Fink’s Integrated Course Design and Taxonomy: The Impact of Their Use in an Undergraduate Introductory Course on Bioinformatics

Abstract

The Integrated Course Design (ICD), using Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning, popularly known as ICD/SL, is a handy way to create a better learning environment for students. It is a learner-centered approach with the desired end-product, but at the same time, it upgrades the teaching by improving the instructors’ delivery mechanism. Our goal of this study was to see whether ICD/SL affects students’ class participation and academic performance in the “Introduction to Bioinformatics” course offered at the Department of Biological Science, BITS Pilani, Pilani campus, India. Three class groups were chosen for this purpose: 2019–2020 (51 students), 2020–2021 (77 students), and 2021–2022 (72 students). The control group, 2019–2020, received no ICD/SL instruction; the remaining two groups, 2020–2021 and 2021–2022, received ICD/SL instruction that included revised learning goals based on Fink’s taxonomy and new teaching and evaluation activities. A Likert scale was utilized to assess students’ academic feedback using the Kruskal–Wallis test to determine the P-value. The findings showed that the treatment groups had higher class participation and academic performance in the summative assessment of final grades. In the experimental groups, the class participation was 23 to 27% higher compared to the control group. The absenteeism rate on the course decreased from 14% in 2019–2020 to 9% in 2020–2021 and 4% in 2021–2022. Also, in the treatment groups, 83 to 90% of students were in the High to Excellent category, compared to 74% in the control group. The failure rate of the course decreased from nearly 18 to 10% in 2021–2022 and only 6% in 2020–2021. There were significant differences between the treatment and control groups in class participation and academic performance (P < 0.05). This study has shown that the use of ICD/SL has the potential to improve students’ class participation and academic performance.

Annexure

Classification of teaching and learning activities under six domains of Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning.

