This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop a series of mobile device (iPad, iPhone, Android device) Apps targeted at teaching fundamentals of cell biology to high school and college level students. The program will be designed to increase student interest and enthusiasm for science, with a resulting increase in academic achievement. Traditional lectures and textbooks are poorly suited for inquiry-based exploration of complex science concepts and thus leave students with a fragmented knowledge and little sense of the creative achievements of science, its universality, and its inherent logic and consistency. Furthermore, existing biology education computer simulations for mobile devices waste the power of the platform by using its tactile capabilities to answer multiple choice questions or select a "next" button. The proposed apps effectively utilize the tactile capabilities of mobile devices to facilitate in-depth processing of the information being presented and thus will fully utilize the power of the mobile device platform to enrich the learning experience. The apps will integrate instructive animations, truly interactive exercises that stimulate active learning, and built-in assessment tools to provide high fidelity instruction. By utilizing novel tactile learning techniques, the apps will enhance knowledge gain and move beyond traditional multimedia instruction.
The broader/commercial impact of these efforts is to help increase U.S. student interest and achievement in science, which is essential if the U.S. is to remain a global leader in the science-based innovation economy. According to the National Science Board, large majorities of 4th, 8th and 12th graders were not proficient in the knowledge and skills taught at their grade level in the U.S. in 2009. And while the average science literacy score of U.S. 15-year-olds improved slightly in 2009 from 2006, the U.S. score was lower than the score of 12 out of 33 other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations participating in the assessment. Furthermore, the U.S. had a 77% graduation rate in 2008, earning a rank of 18 out of 25 OECD countries for which graduation rate data were available. These learning deficiencies extend into college and beyond, which will impact the future of the robust U.S. life science-based industry. Additionally, an understanding of cell biology is important to the general population because familiarity with cell biology and an understanding of how advances in this field will affect health, personal and societal issues is becoming increasingly important to health literacy.
Under this Small Business Innovation Research grant, ArchieMD developed a series of mobile device apps, targeted at teaching fundamentals of cell biology to high school and college level students. The program was designed to increase student interest and enthusiasm for science, with a resulting increase in academic achievement. The apps integrate instructive animations and interactive exercises that stimulate active learning, and built-in assessment tools to provide high fidelity instruction. By utilizing tactile learning techniques, the apps were developed to enhance knowledge gain and move beyond traditional multimedia instruction. The key to the apps are high fidelity interactive exercises that engage the learner, aiding in retention of information, and may be particularly appropriate learning strategies for individuals born during the digital age. Interactive exercises have been used to teach knowledge and skills that can be taught through repetition. Each app included informative visualizations and interactive exercises for reinforcement learning. These in-depth apps incorporated state-of-the-art visual technology that enables the audience to view the cells internally and externally via a computer-generated simulation. Each app consists of multiple learning modes. Audio, text, and animations provided instructional materials. Interactives were designed to take advantage of the three different types of touches the mobile devices recognizes: taps, moves and gestures. Key concepts were reinforced with interactive exercises. To demonstrate long-term retention, we recognized it is not enough to provide information to the student; the student must also have opportunities to rehearse and thus build understanding and a more positive attitude. Furthermore, the learner must also be motivated to learn, such that motivational elements must be designed in the system. Two studies were conducted - first, a usability session with a small group of 9th-11th grade students; second, randomized control trials with a larger group of 9th-11th grade students. Overall feedback from the students in the usability session was positive. Students thought the graphics looked realistic and the program’s method of delivery would reach many tech-savvy, 21st Century students. The pictures helped explain the content of the program and visually showed students individual aspects within the animal cell. Students also appeared to be extremely focused and engaged with the program. They liked that the program was not in textbook or paragraph form and they could watch and listen to explanations without losing their attention. For the randomized control trials, students were randomly assigned to either the "treatment" (app) or "control" (textbook) groups with the same teacher. Students in the treatment and control conditions completed the same learning assessment and student engagement questionnaires. Individual item results indicate students in the treatment group found the program to be easier to understand and less challenging then the textbook condition. Treatment students also agreed that they learned a lot from the program compared to the control group. Students in the treatment group found the science content in the program to be more interesting than those students in the control group using the textbook to learn the same cell biology content. ArchieMD’s learning program proved to be a successfully designed program that engaged students and provided some evidence toward learning gains than the traditional textbook teaching method. Overall, students responded positively, even when there were minor glitches in the program. Students were engaged with the program and ‘played’ until they understood how to answer the question or were able to ask other students in the treatment group for technical help. Despite minor technical glitches, the program ran smoothly. Feedback from the usability study was positive and pointed to students’ interest in the product. Students participating in the randomized control trials had approximately 35-45 minutes to interact with the program, but in that short time, students in the treatment group trended toward performing at a higher level on the content knowledge test than those in the control group. Students in both treatment and control conditions did not show significant gains in their attitudes for and engagement with science, which should be expected with a one time, 35-45 minute interaction with the program. Students agreed the program was hands-on, visual, interactive and informative; however, students felt the content presented was very basic and more appropriate for students learning about cell biology for the first time, for example 7th graders. Students could see the program being used in the classroom as ‘a quick warm-up at the beginning of class’ or as a ‘quick review.’
