Demonstrator

College

Stakeholder Group

Demonstrator Project Name

Easy PC Learning.

Project Start Date

Project Length

(days, weeks, months)

11 weeks in total.

Participants Involved
(job titles where relevant)

Birkbeck undergraduate biology students (approx. 90 on year 1 BSc + year 2 Foundation Degree) taking the Practical Biology module.

Demonstrator Project Leaders: Dr Richard Rayne and Dr Glenn Baggott (both academic staff in the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Birkbeck)

Sessional class leaders: Dr Patricia de Winter (spectrophotometer practical) and Dr Lisa Mullen (osmosis practical)

Sessional demonstrators: Dr Phil Bradfield, Caroline Matute

Brief Description of the project
(Aims and Objectives)

The project will make use of Google Docs spreadsheets for the collection and sharing of data in laboratory classes (Practical Biology) in the School of Biological Sciences at Birkbeck. Students, working in small groups, will collect numerical data during the course of laboratory experiments. Each group will have a WiFi-connected mini-computer (Asus EeePC) which they will use to enter these data into a Google spreadsheet(s). Students will be able to rapidly produce graphs from their group’s collected data, enabling immediate analysis of the outcome(s) of the experiments they have performed. Instructors will be able to monitor each group’s progress through the work and, by rapidly examining the data collected, will be able to intervene in productive ways during the session to encourage deeper and more effective analysis of the data by the students. Because the data will be easily shared across the class, each student group will be able to examine data collected by other groups, encouraging in-class discussion of factors affecting accuracy and precision in making scientific measurements.

The Practical Biology module runs over 11 weeks in the Autumn Term. It is organised around 3 blocks of 3 weeks each. Three different class sessions (in labs or computer labs) run every week. On each week, 1/3 of the class attends a particular session, so after 3 weeks all students will have completed all activities in the block. Google Docs will be in use during at least one class session within each block, as per below:

--Block 1: 2nd, 9th, 16th October: Computer training sessions

--Block 2: 23rd, 30th Oct and 6 Nov: Spectrophotometer lab sessions (data collection)

--Block 3: 20th, 27th Nov and 4 Dec: Osmosis lab session and (data collection) computer session (graphing with Google Docs and Microsoft Excel)

In Block 1, we will use a part of our normally-scheduled computer training sessions to ensure that all students have a Google account and that they are familiar with Google Docs, especially the spreadsheet component. 

In Block 2, students, working in groups, will use a Google Docs spreadsheet to upload the numerical data collected in a practical session. An instructor (Dr Rayne) will lead the class in analysing the data, projecting the results on a display screen and demonstrating the use of Google Docs gadgets to produce graphical output. Students will produce graphs by hand (as per normal practice in this lab session).

In the Block 3 lab sessions, students will again upload numerical data, but this time, each student group will produce graphs in Google Docs to visualise the results. Instructors will assist students with interpretation. In the Block 3 computing sessions, where students normally learn to use Microsoft Excel to make graphs, students will access their group's Google Docs spreadsheet and export the data to Excel for graphing.

How will Google Docs help with your project?
(i.e to use the Form to collect data from surveys, Presentation to display information, Word Processor to share formal documents, brain storm ideas etc)

We will use the spreadsheet to collate data collected by students in laboratory classes. The charting and statistical gadgets will be used to display the results graphically. Student groups will share their data online. Google Docs will be ideal for facilitating rapid input and sharing of data across the class.

What project outcomes do you expect?
(i.e creating documents collaboratively with staff and students in more effective ways; to bridge the technological gap between students and staff)

Students will gain basic skills in handling numerical data in spreadsheets and in using a computer to graphically display these data.

Lab sessions will become more effective in that data analysis during class will be easier and more immediate.

By observing and analyzing data collected by others immediately in class, students will gain an appreciation of accuracy, precision and error in measurement.

What encouraged you to take part in this project?

The project seemed an ideal opportunity to create improvements in our student laboratory sessions. It is appealing from a pedagogical point of view to enable students to share data easily and effectively and to collaborate in analyzing their lab results. Given that the Google tools are free and available on the web, these might enable some students to undertake work at home or elsewhere rather than traveling into Birkbeck to use workstations.

What sort of support will you need to make this project a success?

A bit of help from the APT project team during the student training sessions in the first three weeks of term would be very useful.

What sort of support do you think the participants will need to make this project a success?