Construction and Evaluation of an Online Microbiology Course for Nonscience Majors

Abstract

The development of web-based technologies provides a new method for course delivery. As with any new technique, evaluation is a necessary tool to determine if the method is consistent with expectations. This study describes the conversion of a nonscience majors' microbiology lecture course to online delivery and evaluates the hypothesis that the online course can be as effective as the traditional course. Course examination scores are compared between the face-to-face and online sections over a 3-year period. On all but one of the course examinations, no significant difference is found for those students in these two distinctly different course types. The success rate, as defined by those students earning grades of C or better, is high for both course types, although the traditional course success rate is slightly higher. Student evaluations of the courses are also positive, though some differences are noted. Overall, student performance in the online course is equivalent to that in the traditional course.

Closing the Achievement Gap in a Large Introductory Course by Balancing Reduced In-Person Contact with Increased Course Structure

“…One of the few studies with biology majors was conducted at a community college and found that traditional-age students performed just as well in face-to-face versus online biology courses, but that performance of non–traditional age students was worse in online biology courses (Garman, 2012). Online biology courses for nonmajors are more common, and several studies found no impact of moving these courses online for student learning outcomes relative to a traditional lecture-based face-to-face course (Johnson, 2002; Hughes, 2008; Hauser, 2016). Thus, there is not a consensus in the literature about the merits of online courses versus traditional face-to-face courses for biology majors.…”

Microbiology Learning and Education Online

“…Conversion of an entire face-to-face microbiology course to one being all online has been done for nonbiology majors in a hospitality management university (15). To construct the course, faculty had to adapt the lectures into a written format and add appropriate visual aids, such as short videos and Flash animation.…”

Going Online in Pandemic Time: A DivulgaMicro Workshop Experience †

“…For that reason, many professors do not have the expertise required to organize and run online courses and have been struggling to adapt their in-person courses to remote teaching ( 9 , 11 ). Online educational and professional development courses are well recognized as effective in delivering knowledge to students and other intended audiences ( 1 , 12 , 13 ). However, there are still many challenges in making online courses engaging and effective in delivering information.…”