	Learning outcomes	Learning assessments	Learning activities
Foundational knowledge   Learners will understand and remember key concepts, terms, relationships, facts, etc ---   Describes what learners will be able to do with information	Examples of Fink verbs to consider: define, describe, explain, find, identify, list, name Identify methods used in different fields of Biotechnology Define various critical concepts used for performing comparative genomics Identifying the best algorithm and tool for the analysis of biological data Enlisting the steps which can give answer related to specific genes or protein behavior	Readiness assessment test Jigsaw—students work in small groups to develop knowledge about a given topic before teaching what they have learned to another group Guided notes—the instructor provides a set of partial notes that students complete during the lecture, focusing their attention on key points Online resource scavenger hunt-students use the Internet to engage in fact-finding and information processing exercises using instructor-specified library and Internet sources	It will allow discussion and appeals after preparatory reading Students grouped in a batch of 6 and assigned a specific gene or disease before introducing the class topic. It will help students to coordinate with their fellow groupmates and learn from each other by combining each piece of information to make a complete picture In this composite learning exercise, students will able to organize lecture content and get the opportunity to actively respond to material presented in class, resulted in better academic achievement In this, students are grouped and select a topic entirely on their own. The instructor will provide 5–10 websites that contain relevant information related to the topic. The instructor will give some questions that can be quickly answered by the information available on those websites. For example, this type of exercise is quite useful in a database search or to find out a particular gene in the database
Application   Learners will perform/ “do” important tasks ---   Describes the kinds of activities and tasks learners will be able to perform based on the information they have acquired	Examples of Fink verbs to consider: analyze, critique, solve, demonstrate, design, develop Demonstrate your problem statement in a simple flowchart Analyze various authentic sources like NCBI, EMBL, and SwissProt Develop various algorithms to solve your problem of interest	Fact or opinion—encourages students to critically evaluate information by questioning what they read Triple-jump—a three-step technique that requires students to think through and attempt to solve a real-world problem Think-pair-share- the instructor poses a question, gives students a few minutes to think about a response, and then asks students to share their ideas with a partner	In this instructor, write a question on the board and ask students to vote in terms of “fact” and “opinion” (using index cards). Students are also motivated to explain their selection Students will work on producing a diagram that could be used to analyze the gene of interest. It should include various parameters like threshold value, percentage similarity, E-value, homology, and conserved domains, supporting their selection In this collaborative learning approach, students assigned a specific problem, and they have to answer a set of questions about the assigned task. Here, each student thinks individually and shares their ideas with their fellow groupmates For example, a group assigned an insulin coding gene; then, each individual has to find its attributes in different organisms, i.e., number of base pairs, types of mutation, and phylogenetic profile
Integration   Learners will identify/consider/describe the relationship between “x” and “y” ---   Describes the kinds of activities and tasks learners will be able to perform when they synthesize, link to, or relate specific information to other information	Examples of Fink verbs to consider: align, compare, contrast, integrate, organize, relate Align your practical approach with course goals Relate your course goals with institutional goals Organize study material from different sources to support claims, differences of opinion across sources, and potential reasons for their disagreements Organize team discussion to get consensus points	Group grid—group members are given pieces of information and asked to place them in the blank cells of a grid according to category rubrics, which helps them clarify conceptual categories and develop sorting skills Sketch notes—students use handwritten words and visual elements such as drawings, boxes, lines, and arrows to illustrate the main concepts from a lecture, as well as their interrelations Fishbowl—students form concentric circles with a small group inside and a larger group outside. Students in the inner circle engage in an in-depth discussion, while students in the outer circle listen and critique content, logic, and group interaction	Here, students retain essential course content by sorting and visually organizing course content into conceptual categories, for example, mapping the relationship between mutation and its effects on different genes In this, students remember vital visual components of course contents and its relation between them. It is a creative way to map the main elements with handwritten words and visual representation Students are motivated to perform group discussions by making two concentric circles, where inner circle members carried out a conversation. At the same time, the outer ring listens to the debate and takes notes. This kind of arrangement can be done with different groups so that the integration of varying points of view can be possible
Human dimension—self   Learners will better understand themselves ---   Describes the kinds of activities learners will be able to perform when they apply information to themselves, i.e., from what they come to know about themselves	Examples of Fink verbs to consider: conclude, discern, discuss, identify, recognize, relate Conclude your point of view about the type of algorithm or tool selected Find out various ways that support your point of view Identify the pros and cons of your approach Recognize how your approach is different from the existing system	Role play—students deliberately act out or assume characters or identities they would not normally assume	In this, students able to learn a concept and strengthen their imagination. In this, students put themselves in an imaginary situation to understand the concepts. For example, a student can understand each step of the system biology by a role play
Human dimension—others   Learners will interact positively and productively with others ---   Describes the kinds of activities learners will be able to perform when they apply the information to themselves and their interactions with others, i.e., from what they come to know about others	Examples of Fink verbs to consider: convince, discuss, display, recommend, reconsider Develop a team environment so that individuals can collaborate with others to promotes critical thinking Encourage healthy discussion Reconsider the critical points by comparing different people opinions	Test-taking teams—students work in groups to prepare for a test. They then take the test, first individually and next as a group Dyadic interviews—student pairs take turns asking each other questions that tap into values, attitudes, beliefs, and prior experiences that are relevant to course content or learning goals	In this, students collaborate with their peers to prepare for a test first individually for grading and then in groups to submit a collective response to help each other understand the course deeply Students provided interview questions before introducing the topic in the class and encourages them to generate a wide range of relevant responses
Caring   Students will care more deeply about this subject or issues related to this subject ---   Describes the kinds of activities students will be able to perform when they connect the information to themselves and their personal lives in a meaningful way	Examples of Fink verbs to consider: act, challenge, defend, propose, support, value Respectfully defend own choice of tools or algorithm Support the valuable points from other groups Value the effort of each individual of the group	Digital story—students use computer-based tools, such as video, audio, graphics, and web publishing, to tell personal or academic stories about life experiences relevant to course themes 3-min messages—modeled on the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) academic competition, in which students have 3 min to present a compelling argument and to support it with convincing details and examples Update your classmate—a short writing activity where students explain what they learned in a previous class session to set the stage for new learning	In this, students personify the components and write a story about what they learned Students will choose one of these assignments. They will provide some comparative analysis, evidence, theory, and proper use of tools and algorithms to make an argument In this, students recall and spell out what they have learned in previous lessons in writing
Learning how to learn   Students will develop the ability to learn better (more efficiently and effectively), in this course and in their future life ---   Describes the kinds of activities students will be able to perform in order to continue to learn more about this topic in the future	Examples of Fink verbs to consider: create, develop, formulate, identify, organize, select Create a laboratory record of learning goals Formulate a research plan to analyze a housekeeping genes Develop a strategy to learn foundational knowledge about a new or related topic Formulate a new pipeline to solve the pre-existing problem in an efficient way	Personal learning environment—a set of people and digital resources an individual can access for the specific intent of learning. Students illustrate the potential connections through a visible network of the set Post-test analysis—a two-stage process that is divided into several steps designed to help students develop greater awareness of their test-preparing and test-taking skills	Students establish a personal learning goal, estimate time, and identify tools to achieve those personal goals. Here students use web-based tools to correct and curate relevant content and resources In this, students prepare themselves for test preparation and test-taking skills. It involves identifying and clarifying learning goals, setting assignment parameters, developing a grading plan, communicating the method to the student, and implementing planning and the last evaluation of effectiveness