Explanation of natural phenomena at one level of biological organisation almost always involves causes that are found at other levels. Although scientists thinking across levels find it easy to explain physiological phenomena, students often perceive this as a challenge. We developed a new graphic organiser called Zoom Map, which is a mode for…

Chapters in this book include: (1) Courseware Adaptation to Learning Styles and Knowledge Level (Boyan Bontchev and Dessislava Vassileva); (2) Assisted On-Job Training (Claudio Teixeira and Joaquim Sousa Pinto); (3) Self-Directed Learning Readiness Factors in Physicians for Implementing E-Learning in the Continuing Medical Education Programs…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of tutorial and edutainment design of instructional software programs related to the "cell division" topic on student achievements, misconceptions and attitudes. An experimental research design including the cell division achievement test (CAT), the cell division concept test (CCT) and…

The prototype of a guided practice application was developed to instruct year 13 biology students in the process of DNA replication. The application uses a high degree of interaction to engage the student in a guided exploration and problem solving exercise. An evaluation revealed that the students showed considerable enthusiasm and significant…

Describes the use of a Macintosh computer and HyperCard software to create an introduction to cell culture techniques that closely approximates a hands-on laboratory experiment. Highlights include data acquisition, data analysis, the generation of growth curves, and electronic modeling. (LRW)

When two biological simulations on evolution and genetics (one originally developed for a conventional university undergraduate course) were introduced into Open University distance education classes, the difficulties encountered required a reappraisal of the concept of using computer simulation for distance learning and decisions on which…

Offers an approach for teaching a unit on classification that combines various software programs with traditional science teaching methods. Provides procedural directives for the activities and explains the objectives of each exercise. (ML)

Presents a list of published (or soon to be published) computer assisted instructional programs for biology. The programs vary considerably in terms of intended age/ability level, complexity and depth, and in content. No attempt is made to judge the quality of items in the list. (JN)

Discusses the use of hypermedia in education and describes the Interactive Learning and Biology project that was developed at the University of Southampton (England) to teach undergraduate cell biology. Topics addressed include authoring tools for hypermedia; a study of undergraduates learning cell motility; student attitudes; and navigation…

Describes several ways to build data collection devices for microcomputers. The interface devices connect with either the computer's game port or an analog-to-digital converter. Discusses how teachers have designed the equipment and appropriate software to use with the computer in biology teaching. (TW)

Describes a computer applications course developed for undergraduate biology students (primarily sophomores) to teach word processing, database and spreadsheet programs, graphing programs, telecommunications, and file transfer procedures. AppleWorks software is discussed, course content is explained, and the microcomputer laboratory is described.…

Discusses exemplary teacher and student characteristics that can provide the base to generate an Intelligent Computer Assisted Instruction (ICAI) shell. Outlines the expertise, learning, student-model, and inference modules of an ICAI shell. Describes the development of an ICAI shell for an undergraduate course in human physiology. (33 references)…

Describes a database courseware using the HyperCard program on the subject of human reproductive endocrinology and feedback mechanisms. Discusses some issues concerning database courseware development. Presents several examples of the courseware display. (Author/YP)

Designed for use by science teachers, this document provides selected lists of computer software collected by the Science and Mathematics Software (SAMS) lab at Florida State University. The commercially available software is compiled under the subject areas of biology, chemistry, and physics. Each list provides: (1) recommended grade level; (2)…

Some important considerations for potential courseware authors to think about before they enter the authoring process are discussed. A description of the hardware requirements, an evaluation of 11 authoring tools based on quality and cost, and the conclusions are provided. (KR)