Browsing by Author "Prat-Resina, Xavier"

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    Accessing The Development Of The Horizontal Translation Visual Literacy Skill In Students Using Neural Networks
    (2022-09) Andrade, Vanessa A; Prat-Resina, Xavier; Terrell, Cassidy R; Morin, Chloé S; Contreras Vital, Juquila I
    Research shows that many students struggle with visual representations in molecular life science courses, which impacts their ability to learn the material. Currently, there is minimal research related to the development of students’ visual literacy neural networks. This study aims to understand how students’ neural networks evolve based on their chemistry and biochemistry course enrollment. For this study, students as well as experts took a survey in which their horizontal translation visual literacy skills were measured to make neural networks. Then, the students’ neural networks were analyzed across the chemistry and biochemistry curricula and compared to experts’ neural networks in order to answer the question: How do the neural networks of students change throughout the different curricula in comparison to experts? Utilizing Pathfinder, eccentricity values for each node were generated in which a low value signifies a node(s) is the most central node(s). Furthermore, the degree values indicate which node(s) has the highest degree of branching. With both these values, they can be used to look at whether the neural network of students are similar or different from the experts. These data could help create a curriculum for chemistry and biochemistry courses that could possibly improve students’ visual literacy skills.
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    Analyzing the Visual Literacy Skills of Enzyme-Substrate Representations of Undergraduate Students Across the Chemistry and Biochemistry Curriculum
    (2022-08) Contreras Vital, Juquila I; Andrade, Vanessa; Terrell, Cassidy R; Prat-Resina, Xavier; Morin, Chloé S
    The development of visual literacy skills in undergraduate students has both the potential to increase the interpretation of external representations and aid in the development of conceptual understanding. To date, there is very little visual literacy research addressing the capabilities of students in interpreting and storing information, and how students organize this information in their neural networks. This study aims to provide both visual and quantitative data on expert and student visual literacy skills with respect to enzyme-substrate representations. To do this, the data was taken specifically from chemistry and biochemistry courses across the curriculum. Rather than looking at individual data, the data was categorized based on course and was averaged via the Pathfinder program. This allows for the observation of progress, or changes, depending on the course in which the students are enrolled across the curriculum, which can then be used to compare and contrast against other findings. Through this, the Pathfinder program was used to obtain the neural networks of these averages and the network properties such as degree values and eccentricity values. The degree values look at the nodes that are the most branched, or who appear to be the most connected to other concepts. The eccentricity values look at the most central node, or what is deemed to be most closely connected to other concepts, and this is indicated by a lower value. The average student neural networks and quantitative values were analyzed in reference to the average expert neural network and quantitative values. These findings may provide insight into how student organization of knowledge and visual literacy skills are acquired and maintained, which can be helpful in aiding educators adapt their curricula to further support student learning in relation to scientific topics.
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    Assessing Experts Representational Schema of Protein Structure with Respect to the Vertical Translational Visual Literacy Skill
    (2021-12) Hensch, Brandy, M; Erickson, Amanda; Lopez, Abner; Bobick, Natalie; Fondie, Cole; Lawrence, Andrea; Prat-Resina, Xavier; Terrell, Cassidy
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    Do students at UMR differ in their development of horizontal translational literacy skills for the oxygen binding concept across years and/or by sex?
    (2022-05-03) Hensch, Brandy; Fondie, Cole; Terrell, Cassidy; Bobick, Natalie; Erickson, Amanda; Lopez, Abner Aguirre; Lawrence, Andrea; Prat-Resina, Xavier
    For many undergraduate students and experts, biology, chemistry, and biochemistry courses are difficult because they involve conceptual understanding of ideas that require assimilation of new knowledge with pre-existing knowledge from prior courses. Misconceptions increase cognitive load and interrupt the mental framework, making it difficult for individuals to learn and master course material. Adding to the complexity of these disciplines, individuals are presented with a variety of representations of abstraction which adds to the already high cognitive load of these courses (Schönborn et. al 2002; Offerdahl et. al, 2017). Intentional development of individuals' visual literacy skills has the potential to increase conceptual understanding while also decreasing cognitive load. Although research suggests that developing learners’ mental models can help overcome misconceptions, little to no evidence exists in the chemistry and biochemistry education literature on student and experts structural knowledge related to visual literacy skills, specifically with horizontal translational visual literacy skills for oxygen binding (Chi, 2008; Gilbert & Boulter, 1998; Cranford et. al, 2014, Schönborn and Anderson, 2010). A study was conducted in 2021 in which students and experts were administered four surveys of (bio)chemical models and were asked to scale their similarities from 0-9. This research leads the way for the development of novel targeted learning assessments that address misconceptions and integrate active learning into the undergraduate biochemistry curricula to increase undergraduate student understanding of different chemical and biochemical processes.
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    The Organization of Learning: Measuring How Students Connect the Visual Literacy Skill of Vertically Translating the Oxygen Binding Concept
    (2022-08-27) Morin, Chloé S; Andrade, Vanessa; Contreras Vital, Juquila I; Prat-Resina, Xavier; Terrell, Cassidy R