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HOW WE TEACH

Self-expression assignment as a teaching approach to enhance the interest of Kuwaiti women in biological sciences

Department of Family Sciences, College for Women, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, State of Kuwait

Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: F. El-Sabban, Dept. of Family Sciences, College for Women, Kuwait Univ., PO Box 5969, Kuwait City 13060, State of Kuwait (e-mail: farouk.elsabban{at}cfw.kuniv.edu)

	Abstract

TOP Abstract Introduction REFERENCES

 
Stimulating the interest of students in biological sciences necessitates the use of new teaching methods and motivating approaches. The idea of the self-expression assignment (SEA) has evolved from the prevalent environment at the College for Women of Kuwait University (Safat, State of Kuwait), a newly established college where the number of students is low and where students have varied backgrounds and interests and are being instructed biological sciences in English for the first time. This SEA requires each student to choose a topic among a long list of topics and interact with it in any way to produce a finished product without the interference of the course instructor. Students are told that the SEA will be graded based on their commitment, creative thinking, innovation in developing the idea, and finishing up of the chosen assignment. The SEA has been implemented in three introductory courses, namely, Biology, Introduction to Human Nutrition and Food Science, and The Human Body. Many interesting projects resulted from the SEA, and, based on an administered survey, students assessed this assignment very favorably. Students expressed their pleasure of experiencing freedom in choosing their own topics, interacting with such topics, learning more about them, and finishing up their projects. Students appreciated this type of exposure to biological sciences and expressed that such an experience enhanced their interest in such sciences.

Key words: innovation; Kuwait; physiology; teaching methods

	Introduction

TOP Abstract Introduction REFERENCES

 
THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS in institutions of higher learning is dynamic, and educators strive to excel in their chosen profession. While traditional methods of teaching are sound and being practiced, there is a need to develop new approaches. Academic programs and requirements for students to graduate may make some courses compulsory, most of which are introductory in nature. Students may feel that some of these courses are irrelevant or a burden, and, thus, they may not develop a real interest in them. Prevalent circumstances at any given institution vary, and educators may take appropriate initiatives in developing new teaching approaches to fulfill the learning objectives of such courses.

This article introduces the self-expression assignment (SEA) as a new teaching approach for courses that are considered introductory in biological sciences and provides information on its assessment. The idea of the SEA was developed based on the prevalent circumstances at the newly established College for Women (CFW) of Kuwait University. The main idea of SEA is that students would exercise freedom in choosing topics among those that are covered in a given course and produce their finished projects within a set deadline. With minimal involvement of the course instructor, students are encouraged to be self-learners and to develop interest in their chosen subjects. Products of the SEA varied, and some demonstrated creativity and innovation in addition to the scientific content provided.

The SEA was implemented in three biological sciences courses, and its acceptance level by students was favorable. The majority of students felt that their interest in subject matters was enhanced and that they enjoyed the aspect of freedom in learning. Some students felt that the SEA has made them discover a new talent in them. This article also expresses the perceived value of the SEA by the course instructor, who was the initiator of this novel teaching approach. Based on feedback by many, students and fellow colleagues, the SEA described herein can be successfully implemented in a variety of introductory-level courses.

Factors Influencing the Development of the SEA

The idea of the SEA was conceived and developed based on several factors. These involved the overall college environment, students (as recipients of teaching), and the nature and level of courses being taught. The following are brief descriptions of these factors.

College environment. The CFW is new among all colleges of Kuwait University (Safat, State of Kuwait). It started offering courses in September 2003 and consisted of four academic departments at that time. Currently, the CFW consists of five diverse departments, which are the Department of Arts and Design, Department of Communication Disorders and Languages, Department of Environment Technology Management, Department of Family Sciences, and Department of Information Science. Students currently receive undergraduate education only and can major in any of the diverse disciplines offered at the CFW. The curricula being offered at CFW follow the outcome-based learning system, which will be instrumental in approval/accreditation of these academic programs by noted educational and/or professional entities. The language of instruction at the CFW is English.

Students and classes. Students at the CFW are all women; most of them are high school graduates and may or may not have a science background. The language of instruction in the governmental precollege educational system in the State of Kuwait is Arabic, but some students may have had previous exposure to instruction in English. Upon admission, students must pass a number of English language courses. On average, students start this stage of their education at 18 yr of age.

Offered courses. A wide spectrum of courses is offered at the CFW. All courses at the 100 level, known as the General College Education Domain, are introductory and include those that are relevant to this article. Class size ranges between 15 and 20 students but is increasing over time. Some classes have up to 30 students in courses that the majority of students have to take to satisfy certain program requirements.

