How Pre-Service Teachers' Understand and Perform Science Process Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chabalengula, Vivien Mweene; Mumba, Frackson; Mbewe, Simeon

2012-01-01

This study explored pre-service teachers' conceptual understanding and performance on science process skills. A sample comprised 91 elementary pre-service teachers at a university in the Midwest of the USA. Participants were enrolled in two science education courses; introductory science teaching methods course and advanced science methods course.…

Students' Views About Potentially Offering Physics Courses Online

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramlo, Susan E.

2016-06-01

Nationally, many public universities have started to move into the online course and program market that is most often associated with for-profit institutions of higher education. Administrators in public universities make statements regarding benefits to students' desire for flexibility and profit margins related to online courses. But do students attending a large public university want to take courses online especially science courses perceived to be difficult such as freshmen-level physics courses? This study took place at a large, public, Midwestern university and involved students enrolled in the first semester of a face-to-face, flipped physics course for engineering technology majors. Statements were collected from comments about online courses made by the university's administration and students in the course. Twenty students sorted 45 statements. Two student views emerged with one rejecting online courses in general and the other primarily rejecting online math, science, and technology courses, including physics. Students' descriptions of their previous online course experiences were used to inform the analyses and to assist in describing the two views that emerged in conjunction with the distinguishing statements. Consensus among the two views is also discussed. Overall, the results indicate a potential divergence between student views and what university administrators believe students want.

UWP 011: Popular Science and Technology Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perrault, Sarah

2012-01-01

UWP 011: Popular Science & Technology Writing is a sophomore-level course designed as an introduction to rhetoric of science at UC Davis, a science-focused land-grant university. The course fulfills the general education requirements for written literacy and for topical breadth in arts and humanities. The catalog describes the course as…

FCS Global Perspectives in a General Education Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiner, Anne

2010-01-01

General education requirements have long been a component of college and university baccalaureate programs. The courses have traditionally focused on the disciplines in the arts and sciences including mathematics, sciences, humanities, social sciences, and the arts. Family and consumer sciences (FCS) programs also offer courses in areas such as…

Physics Studies at the University of Havana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Melo Pereira, Osvaldo; Sánchez Colina, María

The licenciatura en física degree course was created as part of the 1962 University Reform. It started at the Physics School within the Science Faculty of the University of Havana, also including the Schools of Mathematics, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Geography and Psychology (Henriques Rodríguez, Daisy, R, Revista Cubana de Educación Superior XXI(8), 2001). The degree of licenciado had replaced that of baciller since 1880, but only the physico-mathematical sciences and physico-chemical sciences degree courses existed prior to the 1962 university reform. In this paper, we will analyze some data concerning the undergraduate and graduate studies during the 46 years elapsed since the creation of the physics degree course at the University of Havana. Several related issues, such as the development of scientific research and the influence of international collaboration, are dealt with in other contributions to this volume.

The Teaching Practices Inventory: A New Tool for Characterizing College and University Teaching in Mathematics and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wieman, Carl; Gilbert, Sarah

2014-01-01

We have created an inventory to characterize the teaching practices used in science and mathematics courses. This inventory can aid instructors and departments in reflecting on their teaching. It has been tested with several hundred university instructors and courses from mathematics and four science disciplines. Most instructors complete the…

The Importance of a Laboratory Section on Student Learning Outcomes in a University Introductory Earth Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forcino, Frank L.

2013-01-01

Laboratory sections of university Earth science courses provide hands-on, inquiry-based activities for students in support of lecture and discussion. Here, I compare student conceptual knowledge outcomes of laboratory sections by administering an independent concept inventory at the beginning and end of two courses: one that had a lecture and a…

The Effectiveness of Data Science as a Means to Achieve Proficiency in Scientific Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ceccucci, Wendy; Tamarkin, Dawn; Jones, Kiku

2015-01-01

Data Science courses are becoming more prevalent in recent years. Increasingly more universities are offering individual courses and majors in the field of Data Science. This study evaluates data science education as a means to become proficient in scientific literacy. The results demonstrate how the educational goals of a Data Science course meet…

University science students' knowledge of fats.

PubMed

Mazier, M J Patricia; McLeod, Sheena L

2007-01-01

Students entering university often lack knowledge about fats; whether students gain such information during four years at university is unclear. Students' knowledge of fat in the first and fourth years was measured and compared. The effect of a nutrition course on knowledge was also examined. A total of 215 science students at a small undergraduate university completed a 15-item, closed-ended questionnaire concerning knowledge of fats in the diet. Fourth-year science students have greater nutrition knowledge of fats than do first-year science students (p<0.005). Given that the majority of first-year students reside on campus and the majority of fourth-year students reside off campus, the purchasing of food and preparation of meals may explain the senior students' greater knowledge of fat. Students who have taken a nutrition course know more about fats than do those who have not (p<0.001). Taking even one course in nutrition greatly increases nutrition knowledge. Universities could encourage undergraduate students to take a basic nutrition course, which should emphasize the identification and understanding of different types of dietary fats.

Information visualization courses for students with a computer science background.

PubMed

Kerren, Andreas

2013-01-01

Linnaeus University offers two master's courses in information visualization for computer science students with programming experience. This article briefly describes the syllabi, exercises, and practices developed for these courses.

Using News Media Databases (LexisNexis) To Identify Relevant Topics For Introductory Earth Science Classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cervato, C.; Jach, J. Y.; Ridky, R.

2003-12-01

Introductory Earth science courses are undergoing pedagogical changes in universities across the country and are focusing more than ever on the non-science majors. Increasing enrollment of non-science majors in these introductory Earth science courses demands a new look at what is being taught and how the content can be objectively chosen. Assessing the content and effectiveness of these courses requires a quantitative investigation of introductory Earth science topics and their relevance to current issues and concerns. Relevance of Earth science topics can be linked to improved students' attitude toward science and a deeper understanding of concepts. We have used the Internet based national news search-engine LexisNexis Academic Universe (http://www.lexisnexis.org/) to select the occurrence of Earth science terms over the last 12 months, five and ten years both regionally and nationally. This database of term occurrences is being used to examine how Earth sciences have evolved in the news through the last 10 years and is also compared with textbook contents and course syllabi from randomly selected introductory earth science courses across the nation. These data constitute the quantitative foundation for this study and are being used to evaluate the relevance of introductory earth science course content. The relevance of introductory course content and current real-world issues to student attitudes is a crucial factor when considering changes in course curricula and pedagogy. We have examined students' conception of the nature of science and attitudes towards science and learning science using a Likert-scale assessment instrument in the fall 2002 Geology 100 classes at Iowa State University. A pre-test and post-test were administered to see if the students' attitudes changed during the semester using as reference a control group comprised of geoscience undergraduate and graduate students, and faculty. The results of the attitude survey have been analyzed in terms of student demographics and socioeconomic variables (e.g., year in school, gender).

Communicating Ocean Science at the Lower-Division Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coopersmith, A.

2011-12-01

Pacific Ocean Literacy for Youth, Publics, Professionals, and Scientists (POLYPPS) is an NSF-funded collaboration between the University of Hawai`i and the Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) - California, which is based at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California - Berkeley. One of the objectives of this project is to instutionalize ocean science communications courses at colleges and universities in Hawai`i. Although the focus of most of these communications courses has been on training graduate students and scientists, lower-division students interested in the ocean sciences are finding this background helpful. At the University of Hawai`i Maui College there are several marine science courses and certificate programs that require students to interact with the public through internships, research assistantships, and course-related service-learning projects. Oceanography 270, Communicating Ocean Science, is now offered to meet the needs of these students who engage with the public in informal educational settings. Other students who enroll in this course have a general interest in the marine environment and are considering careers in K-12 formal education. This course gives this group of students an opportunity to explore formal education by assisting classroom teachers and preparing and presenting problem-based, hands-on, inquiry activities. Employers at marine-related businesses and in the tourist industry have welcomed this course with a focus on communication skills and indicate that they prefer to hire local people with strong backgrounds in marine and natural sciences. A basic premise of POLYPPS is that science education must draw not only from the latest advances in science and technology but also from the cultural contexts in which the learners are embedded and that this will achieve increased understanding and stewardship of ocean environments. Students in Oceanography 270 integrate traditional Hawaiian knowledge into their activities and presentations with the advice of local practitioners who share their experiences for incorporating both Hawaiian ways of learning and environmental practices.

Some Thoughts on the Issue of Making the Liberal Science Courses More Appealing to Academics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khoon, Koh Aik; Jalal, Azman

2008-01-01

This paper traces the history of the Liberal Science courses and explores the mechanisms whereby the courses can be made more attractive to academics in the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). (Contains 1 table.)

Putting the “Spark” into Physical Science and Algebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dagenais, Andre; Pill, B.

2006-12-01

The presenters will describe a number of laboratory activities developed in collaboration with the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Delaware as part of their outreach program to help make math and science more authentic on the pre-college level. Lessons relating to electrical topics are often abstract and appropriate only for advanced students in math and science. We have devised lessons that rely on simple equipment. They promote skills that are included in National and State Standards. They emphasize the connections between math and science; they are appropriate for an algebra course, a physical science course, a PhysicsFirst course or a traditional physics course. Students benefit from seeing that what they learn in math and science courses can lead to cutting-edge work in areas such as passive wave imaging, photonics, wireless communication and high performance computing. The collaboration has been meaningful because it has motivated us to tailor our lessons to reflect what is happening in the research lab of our local university. Written materials for use in teacher training workshops will also be available. Funded by NSF Research Experience for Teachers(RET #0322633) program under the direction of Dr. Dennis Prather, University of Delaware Electrical Engineering

Relational Integration as a Predictor of Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krumm, Stefan; Lipnevich, Anastasiya A.; Schmidt-Atzert, Lothar; Buhner, Markus

2012-01-01

The current study aimed at applying a broad model of cognitive functions to predict performance in science and language courses at school as well as performance in a science course at university. We hypothesized that performance in science courses was predominantly related to the cognitive function known as relational integration, whereas…

The Age of Newton: An Intensive Interdisciplinary Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calvert, J.B.; And Others

1981-01-01

Describes interdisciplinary science course for nonscience science majors which is part of the humanities program at the University of Denver. The course consists of a central lecture series, a mathematics and science tutorial, and four workshops on astronomy, mathematics, mechanics, and optics. The structure is also appropriate for a history of…

A Guide to Undergraduate Science Course and Laboratory Improvements.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Straumanis, Joan, Ed.; Watson, Robert F., Ed.

Reported are activities carried out at colleges and universities during 1976-1980 with support from the National Science Foundation's Local Course Improvement (LOCI) and Instructional Scientific Equipment Program (ISEP). It is intended as a reference for persons interested in current course and laboratory developments in the sciences at the…

Science, Technology and the Liberal Arts: Report on a National Conference Held at Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, April 1-3, 1984).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cutcliffe, Stephen H.; Goldman, Steven L.

This conference was designed to provide information on the development and implementation of seven undergraduate science courses primarily for non-science majors at Lehigh University, to examine what ought to be the objectives of courses such as these in the liberal arts curriculum, and to describe parallel efforts with similar educational…

Prospective Science Teachers' Attitudes and Views of Using Journal Writing in the "Methods of Teaching Science" Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ambusaidi, Abdullah

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of prospective science teachers at Sultan Qaboos University towards and their views about using journal writing in the Methods of Teaching Science course. Twenty-six prospective science teachers were asked to write about each topic in the course in their journal to show their understanding of…

Impact of nutrition education on university students' fat consumption.

PubMed

Emrich, Teri E; Mazier, M J Patricia

2009-01-01

University science students who have taken a nutrition course possess greater knowledge of fats than do those who have not; whether students apply this knowledge to their diet is unknown. We measured and compared science students' total and saturated fat intake in the first and fourth years, and evaluated whether taking a nutrition course influenced fat consumption. A sample of 269 first- and fourth-year science students at a small undergraduate university completed a survey with both demographic questions and a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire about fats in the diet. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests and independent-sample t-tests. Fourth-year science students consumed fewer grams of total and saturated fat than did first-year science students (p<0.001). Science students who had taken a nutrition course consumed fewer grams of total and saturated fat than did those who had not (p<0.001). Taking a nutrition course may decrease first-year students' fat consumption, which may improve diet quality and decrease the risk of chronic disease related to fat consumption.

Trends of Students of the College of Basic Science towards Teaching the Course of Athletics and Health by Using Computer Technology in the World Islamic Sciences and Education University (WISE)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salameh, Ibrahim Abdul Ghani; Khawaldeh, Mohammad Falah Ali

2014-01-01

The Study aimed at identifying the trends of the students of basic sciences College in the World Islamic Sciences and Education University towards teaching health and sport course by using computer technology as a teaching method, and to identify also the impact of the variables of academic level and the gender on the students' trends. The study…

Student views regarding online freshmen physics courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramlo, Susan

2017-10-01

Background: Nationally, many public universities have started to move into the online course and program market that was previously associated with for-profit institutions of higher education. Public university administrators state that students seek the flexibility of online courses. But do students want to take courses online, especially freshmen-level science courses perceived to be difficult?

