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Case Study 5: Using LAMS to Teach Bioinformatics

Prepared by Dr Peter Miller from the University of Liverpool

Dr Peter Miller from the University of Liverpool in the UK used LAMS to develop a new advanced undergraduate course in the field of bioinformatics. Bioinformatics uses information systems to analyse biological information, including the immense gene sequence databases as well as data from new high throughput techniques that focus on how these genes do their work. It is a rapidly evolving field that has become a prerequisite for research in the molecular biosciences.

'Bioinformatics makes heavy use of web-based information systems as a core research tool,' said Dr Miller. 'So it makes sense to use web-based learning activities that build on the same research infrastructure that students will use in their projects and subsequent careers,' he said.

Dr Miller has been part of a recent trial of the Learning Activity Management System (LAMS), a new generation of open source e-learning software that facilitates a structured flow of student tasks. The trial has been facilitated by the UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), with support from Oxford University and LAMS International Pty Ltd.

The trial has involved a range of institutions across the UK from higher education, further education and adult and community learning. The focus of the trial has been to investigate how LAMS can assist in 'designing for learning'.

In Dr Miller's case, LAMS has been used mainly in a blended learning context to support students with a structured series of online tasks, searching different gene databases and analysing the results. A key advantage of LAMS has been the ability to provide a unified, structured flow of tasks. This has been used either to reflect the normal sequence of an analysis or to illustrate particular facets of the subject. Online collaboration between students was designed explicitly into some activities and encouraged generally.

'LAMS gave me the opportunity to create a structure for students to work through that hopefully helped build their knowledge and skills progressively. In unfamiliar and challenging subjects like bioinformatics, I think the LAMS approach is preferable to a traditional learning platform or website where there is little control over the 'flow' of tasks for students,' said Dr Miller. 'At the same time, some students want to take charge of their learning once they've grasped the basics and I'm confident LAMS will be able to accommodate this as well. This year we ran a student-led group-based mini-project looking at the ethics of gene patents in parallel with the main course. Next year I want to extend this approach into the more technical aspects of the subject too.'

Another advantage of LAMS was that each set of activities created by Dr Miller was stored as a 'digital lesson plan' or 'sequence' that allowed for easy re-use and adaptation (an activity in LAMS is a building block that might be, for example, a self-contained chat session or MCQ; a sequence is a structured set of these activities). 'Once I'd built the first sequence, it was straightforward to elaborate on it for later ones and I think the students found a degree of consistency helpful. Certainly they had few problems with the LAMS interface and the need for training was much less than I expected. The seamless management of groups and opportunities for collaborative activities opened new avenues I hadn't considered before. One thing I learned early on is that less (shorter sequences) can be more (effective) in LAMS; so many of the avenues remain to be explored! The monitoring interface meant I could easily check student progress through the sequence and the built-in voting activity meant students actually influenced my choice of websites for some of the later sequences, something I hadn't really planned in advance. I think being able to brainstorm activity sequences based on LAMS's palette encouraged me to be more innovative and ultimately more reflective. I'm really looking forward to rejigging some of the lessons for next year and, in particular, replacing some of the remaining lectures with face-to-face sessions using LAMS. I hope that the Open Source aspect to LAMS will encourage continuing development of both generic and subject-specific activities as there is a very strong Open Source ethos in bioinformatics,' said Dr Miller.

Professor James Dalziel, inventor of LAMS and Director of the Macquarie University E-learning Centre of Excellence in Sydney, Australia, has been very pleased with the use of LAMS in bioinformatics at the University of Liverpool. 'This example illustrates how innovative learning technology can be used in creative ways for advanced new fields such as bioinformatics. Peter's combination of IT for both research and teaching purposes creates a seamless student experience that enhances overall learning outcomes in a way that would be difficult to replicate in a traditional classroom,' he said.

As a result of the good experiences from the trial, there are now plans to implement LAMS in a range of courses at the University of Liverpool in the coming year, and to expand the range of online activities for students in future bioinformatics courses. The JISC will release a formal evaluation of the LAMS trial in April 2005.

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