Microbiology Instructor Uses Internet-based “Hybrid” Course
The concept of a hybrid is a fundamental concept in biology. A hybrid is the offspring of plants or animals of different, but related varieties that inherits selected traits from each of the parents. Over the years, this concept has helped produce hybrid flowers and food crops. The term has even been used to describe a hybrid automobile—one that can run on gas or electricity.
Jerry Knutson, an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC), has applied the concept of a hybrid to the world of Internet-based distance education. This summer he offered a “hybrid” college microbiology course, combining aspects of online education with an intensive weekend lab experience held on the UMC campus. Thirty-eight students completed assignments using e-mail and course materials available on the World Wide Web. These students then traveled to Crookston to complete the intensive, “hands-on” weekend lab experience.
Above: (from
left) UMC Associate Professor of Biology Jerry Knutson instructs students
Beth Anderson of Stephen, MN; Kali Waslaski of Hoople, N.D.; Deidrea
Peabody of East Grand Forks, MN.; and Colleen Brady of Detroit Lake, MN,
during the on-campus lab session of his Internet-based microbiology course
“It’s difficult to complete lab experiences at a distance,” said Knutson, “of course, there are simulations available, but nothing compares to being in an actual lab and taking in that whole experience.” Knutson’s hybrid microbiology course might not be revolutionary, but it does bridge the gap between a totally web-based course and a traditional course offered over a semester on a college campus.
In this instance, the laboratory experiences and related discussions were planned in sequence over one weekend. The students enrolled in the course were a mixture of traditional students who needed to complete the course over the summer, place-bound students who had taken several online courses, and students who are currently employed full-time and who are working to complete a bachelor’s degree in order to move forward in their jobs.
Students who took part in
the lab session on campus came from as far away as Rochester, Minnesota,
and Plentywood, Montana.
The program is structured so that students in the hybrid course cover the same topics as those in the instructor’s traditional course. Students enrolled in the hybrid course complete the same readings, worksheets, quizzes, tests, and lab experiences—including staining, culturing human flora on blood agar, sampling, and using the microscope. The two main differences are the concentrated lab weekend and the fact that distance students need to be more responsible for motivating themselves to complete the readings and assignments.
Researchers involved in Internet-based education have concluded that self-motivation is the key to success in such courses. Some have asserted that self-motivation for learning is, perhaps, not as common among traditional age students coming right out of their high school careers.
That is not to say these students can’t do well. Knutson says, “Over the past couple of years I’ve found many students of all ages enrolled in online courses are often highly motivated and goal oriented. Their attitude may help compensate for the reduced time spent directly with the instructor. Overall, traditional students’ and distance students’ test scores and performance on assignments in my courses are quite similar when compared. The only thing I can’t comment on would be the students’ long-term retention.”
In order to help keep the online students’ motivation for learning high, Knutson also worked with the staff at UMC’s Instructional Technology Center (ITC) to develop a series of interactive, web-based learning games modeled after a popular game show. ITC Director Dan Lim created the initial module, which randomly pulls questions and terminology from an instructor-developed database to create a different game each time it is played. Lim believes this approach is much more motivating than rote memorization simply because it is more interactive and “fun.” Learn more about these learning games on the web at webhome.crk.umn.edu/~dlim/itc/interactives.htm.
While most students found their experiences in the hybrid microbiology course to be very positive, a few students indicated that more traditional ways of learning were more to their liking. The vast majority, however, were generally pleased with the product. Colleen Brady, a student from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, was pleased with the course. She said, “The best thing about this course was that I could work at my own pace, when and where I wanted to; it was very flexible. The trip to campus for the labs brought further understanding and provided reinforcement of the concepts.”
Similar comments about flexibility and being able to work at one’s own pace were offered in most of the course evaluations. Knutson said he finds that quite common. “I think distance education students tend to express more openly their appreciation of the efforts of teachers providing online courses—especially in this case, where they can actually meet the instructor, if only for a weekend.”
Robin Roehrich, a student from Hope, N.D., sent a follow-up e-mail saying, “I can't tell you how much I truly appreciated your efforts to make the online microbiology course interesting. I really enjoyed the weekend laboratory experience, and I am already catching myself ‘thinking microbiologically,’ which is kind of scary.” Another student, Nikki Clark, from East Grand Forks, Minn., wanted “to give the instructor a big hug,” because the course provided an opportunity for her to complete her degree and graduate at the end of her summer nursing clinicals.
Several students who had taken other online courses also commented positively about how the on-site lab experience allowed them to meet other students. One criticism of typical online courses has been that they are impersonal—or are perceived to be impersonal.
Knutson has shared his experiences with fellow college educators at conferences like “The Classrooms of the Future” conference at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is also scheduled to discuss his hybrid course at “Beyond Boundaries: Integrating Technology into Teaching,” a conference scheduled for September 19-20, 2002, at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. “The interesting thing is that I learn as much about becoming a more effective online instructor through this experience as my students learn about microbiology,” he added.
For more information, contact Jerry Knutson at jknutson@mail.crk.umn.edu.
Posted 07/23/2002
Contact: Andrew Svec,
218-281-8435