A team of biology faculty and educators at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has developed a wide variety of interactive simulation models that are designed to help strengthen student understanding of important ecology and evolutionary biology concepts. The models simulate classic experiments in ecology and evolutionary biology, in topical areas such as natural selection, sexual selection, population genetics, heritability, response to selection, interspecific interactions, population biology, biodiversity measures, and ecosystem ecology. The modules are designed to allow students to manipulate experimental variables and observe results in graphs, tables, and in an animation of the experimental world, and to reinforce fundamental concepts such as experimental controls and replication as students conduct virtual experiments. Because the simulation models produce results with biologically realistic variation, the data generated are well-suited to be used in teaching the statistical analysis of biological data. The project team has integrated several of these models into introductory and upper-level biology courses as virtual laboratories, pre-labs, and homework exercises. A major goal of the current project is to broaden the impact of these materials developed for use in a single institution's courses by making the models and material freely available. The investigators are assessing the efficacy of the models as educational tools, developing associated curricular materials for the modules, and developing a state-of-the-art website (that can be used at any institution with Internet access) to permanently house the project. A central focus of the project is to conduct an extensive, multifaceted analysis of the effectiveness of simulation models as learning tools in courses offered at East Tennessee State University and at three other institutions. The investigators are also conducting an overall assessment of how well simulation models function as lecture enhancements in a specific course over six semesters, and creating a forum to allow feedback and suggestions from instructors using the models at other institutions.
We created Virtual Biology Lab to provide a web-based resource, made up of interactive simulations of ‘classic’ experiments in ecology and evolution. These simulation models are provided free for educational use. They are geared primarily for use in introductory and upper-level college courses, but many are also appropriate for high school biology courses. The central theme of the project is that students’ learn by doing’. In a format similar to a video game, the students adjust variables and observe the results in numeric and graphical formats, and also in a ‘live action’ view (see the screenshot from PopGen Fishbowl). We also provide background information on the topics and instructions on running the models. To date, the site virtualbiologylab.org hosts over a dozen models illustrating a wide-range of concepts in ecology and evolution. We conservatively estimate that our materials have been adopted into curricula at 22 institutions (> 4000 students). As part of this NSF funded project we conducted a subjective assessment of students’ engagement with the models, and also an objective assessment of their learning gains, at four institutions. Overall, a strong majority of both male and female students reported that the models were engaging, and helped them understand key concepts. Similarly, the objective assessment found significant improvement in students’ understanding of the illustrated concepts at all of the institutions. In the future we plan to complete the scope of topics covered in ecology and evolution, and to expand into other areas of biology. Our interactive model format seems to be a strong platform for inquiry-based learning, and is proving useful to students and educators.