Comparing the Impact of an Astronomy Course and a Science and Society Seminar on Undergraduate Students' Attitudes toward Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flohic, Hélène M. L. G.

2017-01-01

A common challenge among university professors is how to best design undergraduate courses to successfully enhance students' attitudes. To compare which curriculum was more efficient at fostering a positive attitude towards science in general, I studied the impact of two different general education science courses on the attitudes of college…

Teachers' Perspectives of the New Western Australian Earth and Environmental Science Course: Lessons for the Australian Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawson, Vaille; Moore, Leah

2011-01-01

In 2007, a new upper secondary course, Earth and Environmental Science (EES) was introduced in Western Australia. The development and implementation of the course was supported by Earth Science Western Australia (ESWA), a consortium of universities, the CSIRO and other organisations. The role of ESWA is to support the teaching of earth science in…

An Evaluation of an Elementary Science Methods Course with Respect to Preservice Teacher's Pedagogical Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Carole Kwan-Ping

2012-01-01

The science methods course is a requirement for the Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education licensure program in a mid-west state university in the U.S.A. In one semester, the author decided to evaluate the effectiveness of the science methods course in pedagogical content knowledge areas such as theory, planning and implementation.…

Impact of SCALE-UP on science teaching self-efficacy of students in general education science courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassani, Mary Kay Kuhr

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two pedagogical models used in general education science on non-majors' science teaching self-efficacy. Science teaching self-efficacy can be influenced by inquiry and cooperative learning, through cognitive mechanisms described by Bandura (1997). The Student Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) model of inquiry and cooperative learning incorporates cooperative learning and inquiry-guided learning in large enrollment combined lecture-laboratory classes (Oliver-Hoyo & Beichner, 2004). SCALE-UP was adopted by a small but rapidly growing public university in the southeastern United States in three undergraduate, general education science courses for non-science majors in the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters. Students in these courses were compared with students in three other general education science courses for non-science majors taught with the standard teaching model at the host university. The standard model combines lecture and laboratory in the same course, with smaller enrollments and utilizes cooperative learning. Science teaching self-efficacy was measured using the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument - B (STEBI-B; Bleicher, 2004). A science teaching self-efficacy score was computed from the Personal Science Teaching Efficacy (PTSE) factor of the instrument. Using non-parametric statistics, no significant difference was found between teaching models, between genders, within models, among instructors, or among courses. The number of previous science courses was significantly correlated with PTSE score. Student responses to open-ended questions indicated that students felt the larger enrollment in the SCALE-UP room reduced individual teacher attention but that the large round SCALE-UP tables promoted group interaction. Students responded positively to cooperative and hands-on activities, and would encourage inclusion of more such activities in all of the courses. The large enrollment SCALE-UP model as implemented at the host university did not increase science teaching self-efficacy of non-science majors, as hypothesized. This was likely due to limited modification of standard cooperative activities according to the inquiry-guided SCALE-UP model. It was also found that larger SCALE-UP enrollments did not decrease science teaching self-efficacy when standard cooperative activities were used in the larger class.

Pedagogical Issues in Teaching Upper-Level Science Courses at a "Community University"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deutch, Charles E.; Jurutka, Peter W.; Marshall, Pamela A.

2008-01-01

The authors teach upper-level science courses in cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry at a public, four-year "community university" that serves a demographically diverse population of traditional and nontraditional students. In this article, they describe some of the issues they have found to be particularly significant at their "community…

Sustainable Energy for University Science Majors: Developing Guidelines for Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langbeheim, Elon; Rez, Peter

2017-01-01

This paper describes the basic tenets of a sustainable energy course for university science majors. First, it outlines the three core components of the course: (1) The scientific evidence for the connection between climate change and energy usage; (2) An analysis of the capacity and environmental impact of various renewable and traditional energy…

Contemporary Topics in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aronstein, Laurence W.; Beam, Kathryn J.

1974-01-01

Discusses the offering of a Science for Poets course at the General Science Department of State University College at Buffalo, involving objectives, methods, and grouping techniques. Included are lists of problems proposed by teachers and students in the course. (CC)

Lived experiences of self-reported science-anxious students taking an interdisciplinary undergraduate science course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minger, Mark Austin

Having fears and frustrations while studying science topics can lead to science anxiety for some individuals. For those who experience science learning anxiety, the reality is often poor performance, lowered self-esteem, anger, and avoidance of further science courses. Using an interpretive approach, this study captures the experiences of five self-reported science anxious students as they participate in an interdisciplinary science course at the University of Minnesota. A series of three in-depth interviews were conducted with five students who were enrolled in the "Our Changing Planet" course offered at the University of Minnesota. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed thematically. Four major themes emerged from the interviews. Two of the themes involve the realities of being a science anxious student. These focus on participants' experiences of feeling frustrated, anxious and incompetent when studying both math and science; and the experiences of trying to learn science content that does not seem relevant to them. The last two themes highlight the participants' perceptions of their experiences during the "Our Changing Planet" course, including how the course seemed different from previous science courses as well as their learning experiences in cooperative groups. After presenting the themes, with supporting quotations, each theme is linked to the related literature. The essence of the participants' science anxiety experiences is presented and practical implications regarding science anxious students are discussed. Finally, insights gained and suggestions for further research are provided.

Contemporary Topics in Science: A Kit for Survival.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aronstein, Laurence W.; Beam, Kathryn J.

This paper discusses a college-level course on contemporary topics in science offered to non-science majors at the State University College of New York. The authors examine the objectives, methods, and various student groupings utilized in the course, investigate why it has been successful, and make recommendations for courses of this nature. The…

Identifying Student Difficulties with Control of Variables Reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boudreaux, Andrew

2005-03-01

Emerging standards for the science learning of precollege students can be regarded as a statement of what constitutes science literacy.^1 These standards emphasize basic concepts such as mass, volume and density, and fundamental process skills such as proportional reasoning, the interpretation of graphs and other representations, and the control of variables in the design of experiments. At Western Washington University, the liberal arts physics course is a general university requirement and for many students one of the only physical science course taken between high school and college graduation. Thus the pre-course understandings of these students can be taken as a measure of the level of science literacy attained in precollege education. An effort is underway at Western Washington University to examine what students know and are able to do both before and after course instruction. Preliminary results indicate that in many cases students have serious conceptual and reasoning difficulties with the material. An example that involves the interpretation of experimental results in deciding whether a particular variable influences (i.e., affects) or determines (i.e., predicts) a given result will be discussed. Evidence from written questions will be presented to identify specific student difficulties.^1See, for example, Project 2061, American Association for the Advancement of Science. 1990. Science for All Americans.New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Teaching Computer Science Courses in Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huan, Xiaoli; Shehane, Ronald; Ali, Adel

2011-01-01

As the success of distance learning (DL) has driven universities to increase the courses offered online, certain challenges arise when teaching computer science (CS) courses to students who are not physically co-located and have individual learning schedules. Teaching CS courses involves high level demonstrations and interactivity between the…

College and University Earth System Science Education for the 21st Century (ESSE 21)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, D. R.; Ruzek, M.; Schweizer, D.

2002-12-01

The NASA/USRA Cooperative University-based Program in Earth System Science Education (ESSE), initiated over a decade ago through NASA support, has led in the creation of a nationwide collaborative effort to bring Earth system science into the undergraduate classroom. Forty-five ESSE institutions now offer over 120 Earth system courses each year, reaching thousands of students annually with interdisciplinary content. Through the course offerings by faculty from different disciplines and the organizational infrastructure of colleges and universities emphasizing cross disciplinary curricula, programs, degrees and departments, the ESSE Program has led in systemic change in the offering of a holistic view of Earth system science in the classroom. Building on this successful experience and collaborative infrastructure within and among colleges, universities and NASA partners, an expanded program called ESSE 21 is being supported by NASA to extend the legacy established during the last decade. Through its expanded focus including partnerships with under represented colleges and universities, the Program seeks to further develop broadly based educational resources, including shared courses, electronic learning materials and degree programs that will extend Earth system science concepts in both undergraduate and graduate classrooms and laboratories. These resources emphasizing fundamentals of Earth system science advance the nation's broader agenda for improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics competency. Overall the thrust within the classrooms of colleges and universities is critical to extending and solidifying courses of study in Earth system and global change science. ESSE 21 solicits proposals from undergraduate institutions to create or adopt undergraduate and graduate level Earth system science content in courses, curricula and degree programs. The goal for all is to effect systemic change through developing Earth system science learning materials, courses, curricula, minors or degree tracks, and programs or departments that are self-sustaining in the coming decades. Interdisciplinary college and university teams are competitively selected through a peer-reviewed Call for Participation. ESSE 21 offers an infrastructure for an interactive community of educators and researchers including under represented participants that develops interdisciplinary Earth system science content utilizing NASA resources involving global change data, models, visualizations and electronic media and networks. The Program provides for evaluation and assessment guides to help assure the pedagogical effectiveness of materials developed. The ultimate aim of ESSE 21 is to expand and accelerate the nation's realization of sound, scientific interdisciplinary educational resources for informed learning and decision-making by all from the perspective of sustainability of the Earth as a system.

Earth System Science: Problem-based Learning Courses for Teachers Through ESSEA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Close, E.; Witiw, M. R.

2007-12-01

One method that has proven effective in the study of Earth system science is to use a problem-based and event- centered course organization. In such a course, different events that occur in the Earth system are examined and how each event influences subsequent events in each of Earth's spheres (the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere) is studied. A course is composed of several problem-based modules, where each module is centered about a particular event or issue that is important to the Earth system. The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) was recently awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation's Geo-Teach program to develop and implement courses for teachers in Earth system science. Through the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA), IGES subsequently made awards to a group of 24 universities. Under the ESSEA program, problem-based modules are being developed for courses for middle school and high school teachers. In a typical university schedule, each module is designed to last three weeks and includes both group work and individual assignments. In the first week ("Teacher as Problem Solver"), participants explore their own ideas concerning the event and exchange their ideas with other members of their group. In the second week ("Teacher as Scholar"), participants research the issue and become more familiar with the event and the sphere-to-sphere interactions that occur. In the last week ("Teacher as Designer"), each participant develops a lesson plan for his or her own classroom. Current ESSEA modules cover topics such as volcanoes, Brazilian deforestation, Antarctic ice sheets, coral reefs, and stratospheric ozone depletion. Many new modules are under development with topics that range from plate tectonics and tsunamis to agriculture and sustainable water systems. Seattle Pacific University, in cooperation with Seattle Public Schools, was recently awarded a three-year grant by IGES to provide Earth system science education courses to middle and high school teachers. Teachers who complete the course are eligible for Continuing Education Units or graduate credit through Seattle Pacific University. Both three-credit and five-credit courses will be offered. All tuition costs will be paid by the grant. The courses will be offered in a hybrid online-classroom format. Future plans include offering an Earth system science course for pre-service teachers. In this talk we will describe the structure and content of the ESSEA modules with examples from currently available modules. We will also outline the development and planned implementation of a five-credit ESSEA course for area high school teachers to be offered at Seattle Pacific University in spring of 2008.

Strategies for Growth in a Young Earth Sciences Department

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clement, B. M.; Hickey-Vargas, R.; Draper, G.

2005-12-01

The Department of Earth Sciences at Florida International University (FIU) has been fortunate to be part of a rapidly growing university. FIU began offering classes in 1972 with an initial enrollment of 5600 students, and today enrollment exceeds 35,000 students. During this time the Department of Earth Sciences has grown to a faculty of 14 and offers the BA, BS, MS and PhD degrees. Our department, however, has faced the same challenges meeting many Earth Science departments in that our number of undergraduate majors has not grown at the same pace as the university enrollment (or at the same pace as enrollment in our graduate program). Two strategies have proven effective and have helped the department build its program in spite of this challenge. The first strategy was to create tenure-track positions with a 50% assignment in the Earth Sciences Department and 50% in a research center on campus. We currently have two faculty who have half-time appointments in the Southeast Environmental Research Center, and we have a new faculty member joining in the Spring who will have a joint appointment with the International Hurricane Research Center. This strategy has made it possible to gain expertise in, and to offer courses in, critical areas (such as hydrogeology and meteorology) that we otherwise would not be able to offer. The second strategy is to develop strong courses for non-majors that satisfy FIU's University Common Curriculum requirements. A particularly successful example is a new course titled "The History of Life". This course was designed to take advantage of our existing expertise in paleobiology, and offer a class that satisfies the University Common Curriculum requirement that every student take a laboratory course in the life sciences. This class now fills to capacity each semester with more than 200 students. This course not only boosts our department's productivity, but it lets us reach 200 new students each semester with many potential new Earth Science majors among them.

Perceptions of Computer Science at a South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galpin, Vashti C.; Sanders, Ian D.

2007-01-01

First year students at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, were surveyed about their perceptions of Computer Science before and towards the end of their first year courses. The aim of this research was to investigate how the students' attitudes changed during these courses and to assess the impact of the innovative…

Earth System Science Online: An Innovative Course for Non-traditional Students, Offered by Hampton University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, D. Q.; Kozusko, F.; Maggi, B. H.

