Using graph-based assessments within socratic tutorials to reveal and refine students' analytical thinking about...

Area of Science:

• Molecular biology education
• Systems thinking in biology

Background:

• Biological systems rely on complex interaction networks.
• Assessing student understanding of these networks is challenging.
• Graphical representations can reveal implicit assumptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate student comprehension of molecular interaction networks.
• To identify difficulties in articulating underlying assumptions for graphical representations.
• To develop and test a Socratic tutorial to improve network thinking.

Main Methods:

• Senior college molecular biology students were presented with network scenarios.
• Graphical responses were used to assess understanding and implicit assumptions.
• A tiered Socratic tutorial with leading questions was developed and implemented.
• Student performance was evaluated in group and individual settings.

Main Results:

• Most students struggled to articulate assumptions needed for accurate graphical representations.
• Graphs generated by students often contradicted their explicit statements.
• The Socratic tutorial led to clear improvements in targeted areas of understanding.
• Graphical responses proved effective for identifying unarticulated assumptions.

Conclusions:

• Graphical assessments are valuable tools for formative evaluation in biology education.
• Socratic prompts can effectively stimulate metacognitive reflection in students.
• This approach enhances both student learning and instructor feedback on network concepts.
• The method is efficient for uncovering and addressing implicit conceptual gaps.