The use of ICT in education paved the way for online teaching. Though online teaching faces the challenge of engaging students, various strategies help to overcome it. The present study is a single group pre-test and post-test quasi-experiment that examines the effects of the interactive and gamified e-quizzes in teaching five human body systems, namely the digestive system, the excretory system, the respiratory system, and the male and female reproductive systems, in online science classes. In the study, thirty-two sixth-grade students participated in the classes and two gamification tools, Ecosystemforkids.com and Quizizz.com, were used. Both the tools helped to improve the performance of students. Interactive quizzes provided by Ecosystemforkids.com were found to be effective in remembering the names and understanding the functions of various organs, making it a valuable homework resource. Quizizz.com was found to be effective as a formative assessment tool as well as providing fun competition-based learning. Both tools had a positive impact on student performance.

Concept mapping is an established method to create a network of knowledge. Concept map is made of interconnected propositions in which each proposition comprises of two concepts connected with linking words. The article is to study effect of providing linking words in concept mapping for representing cell biology concepts, comparing with traditional concept mapping among college biology students. A criterion concept map was used to evaluate concepts, linking words and valid propositions. The students’ concept maps were scored for structural complexity and propositional validity. The students’propositions where they used the provided linking words showed a higher proximity percentage with criterion concept map as compared to concept maps without the provided linking words. We discuss the pedagogical implications of our study for understating or forming biological concepts with linking words in concept mapping.

In this study, four plant identification mobile apps, namely LeafSnap, PictureThis, Pl@ntNet, and PlantSnap, were tried by volunteer participants who are students, teachers, and plant enthusiasts. The participants were asked to take images of at least four plants and upload them to these apps for their identification. The participants were then asked about their impressions of and difficulties with the use of these mobile apps by a questionnaire. Their responses reveal that they found the use of mobile apps interesting, enjoyable, and very useful. It could add to their knowledge of plants, help them connect with nature and the world, and provide data for research purposes. There were, however, difficulties that they encountered with the use of the mobile apps, such as the slow Internet connection, some inconsistencies in identification, and the need to purchase the apps after the trial period. Despite these difficulties, the satisfaction of the users supports the need to explore the idea of using mobile apps in teaching taxonomy or systematic biology among students or even as citizen’s science tools.