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Enhancing Learning in the Biology Laboratory

Dr. Thomas R. Lord
Burlington County College, Pemberton, New Jersey

Subject: Science/Biology
Grade: Higher Education

"Overall, any educational activity that would require the student to recollect his or her involvement in the proceedings would be enhanced by the use of sequential filming."

Purpose and Description of Project

Thomas Lord conducted an element with 98 General Biology II students to see if learning in the biology laboratory could be enhanced by photography. In particular, he wanted to ensure that students were both physically and mentally involved in performing experiments. Lord set three major objectives for his project: to determine if the use of sequential still photos taken by students during their weekly lab exercises would facilitate learning, to find out if using instructor-taken still photos of the lab work in a review session would enhance student learning, and to find out if the use of sequential still photos of the lab experiments would enhance the students' capacity to form mental images of the outside events.

Lord divided his students into four equal groups:

Activities

All groups of students performed identical experiments during their two-hour lab sessions. Immediately following the lab sessions of the photo record experimental group, the film was processed by the college's Photography Department and returned to the lab groups. Students who took photos of their lab work were encouraged to use the photos in as many study modes as possible-e.g., preparing for the seminars, writing lab reports, and reviewing for tests.

Materials, Resources, and Expenses

The laboratory materials and equipment utilized would be generally found in any secondary- or college-level biology lab. The college provided two cameras for student use, but most lab groups recorded their work with their own cameras. All students used KODAK TRI-X Film - at least one package per lab group per session and more if necessary. The film was developed and printed by personnel in the school's Photography Department.

Outcomes and Adaptability

Lord analyzed the outcomes of his project using three types of evaluative measures: (1) Students were tested at the beginning and end of the 15-week semester on their image formation and control potentials. The pre-test showed little difference among the groups. The post-test indicated that the two experimental groups had developed a greater aptitude for handling spatial imagery tasks. (2) Three practical lab exams were given during the semester; all question areas-pertaining to macro- and microscopic examination of tissues, organs, and organisms; graph and chart interpretation; and understanding of chemical or physiological events-had been examined during the lab sessions. Statistical examination of the exam scores showed higher achievement. (3) In terms of semester grades, the experimental groups scored significantly better on the lab segment of the course. Observation indicated that the students in the photo-record experimental group took extra care and pride in their work, and their extra precision and interest resulted in greater achievement. Lord concludes that the use of sequential photos does, indeed, enhance student learning and possibly facilitates the translation of external events into mental pictorial images.

Lord suggests that the incorporation of photography into the biology lab would be relatively simple if student or school cameras and the slide projector and screen were available. He finds that photography could be used in a similar way in chemistry, physics, and earth science labs.

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