Laptop computers were provided for use in three biology classes with differing formats (a second year lecture course of 100 students, a third/fourth year lecture course of 50 students, and a second year course with greater than 250 students, in groups of 25 during the laboratory portion of the class) to assess their impact on student learning and…

In order to promote more active engagement of science undergraduates in histology practical classes some technology-based innovations were introduced. First, an interactive pre-lab tutorial was set up using an electronic handset voting system, where guidance on tissue analysis was given. Second, a web-based resource where students could access…

The aim of this study was to combine podcasts of lectures with mobile assessments (completed via SMS on mobile telephones) to assess the effect on examination performance. Students (n = 100) on a final year, research-led, module were randomly divided into equal sized control and trial groups. The trial group were given access to podcasts/mobile…

Tablet PCs provide numerous benefits over traditional electronically projected lectures that use software such as PowerPoint. Flexibility and spontaneity can be achieved by editing or creating notes in real-time. The input pen or stylus is a very useful tool, especially for courses that involve the extensive use of equations or mathematical…

Web 2.0 tools are changing the way we work online. As lecturers, we need to understand how these emerging technologies impact both on our students' learning and on our own teaching practice. This means we must ourselves become more confident in our use of Web 2.0, to be able to cope with the rapidly changing nature of these technologies. In most…

There has been considerable interest recently in the teaching of skills to undergraduate students. However, existing methods for collating data on how much, where and when students are taught and assessed skills have often been shown to be time-consuming and ineffective. Here, we outline an electronic research skills audit tool that has been…

Formative computer-based assessments (CBAs) for self-instruction were introduced into a Year-2 field biology module. These CBAs were provided in "tutorial" mode where each question had context-related diagnostic feedback and tutorial pages, and a self-test mode where the same CBA returned only a score. The summative assessments remained unchanged…

Pharmacology is taught on a dedicated module for nurse prescribers who have a limited physical science background. To facilitate learning a problem-based approach was adopted. However, to enhance students' knowledge of drug action a PharmaCALogy software package from the British Pharmacological Society was used. Students were alternately given a…

A combination of factors including longer working hours, emphasis on professional development, and increased access to the Internet have fuelled the current high demand for distance learning options in tertiary biology. Distance learner students come from a heterogeneous pool of ages, backgrounds and abilities and they require choice in how they…

The effectiveness of lecture-integrated and web-supported case studies in supporting a large and academically diverse group of undergraduate students was evaluated in the present study. Case studies and resource (web)-based learning were incorporated as two complementary interactive learning strategies into the traditional curriculum. A truncated…

This study reports the quantitative effect of students using podcasts in a 1st year undergraduate exercise physiology module. From a cohort of 70 students, 50 volunteered and completed the study. Using a pre-post random allocation research design, students were allocated to either a podcast group (PG) or control group (CG) based on a 32-question…

The use of blended learning, face-to-face contact alongside e-based activities, provides academic staff with an opportunity to match their teaching strategies with the changing student cohort. This study report students' perceptions of e-learning activities early in bioscience modules; students from all three levels of undergraduate study were…

Podcasting (an automatic mechanism whereby multimedia computer files are transferred from a server to a client, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/podcast) is becoming increasingly popular in education. Although podcasts enable students and teachers to share information anywhere at anytime, the most frequent application of the technology to date has been to…

This paper describes an educational package for use in tertiary level tissue engineering education. Current learning science principles and theory were employed in the design process of these educational tools. Each module started with a challenge statement designed to motivate students and consisted of laboratory exercises centered on the "How…

Educators are aware from their own experience, as part of the audience if not a lecturer, that being talked at for 50 minutes is not the most captivating form of communication. A change of dynamic, preferably involving an element of topicality, can make a significant contribution to engagement. This article discusses how teachers can use short…