Table 1.
Summary of the major characteristics of T-1010 and WEI-1010 taught by the same instructor in fall 2003 and fall 2004, respectively
| T-1010 (102) | WEI-1010 (56) | |
|---|---|---|
| In-class structure | Three 50-min lectures per week, two exams, and a final exam | Two 110-min periods per week made up of 5–9 activities as listed in text that often require student participation, three exams, and a final exam |
| Out-of-class structure | Weekly homework of 9 essay questions (graded, 200 points for semester) and a textbook reading related to each in-class session | Online preclass session composed of 1 essay question (graded, 100 points for semester), 4 multiple-choice review questions (graded, 50 points for semester), and 2 to 4 other activities as listed in text; online postclass session composed of 4 multiple-choice review questions (graded, 50 points for semester) and 2 or 3 other activities as those listed in text for preclass sessions |
| When evolution and ecology presented and assessed | Evolution was presented first and tested with an exam and with the final exam; ecology was presented last and only tested with the final exam | Same as T-1010 |
| Attendance | Not required; 65 to ∼100% with average of ∼80% | Required; 85 to 100% with average of ∼97% |
| In-class teaching assistants | None | 2 |
| Course management system | None: students followed hardcopy syllabus at their choosing; weekly homework due on Mondays | WebCT: student engagement guided in preclass and postclass activities because graded essay and review questions due before next in-class session |
| In-class time on evolution (min) | 350 | 605 |
| In-class time on ecology (min) | 400 | 495 |
| % Life science majors | 63 | 62 |
| Laboratory | About 5 h/wk (all students) | About 5 h/wk (75% of students) |
Number of students in parentheses. T-1010, traditional BIOL 1010; WEI-1010, Web-enhanced interactive BIOL 1010.