Joycelin Palacio-Cayetano
Polytechnic High School, LAUSD
In four rapidly moving weeks at UCLA's IMMEX (Interactive Multimedia Exercises) Training Institute last summer, I converted from the Macintosh to a PC, became an IMMEX author, was exposed to advances in biomedical technology through interaction with accomplished scientists, acquired expertise in six new software programs, and expanded Polytechnic High's stock of science equipment through donations from UCLA's Science Education Partnership.
The end of the four-week session marked the beginning of a magnificent professional relationship with the IMMEX staff.
It began when an IMMEX representative came to the school to assist with the installation of IMMEX software and ensure that we were ready to launch Poly's IMMEX program successfully.
The excitement mounted as we introduced students to IMMEX. Mine were so riveted to the computer screen that, when the bell rang, there was no mad dash to the door.
My students were deep in thought, interested, and wanted more! This was a teacher's dream come true - students enjoying learning, thinking critically, and developing problem-solving expertise. It was a prize, a simply priceless one!
For those who have not heard of IMMEX (pronounced M-X), it is Windows-based, problem-solving, assessment software developed in 1987 by Ron Stevens, Professor of Immunology at the UCLA School of Medicine.
IMMEX has three basic components. IMMEX:AUTHOR lets teachers design customized problems related to a discipline of choice, such as Forensics, Genetics, Math, Astronomy, Archaeology, or English.
In IMMEX:TEST mode, students interact with the computer. The first screen presents the problem, and students can access a palette of menu options to extract information to solve the problem.
While students navigate through the choices and make selections, IMMEX: ANALYSIS sequentially records each action. Teachers can then review the analytical pathways of individual students or the class as a whole, gaining deeper insights into students' problem-solving strategies and their mastery of subject matter.
However, this is only the technical side of IMMEX. Since the IMMEX staff considers teachers to be curriculum engineers, research scientists, and the primary agents of constructive change, IMMEX alumni are strongly encouraged to conduct classroom research and obtain quantifiable data on students' problem-solving skills. That may be why increasing numbers of IMMEX alumni, myself included, make presentations at local and national conferences.
As a result of my participation in the IMMEX program, I have changed from a rather silent, somewhat active classroom teacher to a presenter at LAUSD Principals Meetings, the CSUN Practitioners Group Conference, the GLATSA Conference and, in the fall, I am scheduled to present at the National Association of Biology Teachers Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Obviously, my silence has been broken, and my teaching is revitalized.
