teaching of non-procedural skills. MethodsWe implemented a comprehensive lesson plan that was developed on the example of a clinical pattern – the preoperative assessment of diabetic patients - using Gagné’s systematic nine-step model of instruction design. After the lesson, we analysed the trainees’ opinions with the use of a standardized questionnaire. ResultsNine trainees with 2.1 ± 0.8 years of anesthesia experience attended the lesson. The assessment of knowledge revealed in 82% the correct answers to the treatment options, and the residents’ overall view on the lecture concept were 4.8 ± 0.3 for lecture concept and realization and 4.7 ± 0.5 regarding motivation, participation and climate. ConclusionsApplying Gagné’s Instructional Design model guides seems to effectively guide the development of a comprehensive lesson plan to teach non-procedural skills in a small group setting.

Lecturer conceptions of and approaches to decolonisation of curricula

This report forms part of a larger project that investigated lecturer and student conceptions of decolonisation and decolonisation of curricula at subject level in a South African higher education institution. The study adopted an interpretive paradigm and an on-line questionnaire was administered to all the lecturers in a Faculty of Education in the Western Cape. A de-colonial perspective was used as a lens to interpret the data. In general, participants viewed decolonisation as a worthwhile project that can contribute to the development of a socially-just post-colonial and post-apartheid society. Consistent with the fact that knowledge is created differently in different subjects, the findings revealed varied conceptions of and approaches to the decolonisation of curricula among academics. The study concludes that decolonisation is a complex and multi-layered concept. However. if there are shared understandings of what decolonisation of curricula entails in the different disciplines, and consultative, participatory multi-disciplinary/trans-disciplinary approaches to decolonisation are adopted, significant progress will be made in achieving the goal of decolonising university curricula.

Comparable outcomes in studio vs. traditional delivery of an introductory soil science course

AbstractStudio‐style course delivery involves the integration of laboratory activities with lecture elements of the course, with the goal of increasing student learning and satisfaction through directly linking laboratory and lecture concepts while focusing on active learning. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of studio delivery of an introductory soil science class at California Polytechnic State University, we first redesigned the course to integrate appropriate technology and to align lectures with laboratory activities. We then offered multiple test sections of the course, including concurrent studio and traditional lecture/laboratory sections taught by the same instructor using the same materials and activities. Student learning was measured at the end of the course with exam questions, including sets with or without direct connection to laboratory activities. Student attitudes were evaluated with a survey. Few significant differences were found between studio and traditional sections, gender, grade point average, or major. Some students seemed to struggle with the extended time commitment for each meeting of the studio‐style section, but overall, results were very positive for both styles of delivery. Careful design and delivery of the course, including aligning lecture and laboratory materials and incorporating active‐learning strategies, resulted in a high degree of satisfaction with the course, with or without integration of the laboratory and lecture components.

Semiotic work in the science classroom

This review is on Lilian Pozzer and Wolff-Michael Roth’s “A cultural-historical perspective on the multimodal development of concepts in science lectures.” We offer some brief observations from within the paradigm of social semiotics, more specifically from our own attempts to produce multimodal accounts of learning in and beyond the classroom. We propose to treat meaning as the outcome of social action and interaction: clearly, environments and practices of learning and teaching come within that frame. We comment on the categories and implicit distinctions of verbal vs nonverbal, and the relative visibility and invisibility of meaning makers (teacher and learner) and their use of semiotic resources in accounts of learning. We highlight the agency of learners and propose a transformation of the role of “teacher” into that of “designer (of learning environments)”. We conclude by briefly speculating on the possibility of bringing the two distinct paradigms into dialogue and conjunction.

Setting Up an Undergraduate Immunology Lab: Resources and Examples.

Laboratory courses in immunology require a different skill set for their development than lecture courses. They vary widely in their form based on factors like institutional budget and class size, and also in the prioritization of learning goals centered around reinforcing lecture concepts and/or building fundamental skills in the field of immunology. Lab activities can come from a variety of sources including published research protocols, commercial kits, computer-based tools or simulations, and case studies. Each has their own strengths, which will be explored here. There are also important decisions to make about how students will report their data, and what level of guidance in interpreting data is best to enhance student learning and growth. Finally, methods like use of rubrics can help ensure fair and efficient grading, especially with skills-based learning goals. Periodic assessment is important to ensure that activities contribute effectively to student learning and to guide improvements to the lab course over time.

A cultural-historical perspective on the multimodal development of concepts in science lectures

As part of a series of investigations in which we explore the integration of verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication into a dialectical, sense-constitutive unit during science lectures, this study adapts the notions of catchments (i.e., repetitions of essential features of the gesture-speech dialectic) and growth points (i.e., moments in which ideas in the form of a gesture-speech dialectic are born) to analyze, from a multimodal communicative perspective, the articulation and development of scientific concepts in the course of several consecutive lessons dealing with the circulatory system. The presence of catchments and the identification of growth points within and across lessons allow us to understand how scientific concepts are instantiated (i.e., taught) in and during science lectures. The results of our analysis make evident the dialectical relations between the various semiotic resources that are integrated into the communicative unit, helping us elucidate teaching of scientific concepts as a process, a drama in several acts, that unfolds in time and across consecutive lectures.

