Effect of online animation among Southwest Nigerian biology undergraduates achievement in genetics

Genetics, the study of heredity and genetic variation, is vital to biology education. Genome sequencing (GS), which decodes an organism’s entire DNA, represents a major advance in the field yet remains difficult for students to grasp due to its abstract nature and the predominance of traditional lecture-based instruction. This study examined the effect of online animation on genetics achievement using a quasi-experimental design involving 100 second-year biology undergraduates from Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) and Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Nigeria. Students were purposively selected and randomly assigned to experimental (animation) and control (lecture-based) groups. Items adapted from the Knowledge and Attitude Toward Genome Sequencing questionnaire (reliability α = 0.79) were administered over a 12-week intervention. Data analysis showed significant improvement in objective knowledge in both groups, with higher gains in the experimental group. Subjective knowledge showed no significant gains, consistent with a ceiling effect at baseline. Animations improved attitudes toward genome sequencing (p = 0.014), and satisfaction with the animated materials was high. The study recommends incorporating animations into biology teaching to enhance learning outcomes.