This project involves the design of a prototype interactive animation to be used in the on-line tutorials for introductory cell and molecular biology classes. The prototype being developed simulates oxidative phosphorylation, a process that involves many molecular mechanisms and that can be manipulated experimentally at the cellular level. The animation promotes independent exploration and experimentation through a built-in feature that allows a student to manipulate cellular conditions, or add a pharmacological agent, and observe the changes to the simulated process.
The intellectual merit of the proposed interactive animation is the inclusion of three features not commonly found in other animations. First, the animation is interactive and allows the student to manipulate many of the parameters of the simulation through a virtual experimentation feature. Second, the animation includes review and challenge questions, for which a student receives immediate feedback, designed to monitor his or her understanding and to reveal any misconceptions. Third, the instructor is able to track the student's use of the animation and therefore, its utility in deepening the student's understanding. Furthermore, the interactive animation is flexible in design so that the content can be modified to accommodate a range of students with different backgrounds, including both biology majors and non-biology majors.
This interactive animation on oxidative phosphorylation has broad impacts because it is available through a cooperative entity for use by instructors at other locations around the country. Importantly, the system is scalable; although initially centered at the developer's institution, the programming architecture allows it to be expanded, in future years, into a distributed network of unlimited size, with interconnected nodes spanning the country. The ability of the system to capture and process data about the learning progress of students (coupled with the ability to provide constant feedback to both the student and instructor) has the potential to effect a fundamental change in how courses are taught, and how students approach learning.