2003-12-01

Hampton University (HU), a historically black university, is currently offering an innovative online course, Earth System Science Online, for teachers, future teachers, non-science undergraduate majors, and mature non-traditional students continuing their education. Supported by NASA and offered by the Interdisciplinary Science Center at HU, this course targets students interested in an asynchronous web-based learning environment. Often these students are working adults, such as those in the HU religious studies program, or undergraduate athletes who need the flexibility of taking their courses online in the evenings. Participants of this course earn three hours of science credit either graduate or undergraduate through their online explorations of the geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. The incorporation of specific problem-based case studies, allows students to investigate weather phenomena, deforestation, and the various instruments and satellite data systems that are used to collect and analyze this data. This web-based course utilizes the unique capabilities of the web allowing students to work at a self-regulated pace and at times most convenient to their schedules. The course delivers all lectures, text readings, and course assignments online. Assignments are given on a weekly basis, and participants are expected to conduct independent research that will enrich their online experience. The nature of the web allows the students to easily integrate text and graphics into their assignments and have access to their classmate's work. Participants meet online weekly and interact as a team.

Creating Metacognitive Awareness in the Lab: Outcomes for Preservice Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saribas, Deniz; Mugaloglu, Ebru Z.; Bayram, Hale

2013-01-01

This study investigated the influence of metacognitive guidance on pre-service science teachers' scientific knowledge, science process skills, and views about the nature of science. The sample included 48 pre-service science teachers taking a first-year chemistry laboratory course in a public university in Turkey. During the 11-week course, the…

Learning Science in a Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindquist, Bill; Loynachan, Courtney

2016-01-01

Courtney Loynachan was a student in Dr. Lindquist's summer 2014 "Teaching Science in the Elementary School" methods course at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The course included an exploration of the power of writing as a learning tool for science with a particular focus on the use of science notebooks. Throughout the…

Content vs. Learning: An Old Dichotomy in Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergtrom, Gerald

2011-01-01

The principles of course redesign that were applied to a gateway Cell Biology course at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are applicable to courses large and small, and to institutions of any size. The challenge was to design a content-rich science course that kept pace with present and future content and at the same time use principles of…

The German University of Library and Documentation Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaegbein, P.

1982-01-01

Describes the formation of the University of Library and Documentation Sciences in Cologne and outlines the composition of the university's executive bodies, courses of studies offered, and academic degrees granted to certified librarians and documentalists. (EJS)

Putting the spark into physical science and algebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pill, Bruce; Dagenais, Andre

2007-06-01

The presenters will describe a number of laboratory activities developed in collaboration with the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Delaware as part of their outreach program to help make math and science more authentic on the pre-college level. Lessons relating to electrical topics are often abstract and appropriate only for advanced students in math and science. We have devised lessons that rely on simple equipment. They promote skills that are included in National and State Standards. They emphasize the connections between math and science; they are appropriate for an algebra course, a physical science course, a PhysicsFirst course or a traditional physics course. Students benefit from seeing that what they learn in math and science courses can lead to cutting-edge work in areas such as passive wave imaging, photonics, wireless communication and high performance computing. The collaboration has been meaningful because it has motivated us to tailor our lessons to reflect what is happening in the research lab of our local university. Written materials for use in teacher training workshops will also be available.

An Analysis of Learners in Introductory Astronomy Massive Open Online Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, Sanlyn; Formanek, Martin; Impey, Chris David; Wenger, Matthew

2016-06-01

We describe learners enrolled in three iterations of introductory astronomy massive open online courses (MOOCs). These courses are offered through commercial providers and facilitated by an instructional team at the University of Arizona. We describe an ongoing study of those who enroll, engage in, and complete these courses. The course has undergone several revisions, including integrating pedagogical techniques, found to be effective for in-person courses, to increase engagement including peer review, online discussions, and the use of cohorts. In its current version, learners enroll on a continual basis and complete 11 weeks of course content; they watch videos, complete content quizzes, submit writing assignments, complete peer review of other students’ work, and complete online citizen science projects. Tens of thousands of students has signed up for these courses but completion rates are much lower, around 10%. We have collected survey data from over 8,500 of these learners to assess their basic science knowledge, attitudes towards science and technology, motivations for taking the courses, and information about other ways they engage in science related activities. We present information about these learners, including their demographics, motivations, how they use the courses, and what factors lead to increased engagement and completion. Additionally, we present how survey data from these learners compare to 26 years of data we have collected from parallel group of undergraduate non-science major students enrolled in astronomy courses at the University of Arizona. Overall, we find that learners who enroll in the MOOCs have more interest in science and higher basic science knowledge that undergraduates who pay tuition for a similar course. Our work is helping us understand how to better serve learners in MOOCs and bridge more traditional courses with these types of courses.

Using a Participatory Action Research Approach to Create a Universally Designed Inclusive High School Science Course: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dymond, Stacy K.; Renzaglia, Adelle; Rosenstein, Amy; Chun, Eul Jung; Banks, Ronald A.; Niswander, Vicki; Gilson, Christie L.

2006-01-01

Case study methodology was used in combination with a participatory action research (PAR) approach to examine the process of redesigning one high school science course to incorporate the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and to promote access to the general curriculum. The participants included one general education teacher and two…

Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences: A Scientist-Educator Partnership to Prepare the Next Generation of Scientists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halversen, Catherine; Tran, Lynn Uyen

2010-01-01

Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA) is a college course that creates and develops partnerships between science educators in informal science education institutions, such as museums, science centers and aquariums, and ocean scientists in colleges and universities. For the course, a scientist and educator team-teach…

Integrating Hands-On Undergraduate Research in an Applied Spatial Science Senior Level Capstone Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kulhavy, David L.; Unger, Daniel R.; Hung, I-Kuai; Douglass, David

2015-01-01

A senior within a spatial science Ecological Planning capstone course designed an undergraduate research project to increase his spatial science expertise and to assess the hands-on instruction methodology employed within the Bachelor of Science in Spatial Science program at Stephen F Austin State University. The height of 30 building features…

The Disproportionate and Potentially Negative Influence of Research Universities on the Quality of Geoscience Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samson, P. J.

2010-12-01

There is a large and growing body of research indicating that post-secondary education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is failing to prepare citizens for the 21st century economy. Introductory STEM courses are vital for preparing science majors for their fields of study and are the only exposure to science many college students will receive, but the quality of teaching in these courses is often not informed by research on teaching and learning. Research universities play an especially prominent role in the design of introductory courses. While research and doctoral universities account for only about 6% of all higher education institutions, they confer 32 per cent of the baccalaureate degrees, and 56 per cent of the baccalaureates earned by recent recipients of science and engineering doctorates. By assuming that larger introductory classes occur at research institutions one can estimate that a dominant number of students receiving introductory instruction in the geosciences are probably occurring at research institutions. Moreover, research universities produce the majority of tenure-track faculty who will later teach at four-year colleges, so the role of research institutions in the influence of introductory course design is expected to be disproportionately large. While introductory courses at research universities play a influential role in how such courses are designed, the teaching of introductory courses is too often viewed as an undesirable assignment for instructors at those institutions. The effort seems unrewarding with incentives for improving teaching at research institutions perceived as modest at best, if not negative. It is commonly perceived that teaching introductory courses will decrease opportunities for teaching higher-level courses to graduate students and/or to conduct research. Furthermore, even for those interested in improving their pedagogical methods, current approaches to professional development are generally difficult to scale and/or costly to institutions and outside instructors' normal workflow. This presentation reports on the results of surveys of research university instructors in an attempt to quantify the state of the introductory course. The surveys attempt to identify common barriers to improvement. Based on these surveys strategies for how to best implement systemic change in introductory courses at research universities are presented in the hope of stimulating discussion and a call to action.

Pitfalls and Successes of Developing an Interdisciplinary Watershed Field Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearce, Andrea R.; Bierman, Paul R.; Druschel, Gregory K.; Massey, Christine; Rizzo, Donna M.; Watzin, Mary C.; Wemple, Beverly C.

2010-01-01

At the University of Vermont, an interdisciplinary faculty team developed an introductory watershed science field course. This course honed field skills and catalyzed communication across water-related disciplines without requiring specific prerequisites. Five faculty (geology, engineering, geography, natural resources) taught the four-credit…

A Review of the Electronic Coursework Efforts of the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the Earth System Science Education Alliance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuster, R. D.; Grandgenett, N.

2007-12-01

The University of Nebraska at Omaha has been a state leader in helping Nebraska teachers embrace earth systems science education, with a special emphasis in online coursework. UNO was one of the initial members in the Earth Systems Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) and has offered three different ESSEA courses, with a total of 167 students having taken ESSEA courses at UNO for graduate credit. UNO is currently involved in expanding its earth system science courses, modules, and educational research. We are also integrating these courses into several degree programs, including a Masters of Science in Education, a new Middle School Endorsement, a Certificate in Urban Education, and the Graduate Program for the Department of Geography/Geology. UNO is beginning to examine teacher content learning and science reasoning within its coursework. Feedback surveys from earlier ESSEA offerings already indicate a strongly positive perception of the courses by the teachers enrolled in the coursework. Project impact has been documented in teacher projects, quotes, and lessons associated with the coursework activities. We will describe the UNO earth system science efforts (emphasizing ESSEA coursework), and describe past efforts and teacher perceptions, as well as new strategies being undertaken to more closely examine content learning and science reasoning impact with course participants. We will also describe online course modules being developed within the UNO online course efforts, including one on the global amphibian crisis, and also the impact of urbanization on a local native prairie environment.

Interdisciplinary Science Courses for College General Education Requirements: Perspectives of Faculty at a State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dass, Pradeep Maxwell

Science educators have been advocating a broader role for science education--that of helping all students see the relevance of science to their own lives. Yet the only experience with post-secondary science that non-science majors get is through a couple of science courses which are part of the general education requirements (GERs) for a liberal…

Analysis of Student Performance in Large-Enrollment Life Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creech, Leah Renee; Sweeder, Ryan D.

2012-01-01

This study examined the historical performance of students at Michigan State University in 12 life sciences courses over 13 yr to find variables impacting student success. Hierarchical linear modeling predicted 25.0-62.8% of the variance in students' grades in the courses analyzed. The primary predictor of a student's course grade was his or her…

BioMEMS and Lab-on-a-Chip Course Education at West Virginia University

PubMed Central

Liu, Yuxin

2011-01-01

With the rapid growth of Biological/Biomedical MicroElectroMechanical Systems (BioMEMS) and microfluidic-based lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology to biological and biomedical research and applications, demands for educated and trained researchers and technicians in these fields are rapidly expanding. Universities are expected to develop educational plans to address these specialized needs in BioMEMS, microfluidic and LOC science and technology. A course entitled BioMEMS and Lab-on-a-Chip was taught recently at the senior undergraduate and graduate levels in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at West Virginia University (WVU). The course focused on the basic principles and applications of BioMEMS and LOC technology to the areas of biomedicine, biology, and biotechnology. The course was well received and the enrolled students had diverse backgrounds in electrical engineering, material science, biology, mechanical engineering, and chemistry. Student feedback and a review of the course evaluations indicated that the course was effective in achieving its objectives. Student presentations at the end of the course were a highlight and a valuable experience for all involved. The course proved successful and will continue to be offered regularly. This paper provides an overview of the course as well as some development and future improvements. PMID:25586697

The Self-Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers in Kuwaiti Science Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebrahim, Ali H.

2012-01-01

This study examined educational factors that positively influenced the confidence of students training to be elementary science educators (self efficacy). Specifically, it compared the impacts of a science method course and a practicum teaching course on Kuwait University students. Using a pre/post design, The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief…

Learning Environment and Attitudes Associated with an Innovative Science Course Designed for Prospective Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin-Dunlop, Catherine; Fraser, Barry J.

2008-01-01

This study assessed the effectiveness of an innovative science course for improving prospective elementary teachers' perceptions of laboratory learning environments and attitudes towards science. The sample consisted of 27 classes with 525 female students in a large urban university. Changing students' ideas about science laboratory teaching and…

Aliens are us. An innovative course in astrobiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, Carlos F.; Barufaldi, James P.

2009-01-01

We live in a scientific world; paradoxically, the scientific literacy of the population is minimal at best. Science is an ongoing process, a human endeavour; paradoxically, students tend to believe that science is a finished enterprise. Many non-science major students are not motivated in science classes; paradoxically, there is a public fascination with the possibility of life in the Universe, which is nowadays a scientific endeavour. An astrobiology course was developed at the Center for Science and Mathematics Education at The University of Texas at Austin to address these paradoxes and includes the following objectives: (a) to improve scientific literacy; (b) to demonstrate that science is a work in progress; (c) to enhance the inherent interdisciplinary aspect of science; (d) to demonstrate that science is embedded in society and relates with several social sciences; (e) to improve the content knowledge about the nature of science; (f) to illustrate how engaging learning science can be; and (g) to draw from the intrinsic motivation already incorporated in the general population. The course has been offered, taught and revised for the past three years. The informal course student feedback has been very positive and encouraging. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of the course. In addition, the course's background, content, themes and mode of delivery are outlined, discussed and analysed in this paper. This paper subscribes to an educational philosophy that focuses on the multidisciplinary nature of science and includes critical thinking-based teaching strategies using the dynamic discipline of astrobiology.

