header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
January 9
1857 - Estimated 8.0 earthquake, SoCal's most recent "Big One," decimates Fort Tejon [story]
Tejon quake map


CSUN biology professor and creator of Biology Open Online Prep Session, Cindy Malone.

The online class, Biology Open Online Prep Sessions (B-OOPS), is a massive open online course (MOOC) currently being offered to several Biology 100 and 101 students along with a few 9th grade students who are giving Malone feedback on the course’s effectiveness.

Once it is ready, Malone plans a soft rollout of the course, offering it first to CSUN students, before opening it up to all students across the country and beyond through the Canvas.net MOOC system.

Biology professor at California State University, Northridge and creator of Biology Open Online Prep Session, Cindy Malone.
CSUN biology professor and creator of Biology Open Online Prep Session, Cindy Malone.

The course gives students the option to control what, when and how they want to learn. B-OOPS targets students who want to expand their biology knowledge, refresh their memories about the academic material or utilize the course as a tutorial guide if they are struggling in biology.

“B-OOPS will be open to anyone in the world,” said Malone. “People who use the MOOC do not have to complete the entire course. If they want, they can just look through some of the sections. They don’t have to go through everything.”

Malone is currently working on enabling the course to give high school and transfer students CSUN life science general education credit. Students considering biology as a major can use the course to gain in-depth knowledge of their high school biology curriculum and it may help them decide if biology is the field they want to study in college, Malone said.

The course is free, but to receive academic credit, CSUN students must access the quizzes and the ebook at a set price of $57.

“People who do not plan to attend CSUN but are still interested in taking the course, can receive the same informative and educational benefits from the class without CSUN course credit,” Malone said.

“Our current Biology 100 curriculum [at CSUN] is almost identical to high school biology content, just with more in-depth thinking and higher-level evaluation,” said Malone. “When students take B-OOPS they can perfect their studying style.”

The online course is based on Malone’s textbook “Biology Now,” which features adaptive learning methods, benchmark assignments, flashcards, animations and quizzes. Tutorials and classroom lectures created by Malone are included in the course modules.

Although there are a few recorded in-class lecture videos in B-OOPS, the class primarily features quick videos on course topics.

Malone has anecdotally found that in an online course, long lecture videos were not as useful in helping students retain what they learned from textbook reading. Malone said that social scientific studies showed that short tutorials were more effective than long recorded lectures.

According to Malone the demands of the course are similar to courses with a traditional, in-classroom structure but it allows students to take the class at their own pace.

“It is extremely important to read the book, do the assignments and develop your own learning style with this voluntary course,” said Malone. “The course is a lot of work, but it should be more fun than work. We’re trying to get more relevance and a little more fun into biology. This course could help anybody, but people really have to put in the time to gain the knowledge that they wish to receive.”

For more information on release dates and registration for B-OOPS, please contact cindy.malone@csun.edu.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


