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The BioMolViz Library: An Assessment Repository to Evaluate Biomolecular Visual Literacy Through the BioMolViz Framework
- Award ID(s):
- 1920270
- PAR ID:
- 10430311
- Publisher / Repository:
- University of Texas at Austin
- Date Published:
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- biochemistry visual literacy assessment molecular visualization
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Biochemistry relies heavily on the use of images and diagrams to make the abstract tangible. Yet, as biochemistry instructors, how do we know whether our students see the same things we instructors see? BioMolViz (biomolviz.org) is a community of practice dedicated to the instruction and assessment of biomolecular visual literacy. To this end, BioMolViz created the Biomolecular Visualization Framework, an assessment tool that identifies more than 200 learning objectives clustered under twelve overarching themes, such as StructureFunction and Alternate Renderings. The team is currently assembling a searchable repository to host assessment instruments for each of these learning objectives. To aid in its construction, BioMolViz is recruiting participants to help write, revise, and pilot these instruments in the classroom. Here, we introduce the Framework, share various BioMolViz projects, and invite likeminded individuals to work with us to build students’ biomolecular visual literacy.more » « less
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BioMolViz is a community of practice dedicated to improving biomolecular visualization instruction. Guided by a framework of learning objectives for biomolecular visualization skills, our initial project goal was to create a repository of validated assessments to evaluate students’ visual literacy. In 2018, the team was awarded one year of seed funding, which led to a four-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. This support allowed BioMolViz to flourish into a community of educators in professional development workshops and working groups, where teams of participants aimed to design effective and accessible assessments to evaluate students’ biomolecular visual literacy. As the project advanced, we piloted these items in classrooms across the United States. Through a small-scale classroom testing study, we compared student and instructor perceptions of assessment difficulty, while large-scale testing revealed performance patterns that reinforced the need to understand distinct student perspectives. This led us to evaluate students’ problem-solving strategies through surveys and semi-structured interviews. Based on this work, we argue that a reimagining of the curriculum can begin with faculty, but must include productive student partnerships to enact effective change. We offer our repository of visual literacy assessments, the BioMolViz Library, as an instructor resource shaped by the student perspective, and present a new instructor training resource recently produced by our working group. As we approach the close of our funding cycle, we offer our ideas and invite conversations on fostering long-term sustainability for our robust community of practice, under all future resource models.more » « less