Evaluating How Universities Engage School Students with Science: A Model Based on the Analysis of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cridge, B. J.; Cridge, A. G.

2015-01-01

Every year fewer students are electing to take university level science courses, particularly physics. This situation has led universities and employers to try and encourage more students into science subjects through the development of numerous science outreach initiatives such as guest lectures and summer schools. Much of this work is of an…

Re-Examining the Way We Teach: The Earth System Science Education Alliance Online Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Botti, J. A.; Myers, R. J.

2003-12-01

Science education reform has skyrocketed over the last decade thanks in large part to the technology of the Internet, opening up dynamic new online communities of learners. It has allowed educators worldwide to share thoughts about Earth system science and reexamine the way science is taught. The Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) is one positive offshoot of this reform effort. This developing partnership among universities, colleges, and science education organizations is led by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and the Center for Educational TechnologiesTM at Wheeling Jesuit University. ESSEA's mission is to improve Earth system science education. ESSEA has developed three Earth system science courses for K-12 teachers. These online courses guide teachers into collaborative, student-centered science education experiences. Not only do these courses support teachers' professional development, they also help teachers implement Earth systems science content and age-appropriate pedagogical methods into their classrooms. The ESSEA semester-long courses are open to elementary, middle school, and high school educators. After three weeks of introductory content, teachers develop content and pedagogical and technological knowledge in four three-week learning cycles. The elementary school course focuses on basic Earth system interactions between land, life, air, and water. The middle school course stresses the effects of real-world events-volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, rainforest destruction-on Earth's lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere, using "jigsaw" to study the interactions between events, spheres, and positive and negative feedback loops. The high school course uses problem-based learning to examine critical areas of global change, such as coral reef degradation, ozone depletion, and climate change. This ESSEA presentation provides examples of learning environments from each of the three courses.

Perceptions of psychology as a science among university students: the influence of psychology courses and major of study.

PubMed

Bartels, Jared M; Hinds, Ryan M; Glass, Laura A; Ryan, Joseph J

2009-10-01

The goal was to examine the relationship between the number of psychology courses students have taken and their perceptions of psychology as a science. Additionally, differences in perceptions of psychology among psychology, education, and natural science majors were examined. Results indicated that students who had taken four or more psychology courses had more favorable perceptions of psychology as a science compared to those who had taken no courses or one course and those who had taken two to three courses. No significant differences in overall perceptions of psychology emerged among students in the three majors.

Contextualizing Earth Science Professional Development Courses for Geoscience Teachers in Boston

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, R. F.; Pelletier, P.; Dorsen, J.; Douglas, E. M.; Pringle, M. S.; Karp, J.

2009-12-01

Inquiry-based, hands-on, graduate content courses have been developed specifically for Boston Public School middle school teachers of Earth Science. Earth Science I: Weather and Water and Earth Science II: The Solid Earth--Earth History and Planetary Systems have been taught a total of seven times to over 120 teachers. Several key attributes to these successful courses have been identified, including co-instruction by a university professor and a high school and a middle school teacher that are familiar with the Boston curriculum, use of hands-on activities that are closed related to those used in the Boston curriculum, pre- and post-course local field trips, and identification of key learning objectives for each day. This model of professional development was developed over several years in all disciplines (Earth Science, Physics, Biology, Chemistry) by the Boston Science Partnership (BSP), an NSF-funded Math Science Partnership program. One of the core strategies of the BSP is these Contextualized Content Courses (CCC), graduate level, lab-based courses taught at either UMass Boston or Northeastern University during summer intensive or semester formats. Two of the eleven courses developed under the grant are Earth Science I & II. This presentation shares the model of the CCC, the impact on teacher participants, the value of these courses for the professor, and lessons learned for successful professional development. Findings about the courses’ impact and effectiveness come from our external evaluation by the Program Evaluation Research Group (PERG). The combination of content and modeling good instructional practices have many positive outcomes for teachers, including increased self-efficacy in science understanding and teaching, positive impacts on student achievement, and teacher shifts from more traditional, more lecture-based instructional models to more inquiry approaches. STEM faculty members become involved in science education and learn and practice new instructional strategies. The teacher co-instructors hold leadership roles for their peers and gain university teaching experience. The participants have a course that is content rich and tailored for their needs in the classroom. Earth scientists develop a “broader impact” for their science by increasing climate and earth science literacy for teachers who, in turn, reach 100s to 1000s of students every year, possibly stimulating interest for students becoming future earth scientists, but at the very least, increasing the public appreciation for earth science.

A Synchronous Distance Education Course for Non-Scientists Coordinated among Three Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Tamara Floyd; Baah, David; Bradley, James; Sidler, Michelle; Hall, Rosine; Daughtrey, Terrell; Curtis, Christine

2010-01-01

A Synchronous Distance Education (SDE) course, jointly offered by Auburn University, Tuskegee University and Auburn University at Montgomery, introduced non-science majors to the concepts of nanoscience. Lectures originated from each of the three campuses during the semester, and video conferencing equipment allowed students at all three campuses…

Perspectives, Partnerships, and Values in Science Education: A University and Public Elementary School Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herwitz, Stanley R.; Guerra, Marion

1996-01-01

Describes a course teaching planetary science to elementary school students in collaboration with a university. Chronicles how a partnership between an elementary school teacher and a university-based research scientist effectively shaped the teacher's understanding of values and attitudes inherent in science education. Presents a model for…

A Course of Coordinated Sciences: The Structure of Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mannino, S.; And Others

1976-01-01

Describes a three-year coordinated sciences course taught to Italian high school students by physics and biology teachers and biology, physics, and psychology faculty from the University of Palermo. The course examines the structure of matter and energy from physical, biological, chemical, economical, and historical viewpoints. (MLH)

The Importance of Attendance in an Introductory Textile Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcketti, Sara B.; Wang, Xinxin; Greder, Kate

2013-01-01

At Iowa State University, the introductory textile science course is a required 4-credit class for all undergraduate students enrolled in the Apparel, Merchandising, and Design Program. Frustrated by a perceived gap between students who easily comprehended course material and those who complained and struggled, the instructor implemented an…

A Course in Natural Science and National Security in the Nuclear Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blumberg, Avrom A.

1983-01-01

Topics and instructional strategies for an upper-level, problem-oriented science and society course at De Paul University are described. Objectives and grading procedures for "Problems in Modern Warfare, Arms Control, and Disarmament" are also described. Course syllabus, bibliography, and sample quizzes/examinations are available from…

Introduction of a Science Policy Course at the University of Oklahoma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, S.; Parsons, D.

2012-12-01

In modern society, science and policy are two processes that have a symbiotic relationship to each other; wherein policy dictates the direction of science while science shapes the future of policy. Although the policy side is often ignored in scientific environments, the rate of scientific advancement is heavily influenced by policy. Science policy is very different from the conduct of science itself and future scientists need to be aware of the issues and factors that dictate the present and future direction of science. Based on the intricate relationship between science and policy, it is essential to introduce an overview of the policy process to future scientists and decision makers. In the context of climate change, policy implications are extensive and critical owing to their large socio-economic impacts. Hence, knowledge of the policy process is even more relevant to earth scientists. In this regard, the proposal to start an introductory course in science policy is currently being discussed in the department of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. If such a course is approved, an interactive graduate level class will be introduced for students pursuing a career in science. Such a course will be cross- disciplinary and will be offered to a wide audience across the university. Since the American Meteorological Society's (AMS) Summer Policy Colloquium has been a very successful program in educating scientists about the policy process, a format similar to the colloquium may be adopted. The primary topics will include the understanding of policy fundamentals, effective communication, ethics and integrity in the conduct of scientific research, executive leadership in science and the responsibilities of a scientific leader, impact of science on globalization and international diplomacy, etc. The AMS policy program office will be consulted to help design the course curriculum. An overview of the steps involved in introducing the class will be presented at the meeting along with the latest course curriculum.

Higher Education: Teaching about the Colonization of Space.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huebner, Jay S.

1980-01-01

Describes an upper-division science course offered at the University of North Florida, Colonization of Space. The course presents several current issues in the areas of physical science and includes topics in science and technology likely to influence the future lives of present college students. (CS)

Using the Theme of Mass Extinctions to Teach Science to Non-Science Major College and University Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boness, D. A.

2013-12-01

The general public is heavily exposed to "news" and commentary---and arts and entertainment---that either inadvertently misrepresents science or even acts to undermine it. Climate change denial and evolution denial is well funded and pervasive. Even university-educated people get little exposure to the aims, methods, debates, and results of scientific inquiry because unless they earn degrees in science they typically only take one or two introductory science courses at the university level. This presentation reports the development of a new, non-science major Seattle University course on mass extinctions throughout earth history. Seattle University is an urban, Jesuit Catholic university. The topic of mass extinctions was chosen for several reasons: (1) To expose the students to a part of current science that has rich historical roots yet by necessity uses methods and reasoning from geology, geophysics, oceanography, physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy. This multidisciplinary course provides some coverage of sciences that the student would not typically ever see beyond secondary school. (2) To enable the students to learn enough to follow some of the recent and current debates within science (e.g., mass extinctions by asteroid impact versus massive volcanism, ocean anoxia, and ocean acidification), with the students reading some of the actual literature, such as articles in Science, Nature, or Nature Geoscience. (3) To emphasize the importance of "deep time" as evolutionary biological processes interact with massive environmental change over time scales from hundreds of millions of years down to the seconds and hours of an asteroid or comet strike. (4) To show the effects of climate change in the past, present, and future, due to both natural and anthropogenic causes. (5) To help the student critically evaluate the extent to which their future involves a human-caused mass extinction.

Materials Science and Technology Teachers Handbook

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wieda, Karen J.; Schweiger, Michael J.; Bliss, Mary

The Materials Science and Technology (MST) Handbook was developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in Richland, Washington, under support from the U.S. Department of Energy. Many individuals have been involved in writing and reviewing materials for this project since it began at Richland High School in 1986, including contributions from educators at the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory, Central Washington University, the University of Washington, teachers from Northwest Schools, and science and education personnel at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Support for its development was also provided by the U.S. Department of Education. This introductory course combines the academic disciplines of chemistry,more » physics, and engineering to create a materials science and technology curriculum. The course covers the fundamentals of ceramics, glass, metals, polymers and composites. Designed to appeal to a broad range of students, the course combines hands-on activities, demonstrations and long term student project descriptions. The basic philosophy of the course is for students to observe, experiment, record, question, seek additional information, and, through creative and insightful thinking, solve problems related to materials science and technology. The MST Teacher Handbook contains a course description, philosophy, student learning objectives, and instructional approach and processes. Science and technology teachers can collaborate to build the course from their own interests, strengths, and experience while incorporating existing school and community resources. The course is intended to meet local educational requirements for technology, vocational and science education.« less

Preparing Physics and Chemistry Teachers at the University of Arizona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novodvorsky, Ingrid

2006-04-01

Beginning in 2000, science majors at the University of Arizona who wish to teach in middle or high schools have enrolled in the College of Science Teacher Preparation Program (CoS TPP). Students in the program take General Education courses, content courses, and science pedagogy courses that make them eligible for teacher certification. Students can remain in their science degree programs, and take the required science pedagogy courses, or they can enroll in a BS in Science Education degree that includes the pedagogy courses, with concentrations available in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics. Science educators from six different departments, two permanent Adjunct Instructors, and two Teachers in Residence teach the program's courses. (One of the Teachers in Residence is supported by the PhysTEC project.) Most of the pedagogy courses include field experiences in area science classrooms; the program works with some 115 mentor teachers from throughout the Tucson area, who host preservice teachers in their field experiences. In the first six years of the program, 14 program graduates have been chemistry and physics teachers. This compares to a total of six chemistry and physics teachers produced by the College of Education program in the four years preceding the creation of the CoS TPP. In this presentation, I will describe the unique features of the courses that prospective chemistry and physics teachers take and the field experiences in which they participate. In addition, I will describe how PhysTEC-supplied resources have been used to improve the program, and the ways in which we are assessing the program's success.

