March 2016

When: Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 from 2-3 pm (EST).

Article: McDonnell L, Barker MK, Wieman C. 2016. Concepts first, jargon second improves student articulation of understanding. Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 44: 12-19. doi: 10.1187/cbe.14-08-0121.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bmb.20922/epdf

How: Journal Club meets via Skype. In order to setup for this please send Paula your Skype handle. You may be sent a skype request, which you will have to accept.

Guiding questions:

• Do you have any criticisms of the experimental design? Are there ways they could have improved the experiment? Are there things you would have done differently?
• Are the gains measured by the work sufficient to invest time in removing jargon and rethinking your course delivery?
• Can you think of "jargon" in your courses where this approach might be useful?
• What would your next step in terms of research in this area be if you were one of the authors? What additional experiments came to mind as you read the article?
• The authors seem to favour the explanation that removing jargon improves student learning because of reduced cognitive load. Would you agree or suggest other explanations?