Writing on the wall: How the use of technology can open dialogical spaces in lectures

This article discusses experiences using an online collaborative whiteboard to provide dialogical spaces (Wegerif, 2013) for students to reflect on their understanding of concepts in lectures in two higher-education courses: one in psychology and the other in teacher education. When describing dialogical spaces, the following terms are crucial: opening (how the dialogical space is enabled), widening (how many different voices and perspectives it allows for) and deepening (the extent of critical reflections that it provides). The research question is: ‘What kind of affordances are there in using a collaborative whiteboard to support the dimensions of opening, widening and deepening dialogical spaces in lectures?’ Audio recordings of peer discussions, material produced in lectures, focus-group interviews with students and course evaluations from teachers are used to examine the activities through the analytical lenses of opening, widening and deepening dialogical spaces. The focus is on how creative knowledge processes are stimulated through dialogue. Based on the two cases, we argue that opening dialogical spaces provides students with rich possibilities to reflect on concepts and develop arguments, thereby providing feedback on students’ understanding of course content. Students bring a range of perspectives and experiences to the scene, thereby widening such spaces. For lecturers, the critical point was to deepen the spaces and orchestrate a dialogue with students. We found the concept of a dialogical space to be fruitful for planning and assessing discussion-based activities in the context of the lecture format.

Integration of Authentic Research into an Undergraduate Laboratory Course: Design and Synthesis of a Gene Therapy Vector

Undergraduate Biology students often graduate without exposure to authentic research experiences. Laboratory courses often follow a one or two week fail‐proof experiment resembling a cookbook recipe, lacking the uncertainty of genuine research. Techniques in genetics and molecular biology cover a wide array of skills that are essential to succeed in a biotechnological laboratory today. Can we design a lab course based on the teaching of concepts while imparting the skills and applications of modern techniques to undergraduate students? In our experimental laboratory course, we focus on the implementation of genetics and molecular biology lab techniques, thus providing students with theoretical concepts and laboratory skills. We prepare students to carry‐out scientific protocols that can be applied to a future workforce setting. Students are immersed in an 11‐week series of labs with the objective to use molecular cloning to make a gene therapy vector; therapies are designed to inhibit the overexpression of oncogenes in brain tumors. Students in the laboratory are introduced to PubMed and Genbank to research the background of the target gene. Students use DNA analysis software, Serial Cloner, as an interactive tool to evaluate DNA sequences and visualize therapy design, with each student generating their own therapy vector. Students isolate and purify DNA using a plasmid purification protocol, and measure quantity and quality using a spectrophotometer. They are introduced to molecular cloning and the value of master mixes, beginning with the digestion of their DNA plasmid using restriction enzymes. Students, making their own buffers and gels, perform gel electrophoresis and subsequently cut‐out the appropriate bands. Students purify bands and clean‐up DNA with magnetic beads, preparing samples for the next step. Students perform DNA ligation with proper controls and transform ligations into DH5‐α super competent cells. To verify successful transformation, students make Luria Broth ampicillin plates and spread transformed bacteria onto plates; ligation efficiency is measured based on bacterial colony count. The students then use colony PCR and agarose gel analysis to verify successful ligations. At the end of the semester, students compile results from each step during the 11‐week lab series and integrate learning from the lecture to synthesize a comprehensive lab report. Student evaluation is based on connecting lecture concepts to laboratory experiments, including clearly stating lab objectives, writing protocols in own words, accurately recording results in notebook (in pen), labeling of figures, analysis of data, and comprehension of results. Properly recording and understanding results is more highly valued over expected results. Successful experiments carried‐out in the course are used to contribute to authentic research projects. The goal of this lab course is to integrate authentic research into the undergraduate learning experience, preparing students for graduate school and employment in a modern biotechnological lab; establishing the next generation of scientist.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Students concept mastering analysis on astronomy: Case study in physics education department Universitas PGRI Semarang

The course of astronomy as a new course in the curriculum that must be taken by physics teacher candidate at PGRI University of Semarang. Astronomy in front of students is known as part of science-based science that gives curiosity about the science of religion and technology. Mastery of Astronomy concept of teacher candidate is analysis with the aim to take a picture of mastery of concept and process of astronomy lecture which is a new course as the base of development of astronomy learning device based on KKNI. This research method is descriptive quantitative and qualitative. Technique of collecting data is done by triangulation through analysis of test result, astronomy lecture observation, and questionnaire response of physics teacher candidate. Data analysis technique is done descriptively. The results obtained that the results of the test document analysis obtained the test instrument subjects more dominant astronomy on aspects of concept understanding, no test items that measure the realm of analysis and creation. Analysis of test results obtained that the ability of the most dominant students in the realm of knowledge and the lowest ability in the realm of application. The results of observation suggest that astronomical learning is applied by lecture, discussion and assignment methods. Lecturers give lectures related to content, student discussions to discuss more in-depth Astronomy content and assignment to students to make logbook about celestial phenomena. The results of the student questionnaires give a positive response to astronomical learning that provides contextual knowledge in life.