The development and assessment of an online microscopic anatomy laboratory course

Abstract

Increasing enrollment in post-secondary institutions across North America, along with an increase in popularity of and demand for distance education is pressuring institutions to offer a greater number and variety of courses online. A fully online laboratory course in microscopic anatomy (histology) which can be taught simultaneously with a face-to-face (F2F) version of the same course has been developed. This full year course was offered in the Fall/Winter (FW) terms in both F2F and online formats. To ensure that the online course was of the same quality as the F2F format, a number of performance indicators were evaluated. The same course, offered exclusively online during the summer with a compressed time frame, was also evaluated. Senior undergraduate students self-selected which version of the course they would enroll in. Course assessment outcomes were compared while incoming grades were used as a predictor for course performance. There were no significant differences between the incoming grades for the F2F FW and Online FW courses; similarly, there were no significant differences between outcomes for these formats. There were significant differences between the incoming grades of the F2F FW and Summer Online students. However, there were no significant differences among any of the outcomes for any of the formats offered. Incoming grades were strong, significant predictors of course performance for both formats. These results indicate that an online laboratory course in microscopic anatomy is an effective format for delivering histology course content, therefore giving students greater options for course selections.

Traditional Versus Online Biology Courses: Connecting Course Design and Student Learning in an Online Setting

“…Siemens adds that asynchronous communication “results in new engagement and learning patterns” (20). Many of the studies on specific courses mentioned here reported placing special attention on elements that facilitated these kinds of interactions (3, 4, 22, 9, 16, 19, 10). It is worth adding that Palloff and Pratt identify peer collaboration as a particularly valuable form of student-student interaction to include in online instruction (14) and that both collaboration and cooperation are listed in the “significant factors that frame educational experiences in online settings” in Preparing for the Digital University (20).…”

“…Barbeau and colleagues compared grades for students taking a microscopic anatomy laboratory class in either a F2F or online format at a research university (3). Online students watched a pre-lab lecture, then completed microscopic analyses online.…”

Learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional (hands-on) laboratories: A review of the empirical research

“…Of the studies reviewed herein, 11% (n ¼ 6) took place at medical schools(Barbeau, Johnson, Gibson, & Rogers, 2013;Braun & Kearns, 2008;Collier et al, 2012;Husmann, O'Loughlin, & Braun, 2009;Krippendorf & Lough, 2005;Scoville & Buskirk, 2007), and all of them provided data supporting equal or greater achievement of learning outcomes in NTL.…”

Options for Online Undergraduate Courses in Biology at American Colleges and Universities

“…Other researchers have documented additional educational benefits of online laboratory science courses, including 1) higher final course grades (Reeves and Kimbrough, 2004; Lyall and Patti, 2010); 2) deeper learning, because students are forced to work independently through issues they encounter doing laboratory activities at home (Jeschofnig and Jeschofnig, 2011); and 3) the ability to transcend time and space limitations imposed by traditional laboratories (Forinash and Wiseman, 2001). Carefully designed online laboratory courses can be effective, and instructors interested in developing an online laboratory course have many successful models to reference (e.g., Reeves and Kimbrough, 2004; Mickle and Aune, 2008; Reuter, 2009; Brown, 2011; Barbeau et al ., 2013). Thus, online laboratory courses should be considered, even for biology majors.…”