GraphSmarts Draft | SimBio

Assessing the graphing abilities of biology undergrads - a collaborative research study

GraphSmarts is a performance-based assessment tool being developed by SimBio as part of a multi-institutional NSF-funded research project examining graphing construction and interpretation skills of biology undergraduates. Students are given GraphSmarts scenarios selected from a range of topics taught in general biology courses (see below) and create graphs and answer free-response questions. The graphs and questions are algorithmically scored based on graphing conventions to identify trouble spots.

Instructor Reports

Student scores on the GraphSmarts scenarios are the average of nine graphing practices, including variable relevance, graph type, axis conventions, and data variability. After a class completes an assessment, we send a report to instructors including an overall score, a score for each graphing competency, and the percentage of students who made mistakes. This data identifies where students are confused and helps SimBio design evidence-based materials to better teach graph construction.

If you’d like to have your class assessed for graphing competence, please get in touch!

Sign Up Sample Instructor Report

Explore GraphSmarts scenarios:

Further reading:

Gardner, S.M., Suazo-Flores, E., Maruca, S., Abraham J.K., Karippadath, A., Meir, E. 2021. Biology Undergraduate Students’ Graphing Practice in Digital Versus Pen and Paper Graphing Environments. J Sci Educ Technol
The first publication from a large multi-institution effort to develop performance-based assessments of graphing ability among biology students, this paper compares the results from the SimBio-written digital graphing assessment to a pen and paper assessment.

This material is based upon work partially supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1726180 and 2111150. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

“[SimBio’s modules] provide a powerful environment for hands-on, active learning in Ecology and Evolution. The depth, design, and pedagogical effectiveness of these packages is unequaled. They have greatly enriched student interest and understanding in all of my courses, from Introductory Biology to Advanced Population Biology”

— Dr. Brad Lister

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

“The lab simulations have been very helpful to reinforce the lecture content and encourage students to use critical thinking skills to solve problems.”

— Patti Fallest-Strobl

Neumann University

“I was amazed how quickly and effortlessly the simulation taught them a dynamic system.”

— Paula Philbrick

University of Connecticut

“The students like [it] so much that they are working ahead of what I have assigned. They just think it’s fun. And from the quiz results I have so far, they’re really getting it. You guys are geniuses.”

— Paulette Bierzychudek

Lewis & Clark College

“Since we began using Simbio’s Ecology chapters our students consistently come to class better prepared. This is a key to the success of our hybrid flipped classroom approach.”

— Dr. Peter Curtis

Ohio State University

“That was the most fun I’ve had teaching ecology and, I would venture to guess, the most fun my students have had taking ecology from me.”

— Matt Orr

Oregon State University, Cascades

“Our students are more prepared and our class discussions are more sophisticated because SimUText is such a great out of class “instructor”. Since our students have SimUText preparation we can spend class time applying concepts and evaluating new information.”

— Emily Bernhardt

Duke University

“I LOVE that every lab is based on a real study. I LOVE that all of the labs offer an open-ended inquiry. I LOVE that the labs gradually teach the concepts and build up a repertoire of data collection techniques. Thank you, for creating them.”

— Jeanette Williams

Community College of Vermont

“I just wanted to say how great simutext has been. I could have memorized facts about the electron transport chain and passed the test, but would not have had any solid concept of what was happening inside. I hope that we continue to use it often even when things return to normal.”

— Student

Rochester Community and Technical College

“Congratulations for developing such a high quality chapter. I was very impressed by its comprehensiveness, accuracy, and thoughtful design. It really is superb.”

— Richard Boone

Humboldt State University

“I recommend your modules to anyone I can, because of all the online materials I’ve found, SimBio is really the best in content and best managed. I am definitely a SimBio fan!”

— Valerie Anderson

Marymount California University