Designing Break-out Room Activities or Individual Modules Linked to Learning Management System Platforms: Using Google Forms in Synchronous or Asynchronous Biology Courses

 

Joanna Vondrasek

Advances in Biology Laboratory Education, 2022, Volume 42

https://doi.org/10.37590/able.v42.abs41

Abstract

Designing effective activities for both synchronous and asynchronous versions of the same course can be challenging, and often the different modalities demand different solutions. In this presentation, I will demonstrate how Google Forms can be used as break-out room group learning activities for synchronous courses or as individual learning modules for asynchronous courses. The Google Form can be set up as a “quiz”, so that students need to answer questions correctly to move on to the next question or content. Videos and images can be embedded in the form for self-contained instruction. In addition, the “exit page” of Google Forms, when the form has been successfully completed, can be used as a platform to launch students into additional, more open ended inquiry, such as creating a discussion board post in the Learning Management System. I will guide attendees through the creation of a Google Form on the topic of their choosing, share student feedback on these activities from my introductory biology courses, and lead a discussion of best practices on implementing these activities.

Keywords:  assessment, active learning, quiz, asynchronous, Google forms

Virtual ABLE (ViABLE) (2021)