Eight Recommendations to Promote Effective Study Habits for Biology Students Enrolled in Online Courses

Sharday N Ewell; Sehoya Cotner; Abby Grace Drake; Sheritta Fagbodun; Angela Google; Lecia Robinson; Paula Soneral; Cissy J Ballen

doi:10.1128/jmbe.00260-21

Eight Recommendations to Promote Effective Study Habits for Biology Students Enrolled in Online Courses

J Microbiol Biol Educ. 2022 Apr 6;23(1):e00260-21. doi: 10.1128/jmbe.00260-21. eCollection 2022 Apr.

Authors

Sharday N Ewell¹, Sehoya Cotner^{2

3}, Abby Grace Drake⁴, Sheritta Fagbodun⁵, Angela Google⁶, Lecia Robinson⁵, Paula Soneral⁷, Cissy J Ballen¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA.
² Department of Biological Sciences/bioCEED Centre for Excellence in Biology Education, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
³ Department of Biology Teaching and Learning, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
⁴ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
⁵ Department of Biology, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama, USA.
⁶ Department of Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA.
⁷ Department of Biological Sciences, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

Abstract

To achieve meaningful learning experiences in online classrooms, students must become self-regulated learners through the development of effective study habits. Currently, there is no set of recommendations to promote study habits in online biology learning environments. To fill gaps in our understanding, a working group associated with a research coordination network (Equity and Diversity in Undergraduate STEM, EDU-STEM) convened virtually in June 2021. We identify student barriers to self-regulated learning in online environments and present eight practical recommendations to help biology educators and biology education researchers apply and advance evidence-based study habits in online courses. As higher education institutions continue to offer online learning opportunities, we hope this essay equips instructors with the knowledge and tools to promote student success in online biology coursework.

Keywords: digital natives; feedback; formative assessments; interactive software; learning management systems; learning objectives; scaffolding; self-assessment; self-regulated learning; spacing.