An online Biology course: a teaching-learning experiment

We have been experimenting with an online course in “teaching Biology” created for students that cannot regularly attend the University and have to work very hard to carry out practical activities in Biology-related contents. Five online activities (cells, water ecosystem, seeds, insects, branch cuttings) and carefully designed protocols are provided to the students as well as specific instruments such as videos, photographic records, final tests, etc. During this Distance-Learning course they are helped by a tutor that carry out a monitoring all their study works to produce materials that will be evaluated during the examination. Students can discuss with peers, with teacher and with tutor using a forum cafè, and five thematic forums to carry out reflections, to ask for explanations, etc.. These interactions, when compared with university lectures, constitute the real advantage of this type of teaching-learning mode which encourages collaborative learning and the sharing of experiences and of acquired knowledge. We are still experimenting the web site of the course as well as the methodology adopted.