Advanced Placement Biology to implement online curriculum this Fall

In order to keep up to date with the new questions being posed to upcoming generations of scientists, LRHS Advanced Placement (AP) Biology class will be using an online curriculum starting this fall.

The goal of online curriculum, designed by McGraw-Hill, is to make learning as efficient as possible to better prepare students for the AP exam (worth college credit) that faces them at the end of the year.

The school district’s subscription to the curriculum can be renewed annually as the material within it is updated to accommodate new discoveries. This is more cost effective than purchasing traditional textbooks at the same frequency.

The investment is a first for the district.

Newly instated Ritzville Grade School/Lind-Ritzville High School principal, Tom Arlt, discusses the potential benefits: “With web based or digital textbooks, students would always have the most recent and updated information. The digital textbook allows students 24-hour web based access to all of the student materials. This would include practice materials, tutorials and support for students that are struggling with the materials or have questions. It also would provide students almost limitless extensive enrichment opportunities.”

McGraw-Hill’s curriculum includes three sections for students to use over the course of the year: AP Course Prep, designed to refresh prior knowledge in students over summer break, AP Course Support, the textbook component, and AP Test Prep, practice questions and tests to prepare students for exams in May.

The website for the curriculum explains, “McGraw-Hill Education provides the first and only comprehensive, three-step, Advanced Placement Program solution designed to help students overcome obstacles to AP success.”

The decision to implement the online curriculum was made in early August, lacking time for AP Biology students this year to participate in the over-the-summer preparation step of the curriculum. This will impact next year’s AP Biology class.

Jason Aldrich, science teacher at LRHS who will be working with the digital curriculum said, “For sure next year for AP Biology we’ll be able to do the summer readiness program. The Advanced Placement Environmental Science [will be] soon; the plan hasn’t been set for that class. But the idea is to eventually offer it to them <as well>.”

The curriculum is meant not only to teach, but to enrich.

Arlt said, “What first drew me to online/digital textbooks was the interactive nature of a digital book. There are countless links embedded within the text, which allow students to access vocabulary, video examples, activities, and experiments. I am drawn and intrigued by the level of student engagement that the digital text can provide students.”

As with any new program, the online curriculum will present obstacles.

Arlt explained, “The capacity of our school wireless Internet may provide drawbacks. Also, students may not have access to the internet after school hours.”

The plan to overcome this problem is in progress. Work is being done on the district’s software, hardware, and wireless systems to diagnose problems before they begin.

Regarding Internet access, Arlt said, “Our school would provide students with e-readers to check out and take home. The text would be downloaded onto the reader and students could keep up on the reading requirements of the class, until they could access the Internet.”

He concluded, “Student engagement and interest in the digital version of a text is so much greater because of the interactive nature of the technology. Students will stay engaged longer, and be willing to learn more. This will provide them with a deeper level of understanding than ever before.”