Effects of a Science Content Course on Elementary Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy of Teaching Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Daniel J.; Morphew, Jason

2015-01-01

The preparation of elementary teachers to successfully teach science in their classrooms is a central issue in science education. The teacher preparation program at a large Midwestern university was modified to include a new science content course aimed at this need. A pre-/postassessment research model involved participants (N = 154) completing a…

High School Students' Perceptions of School Science and Science Careers: A Critical Look at a Critical Issue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, Frances; Lyons, Terry

2011-01-01

Disproportionate representation of males and females in science courses and careers continues to be of concern. This article explores gender differences in Australian high school students' perceptions of school science and their intentions to study university science courses. Nearly 3800 15-year-old students responded to a range of 5-point Likert…

Online Planetary Science Courses at Athabasca University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connors, Martin; Munyikwa, Ken; Bredeson, Christy

2016-01-01

Athabasca University offers distance education courses in science, at freshman and higher levels. It has a number of geology and astronomy courses, and recently opened a planetary science course as the first upper division astronomy course after many years of offering freshman astronomy. Astronomy 310, Planetary Science, focuses on process in the Solar System on bodies other than Earth. This process-oriented course uses W. F. Hartmann's "Moons and Planets" as its textbook. It primarily approaches the subject from an astronomy and physics perspective. Geology 415, Earth's Origin and Early Evolution, is based on the same textbook, but explores the evidence for the various processes, events, and materials involved in the formation and evolution of Earth. The course provides an overview of objects in the Solar System, including the Sun, the planets, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. Earth's place in the solar system is examined and physical laws that govern the motion of objects in the universe are looked at. Various geochemical tools and techniques used by geologists to reveal and interpret the evidence for the formation and evolution of bodies in the solar system as well as the age of earth are also explored. After looking at lines of evidence used to reconstruct the evolution of the solar system, processes involved in the formation of planets and stars are examined. The course concludes with a look at the origin and nature of Earth's internal structure. GEOL415 is a senior undergraduate course and enrols about 15-30 students annually. The courses are delivered online via Moodle and student evaluation is conducted through assignments and invigilated examinations.

Report on short course in educational methodology for university teachers in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) disciplines - a pilot study conducted at Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka, India.

PubMed

Munir, Ahmed R; Prem, Kumar D

2016-03-01

There is a growing awareness among teachers in the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) disciplines that a formal training in educational methodology can improve their performance as teachers and student evaluators. The Training of Trainers programs conducted by Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka, in the previous years have brought about a transformation among the teachers who attended those programs. Also the teachers were witness to a changing perception among students towards teachers who adapt innovative teaching/assessment strategies. This report illustrates an innovative training activity that was adapted to design a reference model that can be developed as an operational model for large-scale execution. Teachers who are under the affiliated CAM Institutions in Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka, participated in a three-month 'Short Course in Educational Methodology'. This program was delivered on distance learning mode. The course was organised into four modules. Study material was provided for each of the module in the form of a study guide and related reference articles in electronic form. There were three contact programs - Induction and Introduction that also addressed overview of entire course and the subject matter of Module 1, and this was at the beginning of the course, first contact program to address the learner needs of Modules 2 and 3 and second contact program for the contents in Module 4. The participants were engaged during the entire course duration with interactive contact programs, self-study and application of concepts in their teaching/assessment practices, submission of assignments online, and microteaching presentation and peer review. The documentation and raw data generated during the course of training were used to generate an operational model for training of university teachers of health sciences faculty in general and teachers of CAM disciplines in particular. Establishing a model of training for university teachers who are engaged in health sciences education provides a strong platform to realise the roles of teacher, evolve as a conscientious and committed teacher and infuse their learners with passion and commitment to become competent in their professional performance.

Curriculum optimization of College of Optical Science and Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiaoping; Zheng, Zhenrong; Wang, Kaiwei; Zheng, Xiaodong; Ye, Song; Zhu, Yuhui

2017-08-01

The optimized curriculum of College of Optical Science and Engineering is accomplished at Zhejiang University, based on new trends from both research and industry. The curriculum includes general courses, foundation courses such as mathematics and physics, major core courses, laboratory courses and several module courses. Module courses include optical system designing, optical telecommunication, imaging and vision, electronics and computer science, optoelectronic sensing and metrology, optical mechanics and materials, basics and extension. These curricula reflect the direction of latest researches and relates closely with optoelectronics. Therefore, students may combine flexibly compulsory courses with elective courses, and establish the personalized curriculum of "optoelectronics + X", according to their individual strengths and preferences.

Games in an Introductory Soil Science Course: A Novel Approach for Increasing Student Involvement with Course Material

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sulzman, Elizabeth W.

2004-01-01

An optional 1-credit recitation course was developed to supplement a traditionally taught 4-credit lecture-plus-laboratory course in soil science at Oregon State University. Popular, competitive games that would be familiar to students were revised to be "soils-based" and were employed in the recitation class. These games were seen as a…

Capturing Student Interest in Astrobiology through Dilemmas and Paradoxes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slater, Timothy F.

2006-01-01

Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary science course that combines essential questions from life, physical, and Earth sciences. An effective astrobiology course also capitalizes on students' natural curiosity about social science implications of studying the origin of life and the impact of finding life elsewhere in the universe. (Contains 2…

A Portable Bioinformatics Course for Upper-Division Undergraduate Curriculum in Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Floraino, Wely B.

2008-01-01

This article discusses the challenges that bioinformatics education is facing and describes a bioinformatics course that is successfully taught at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, to the fourth year undergraduate students in biological sciences, chemistry, and computer science. Information on lecture and computer practice…

Teaching and Reading Science Fiction in College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diskin, Lahna Faga

This dissertation documents the different ways in which specialists approach science fiction. Descriptions of courses are presented for four universities, two four-year colleges, and one two-year community college. At all the schools, science fiction is a medium for social criticism. Otherwise the courses differ in content, format, and the methods…

Student and Faculty Outcomes of Undergraduate Science Research Projects by Geographically Dispersed Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, Lawton; Kennepohl, Dietmar

2013-01-01

Senior undergraduate research projects are important components of most undergraduate science degrees. The delivery of such projects in a distance education format is challenging. Athabasca University (AU) science project courses allow distance education students to complete research project courses by working with research supervisors in their…

An Innovative Course Featuring Action Research Integrated with Unifying Science Themes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otto, Charlotte A.; Luera, Gail R.; Everett, Susan A.

2009-01-01

In this article, we describe an innovative capstone course for preservice K-8 teachers integrating action research and a unifying theme in science (AAAS in Science for all Americans. Oxford University Press, New York, 1989; NRC in National science education standards. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1996). The goals of the capstone course…

Conceptions of Environment in a Continuing Education Course for Science Teachers in Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

dos Santos Matos, Mauricio; Barbosa, Paulo; Coelho-Matos, Myrna Elisa Chagas

2012-01-01

Studies focusing on environmental education and continuing education of science teachers play an important role in the science education area. This research analyzed conceptions of environment in a continuing education course for science teachers developed at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The analysis of the material was made using a…

Competency-based reforms of the undergraduate biology curriculum: integrating the physical and biological sciences.

PubMed

Thompson, Katerina V; Chmielewski, Jean; Gaines, Michael S; Hrycyna, Christine A; LaCourse, William R

2013-06-01

The National Experiment in Undergraduate Science Education project funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a direct response to the Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians report, which urged a shift in premedical student preparation from a narrow list of specific course work to a more flexible curriculum that helps students develop broad scientific competencies. A consortium of four universities is working to create, pilot, and assess modular, competency-based curricular units that require students to use higher-order cognitive skills and reason across traditional disciplinary boundaries. Purdue University; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the University of Miami are each developing modules and case studies that integrate the biological, chemical, physical, and mathematical sciences. The University of Maryland, College Park, is leading the effort to create an introductory physics for life sciences course that is reformed in both content and pedagogy. This course has prerequisites of biology, chemistry, and calculus, allowing students to apply strategies from the physical sciences to solving authentic biological problems. A comprehensive assessment plan is examining students' conceptual knowledge of physics, their attitudes toward interdisciplinary approaches, and the development of specific scientific competencies. Teaching modules developed during this initial phase will be tested on multiple partner campuses in preparation for eventual broad dissemination.

The Physics of Life: A Biophysics Course for Non-science Major Undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parthasarathy, Raghuveer

2014-03-01

Enhancing the scientific literacy of non-scientists is an important goal, both because of the ever-increasing impact of science and technology on people's lives, and because understanding contemporary science enables enriching insights into the workings of nature. One route to improving scientific literacy is via general education undergraduate courses - i.e. courses intended for students not majoring in the sciences or engineering - which in many cases provide these students' last formal exposure to science. I describe here a course on biophysics for non-science-major undergraduates recently developed at the University of Oregon. Biophysics, I claim, is a particularly useful vehicle for addressing scientific literacy. It involves important and general scientific concepts, demonstrates connections between basic science and tangible, familiar phenomena related to health and disease, and illustrates how scientific insights proceed not in predictable paths, but rather by applying tools and perspectives from disparate fields in creative ways. In addition, it highlights the far-reaching impact of physics research. I describe the general design of this course and the specific content of a few of its modules, as well as noting aspects of enrollment and evaluation. This work is affiliated with the University of Oregon's Science Literacy Program, supported by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Lessons Learned from Undergraduate Students in Designing a Science-Based Course in Bioethics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loike, John D.; Rush, Brittany S.; Schweber, Adam; Fischbach, Ruth L.

2013-01-01

Columbia University offers two innovative undergraduate science-based bioethics courses for student majoring in biosciences and pre-health studies. The goals of these courses are to introduce future scientists and healthcare professionals to the ethical questions they will confront in their professional lives, thus enabling them to strategically…

Educational Impact of Digital Visualization Tools on Digital Character Production Computer Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Langeveld, Mark Christensen

2009-01-01

Digital character production courses have traditionally been taught in art departments. The digital character production course at the University of Utah is centered, drawing uniformly from art and engineering disciplines. Its design has evolved to include a synergy of computer science, functional art and human anatomy. It gives students an…

Course Design, Quality Matters Training, and Student Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollowell, Gail P.; Brooks, Racheal M.; Anderson, Yolanda B.

2017-01-01

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) recognized the need to address the increasing rates of Ds, Fs, and Withdrawal by students matriculating in online courses. Led by two science faculty, a faculty learning community in partnership with the NCCU Division of Extended Studies was created to assess online science course offerings and instruction.…

Planetary Science in Higher Education: Ideas and Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kereszturi, Akos; Hyder, David

2012-01-01

The paper investigates how planetary science could be integrated into other courses, specifically geography and astronomy, at two universities in Hungary and the UK. We carried out both a classroom course and an online course over several years. The methods used and the experiences gained, including feedback from students and useful examples for…

Service Learning in an FCS: A Community-Campus Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friesen, Carol A.; Whitaker, Sue H.; Piotrowicz, Kay

2004-01-01

The new core for the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Ball State University was designed to provide students with a better understanding of the integrative nature of the family and consumer sciences (FCS) profession. The resultant 9-credit core includes an introductory course, a capstone course, and one student-selected course. The…

Howard University program for radiotherapeutic technology.

PubMed

Tabron, M J

1975-01-01

The Howard University program for radiotherapeutic technology provides for a career ladder with steps of two years. After the first two years everyone must take and pass examination in radiotherapeutic technology given by The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. The candidate then can proceed with two years of university courses to a Bachelor of Science degree. Depending upon his interest, he can emphasize business, education, or science. The latter would qualify him for application medical school. The core of the curriculum for the first two years consists of clinical work in the radiotherapy department every morning and of two integrated multidisciplinary courses in the afternoon, namely, life sciences (anatomy, physiology, pathology and oncology) and natural sciences (mathematics, physics, radiation physics and treatment planning).

Catalog of Resources for Education in Ada (Trade Name) and Software Engineering (CREASE). Version 5.0.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-01

are eligible to participate in this course. This course is not offered for graduate credit. This course is taught by Timothy J. Fullam. For more...information on this course, contact Timothy J. Fullman at the above address and phone number. University of Alaska Southeast CREASE Version 5.0 13 CS 202...259 DATA STRUCTURES USING Ada University Offeror: Gallaudet University Department of Math/Computer Science Washington, DC 20002 (202) 651-5315 The

Developing a one-semester course in forensic chemical science for university undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salem, Roberta Sue

The purpose of this study was to research, develop and validate a one-semester course for the general education of university undergraduates in forensic chemical education. The course outline was developed using the research and development (R&D) methodology recommended by Gall, Borg, and Gall, (2003) and Dick and Carey, (2001) through a three step developmental cycle. Information was gathered and analyzed through review of literature and proof of concept interviews, laying the foundation for the framework of the course outline. A preliminary course outline was developed after a needs assessment showed need for such a course. Professors expert in the area of forensic science participated in the first field test of the course. Their feedback was recorded, and the course was revised for a main field test. Potential users of the guide served as readers for the main field test and offered more feedback to improve the course.

