Monash Peer Assisted Learning Projects

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Monash Peer Assisted Learning Projects

• Using peer-assisted learning (PAL) to enhance
  student understanding of the threshold concept of
  evolution.

Gerry Rayner School of Biological Sciences
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Background

• Monash University Teaching and Learning
  Fellowships
• First awarded 2010
• In the area of Peer Assisted Teaching and
  Learning
• Open to any Monash staff member
• Up to 30K budget
• Implement a PAL activity and research its effects
• PVC Prof. Marnie Hughes-Warrington

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Rhetorical question

• Is science education letting our students down?
• e.g. While scientific consensus supporting modern
  evolutionary synthesis is nearly absolute..

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Acceptance of evolution

• scientific consensus supporting modern
  evolutionary synthesis nearly absolute

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Australia?

• 2009 Nielsen poll
• 25 of Australians believe "the biblical account
  of human origins" over Darwinian evolution.
• Only 42 believe in a wholly scientific
  explanation for the origins of life
• 32 believe in an evolutionary process guided by
  God bet hedging?

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PAL foundations and context

• PAL consistently shown to promote generic skills
  (e.g. McMaster et al. 2006) and enhance deeper
  learning
• across a range of disciplines (Springer et al.
  1999 Kieran and ONeill 2009).
• Aligns with Vygotskys Zone of Proximal
  Development (ZPD) - more capable peers
  collaborate on concepts, knowledge, skills ?
  enhance understanding of broader group and refine
  their own!

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Project rationale
Provides a conceptual framework that unifies
every disparate aspect of the life sciences into
a single coherent discipline(NatAcadSci 2008)

• Understanding evolution transforms the way
  students observe biology ? requires
  sophisticated integration of knowledge
• Project aims
• Student perspectives and understanding of
  evolution (large cohort broad diversity)
• Integrate evolution readings with lectures
  practicals ? scaffold PAL to refine, enhance
  student understanding
• Evaluate student perceptions of effectiveness and
  value of PAL in this context

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PAL context

• Focus on lectures and practicals (6 weeks)
  associated with aspects of evolution
• Plant diversity and evolution
• Animal diversity and evolution
• Ecology and evolutionary biology
• Evolution history and mechanisms

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PAL timeline of activities
Lectures
Plant diversity evolution. Endosymbiosis,
protists, evolution and radiation of land plants
Animal diversity evolution. Principles and
patterns of animal evolution
Ecology and evolutionary biology
Evolution, evolutionary research, mechanisms
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 8
Week 7
Week 9
Plant diversity / evolution
Practicals
PAL activities
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1. Paired PAL - plant evolution (Wk 9)

• With your lab partner, discuss the following
  questions about plant evolution and diversity
• Briefly summarize your present understanding of
  evolution.
• Present four major steps in the evolution of
  land plants, from bryophytes through to
  angiosperms.
• What aspects of plant evolution do you find
  puzzling or problematic?
• What questions about plant evolution remain
  unanswered?
• What are the three most important things about
  plant evolution that you would tell someone?

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PAL timeline of activities
Lectures
Plant diversity evolution. Endosymbiosis,
protists, evolution and radiation of land plants
Animal diversity evolution. Principles and
patterns of animal evolution
Ecology and evolutionary biology
Evolution, evolutionary research, mechanisms
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 8
Week 7
Week 9
Plant diversity / evolution
Animal diversity / evolution
Practicals
PAL activities
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2. Quad PAL task - animal evolution (Wk 10)

• Form a quad group and discuss the following
  questions about animal evolution and diversity
• How would you describe evolution?
• Provide a brief explanation of animal evolution.
  
• Are there aspects of animal evolution that you
  find puzzling or problematic?
• What are the three most important things about
  plant evolution that you would tell someone?

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Post Quad PAL survey (Week 10)

• To what extent do you agree with the following
  statements?
• 1. Discussions with my lab partner(s) improved my
  understanding of plant (animal) evolution
• Quad group discussions were more beneficial to
  my understanding of evolution than with my lab
  partner.

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Perspectives on PAL (week 10)
Discussions in a pair / quad improved my
understanding of
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Increased diversity and sophistication of
evolution language and terminology
Week 9 Week 10
Adaptation Complexity Transition Descent with modification Natural selection Mutation Increasing complexity Common ancestor Random processes Population biology Convergence Divergence Bottlenecks
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Comparative value of paired vs. quad PAL
Mean 4.05
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PAL timeline of activities
Lectures
Plant diversity evolution. Endosymbiosis,
protists, evolution and radiation of land plants
Animal diversity evolution. Principles and
patterns of animal evolution
Ecology and evolutionary biology
Evolution, evolutionary research, mechanisms
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 8
Week 7
Week 9
Plant diversity / evolution
Animal diversity / evolution
Practicals
PAL activities
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5. Quad PAL project (Week 12)

• Group discussion, concept-mapping etc. of an
  evolution-related question.
• Evolution / radiation of terrestrial plants
• Adaptations / evolution of terrestrial insects
• Evolutionary significance of mesoderm in
  multicellular animals
• Evolutionary implications of endoskeletons vs
  exoskeletons
• Allopatric speciation - processes and mechanisms

