Abstract
The use of technologies at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University allows faculty to create interactive learning materials. This model of instruction has proven to be very successful, especially with online instructors reporting an increase in independent thinking, improved integration of information, and an increase in students' ability to answer their own questions. Therefore, the central goal of the chapter was to enhance anatomy and physiology (AP) course resources and incorporate the use of interactive visual interfaces and software that facilitate visual analytics tasks and offer the learners the acquire knowledge. To achieve the goal, the authors designed and implemented innovative curriculum resources into AP courses. Student performance was evaluated based on class attendance, discussion forum, computerized homework, and proctored exams. Data showed that students performed better when taught face-to-face with technology. The use of technologies enhanced the course by providing a novel comprehensive approach to improving student productivity.
TopResearch Design And Methods
Two anatomy and physiology lecture courses were taught in the Department of Biological Science at FAMU during the academic 2020-2021. The total enrollment in the two-course was 90 students. Students were asked to complete the course survey at the end of the semester ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree to evaluate their perceptions of innovative and instructional technologies, course management, and instructor involvement in the course. This survey consisted of 30 items measured on five (5) scales [1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree] (Table 1).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Student Perception: Student perceptions are thoughts, beliefs, and feelings about persons, situations, and events.
Interactive Activities: Interactive lessons are classes or educational sessions hosted via the internet to teach specific subject matter while allowing different levels of student participation.
Anatomy and Physiology: Anatomy refers to the internal and external structures of the body and their physical relationships, whereas physiology refers to the study of the functions of those structures.
Canvas: A learning management system (LMS) used by educational institutions to manage course content, course interactions, and student assessment.
Innovative Technologies: A technological innovation is a new or improved product or process whose technological characteristics are significantly different from before.
Course Evaluation: The assessment structure around which students are evaluated in a course across key assignments.
Student Engagement: Refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education.
Instructional Model: Instructional models refer to the structure and delivery method of a lesson.