Popular Science Journalism: Facilitating Learning through Peer Review and Communication of Science News

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuten, Holly; Temesvari, Lesly

2013-01-01

In a multisemester Popular Science Journalism course that met for 2 hours once a week at Clemson University, students produced science news articles for the university newspaper by using primary literature, the internet, and interviews with researchers. Short lectures were given on topic choice, story development, literature surveys, common…

Strange bedfellows in science teacher preparation: conflicting perspectives on social justice presented in a Teach For America—university partnership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNew-Birren, Jill; Hildebrand, Tyra; Belknap, Gabrielle

2017-02-01

Teach For America (TFA), a widespread and well-known route into the teaching profession, frequently partners with university-based education programs to prepare and certify its corps members. However, university-based teacher education programs frequently emphasize very different understandings of socially just education and priorities for training teachers from those of TFA. Accordingly, science teachers trained through TFA-university partnerships encounter conflicting understandings of science education, justice, and urban communities as they are introduced to teaching practice. In this ethnographic case study we explored the experiences and reactions of a cohort of TFA corps members in a science methods course as they engaged with TFA's perspective focused primarily on enhancing students' social mobility and the methods course emphasizing democratic equality through scientific engagement. The study considers intersections between TFA's approach to teacher preparation and sociocultural perspectives on equitable science teaching. The study also lends insight into the contradictions and challenges through which TFA science teachers develop understandings about their role as science teachers, purposes and goals of science education, and identities of the students and communities they serve.

Register of Education and Training Activities in Librarianship, Information Science and Archives = Inventaire des activites de formation dans le domaine de la bibliotheconomie, des sciences de l'information et de l'archivistique = Inventario de las actividades de formacion en la esfera de la bibliotecologia, las ciencias de la informacion y la archivologia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Grolier, Eric, Comp.

This register provides information on information science, librarianship, documentation, and archival science training activities conducted outside regular university courses organized by specialized schools. Based on a December 1980 UNESCO questionnaire survey, the register includes seminars, refresher courses, continuing education courses, and…

Transforming Elementary Science Teacher Education by Bridging Formal and Informal Science Education in an Innovative Science Methods Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riedinger, Kelly; Marbach-Ad, Gili; Randy McGinnis, J.; Hestness, Emily; Pease, Rebecca

2011-02-01

We investigated curricular and pedagogical innovations in an undergraduate science methods course for elementary education majors at the University of Maryland. The goals of the innovative elementary science methods course included: improving students' attitudes toward and views of science and science teaching, to model innovative science teaching methods and to encourage students to continue in teacher education. We redesigned the elementary science methods course to include aspects of informal science education. The informal science education course features included informal science educator guest speakers, a live animal demonstration and a virtual field trip. We compared data from a treatment course ( n = 72) and a comparison course ( n = 26). Data collection included: researchers' observations, instructors' reflections, and teacher candidates' feedback. Teacher candidate feedback involved interviews and results on a reliable and valid Attitudes and Beliefs about the Nature of and the Teaching of Science instrument. We used complementary methods to analyze the data collected. A key finding of the study was that while benefits were found in both types of courses, the difference in results underscores the need of identifying the primary purpose for innovation as a vital component of consideration.

The New Outlook for Science. Science and Belief: from Copernicus to Darwin, Block VI, Units 15-16.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Open Univ., Walton, Bletchley, Bucks (England).

This text contains units 15-16 in the Open University course, Science and Belief: from Copernicus to Darwin. It is an inter-faculty second level course in the history of science. Unit 15 is concerned with Nature and History and includes uniformitarianism, human history, evolutionism, and Darwinism. Unit objectives, readings, and questions with the…

Using Science Songs to Enhance Learning: An Interdisciplinary Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowther, Gregory

2012-01-01

Music is recognized as an effective mode of teaching young children but is rarely used in university-level science courses. This article reviews the somewhat limited evidence on whether and how content-rich music might affect college students' understanding of science and offers practical suggestions for incorporating music into courses. Aside…

Collaborative Education in Climate Change Sciences and Adaptation through Interactive Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozbay, G.; Sriharan, S.; Fan, C.

2014-12-01

As a result of several funded climate change education grants, collaboration between VSU, DSU, and MSU, was established to provide the innovative and cohesive education and research opportunities to underrepresented groups in the climate related sciences. Prior to offering climate change and adaptation related topics to the students, faculty members of the three collaborating institutions participated at a number of faculty training and preparation workshops for teaching climate change sciences (i.e. AMS Diversity Project Workshop, NCAR Faculty-Student Team on Climate Change, NASA-NICE Program). In order to enhance the teaching and student learning on various issues in the Environmental Sciences Programs, Climatology, Climate Change Sciences and Adaptation or related courses were developed at Delaware State University and its partner institutions (Virginia State University and Morgan State University). These courses were prepared to deliver information on physical basis for the earth's climate system and current climate change instruction modules by AMS and historic climate information (NOAA Climate Services, U.S. and World Weather Data, NCAR and NASA Climate Models). By using Global Seminar as a Model, faculty members worked in teams to engage students in videoconferencing on climate change through Contemporary Global Studies and climate courses including Climate Change and Adaptation Science, Sustainable Agriculture, Introduction to Environmental Sciences, Climatology, and Ecology and Adaptation courses. All climate change courses have extensive hands-on practices and research integrated into the student learning experiences. Some of these students have presented their classroom projects during Earth Day, Student Climate Change Symposium, Undergraduate Summer Symposium, and other national conferences.

Ideas in Practice: Studies in Atmospheric Pollution For Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowe, Donald R.

1974-01-01

Describes the content and structure of an enviromental course offered by the Department of Engineering Technology at Western Kentucky University. The course focuses on atmospheric pollution and is designed for science teachers currently teaching in the school system. (JR)

An Undergraduate Environmental Science Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gupta, Gian C.

1982-01-01

Describes a curriculum in Environmental Sciences adopted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Includes lists of lower-level courses for the first two years, required courses, and recommended electives. Discusses cooperative education/on-the-job training component, implementation, and evaluation. (Author/JN)

Bringing Environmental Sustainability to Undergraduate Engineering Education: Experiences in an Inter-Disciplinary Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aurandt, Jennifer; Borchers, Andrew Scott; Lynch-Caris, Terri; El-Sayed, Jacqueline; Hoff, Craig

2012-01-01

This paper chronicles the development of an interdisciplinary course in environmentally conscious design at Kettering University, a technologically focused Midwestern university. Funded by the National Science Foundation, a team of six faculty members at Kettering University adapted work done by Ford Motor Company to educate undergraduate STEM…

Summer Institute for Physical Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maheswaranathan, Ponn; Calloway, Cliff

2007-04-01

A summer institute for physical science teachers was conducted at Winthrop University, June 19-29, 2006. Ninth grade physical science teachers at schools within a 50-mile radius from Winthrop were targeted. We developed a graduate level physics professional development course covering selected topics from both the physics and chemistry content areas of the South Carolina Science Standards. Delivery of the material included traditional lectures and the following new approaches in science teaching: hands-on experiments, group activities, computer based data collection, computer modeling, with group discussions & presentations. Two experienced master teachers assisted us during the delivery of the course. The institute was funded by the South Carolina Department of Education. The requested funds were used for the following: faculty salaries, the University contract course fee, some of the participants' room and board, startup equipment for each teacher, and indirect costs to Winthrop University. Startup equipment included a Pasco stand-alone, portable Xplorer GLX interface with sensors (temperature, voltage, pH, pressure, motion, and sound), and modeling software (Wavefunction's Spartan Student and Odyssey). What we learned and ideas for future K-12 teacher preparation initiatives will be presented.

A Library Research Course for Graduate and Professional Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tag, Sylvia G.

2007-01-01

This article describes the formation and content of a required library and information research course for graduate and professional students enrolled in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Master of Arts degree program at Western Washington University. The course was created as a result of library assessment, student feedback, and faculty…

Whole Farm Nutrient Management: Capstone Course on Environmental Management of Dairy Farms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albrecht, Gregory L.; Ketterings, Quirine M.; Czymmek, Karl J.; van Amburgh, Michael E.; Fox, Danny G.

2006-01-01

Whole Farm Nutrient Management is an upper-level, undergraduate course offered through the Department of Animal Science (AS) and Department of Crop and Soil Sciences (CSS) at Cornell University. The course (AS/CSS 412) is designed for students interested in agricultural careers and aims to help them develop a working knowledge of agricultural…

Evaluation of an ESP Course of Qur'anic Sciences and Tradition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salehi, Hadi; Davari, Ameneh; Yunus, Melor Md

2015-01-01

Evaluation is defined as matching process that matches the needs to available solutions. The present study is an attempt to evaluate English for specific purposes (ESP) course book on "the ESP Course of Qur'anic Sciences and Tradition" taught at some universities in Iran. To achieve this goal, a researcher-made questionnaire and an…

The Great Lakes School of Turfgrass Science: A Nine-State Online Collaboration to Improve the Turfgrass Short Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koch, Paul L.; Soldat, Douglas J.; Horgan, Brian P.; Bauer, Samuel J.; Patton, Aaron J.

2017-01-01

Increasing costs and decreasing numbers of university Extension faculty have made it difficult to provide quality turfgrass short course education. In response, faculty from nine institutions collaborated to develop the Great Lakes School of Turfgrass Science. This 12-week online course provides students with unique learning experiences through a…

Adding Vectors across the North: Development of Laboratory Component of Distance Education Physics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, V. K.; Solie, D. J.

2010-12-01

Bush Physics for the 21st Century (BP21) is a distance education physics course offered through the Interior Aleutians Campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It provides an opportunity for rural Alaskan high school and community college students, many of whom have no other access to advanced science courses, to earn university science credit. The curriculum is mathematically rigorous and includes a laboratory component to prepare students who wish to pursue science and technology careers. The laboratory component has been developed during the past 3 years. Students learn lab safety, basic laboratory technique, experiment components and group collaboration. Experiments have place-based themes and involve skills that translate to rural Alaska when possible. Preliminary data on the general effectiveness of the labs have been analyzed and used to improve the course.

MSaTERs: Mathematics, Science, and Technology Educators and Researchers of The Ohio State University. Proceedings of the Annual Spring Conference (2nd, May 16, 1998, Columbus, OH).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Michelle K., Ed.; Costner, Kelly M., Ed.

The Mathematics, Science, and Technology Educators and Researchers of The Ohio State University (MSaTERS-OSU) is a newly formed student organization. Papers from the conference include: (1) "Was the Geometry Course, The Nature of Proof, Taught by Harold Pascoe Fawcett the Best Course Ever Taught in Secondary School?" (Frederick Flener); (2) "A…

Impact of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research in Mathematics and Biology on the Development of a New Course Integrating Five STEM Disciplines

PubMed Central

Caudill, Lester; Hill, April; Lipan, Ovidiu

2010-01-01

Funded by innovative programs at the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Richmond faculty in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science teamed up to offer first- and second-year students the opportunity to contribute to vibrant, interdisciplinary research projects. The result was not only good science but also good science that motivated and informed course development. Here, we describe four recent undergraduate research projects involving students and faculty in biology, physics, mathematics, and computer science and how each contributed in significant ways to the conception and implementation of our new Integrated Quantitative Science course, a course for first-year students that integrates the material in the first course of the major in each of biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and physics. PMID:20810953

Impact of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research in mathematics and biology on the development of a new course integrating five STEM disciplines.

PubMed

Caudill, Lester; Hill, April; Hoke, Kathy; Lipan, Ovidiu

2010-01-01

Funded by innovative programs at the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Richmond faculty in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science teamed up to offer first- and second-year students the opportunity to contribute to vibrant, interdisciplinary research projects. The result was not only good science but also good science that motivated and informed course development. Here, we describe four recent undergraduate research projects involving students and faculty in biology, physics, mathematics, and computer science and how each contributed in significant ways to the conception and implementation of our new Integrated Quantitative Science course, a course for first-year students that integrates the material in the first course of the major in each of biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and physics.

The Children's Lab at Northern State University. Elementary Teachers Moving toward Scientific Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knecht, Paul S.

The Children's Lab at Northern State University (South Dakota) is a science concept development laboratory for use by students in a physical science course for preservice elementary teachers. Its function is to develop science content knowledge in preservice elementary teachers, with the ultimate goal of developing science literacy in children.…

Science Practical Work Instructional Technologies and Open Distance Learning in Science Teacher Training: A Case Study in Zimbabwe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhukuvhani, Crispen; Mupa, Mathew; Mhishi, Misheck; Dziva, Daimond

2012-01-01

The practical work component offers unique challenges for university science courses. This is even more pertinent in an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) environment like the Bindura University of Science Education's Virtual and Open Distance Learning (VODL) programme. Effective ODL education should be flexible enough to accommodate science…

Mathematics Preparation and Success in Introductory College Science Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avallone, L. M.; Geiger, L. C.; Luebke, A. E.

2008-12-01

It is a long-held belief that adequate mathematics preparation is a key to success in introductory college science courses. Indeed, a number of recent studies have tested mathematics "fluency" and compared that to performance in introductory physics or chemistry courses. At the University of Colorado at Boulder, we administered a twenty-question math assessment to incoming first-year students as part of orientation registration. The intent of this tool was to provide information for advising new college students about their readiness for college-level science courses, both those for science majors and those for non-scientists. In this presentation we describe the results of the mathematics assessment for two incoming classes in the College of Arts and Sciences at CU-Boulder (about 9,000 students) and its predictive capabilities for success in introductory science courses. We also analyze student performance in these courses (i.e., course grade) with respect to ACT and/or SAT scores. We will present data on the relative success of students in college science courses both with and without prior college-level mathematics courses as well.

The United States Particle Accelerator School: Educating the Next Generation of Accelerator Scientists and Engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barletta, William A.

