Presentation Detail

Education and Outreach

Lark, Amy [1], Johnson, Wendy [2], Mead, Louise [3], Smith, James [4], Richmond, Gail [5], Pennock, Robert T. [4].

Teaching andLearning with Digital Evolution Software: Linking Implementation to Student Assessment Outcomes.

Avida-ED is award-winning software that provides students with the opportunity to investigate evolution in action. Unlike other programs that only simulate evolution, Avida-ED is at its core a research tool that serves simultaneously as a model and instance of the evolutionary process.Instructors use Avida-ED to engage students in authentic science practices and discussions about evolution and the nature of science. Students use Avida-ED to pursue their own questions, test hypotheses that they have generated and developed, design experiments, collect and analyze data, and communicate their findings.
We present preliminary results of an ongoing multiple-case study on the classroom implementation of Avida-ED and its effects on student understanding of evolution and the nature of science. The study focuses on several undergraduate biology professors at various institutions across the United States who use Avida-ED in their courses. We are documenting lessons that utilize Avida-ED in order to find patterns across cases linking implementation to learning outcomes. Based on the findings of discipline-basededucation research and theories of learning in the sciences, we predict thatteaching with Avida-ED will lead to positive learning outcomes, but that the nature of these outcomes is dependent on the degree to which implementation is aligned with reform-oriented pedagogy. The study draws from a rich array ofdata sources including instructor interviews, student assessments and surveys, relevant course materials and student artifacts, and observations of classroom instruction. Preliminary assessment results have shown that engagement with Avida-ED significantly improves student understanding of fundamental evolutionary concepts. In addition, instructors have reported that Avida-ED facilitates the use of learner-centered and inquiry-based pedagogical approaches.

Related Links:
The Avida-ED website

1 - Michigan State University, 620 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
2 - Lansing Catholic High School, 501 Marshall St, Lansing Charter Township, MI, 48912, USA
3 - Michigan State University, Beacon, 567 Wilson Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
4 - Michigan State University, Lyman Briggs College, 919 E Shaw Ln, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
5 - Michigan State University, Teacher Education, 620 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

Keywords:
evolution
evolution education
science education
Digital Evolution.

Presentation Type: Regular Oral Presentation
Session: 114
Location: Alpine C/Snowbird Center
Date: Monday, June 24th, 2013
Time: 11:00 AM
Number: 114003
Abstract ID:1009
Candidate for Awards:W.D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Student Presentation