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Enhancing Group Dynamics and Learning Outcomes in a Lab Course Through Blackboard Integration

This Brown Bag Workshop highlights the use of Blackboard in SCI 100, an interdisciplinary lab course focused on water quality issues. With weekly lectures and lab sessions for about 200 students, the workshop outlines how Blackboard fosters group collaboration on projects and promotes computer literacy. Students engage in hypothesis development and present their findings through reports, oral presentations, and web pages. Despite initial challenges with technology access, the course has adapted to enhance interaction and improve learning experiences.

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Enhancing Group Dynamics and Learning Outcomes in a Lab Course Through Blackboard Integration

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  1. Brown Bag Workshop Using a Course Site in a Lab Course SCI 100 – Water: An Interdisciplinary Study Karin Readel

  2. Science 100 • Lab based science course for students not majoring in natural or physical sciences • 1 90 min lecture/ week and 1 110-min lab per week • Serves approximately 200 students /semester (10 lab sections of 20 students each)

  3. Diversity of Students:

  4. Labs are “Group Oriented” Students work in same groups throughout semester

  5. Group Projects • 20% of course grade is “Group Project” • Each group develops a hypothesis involving a water quality issue. • Groups design and run experiments • Results presented in 3 ways- • Individual lab reports • Group oral presentation • Group web page

  6. Why Use Blackboard? • Centralized location for course information • No more “I lost my paper” excuses • No appropriate textbook or lab manual for this course • Saves Xeroxing $$$ • Allows instructor last minute flexibility

  7. Why Use Blackboard? • Encourages students to become more computer literate • 20% of students rank themselves as “beginners” • Only 24% consider themselves comfortable in the role of “group computer person”

  8. How do I use Blackboard? • Post Course Documents • Use discussion boards: • To enhance lab group interaction • For extra credit interactions • Use the digital drop box for submission and return of lecture papers • Track which information students access

  9. Posting Course Documents: • Course syllabus • Lecture and lab schedule • Lecture outlines • Lab handouts & assignments

  10. Example:

  11. Discussion Boards: • I create a “Group Page” for each lab group • Accessible only by group members, instructor and TA • Groups are required to post and develop project ideas here • Allows asynchronous cooperation • Reinforces group bonds outside of class

  12. Example:

  13. Extra Credit Discussion Board: • Students can earn extra credit by summarizing articles related to course material • Students learn material not specifically covered in class • Shows relationship between SCI 100 and the “real world” • Increases interaction between students in different lecture and lab sections

  14. Example:

  15. Fall 2000 Problems: • Lack of use of Blackboard as a whole • Accessed by only 30% of students • “too complicated” • Poor attendance during first lab when directions for accessing Blackboard were provided • Problems with accounts/ passwords • Software problems

  16. Changes for Spring 2001: • Sent e-mail to all students 1 week before class started letting them know lab started the first week • Demonstrated Blackboard in first lab and lecture • Online survey during first week of class to prompt students to access Blackboard

  17. Changes for Spring 2001: • All course documents are now in rich text format • Lecture papers turned in electronically using digital drop box. • Requiring more formal project proposal on group discussion boards involving all group members • Lab handouts include worksheet to turn in at end of each lab • worth 5% of grade; encourages being prepared

  18. Additional problems encountered: • Some password/ software/ connection problems • Approximately 20% of class didn’t do survey • Students confused by digital drop box • adding vs. sending files

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