HIGHER EDUCATION LINKS
LOCAL COLLEGE HEADLINES
Tuesday, Jan 7, 2025
Mojdeh Mahn, associate dean of learning resources and director of The Learning Center (TLC) at College of the Canyons, remembers the first time she stepped foot on campus as a 17-year-old.
Tuesday, Jan 7, 2025
Carefully sorting through the detritus — mostly animal bones — of an archaeological excavation that took place in Germany in the 1930s, California State University, Northridge anthropologist Hélène Rougier found inches-long bone fragments that offer a glimpse of what life was like for early modern humans more than 40,000 years ago.
Tuesday, Dec 24, 2024
Four students from California Institute of the Arts Character Animation program have been awarded scholarships by ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum for the 2024-25 academic year.
Tuesday, Dec 24, 2024
Two CalArtian-directed films earned nods this year for Golden Globes in the Best Motion Picture – Animated category.
Monday, Dec 23, 2024
The International Film Festival Rotterdam unveiled the first highlights of its 54th edition, set to take place in the Netherlands from Jan. 30 to Feb. 9. Among the lineup are world premieres by two filmmakers who graduated from California Institue of the Arts.
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1857 - Estimated 8.0 earthquake, SoCal's most recent "Big One," decimates Fort Tejon [story]
Tejon quake map
Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department have reported that fires in Los Angeles County have burned more than 26,000 acres and more than 2,000 structures have been lost.
UPDATE: More Fires Break Out in Southern California
Cal Fire has reported that fires in Los Angeles County have burned more than 26,000, acres and more than 1,100 structures lost.
UPDATE: L.A. County Fires Exceed 26,000 Acres, 1,100+ Structures Lost
The National Day of Mourning to honor the late President Jimmy Carter isn't recognized as an official federal holiday, however, some organizations and businesses will be closed by the day of observance.
Jan. 9: No Mail Delivery on National Day of Mourning
Cal Fire reports a fire has broken out at 2:07 p.m. on the 5700 block of Soledad Canyon Road in Acton.
BREAKING: Fire Breaks Out in Acton
All For Kids is seeking foster families and now offers two virtual ways for individuals and/or couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption.
Jan. 16: All For Kids Virtual Orientations on Foster Care and Adoption
California Credit Union Foundation is encouraging college-bound students across Southern California to apply for its 2025 Student Scholarship Program.
California Credit Union Foundation Offering Scholarships to Students
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Board of Directors has selected Director Maria Gutzeit to serve as Board President in 2025, while Directors Bill Cooper and Gary Martin were selected to serve as Vice Presidents at the board’s regular meeting on Jan. 7.
SCV Water Elects Gutzeit Board President
In response to ongoing fires throughout Los Angeles County, DoorDash has activated its Severe Weather Protocol to pause operations in affected areas, including Santa Clarita.
DoorDash Service Remains Suspended in Santa Clarita, L.A. Areas
The Small Business Development Center hosted by College of the Canyons will offer a free webinar, Mastering Ecommerce: From Foundations to Advanced Strategies, Part 2, Buyer Personas & Digital Marketing Essentials, on Wednesday, Jan. 15 from 10-11 a.m.
Jan. 15: Free Webinar on Mastering Ecommerce
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger recently issued a statement regarding how Measure E funds will benefit the county's firefighting capabilities.
Barger Comments on L.A. County Measure E (Firefighting) Implementation Plan
At the midway point of the 2024-25 athletic year, The Master's University is in fifth place among all NAIA schools for the annual Learfield Directors' Cup.
TMU in Fifth for the Learfield Directors’ Cup
Nicole Chuang poured in 10 points in the final seconds of regulation and in the overtime period to lead The Master's University women's basketball team to a 72-68 overtime win against Hope International Saturday, Jan. 4 in Fullerton.
Lady Mustangs win GSAC opener in OT
The National Weather Service has continued the Red Flag Warning through 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9 in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Red Flag Warning Continues for SCV, Hurst Fire Threatens Newhall Pass
1869 - Sanford Lyon, Henry Wiley and William Jenkins begin drilling the first oil well in Pico Canyon [story]
spring pole
A wildfire in Los Angeles's Pacific Palisades neighborhood, driven by extreme winds, rapidly grew to more than 3,000 acres on Tuesday, prompting thousands of residents to evacuate the affluent enclave overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Wildfires Burn in Pacific Palisades, Altadena
As extremely strong winds continue to pose widespread risk of power outages, wildfires, and other hazards, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger has signed an emergency proclamation to bolster response and recovery work. 
Barger Proclaims Local Emergency for Windstorm
A memorial highway dedication ceremony honoring Deputy Hagop “Jake” Kuredjian will be held Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 10:30 a.m. at the site of Kuredjian’s memorial on Poe Parkway and Stevenson Ranch Parkway.
Jan. 8: Ceremony at SCV Sheriff’s Station Honors Deputy ‘Jake’ Kuredjian
The California Department of Motor Vehicles will host a public briefing on Jan. 10, 2025, from 12 PM to 1 PM, to highlight insights and outcomes from its 2024 Mobile Driver’s License Hackathons.
California DMV Invites Public to Mobile Driver’s License Hackathon Public Briefing
The Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative invites the community to attend a webinar about its Draft Funding Recommendations for addressing and preventing homelessness in Fiscal Year 2025-26.
Jan.16: Homeless Initiative Seeks Community Input for 2025-26 Draft Funding
Local nonprofit Fostering Youth Independence is kicking off the new year with a training session for new “Allies” to support Santa Clarita youth who are aging out of the L.A. County foster care system.
Jan. 14:  Fostering Youth Independence Kicks off New Year With Opportunity to Become Ally to a Local Foster Youth
The California Department of Motor Vehicles today announced that industry business customers, including registration services and vehicle dealerships, currently “posting fees” (a type of payment-only transaction) at an Industry Business Center (IBC) or other DMV office will instead be required to use the DMV’s Vehicle Industry Services online channel. 
DMV Industry Business Customers To Now Use Online Payment Channel
Mojdeh Mahn, associate dean of learning resources and director of The Learning Center (TLC) at College of the Canyons, remembers the first time she stepped foot on campus as a 17-year-old.
Longest-Serving COC Employee Retires After 44 Years of Service
SCVNews.com