Boosting student performance with inclusive writing-to-learn assignments through graphic organizers in large enrollment undergraduate biology courses.

Alison Wallace, Theresa Barosh, Ellen Brisch, Paul Laybourn, Meena M Balgopal

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Journal of microbiology & biology education, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Breaking confirmatory spells by implementing research-integrated CUREs.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2025
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Alison WallaceDepartment of Biosciences, Minnesota State University, Moorhead, Minnesota, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4708-4398

Theresa BaroshEnergy Institute, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

Ellen BrischDepartment of Biosciences, Minnesota State University, Moorhead, Minnesota, USA.

Paul LaybournDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

Meena M BalgopalDepartment of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Logistical challenges in large enrollment classes are often mentioned as obstacles to active learning. Writing is an integral part of being a scientist and is often one of the first tools considered by STEM instructors to increase student engagement, but iterative writing assignments in large classes require creativity on the part of the instructor. We found an association between writing-to-learn assignments designed to be consistent with inclusive learning pedagogies and student performance measures in a large enrollment undergraduate biology course. They provide ample opportunity for deliberate practice and inclusive engagement, components of the "heads and hearts" hypothesis posed to explain the variation in active learning impacts on the performance of minoritized students.

Indexed as

active learninginclusive pedagogieswriting-to-learn

Identifiers

PMID38108004

DOI10.1128/jmbe.00087-23

PMCPMC10720555

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.