Assessing the Impact of Drawing in Biology Lecture Classes on Student Learning

Area of Science:

• Biology Education
• Active Learning Strategies

Background:

• Active learning techniques are crucial for enhancing student engagement and comprehension in science education.
• Drawing activities, as a form of active learning, have been explored to improve understanding of complex biological concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of learner-generated versus instructor-generated drawing activities on student learning in introductory cellular and molecular biology.
• To determine if the effectiveness of drawing activities varies with the complexity of biological topics.

Main Methods:

• Undergraduate students in two lecture sections completed worksheets requiring either drawing (learner-generated) or interpreting drawings (instructor-generated).
• Four topics were assessed: amino acid polymerization, nucleotide polymerization, cellular respiration, and photosynthesis.
• Student learning was evaluated using multiple-choice and short-answer exam questions.

Main Results:

• Students using learner-generated worksheets for amino acid polymerization significantly outperformed those using instructor-generated worksheets.
• No statistically significant differences were observed for nucleotide polymerization, cellular respiration, or photosynthesis.
• Trends suggested that learner-generated drawings benefited some topics, while instructor-generated drawings were better for others, depending on topic complexity.

Conclusions:

• The effectiveness of drawing activities in biology education is topic-dependent and should be carefully aligned with the complexity of the material.
• When drawing tasks are overly complex, students may not benefit as much from creating their own images.
• Instructors should strategically integrate diverse drawing activities to optimize student learning in biology courses.