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A Protocol for Computer-Based Protein Structure and Function Prediction

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Published on: November 3, 2011

Question order and student understanding of structure and function.

Kelli P Carter¹, Luanna B Prevost¹

¹Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida , Tampa, Florida.

Advances in Physiology Education

|September 26, 2018

Summary

Question order impacts student understanding of the form-function principle in physiology. Answering examples before definitions improved student explanations and revealed limited use of organizational levels in written assessments.

Keywords:

assessment lexical analysis structure function relationship undergraduate

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Area of Science:

Physiology Education
Cognitive Science in Learning

Background:

The relationship between structure and function is fundamental to physiology.
Written formative assessments offer insights into student comprehension of this core concept.
The sequence of assessment questions may influence the depth and accuracy of student responses.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how the order of questions, varying in cognitive level, affects student explanations of the form-function principle.
To determine if question sequencing influences the ability of students to connect structure and function in their written responses.

Main Methods:

A general physiology class was divided into two groups.
One group received a definition question followed by an example question (DX format).
The other group received an example question followed by a definition question (XD format).
Student responses were evaluated using human grading and computerized lexical analysis.

Main Results:

In the DX format, 2% defined the principle, while 48% provided relevant examples.
In the XD format, 17% defined the principle, and 26% provided relevant examples.
Students generally performed better on the final question, suggesting a conceptual priming effect.
Lexical analysis indicated students utilized a limited range of organizational levels in their explanations.

Conclusions:

The order of questions in written assessments significantly influences student performance and the articulation of the form-function relationship.
Presenting examples before definitions may enhance student understanding and recall.
Computerized lexical analysis is a valuable tool for instructors to quickly assess the depth of student understanding regarding organizational levels in physiology.