By HOLLY HEAP
holly@newsroom.byu.edu
Fifty percent of the students in the Zoology Department taking human anatomy labs at BYU in the past year have unknowingly been part of an experiment using cooperative learning.
Students haven't had the choice of whether or not to be a part of the experiment, said Mardi Weber, 24, a zoology major graduating in August. Cooperative learning has been implemented into about half of the labs based on Weber's masters thesis.
Weber said she wants to implement the program as a permanent tool in the department and claims that students scores will improve 3-4 points -- the difference between a 'b' and a 'b+.' But to some students the extra effort is not worth it.
For many students, the class is overwhelming, especially at first, said Jill Hargus, 27, a human anatomy teaching assistant. Students spend four hours in class, plus lab time with a lot of memorization on top of a lecture, and they only receive three credit hours, she said.
'It is definitely like an honors class,' Hargus said.
Other students, such as Tom Martin, 22, a biology major who took the human anatomy lab last fall in normal format, said they wish they had had the chance to experience cooperative learning.
'The lecture was less effective; the lab was better but there were too many students,' Martin said.
Working in small groups is one of the main strengths of cooperative learning, Weber said. Students have to teach each other in an interactive manner, which helps to incorporate the material, she said.
Co-op classes started last summer; during the school year the regular format was taught. This summer teaching assistants are experimenting again, with many of the classes to see if the program will be implemented in the fall.
Zoology lab coordinator Jessica Young said that all the teaching assistants will meet at the end of the semester to discuss the possible implementation of cooperative learning into the program on a permanent basis.
The choice of taking a co-op class is not yet available to students, but if approved by department heads it may be a future possibility, Young said. Students will be informed before registering for a lab, then have the option to choose which type of lab to enroll in, she said.
Young said she has had a good experience with the program. She said her co-op honors lab class average last fall was 88 percent, the highest ever for a human anatomy lab. But Young said she feels the probability of the program being permanently approved is slim because teaching assistants tend to enjoy lecturing, and it's often difficult to get students to teach each other.
But the effectiveness of the class definitely depends on the person to whom you are talking. Hargas said the class is harder than the traditional human anatomy labs, that it requires more time, and more effort on the part of the students.
However, Hargas said, 'I felt it was tough, but in the end it benefited me. Every chance I get, I tell people it's great!'