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5. Quad PAL project (Wk 12)

• Quad used prior knowledge, discussion and online
  resources ( rubric), to develop a digital
  response (i.e. a 1 slide ppt).
• Quad uploaded their digital response as an
  attachment to a Blackboard Discussion posting
• - marked by tutor (grading form)
• - rated by other students

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6. Assessment rubric for digital response
Criterion Performance Indicators Performance Indicators Performance Indicators Performance Indicators
Needs Improvement Meets Expectations Good Exceptional
Required elements (1 point)Several required elements were missing. (2 points)All but 1 of the required elements are included on the poster. (3 points)All required elements are included on the poster. (4 points)The poster includes all required elements as well as additional information.
Labels (1 point)Labels are too small to view OR no important items were labelled. (2 points)Many items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that are a suitable size (3 points)Almost all items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that are a suitable size. (4 points)All items of importance on the poster are clearly labelled with labels that are a suitable size
Graphics - relevance (1 point)Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source note. (2 points)All graphics relate to the topic. One or two borrowed graphics have a sources noted. (3 points)All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. Some graphics have a note about their source. (4 points)All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a note about their source.
Aesthetics / attractiveness (1 point)The poster is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive. (2 points)The poster is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy. (3 points)The poster is reasonably attractive in at least 2 of design, layout, or neatness. (4 points)The poster is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness
Grammar (1 point)There are more than 4 grammatical or spelling mistakes on the poster. (2 points)There are 3-4 grammatical/spelling mistakes on the poster. (3 points)There are 1-2 grammatical/spelling mistakes on the poster. (4 points)There are no grammatical/spelling mistakes on the poster.
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Species wide - shows divide

• Case study Meadow grasshopper
• Name Chorthipippus Parallelus
• Species isolated in pockets during Ice Age
• Repopulated after the Ice Age across Europe
• Field studies indicate hybridisation between
  remanent populations
• Divergence established via DNA tests and
  measuring the follicle length

In Allopatric speciation, gene flow is
interrupted when a population is divided into
geographically isolated sub populations.

• Allopatry in 3 steps
• Daughter population must form i.e. must be
  separated in some degree
• Daughter population must exist in this separated
  state in order to become a discrete new species
• Daughter population must become differentiated
  from the parent population i.e. they do not mate
  with them

Post ice-age recolonisation of Chorthippus
parallelus
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(No Transcript)
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ALLOPATRIC SPECIATION
Allopatric speciation occurs when the gene flow
of a population is interrupted due to geographic
isolation, resulting in the formation of a new
species.
Guenons Monkey
Allens Swamp Monkey

• Allopatric speciation is known to have occurred
  in Cercopithecinae Monkeys (subfamily of Old
  World Monkeys) in Africa.
• Contraction and expansion of African rainforest
  was the main driving force for the Allopatric
  speciation
• The Congo and Sanaga Rivers also played a role
  in the geographical isolation and speciation of
  these monkeys.

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6. Peer ratings
Student names here
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7. Post-PAL Survey (Week 12 ?)

• To what extent do you agree or disagree with the
  following statements?
• Content- skills- development questions
• This group poster project enhanced my
  understanding of the processes and mechanisms of
  relevant evolution question
• This poster project helped me develop skills that
  I would not have learned from lectures and
  practicals only
• I developed more interest in the poster project
  than I expected

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7. Post-PAL Survey (Week 12 ?)

• Team dynamics assessment-related questions
• Working in a group was an effective learning
  experience
• This poster project helped me to interact more
  effectively with group members
• I am happy for our group presentation to be rated
  by other students
• The workload was appropriate for this group
  project.
• The assessment requirements for the group project
  were clear.
• We had access to the sufficient resources to
  complete the project.
• What improvements would you suggest?

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The value of the group (week 12)
Median 4.0
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More equivocal about other skills

• Take-home message KISS

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Effect of question on perceived value of PAL

• Take-home message CTQC

Choose the question carefully!
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Student comments

• It was very interactive and a good change from
  the sometimes stressful normal practicals, so I
  dont think there needs to be any improvement
• Being able to present the poster to the class
• It was good, I enjoyed the lab and it was a good
  end to the semester )
• I thought the exercise was great. Evolution
  isnt exactly tough to get your head around. At
  this busy time of year with so many other things
  to do, it was lovely to just do some light
  hearted, easy work with the social aspect of a
  group activity to close off a long semester.
  Thanks

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Student comments - suggestions

• Smaller groups sizes please
• Smaller groups to allow each member to
  participate and learn
• Maybe giving the question for research prior to
  the tutorial for further development and
  research
• Discussion of posters, or presentation of
  posters at the end of lab

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In Summary

1. Value of PAL ? group size, but.
2. Care required in question choice and wording
3. Dont be too ambitious e.g. other skills
4. Digital response - opportunities for creativity
   and visual expression of knowledge and
   understanding
5. Further info required on value of online ratings
6. Enormous potential for PAL- have recently
   implemented PAL in BIO1022 around feeding and
   nutrition.

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Acknowledgements

• Office of the PVC
• Drs Juliey Beckman and Tricia Wevill
• The first year students
• Questions?