the-aps.org>meetings>eb

Effective Use of Course Management Systems to Enhance Student Learning
Sponsored by APS Teaching of Physiology Section
Education Track

An electronic course management system is a platform that provides a structured vehicle for delivery of instruction, facilitation of communication and for assessment of students. Our symposium will address what value can be added to a teaching program by incorporating electronic course management. Dr Beatriz Ramirez will explore how course management systems may be used to enhance skills development in students through use of informatics. Dr Philip Sokolove will develop the theme of communication, discussing ways to increase active learning through online activities that promote interactive engagement between students. Course management systems in general incorporate powerful assessment tools, which are often used to deliver formative assessment. Use of e-portfolios is one mode of assessment that can be effective at documenting both the cognitive and non-cognitive development of students. Dr Whitney Schlegel will showcase an application of e-portfolios which goes beyond student evaluation, integrating both student portfolios and faculty course portfolios to illuminate the intersections of teaching and learning. The last presentation by Dr Jeffrey Kingsbury will report an experience using a software-driven curriculum in anatomy and physiology, with emphasis on the effectiveness of this approach compared to a traditionally taught program. Outcomes in terms of cognitive achievement by students and their attitudes about use of electronic media will be discussed. Our speakers represent a diverse sample of educational levels and also several disciplines within life sciences education. Use of course management systems and other electronic media is already commonplace and is likely to be ubiquitous in the coming years. Our symposium will showcase exemplars in the use of course management technology to enhance student learning. In so doing, we expect to catalyze lively discussion about the general implications for curriculum design and the training needs of faculty in the future.