Concepts in Toxicology: Development of Online Instructional Modules

Introduction

Chemists, particularly those involved in the handling of toxic substances in occupational settings, often need a glossary of terms relating to various aspects of toxicology. Such a glossary, together with supplementary glossaries addressing the specialized fields of ecotoxicology and immunotoxicology, has been published in Pure and Applied Chemistry as a series of IUPAC Recommendations that continue to be developed. [1, 2] The book Concepts in Toxicology has been written to support these glossaries with further explanation and expansion of basic toxicology terminology. [3] The purpose of this project is to develop e-learning tools based on the book.

The use of video clips as e-learning resources has increased to a great extent in the last several years. One recent example involved Year 3 and 4 medical students in Korea who were surveyed after using videos designed to teach clinical skills. [4] 411 students from 31 medical schools returned the questionnaires. A majority of them found the videos effective. One third of those surveyed accessed the video clips using mobile devices; they agreed more with the statement that it was convenient to access the video clips than their peers who accessed the videos using computers (p < 0.05). However, students reported lack of integration into the curriculum and lack of interaction as barriers to more effective use of these videos.

Statements by Clothier support the observation that video use is increasing. [5] He indicates that the second most popular search engine in use today is YouTube. He also underscores the fact that short video format is preferred by many people, who find watching moving images and listening to someone speak engaging and informative. Clothier predicts that audio and video streaming will have exceeded 60 percent of North American’s mobile data usage by late 2014.

Critics have, in the past, characterized videos as a somewhat passive educational experience reflective of the lecture model of learning. However, the recent development of interactive video clips, similar to those compiled in this project, appears to mitigate this passivity to a certain extent. Users interacting with videos show increased attention, engagement, and recall when engaged by mouse clicking or tapping, either of animations and quizzes, or to gain access to additional information via hyperlinks. Clothier has suggested that these interactive videos may require similar actions to those of a web page and may, eventually, replace web pages.

Enhanced student engagement has also been the goal of new flipped classroom instructional methods. There is no single model for the flipped classroom—the term is widely used to describe almost any learning format that provides pre-recorded lectures followed by in-class exercises. [6] Short tutorial video lectures are a common e-learning tool used to present subject matter information in flipped classrooms. This format allows students to move through the material at their own pace. Moreover, interactive videos used in a flipped classroom environment can contain interspersed quizzes with immediate feedback. This feature further facilitates student understanding prior to a more in-depth classroom discussion of major concepts. The project described here supports use of online instructional modules, particularly those containing interactive video clips, as an engaging instructional method for many students in the field of toxicology.

Module Development

In developing these modules, the pertinent information was extracted from various chapters in Concepts in Toxicology. Preference was given to concepts considered to be the ‘core’ of each chapter and brevity was emphasized. The text was transferred to PowerPoint slides, animated and then formatted consistently throughout each module.

The audio files that accompany the extracted text were prepared by all members of the group. These ‘voice-overs’ were created as MP3 or AIFF files using several types of software, e.g. Lecture Recorder© (Data Enterprise Management S.R.L.). Illustrations were developed for each module using Microsoft PowerPoint© (Microsoft, Inc.). Adobe Photoshop© (Adobe Systems, Inc.) was used for coloring or sizing figures, while the figures were often converted into JPEG format for integration into PowerPoint slides. The extracted/formatted text, illustrations and animations were compiled in Captivate© (Adobe Systems, Inc.). Quizzes were developed utilizing this program. Highlighting and further animation of text and illustrations, as well as editing of audio files were also accomplished using Captivate. The final files were published in either SWF or MP4 format. Captivate was chosen as the appropriate software for this project based on specific features allowing development of interactive video-clips to be used as e-learning tools. The program also integrates PowerPoint slides, providing an easy platform from which to develop text and illustrations. Finally, Captivate projects can be published in multiple output formats (SWF, MP4, HTML5) allowing presentation on stationary and mobile devices.

Module Format

Each module contains a video-clip in which a series of learning objectives, pertinent words and their definitions, and explanations of basic concepts are presented. Illustrations, animations, and a multiple-choice quiz are also provided. Figures 1—5 on the following page highlight the basic components of each module using the “Interaction” module as an example.

Beta-Testing

Four of the modules (“Acute-Chronic”, “Interaction”, “Adverse Effect and Toxicity”, and “Carrier”) were beta-tested by approximately 25 students attending the International Course in Environmental Toxicology given by the Chulabhorn Graduate Institute (Bangkok, Thailand) in April 2013. Students accessed the modules in SWF format and then were asked to complete a short survey describing their experience. The majority of comments collected were favorable. Several respondents suggested that additional illustrations and animations would make the modules more engaging. Additional comments were also received indicating that formatting the modules for mobile devices would also be worthwhile.

Current Status

As of this writing, twelve modules have been completed and are as follows: Acute-Chronic, Adverse Effect and Toxicity, Dose, Interaction, Hazard, Structure-Activity Relationships, Risk, Speciation, Bioaccessibility, Carrier, Biotransformation, and Reactive Oxygen Species [ROS].

Access to the modules [.swf files] is available by contacting any of the authors of this article. It is anticipated that eventually these modules will be housed on an IUPAC server for distribution, free-of-charge, to interested parties.

Future Work

Plans for future work include adding illustrations/animations in the current modules following the beta test suggestions. Conversion of modules to html5 format for use on mobile devices is being considered as well. Development of new modules based on the remaining chapters of the book is also under discussion.

D. J. Huggins <djh3654@gmail.com> is a former professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. M. Schwenk <mike.schwenk@gmx.net> is a former professor at the Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany. D.M. Templeton <doug.templeton@utoronto.ca> is a researcher at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. J. H. Duffus <j.h.duffus@blueyonder.co.uk> is a professor at The Edinburgh Centre for Toxicology, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Acknowledgements

The project was supported by funding from IUPAC as project 2011-032-1-700; www.iupac.org/project/2011-032-1-700. The authors would like to thank M. Markevitch for permission to use the image of ‘bullet clusters’ on the title slide for each module. [Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/M.Markevitch, Optical and lensing map: NASA/STScI, Magellan/U.Arizona/D.Clowe, Lensing map: ESO WFI] Thanks is also extended to Dan Gambert and Tucker Rowlinson of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey for their technical assistance.