Implementation of the SEA

Concerned courses. The SEA has been implemented in three courses. Two of these courses were offered twice, namely, FSC 104 (The Human Body, which covers basic human anatomy and physiology) and FSC 110 (Introduction to Human Nutrition and Food Science, which covers many aspects and relationships of food, nutrition, and general health). The third course, CFW 104 (Biology), was offered one time only. The total number of student enrollment in the offering of these 3 courses was 119. All of the above offered courses were taught by one course instructor, the author of this article.

The SEA writeup. A writeup about the SEA was incorporated in the course syllabus, which was handed to students during the first class of the course. Each student was provided with a list of relevant topics, from which the student chose one. Students were told that this assignment is of a self-expression style, in which students produce a variety of work: for example, make a model, prepare a poster, produce educational material for the public, etc. Students were also informed that this SEA is for each to interact with her chosen topic without the involvement of the course instructor. Deadlines were given for informing the instructor of the chosen topic and for the submission of their completed assignment. Students were informed of the percentage weight of their SEA marks toward the final grade for the course, usually 20%. It was also conveyed to students that it was possible to exhibit their finished projects in a special event at the CFW.

SEA topic lists. For each of the three courses in which SEA was implemented, a list of topics was given. An example of such a list for the FSC 104 course is shown in Table 1, and similar lists were provided for the other two courses. Such topics are relevant to the course being taught and are considered as broad, under which the student may report on a particular aspect of her choice. Students were also invited to suggest related topics of their own for the SEA. Some students responded to this invitation and made contributions to existing topics. Once chosen topics were confirmed by students, everyone is committed.

Realizing that students have varied academic interests and ambitions, in addition to their personal talents, it is not surprising that most students try to excel in producing their finished projects. A beautiful array of projects resulted from the SEAs, and it was felt that students handed in their completed work with a sense of pride. The array of projects included traditional written reports, models (some with moving and flashing lights) (Fig. 1), posters (Fig. 2), an oil painting (Fig. 3), a video clip, PowerPoint presentations, computer-generated designs, educational leaflets and booklets for children and the public, and hand-drawn sketches. All students thought of the ideas of their projects, and the majority executed them by themselves, although some students honestly stated that they secured needed materials from specialized shops and had professional help to finish up their "own" ideas, such as printing their designs of very large size sheets. It is the course instructor's assessment that such did not break any academic honesty codes or rules.

View larger version (96K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 1. A model of the heart with moving lights. The chosen topic was "The Cardiovascular System."

View larger version (84K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 2. A poster that depicts an animation of the digestive system.

View larger version (102K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 3. An oil painting of a heart valve, also conceived as abstract art. The chosen topic was "The Cardiovascular System."

Public display of assignments. Students handed in their SEA projects by the specified deadline. All assignments were displayed in a visible area of the department for fellow students, faculty, visitors, and passersby to see. In most cases, the comments made were very positive, and some offered constructive criticism. Such comments were made verbally and were appreciated.

Grading of projects. The course instructor graded the traditional written reports according to a rubric approved by the CFW (3). Assessment of oral presentations was done by all students and the course instructor according to another rubric approved by the CFW (2). For all other types of assignments, a number of fellow colleagues (2–4) volunteered to be project evaluators, and scores from all evaluators and those of the course instructor were incorporated in the overall mark. Volunteers were briefed on the grading criteria, knowing that a project was to reflect creativity and innovation in addition to its educational/scientific aspects. A simple rubric was devised in which the following were included: creativity (75%), educational/scientific content (15%), and quality of the finished product (10%). Additionally, volunteers were asked to be mindful that these young students had shown a serious commitment to their projects.

Fate of SEAs. Initially, the course instructor kept student projects for future reference or for display in many of the college's events. Currently, students are informed that once grading of their projects is completed each student may come and pick up her assignment. Most students do so, and when there are student activity events, they may display their projects and discuss them with attendees. Until about a year ago, students elected to hold an event of their own and proudly display their projects, with extended invitations collegewide. Each semester, the class decides whether to hold an exhibit of their projects or not. In all cases, all projects were documented: written-type assignments were saved electronically, and the rest (models, paintings, posters, etc.) were photographed and these records were incorporated in the appropriate permanent course files.

Student Assessment of the SEA

A simple survey was used to assess the level of acceptance of the SEA by students. Thus, a questionnaire containing 10 statements was devised, as shown in Table 2. The survey was administered retroactively for students who were enrolled in the FSC 104 and FSC 110 courses and currently for those enrolled in the CFW 104 course. Complete responses were obtained from 109 students of a possible total of 119 students. All students who were located responded, i.e., 100% response rate. Ten students were not located, perhaps because of transfer to other colleges or institutions. The main purpose of this survey was to learn about the level of acceptance of the SEA by students.

