Learning Outcomes 1

Running Head: Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes of Social Networking and Specifically “The Biology Hub”

Barbara Roesler

Fall 2009

Bemidji State University FasTrack Six

 Learning Outcomes 2
Learning Outcomes of Social Networking

Social networking can be fun and entertaining for students, but can it be an effective

teaching tool capable of producing desired learning outcomes? A Ning social network is

platform that may support many different learning tools such as discussion forums and links to

any web page. The latter is an incredibly diverse option that could include videos, slide

presentations, quizzes, articles, interactive simulations and more. One specific example, The

Biology Hub (http://biologyhub.ning.com/), uses a few of these options to promote learning.

Learning outcomes of a social network will naturally be tied to the content posted on the

social network and that content could be changed at any time to accompany whatever a school or

program curriculum was addressing that day, week or month. The current content that The

Biology Hub is centered around includes genetics and heredity. This content is directly related to

Minnesota’s academic standards. Life Science standard 9.4.3.1.2 states “In the context of a

monohybrid cross, apply the terms phenotype, genotype, allele, homozygous and heterozygous.”

(Minnesota Department of Education, 2009, p. 36). The Biology Hub includes a short quiz on

those fundamental terms. Also, on the site there are three slidecast presentations that guide the

user through genetic crosses, two of which are monohybrid crosses. In the discussion forum,

users are asked to discuss an article concerning genes and cancer. This content addresses Life

Science standard 9.4.3.2.1, “Use concepts from Mendel’s Laws of Segregation and Independent

Assortment to explain how sorting and recombination (crossing over) of genes during sexual

reproduction (meiosis) increases the occurrence of variation in a species” (Minnesota

Department of Education, 2009, p. 37). The article and discussion forum also address Life

Science standard 9.4.4.2.5 “Recognize that a gene mutation in a cell can result in uncontrolled

cell division called cancer, and how exposure of cells to certain chemicals and radiation
 Learning Outcomes 3

increases mutations and thus increases the chance of cancer”(Minnesota Department of

Education, 2009, p. 38).

The objective quiz on The Biology Hub is most useful for helping students commit to

memory the definition of terms and identifying the distinguishing characteristics among those

terms. The learning outcome that could be assessed for this portion is that after completing the

practice quiz as many times as they like, students should be able to match the terms phenotype,

genotype, allele, homozygous and heterozygous, incomplete dominance and complete

dominance with their definitions.

Being that The Biology Hub is a social network, the social aspect may be used to

facilitate group discussion among users. “Group discussion…gives students a chance to ask for

clarification, examine their own thinking, follow personal interests, and assume responsibility by

taking leadership roles in the group” (Woolfolk, 2008, p. 546) The simple act of participating in

a discussion about content can help achieve deeper learning. The learning outcome that could be

assessed from the discussion forum is that after reading the internet article and participating in

the discussion of cancers and genes, students will be able to explain, written or verbally, why

cancer is prevalent in some families, but not in others.

The genetics slidecasts on The Biology Hub are chock full of information

including terms, concepts, and procedures for completing a cross. The learning outcome that

could be assessed for this portion is that after viewing the genetics slidecasts, students will be

able to apply the knowledge gained to create a monohybrid cross of their own invention and

interpret the results of that cross in terms of genotypic ratio and phenotypic ratio.
 Learning Outcomes 4

Assessment of the learning outcomes of the objective quiz, discussion forum, and

slidecasts could be done through a written test with both objective and essay testing. Assessment

could also be done by having each student write a paper that required the uses of all the terms,

posed the cancer/gene question, and wrapped up with a description and demonstration of creating

a monohybrid cross.

Palloff and Pratt (1999) noted that “a nice byproduct of online learning is that in addition

to knowledge acquisition, students learn about the technology through its use. They learn about

themselves and their own learning styles, and about how to collaborate with others in the

problem solving process.” Although not having to do with the intended content of a biology, a

final learning outcome of using social networking is that after using a social network in many

different facets, a student will be able to integrate the technology knowledge and skills they have

gained into future technology based projects and assignments, in this class and in others.

The malleability of the social networking platform is the key to making it useful in

producing any number of learning outcomes. Content can be changed to match a curriculum and

also the delivery of the content can be changed to meet student needs. In education it is

advantageous for a teacher to be flexible, critically self-reflective, and willing to adapt to all

learners. For moderators of learning objects in cyber-education these qualities are important too

in order to achieve desired learning outcomes.

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References

Minnesota Department of Education (2009, July 15). Minnesota Academic Standards, Science

K-12, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2009 from

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Academic_Excellence/Academic_Standards/Science/in

dex.html

Palloff, R. and Pratt, K.(1999). Effective strategies for the online classroom. Building Learning

Communities in Cyberspace. Retrieved November 21, 2009 from

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-

US:official&hs=bsN&q=author:%22Palloff%22+intitle:%22Building+learning+commun

ities+in+cyberspace%22+&um=1&ie=UTF-8&oi=scholarr

Wookfolk, A. (2008). Educational Psychology (10th ed.). Boston: Pearson.