2009-03-01

Only a handful of universities in the US offer any formal training in accelerator science. The United States Particle Accelerator School (USPAS) is National Graduate Educational Program that has developed a highly successful educational paradigm that, over the past twenty-years, has granted more university credit in accelerator/beam science and technology than any university in the world. Sessions are held twice annually, hosted by major US research universities that approve course credit, certify the USPAS faculty, and grant course credit. The USPAS paradigm is readily extensible to other rapidly developing, cross-disciplinary research areas such as high energy density physics.

Oral Academic Language by Design: Bilingual Pre-Service Teachers' Purposeful Infusion of Paired Strategies during Science Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arreguín-Anderson, María G.; Alanis, Iliana

2017-01-01

This study explores ways in which university science courses can be infused with opportunities for pre-service teachers to design student student interactions that promote language development and content mastery. Participants included bilingual pre-service teachers enrolled in an elementary science approaches course and its school-based fieldwork…

Content-Intensive Courses in an Undergraduate Science Education Minor and Impacts on Participating Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Czworkowski, John; Seethaler, Sherry

2013-01-01

The California Teach Program at the University of California, San Diego, recruits and prepares undergraduates interested in teaching science and mathematics. One of the products of the program is a set of courses taught by faculty in science disciplines that integrate subject matter with theories of learning and instruction, with the goal of…

Educating Young Educators: A Pedagogical Internship for Undergraduate Teaching Assistants

PubMed Central

Romm, Iyah; Gordon-Messer, Susannah

2010-01-01

Although undergraduates have long held a role as teaching assistants for introductory science courses at liberal arts colleges and universities, educational institutions often do not provide these students with opportunities to explore science teaching and pedagogy. At Brandeis University, we designed an internship course to help increase the motivation, understanding, and knowledge of teaching pedagogy for undergraduate teaching assistants that is offered concurrently with their teaching responsibilities. Weekly sessions with faculty mentors are guided by readings in current science education literature, and throughout the semester students are asked to develop new course material based on the pedagogical frameworks discussed. To evaluate the effectiveness of this course, we surveyed students at the close of the semester. We found an overall increase in student confidence levels with regard to teaching and better awareness of the difficulties faced in science education. All students who participated in the course expressed interest in participating in future educational internships. We believe that the Educating Young Educators internship has the potential to be a catalyst for personal and professional growth from a novice into an informed young educator. PMID:20516353

Integration of Live Video and WWW Delivery Systems To Teach University Level Science, Technology, and Society in High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urven, Lance E.; Yin, L. Roger; Bak, John D.

In fall 1997, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW) provided Science and Technology in Society, a university general studies science literacy course, to advanced placement high school students at three local high schools, using a combination of live video presentations and World Wide Web (WWW) courseware. A total of 26 high school students…

Master's Level Graduate Training in Medical Physics at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibbott, Geoffrey S.; Hendee, William R.

1980-01-01

Describes the master's degree program in medical physics developed at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Required courses for the program, and requirements for admission are included in the appendices. (HM)

Learning to Communicate Science: Stony Brook University's Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bass, E.

2012-12-01

Stony Brook University offers an unusual series of short courses to help science graduate students learn to communicate more effectively about science with people outside their disciplines, including the public, public officials, potential funders and employers, students, the press, and colleagues in other fields. The courses include six 1-credit (14-hour) modules in oral and written communication that rely on practice and interactive feedback. More than 120 master's and PhD students, from more than 16 departments, have taken at least one of the courses since spring 2011. Most students who try one module end up taking two or three. An additional course for medical and nursing students was added in fall 2012. The courses are offered in the School of Journalism and were developed by the Center for Communicating Science (CCS). CCS was founded in 2009, with the participation of Alan Alda, the actor, writer, and longtime advocate for science, who is a Visiting Professor at Stony Brook. The Communicating Science courses have received strong institutional support and enthusiastic reviews. They are required by two programs, an MA in Marine Conservation and Policy and an Advanced Certificate in Health Communications. Two successive Provosts have subsidized course costs for PhD students, and Graduate School leaders are working to establish a steady funding stream to allow expansion of the program. Our aspiration at CCS is for every science graduate student to receive some training in communicating about science to the public. Several factors have helped in establishing the program: --CCS' multidisciplinary nature helped build support, with participation by faculty from across the campus, including not only the natural sciences, engineering, and medicine, but journalism, theatre arts, and the Writing Program, as well as nearby Brookhaven National Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. --Before offering courses, CCS conducted all-day workshops and high-profile activities that generated interest and allowed students, postdocs, faculty and administrators to sample course material. --CCS structured the courses as "bite-size" modules to make them easier to take. Courses are given in the evening, in successive four- or five-week blocks, so a student can take one to six modules in a single semester. At the heart of the effort are two courses: Distilling Your Message, in which students practice speaking clearly, vividly and conversationally at different levels of complexity to different audiences, and Improvisation for Scientists, in which students use improvisational theater exercises to help connect more responsively with their audiences. This is not about acting. It is about paying dynamic attention to the audience, shifting the focus from what the student is saying to what the other person is receiving. Other modules deal with writing for the public; using social media, and connecting with the community. In addition to the 1-credit courses, science graduate students can take a 3-credit course examining how the media cover science and health issues. This course also is taken by students in the journalism MS program, which focuses on science, health and environmental reporting, part of Stony Brook University's multi-pronged effort to improve communication of science to the public.

Engage: The Science Speaker Series - A novel approach to improving science outreach and communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, R.; Hilton, E.; Rosenfield, P.

2011-12-01

Communicating the results and significance of basic research to the general public is of critical importance. Federal funding and university budgets are under substantial pressure, and taxpayer support of basic research is critical. Public outreach by ecologists is an important vehicle for increasing support and understanding of science in an era of anthropogenic global change. At present, very few programs or courses exist to allow young scientists the opportunity to hone and practice their public outreach skills. Although the need for science outreach and communication is recognized, graduate programs often fail to provide any training in making science accessible. Engage: The Science Speaker Series represents a unique, graduate student-led effort to improve public outreach skills. Founded in 2009, Engage was created by three science graduate students at the University of Washington. The students developed a novel, interdisciplinary curriculum to investigate why science outreach often fails, to improve graduate student communication skills, and to help students create a dynamic, public-friendly talk. The course incorporates elements of story-telling, improvisational arts, and development of analogy, all with a focus on clarity, brevity and accessibility. This course was offered to graduate students and post-doctoral researchers from a wide variety of sciences in the autumn of 2010. Students who participated in the Engage course were then given the opportunity to participate in Engage: The Science Speaker Series. This free, public-friendly speaker series is hosted on the University of Washington campus and has had substantial public attendance and participation. The growing success of Engage illustrates the need for such programs throughout graduate level science curricula. We present the impetus for the development of the program, elements of the curriculum covered in the Engage course, the importance of an interdisciplinary approach, and discuss strategies for implementing similar programs at research institutions nationally.

Engage: The Science Speaker Series - A novel approach to improving science outreach and communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, R.; Hilton, E.; Rosenfield, P.

2012-12-01

Communicating the results and significance of basic research to the general public is of critical importance. Federal funding and university budgets are under substantial pressure, and taxpayer support of basic research is critical. Public outreach by ecologists is an important vehicle for increasing support and understanding of science in an era of anthropogenic global change. At present, very few programs or courses exist to allow young scientists the opportunity to hone and practice their public outreach skills. Although the need for science outreach and communication is recognized, graduate programs often fail to provide any training in making science accessible. Engage: The Science Speaker Series represents a unique, graduate student-led effort to improve public outreach skills. Founded in 2009, Engage was created by three science graduate students at the University of Washington. The students developed a novel, interdisciplinary curriculum to investigate why science outreach often fails, to improve graduate student communication skills, and to help students create a dynamic, public-friendly talk. The course incorporates elements of story-telling, improvisational arts, and development of analogy, all with a focus on clarity, brevity and accessibility. This course was offered to graduate students and post-doctoral researchers from a wide variety of sciences in the autumn of 2010 and 2011, and will be retaught in 2012. Students who participated in the Engage course were then given the opportunity to participate in Engage: The Science Speaker Series. This free, public-friendly speaker series has been hosted at the University of Washington campus and Seattle Town Hall, and has had substantial public attendance and participation. The growing success of Engage illustrates the need for such programs throughout graduate level science curricula. We present the impetus for the development of the program, elements of the curriculum covered in the Engage course, the importance of an interdisciplinary approach, and discuss strategies for implementing similar programs at research institutions nationally.

A Comparison of Student Confidence Levels in Open Access and Undergraduate University Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atherton, Mirella

2017-01-01

Confidence levels of students enrolled in open access programs and undergraduate courses were measured at the University of Newcastle. The open access science students aimed to gain access to undergraduate studies in various disciplines at University. The undergraduate students were enrolled in a variety of degrees and were surveyed during their…

Infusing Traditional Knowledge and Ways of Knowing into Science Communication Courses at the University of Hawai'i

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lemus, Judith D.; Seraphin, Kanesa Duncan; Coopersmith, Ann; Correa, Carly K. V.

2014-01-01

We describe a philosophy and process by which cultural awareness and traditional ways of knowing were incorporated into courses on communicating ocean sciences for college and graduate students in Hawai'i. The result is a culturally relevant framework that contextualizes the course for Hawai'i audiences while also enabling students to better…

Do Policies that Encourage Better Attendance in Lab Change Students' Academic Behaviors and Performances in Introductory Science Courses?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Randy; Jensen, Philip A.

2008-01-01

Science courses with hands-on investigative labs are a typical part of the general education requirements at virtually all colleges and universities. In these courses, labs that satisfy a curricular requirement for "lab experience" are important because they provide the essence of the scientific experience--that is, they give students…

Including an Exam P/1 Prep Course in a Growing Actuarial Science Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wakefield, Thomas P.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the actuarial science program at our university and the development of a course to enhance students' problem solving skills while preparing them for Exam P/1 of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) and the Casualty Actuary Society (CAS). The Exam P/1 prep course, formally titled Mathematical Foundations of…

The Outcomes of Learning from the Social Science Foundation Course: Students' Understandings of Price Control, Power and Oligopoly.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Elizabeth; And Others

Students' understandings of the concepts of price control, oligopoly, and power before, during, and after taking a social science foundation course (D101) at Great Britain's Open University were investigated. Students were asked 10 questions on key concepts taught in the course. Three of the questions are addressed: (1) Why doesn't the…

A Survey of Beginning Crop Science Courses at 49 U.S. Universities. I. Lecture Format, Teaching Methods, and Topical Content.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karnok, Keith J.; Connors, Krista L.

1986-01-01

This paper is the first of a two-part series which discusses the findings related to lecture information in beginning crop science courses offered in Land Grant institutions. Survey results revealed considerable differences regarding course organization and teaching methods, but similarities in overall goals and topic areas. (ML)

One-Credit Writing-Intensive Courses in the Disciplines: Results from a Study of Four Departments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deans, Thomas

2017-01-01

This study reports on learning outcomes of one-credit writing-intensive (W) courses in the disciplines at a large public university where three-credit W courses are the norm. An evaluation of 210 final papers from four departments--Allied Health, Animal Science, Economics, and Nutritional Sciences--revealed that writing outcomes, as defined and…

An Online Course in Multicultural Materials for LIS Graduate Students at the University of South Florida

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Linda B.

2008-01-01

The author discusses the content included in an online course on "Multicultural Materials for Young Adults and Children." This graduate course (LIS 5937) for Library and information Science students at the University of South Florida, is a very popular offering for those who plan to work with youth in libraries. The class teaches…

Factors Affecting Student Academic Success in Gateway Courses at Northern Arizona University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benford, Russell; Gess-Newsome, Julie

2006-01-01

Students in gateway business, math, and science courses at Northern Arizona University receive non-passing grades (grades of D, F, and W) at high rates. To identify possible trends in demographic groups that receive DFWs and to investigate why students receive DFWs in these courses, a student survey was administered to 719 students in 7 gateway…

Comparison of attitudes of non-science major students toward science and technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wick, Donald Gary

This study examines the attitudes of non-science major students who were enrolled in General Education Required (GER) science courses at three diverse Iowa post-secondary educational institutions: The University of Iowa, Cornell College, and Kirkwood Community College. The information was gathered using a survey instrument with the test subjects responding with a five-part Likert-scale to a series of statements regarding: (1) reasons for taking the science course, (2) views and attitudes toward science, and (3) the nature and implications of science and technology. The initial data gathered was analyzed using either chi-squared, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and/or Bonferroni tests. Responses to grouped statements were used to generate population indices related to: (1) experience, (2) attitude, (3) experimentation, and (4) technology. These indices were analyzed for statistically significant differences using Tukey's Studentized (HSD) and Tukey-Krammer tests. Statistically significant differences were found in the response means for some individual statements. When a population index was calculated for each school using the grouped responses related to attitude, experience, science/technology, multiple comparison testing determined significant differences with regards to attitude, experiences, and science/technology. No significant differences were found between the schools for the population index regarding experimentation. Demographic information gathered concerning the nature of the student populations included: (1) declared major, (2) classification, (3) previous number of science courses, (4) gender, and (5) use of computers for the science course. Analysis of demographic data also revealed statistically significant differences. The differences found in this study provide additional quantitative data to characterize the non-science major student. Recommendations based on this data are: (1) The University of Iowa strive for smaller GER class sizes and reevaluate current pedagogy, (2) Kirkwood Community College make class material more relevant and place more emphasis on research, (3) Cornell College utilize full professors in the non-major course and incorporate more technology, and (4) all reevaluate the science GERs course pedagogy, retain the science GERs, maintain the current number of GER science course choices, and, finally, reevaluate any GER science course credit reciprocity.