Student Comments on the SEA

At the end of the questionnaire sheet, students were invited to write their comments. A total of 27 comments were obtained, which represented 24.8% of the total responses. Two comments praised the course instructor. To convey the sentiments of these comments, they can be summarized as follows:

1. Thank you (5 comments). This came with variation, such as "thank you very much" and "thank you for your effort very much."
   
2. Raise the grade of the assignment (3 comments). This came with varying percentages to be raised, by 10%, 15%, and 20%.
   
3. Representative direct quotes of the remaining 17 comments made (with English grammar corrections) are as follows:
   • I think that every course must have such assignments to make students have more knowledge and use their creativity.
     
   • I was excited to read and to gain more knowledge about the topic that I chose–especially in my major.
     
   • I have enjoyed doing this project and feel very proud of my work.
     
   • I liked the idea of the assignment. It taught me to be a self-learner and convey my information in my own creative way.
     
   • I think this assignment could challenge other students to work hard and think creatively! I enjoyed it.
     
   • This assignment helped in bringing the artistic skill to meet the science and made it more fun to me.
     
   • It was also interesting because it was not purely scientific. It involved imagination and self-expression.
     
   
   

Advantages of the Implementation of the SEA

The originator of the SEA and the course instructor for all the courses in which the SEA was implemented is the author of this article. The expressed views about advantages of the SEA are those as perceived by the course instructor and as supported by the student assessment and comments made. Advantages of the SEA are both educational (knowledge gained) and developmental (including creativity and commitment), both of which are significant aspects of higher education. Such advantages of the SEA can be summarized as follows:

1. Freedom to choose a topic. Students are given a long list of topics and are allowed a period of 10–14 days to select their topics. This involves self-learning (introductory search for information), which aids in making a decision on a topic.
   
2. Stimulation of students thinking about the chosen topic and development of a sense of responsibility to execute one's own project.
   
3. Learning more indepth information about the chosen topic. Searching for information is essential, which aids in considering how to come up with an executable idea of the assignment in a creative and innovative fashion. Also, searching for information is a necessity to present or report the scientific content.
   
4. Freedom in producing a finished product of one's own. This may give the student the chance to "discover" some talents that were not apparent or recognized earlier.
   
5. Development of the sense of "pride" in handing in the completed assignment and when seen by fellow students or exhibited in college-wide events.
   
6. Development of a sense of commitment through deciding on a topic, handling the assignment, and submitting a finished product within a known deadline. For those who elect to make an oral presentation of their topics, it is a chance toward developing skills for public speaking.
   
7. Having the opportunity to learn from finished projects by other students.
   

Concluding Remarks

The idea and development of the SEA came in response to the prevalent academic environment at the CFW of Kuwait University. The overall response to this method of teaching and in motivating students to learn has been very positive. Students felt comfortable about this assignment and felt that they had the opportunity to learn about chosen topics on their own and at their own pace. A good percentage of students expressed surprise about how they discovered talents in themselves that they had not realized previously.

Encouraging remarks made to the author by attendees of Experimental Biology 2005 about his presentation triggered the notion of sharing this SEA teaching instrument with a wider circle; thus, the writing of this article (1). The praise received from students, per results of the conducted survey, and from my fellow colleagues has been very encouraging. Some course instructors in other disciplines at the CFW are now considering the SEA for their courses and students, perhaps as an indication that this idea is well received. Based on personal experience, the author feels that this SEA component is very suitable and compatible with introductory-level courses in biological sciences and may be applicable to courses of different disciplines. The level of motivation and willingness to be a self-learner on the part of students has been very satisfactory. The magnitude of commitment exhibited by students is a great benefit toward their personal and professional development.

	Acknowledgments

 
The author thanks Carmen D'Souza, Scientific Assistant, for photographing the first set of SEA projects in 2004. Appreciation is also extended to these students: Jumanah Al-Kandari and Sara Al-Marzouq for help with the distribution and retrieving of the questionnaire from respondent students.

	REFERENCES

TOP Abstract Introduction REFERENCES

 

1. El-Sabban F. Self-Expression Assignment (SEA)–a Novel Approach to Enhance Interest in Biological Sciences for College Students of Varied Backgrounds. San Diego, CA: Experimental Biology 2005.
2. Kuwait University. Oral Presentation Evaluation Form (online). http://www.cfw.kuniv.edu/oaa/Documents/tools/OREF_CFW_revised%5B1%5D%5B1%5D.htm [25 February 2008].
3. Kuwait University. Evaluation Form for Written Work (online). http://www.cfw.kuniv.edu/oaa/Documents/tools/RUBRIC4WRITING%5B1%5D%5B1%5D.htm [28 February 2008].

This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by El-Sabban, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by El-Sabban, F.