The overarching purpose of this project is to determine relationships between the use of interactive, tactile, and dynamic learning tools and student mastery of concepts in cell biology. The learning tools are a set of models of cells and cell components that were initially created in clay using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach during funding from a previous NSF grant. These new models are now made in plastic for more wide scale testing, and four hypotheses regarding student usage and instructor classroom practices are being tested.
The intellectual merit of developing UDL cell models is recognizable at many levels. Students use the UDL models in interactive and dynamic ways to model any cell type they view in lab; the models are also tactile, providing an additional path to learning, and facilitating learning about cells for the visually impaired. As students manipulate the UDL models to create accurate examples of cell types, they progress through steps that mimic the four stages of Kolb's learning theory; this should enable better and deeper learning when using the UDL models than without. Improved learning is suggested by preliminary quantitative data on the use of the UDL models in an introductory biology class. This data is not entirely impartial, because there was no ability to control for individual teachers in the study, but it does indicate that use of the UDL models may prove beneficial in mastering concepts in cell biology.
The broader impacts of the use of UDL models are extensive. Learning about cells can be very challenging for students, and using a UDL approach to learning could make this concept more accessible for them. Use of the UDL cell models provides an interactive method for learning, lessening the likelihood that the topic will prove boring to introductory biology students and thus decreasing their chances of attrition from biology courses and careers. Although no cell model can perfectly mimic a real cell, the additional information provided by the UDL cell models could make a deeper understanding of cell concepts available to more learners. As future teachers progress through biology courses where UDL cell models are used, they may also be more likely to incorporate UDL approaches in their future teaching. The models are planned to be made in large quantities to be available for widespread classroom use.
