Production and uses of e-learning tools for animal biology education at university

Abstract

In many European universities, access to biology studies is non-selective and implies the enrolment of several hundred students who graduated from high school with a generally weak life sciences background. Teachers from the Biology Department of the University of Lille (France) are currently involved in a student-centred didactical project aimed to improve the attractiveness of animal biology using innovative e-learning tools. Members of younger generations are mostly used to visual approaches in learning, sometimes in contrast with the “traditional” educational methods. This is why the use of multimedia supports, available on different devices, can increase motivation and promote individual involvement in learning. We produced movies and interactive e-books describing the body plan and anatomy of organisms representative of the main Metazoan phyla. These free-access tools are used by students to prepare and review practical sessions. The learning outcomes include: (i) the visualisation of the dissection steps (technical know-how), (ii) identification of the main organs and understanding their relationships (memorisation), and finally (iii) the success of the evaluation (learning feedback). The integration of such multimedia tools, either in laboratory work or in lectures, contributes to an innovative approach in zoology teaching. The use of these information and communication technologies for education (ICTEs) has to be considered an original and useful means for helping learning, but it does not constitute a complete solution. This approach must be complemented with a solid and regular inductive instruction in the discipline.

Keywords

• Undergraduate education
• animal biology
• active learning
• e-learning
• e-books