Open Learning Initiative

Prinicipal Investigators:  Gordon Rule and Diana Bajzek

This project is directed at developing instructional modules in the general area of molecular biology and biochemistry.  These modules are unique in that not only do they portray a biological process, but they have embedded assessments with feedback to tightly couple student activities within the module with formative assessment. 

Using new developments in the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) as a platform for the delivery of these materials, we are able to monitor student responses to the assessments within these modules to return feedback to the instructor.  For development purposes these modules will be delivered as part of blended lecture/online introductory Biochemistry course to a class of ~100 chemical engineers (~50% female) at Carnegie Mellon University.

The fundamental unit of each of these modules is an animation/simulation and associated controllers that can be used to change the behavior of the animation.  These animations can be divided into three distinct groups: i) a pictorial representation of a biological process (e.g. protein synthesis), ii) a simulator that represents the molecular behavior of a system, iii) a virtual lab whose underlying mechanism is based on molecular properties.   A truly unique feature of the simulator is that the behavior of the molecules is calculated in real time based on the intrinsic, user defined, properties of the molecules.  Consequently, these simulations are numerical simulations that drive the animation that is viewed by the student.  This feature of our simulator environment allows the student to observe and modify the molecular behavior of an authentic system (Rule & Bajzek, 2005; Brown & Collins & Duguid, 1989).  Another critically important feature of these modules is the integrated delivery of formative assessments that provide immediate feedback to the student during the activity.  The course management tool that will be used for this project also reports student activities back to the instructor.  This valuable feedback can be used by the instructor to refine the simulator environment or fine-tune lecture material in blended courses.