Initial Results of On-Line Earth System Science Course Offerings at the University of Nebraska-Omaha Through the Earth System Science Education Alliance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuster, R. D.; Grandgenett, N. F.; Schnase, W. L.; Hamersky, S.; Moshman, R.

2008-12-01

The University of Nebraska at Omaha has been offering on-line Earth System Science coursework to teachers in Nebraska since 2002. UNO was one of the initial members in the Earth Systems Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) and has offered three different ESSEA courses, with nearly 200 students having taken ESSEA courses at UNO for graduate credit. Our experiences in delivering this coursework have involved both teachers who have received a stipend to take the course and those who have paid their own tuition and fees and received graduate credit for the course. We will report on the online behavior of teachers from both populations and also discuss pros and cons of each approach. UNO has also experimented with different approaches in the support and management of the course, including using undergraduate majors as content experts. This improves access of teachers to content-related feedback and is a positive experience for the undergraduate major. Feedback surveys from earlier ESSEA offerings indicate a strongly positive perception of the courses by the teachers enrolled in the coursework. Project impact has been documented in teacher projects, quotes, and lessons associated with the coursework activities. We will also describe online course modules being developed within the UNO online course efforts, including one focusing on the global amphibian crisis.

A Coherent Content Storyline Approach for Introductory Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palma, Christopher; Flarend, A.; McDonald, S.; Kregenow, J. M.

2014-01-01

The Earth and Space Science Partnership (ESSP) is a collaboration among Penn State scientists, science educators and seven school districts across Pennsylvania. Part of the multi-faceted ESSP effort includes revising the curriculum of university science classes known to be taken by large numbers of elementary pre-service teachers. By adopting research-based pedagogical approaches in our courses, we hope to expose these pre-service teachers to excellent examples of science teaching. In this presentation, we will discuss changes made in a pilot study to one section of our introductory astronomy survey course. There have been many articles published in the Astronomy Education Review and elsewhere that detail research-based pedagogical practices for introductory astronomy courses. Many of those practices (such as from the Center for Astronomy Education) have been incorporated into introductory astronomy courses at Penn State. However, our work with middle-grades teachers in the ESSP project is based on two key practices: a Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER) framework (McNeill & Krajcik 2012) and a coherent science content storyline (Roth,et. al., 2011). As a first step in modeling these practices in our University courses, we reorganized our Astro course using a content storyline approach. We plan to incorporate CER activities into the course next year that advance the storyline described. In this poster, we present the storyline developed by our team, which we believe was successful in its pilot, and was built around a conceptually coherent presentation of the diverse set of phenomena typical of an introductory astronomy course. We adopted as our main learning goal a statement based on the cosmological principle that the physical laws throughout the Universe are identical everywhere. In addition, we organized the class schedule to connect the work done in each class to this storyline. We suggest that a coherent content storyline is a useful tool for others who teach broad survey astronomy courses similar to ours at Penn State. We gratefully acknowledge support from the NSF MSP program award DUE#0962792.

Problem-based learning in a health sciences librarianship course.

PubMed Central

Dimitroff, A; Ancona, A M; Beman, S B; Dodge, A M; Hutchinson, K L; LaBonte, M J; Mays, T L; Simon, D T

1998-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been adopted by many medical schools in North America. Because problem solving, information seeking, and lifelong learning skills are central to the PBL curriculum, health sciences librarians have been actively involved in the PBL process at these medical schools. The introduction of PBL in a library and information science curriculum may be appropriate to consider at this time. PBL techniques have been incorporated into a health sciences librarianship course at the School of Library and Information Science (LIS) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to explore the use of this method in an advanced Library and Information Science course. After completion of the course, the use of PBL has been evaluated by the students and the instructor. The modified PBL course design is presented and the perceptions of the students and the instructor are discussed. PMID:9681169

Role of Islamic Science Textbooks and Teaching Methods in Arab Schools and Universities and Ideological Extremism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammad, Hamza Abed Alkarim

2014-01-01

The study concludes that most Islamic sciences courses in schools and universities adopt a dogmatic or indoctrinatory approach combined with little room for dialogue and discussion. The study recommends reconsidering Islamic science textbooks through including additional higher-order thinking skills and reconsidering Sharia faculties' syllabi.

Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA): Universities, Oceanographic Institutions, Science Centers and Aquariums Working Together to Improve Ocean Education and Public Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glenn, S.; McDonnell, J.; Halversen, C.; Zimmerman, T.; Ingram, L.

2007-12-01

Ocean observatories have already demonstrated their ability to maintain long-term time series, capture episodic events, provide context for improved shipboard sampling, and improve accessibility to a broader range of participants. Communicating Ocean Sciences, an already existing college course from COSEE-California has demonstrated its ability to teach future scientists essential communication skills. The NSF-funded Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA) project has leveraged these experiences and others to demonstrate a long-term model for promoting effective science communication skills and techniques applicable to diverse audiences. The COSIA effort is one of the pathfinders for ensuring that the new scientific results from the increasing U.S. investments in ocean observatories is effectively communicated to the nation, and will serve as a model for other fields. Our presentation will describe a long-term model for promoting effective science communication skills and techniques applicable to diverse audiences. COSIA established partnerships between informal science education institutions and universities nationwide to facilitate quality outreach by scientists and the delivery of rigorous, cutting edge science by informal educators while teaching future scientists (college students) essential communication skills. The COSIA model includes scientist-educator partnerships that develop and deliver a college course that teaches communication skills through the understanding of learning theory specifically related to informal learning environments and the practice of these skills at aquariums and science centers. The goals of COSIA are to: provide a model for establishing substantive, long-term partnerships between scientists and informal science education institutions to meet their respective outreach needs; provide future scientists with experiences delivering outreach and promoting the broader impact of research; and provide diverse role models and inquiry-based ocean sciences activities for children and families visiting informal institutions. The following COSIA partners have taught the course: Hampton University - Virginia Aquarium; Oregon State University - Hatfield Marine Science Visitor's Center; Rutgers University - Liberty Science Center; University of California, Berkeley - Lawrence Hall of Science; University of Southern California - Aquarium of the Pacific; and Scripps Institution of Oceanography - Birch Aquarium. Communicating Ocean Sciences has also been taught at Stanford, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, University of Oregon (GK-12 program), University of Washington, and others. Data from surveys of students demonstrates improvement in their understanding of how people learn and how to effectively communicate. Providing college students with a background in current learning theory, and applying that theory through practical science communication experiences, will empower future generations of scientists to meet the communication challenges they will encounter in their careers.

"Start from Your Own Situation": A Political Analysis on the Relationship between Gender and Education in an Italian University Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bazzoni, Ludmila; Cossutta, Carlotta

2016-01-01

In the text, we will try to give an account of the experience of collaboration in a Public Ethics course in the degree course in Pedagogical Sciences at the University of Verona. The course in Public Ethics has had, as its main theme, the reflection on the distinction between public and private. We will begin with consider the national context and…

Student Expectations, University Goals: Looking for Alignment in General Education Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ericson, Rebecca J.

2012-01-01

This action research dissertation explores the alignment of university goals, faculty practice, and student expectations for general education natural science courses as a first step to understanding how best to restructure the program to ensure that students are learning in alignment with university stated goals for this aspect of their…

Introduction of interdisciplinary teaching: two case studies : commentary on "teaching science, technology, and society to engineering students: a sixteen year journey".

PubMed

Spitzer, Hartwig

2013-12-01

Interdisciplinary courses on science, engineering and society have been successfully established in two cases, at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, and at the University of Hamburg, Germany. In both cases there were institutional and perceptual barriers that had to be overcome in the primarily disciplinary departments. The ingredients of success included a clear vision of interdisciplinary themes and didactics, and the exploitation of institutional opportunities. Haldun M. Ozaktas in Ankara used the dynamics of an accreditation process to establish courses on engineering and society. At the University of Hamburg the introduction of optional courses into all curricula allowed for the establishment of a seminar series on physics and society, as well as on peace education and peace building. Both of these approaches have a weakness in common: the courses can disappear once their initiators have left, unless the interdisciplinary themes are integrated into compulsory core curricula.

Factors affecting the results of comprehensive pre-internship exam among medical students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences.

PubMed

Khazaei, Mohammad Rasool; Zarin, Afshin; Rezaei, Mansuor; Khazaei, Mozafar

2018-06-01

This study was aimed to evaluate the factors affecting the results of comprehensive pre-internship exam (CPIE) among medicals students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. In this descriptive-analytical study, all students (n=240) participating in CPIE over a 3-year period (2012-2014) were selected. Data were gathered by a questionnaire, including the CPIE results and educational and demographic data. Spearman correlation coefficient, Mann-Whitney U-test, and analysis of variance were used to analyze the association of students' success with study variables. Also, regression analysis was applied to determine the role of independent variables in students' success. The frequency of the failed units in apprenticeship course was one of the most important risk factors associated with failure in CPIE. Average scores of pre-internship course were the most important factors of success in CPIE. The CPIE score had the highest direct relationship with grade point average (GPA) of apprenticeship course, total GPA of all three courses, GPAs of physiopathology and basic sciences courses, and score of comprehensive basic sciences examination, respectively. CPIE showed the highest inverse correlation with the number of failed units in apprenticeship course. The most important factors influencing this exam were failure in apprenticeship course and GPA of previous educational stages.

Linking Undergraduate Geoscience and Education Departments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ireton, F. W.; McManus, D. A.

2001-05-01

In many colleges and universities students who have declared a major in one of the geosciences are often ineligible to take the education courses necessary for state certification. In order to enroll in education courses to meet the state's Department of Education course requirements for a teaching credential, these students must drop their geoscience major and declare an education major. Students in education programs in these universities may be limited in the science classes they take as part of their degree requirements. These students face the same problem as students who have declared a science major in that course work is not open to them. As a result, universities too often produce science majors with a weak pedagogy background or education majors with a weak Earth and space sciences background. The American Geophysical Union (AGU) formed a collaboration of four universities with strong, yet separate science and education departments, to provide the venue for a one week NSF sponsored retreat to allow the communication necessary for solutions to these problems to be worked out by faculty members. Each university was represented by a geoscience department faculty member, an education department faculty member, and a K-12 master teacher selected by the two faculty members. This retreat was followed by a second retreat that focused on community colleges in the Southwest United States. Change is never easy and Linkages has shown that success for a project of this nature requires the dedication of not only the faculty involved in the project, but colleagues in their respective schools as well as the administration when departmental cultural obstacles must be overcome. This paper will discuss some of the preliminary work accomplished by the schools involved in the project.

Redesigning a General Education Science Course to Promote Critical Thinking

PubMed Central

Rowe, Matthew P.; Gillespie, B. Marcus; Harris, Kevin R.; Koether, Steven D.; Shannon, Li-Jen Y.; Rose, Lori A.

2015-01-01

Recent studies question the effectiveness of a traditional university curriculum in helping students improve their critical thinking and scientific literacy. We developed an introductory, general education (gen ed) science course to overcome both deficiencies. The course, titled Foundations of Science, differs from most gen ed science offerings in that it is interdisciplinary; emphasizes the nature of science along with, rather than primarily, the findings of science; incorporates case studies, such as the vaccine-autism controversy; teaches the basics of argumentation and logical fallacies; contrasts science with pseudoscience; and addresses psychological factors that might otherwise lead students to reject scientific ideas they find uncomfortable. Using a pretest versus posttest design, we show that students who completed the experimental course significantly improved their critical-thinking skills and were more willing to engage scientific theories the general public finds controversial (e.g., evolution), while students who completed a traditional gen ed science course did not. Our results demonstrate that a gen ed science course emphasizing the process and application of science rather than just scientific facts can lead to improved critical thinking and scientific literacy. PMID:26231561

Physics of Health Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baublitz, Millard; Goldberg, Bennett

A one-semester algebra-based physics course is being offered to Boston University students whose major fields of study are in allied health sciences: physical therapy, athletic training, and speech, language, and hearing sciences. The classroom instruction incorporates high-engagement learning techniques including worksheets, student response devices, small group discussions, and physics demonstrations instead of traditional lectures. The use of pre-session exercises and quizzes has been implemented. The course also requires weekly laboratory experiments in mechanics or electricity. We are using standard pre- and post-course concept inventories to compare this one-semester introductory physics course to ten years of pre- and post-course data collected on students in the same majors but who completed a two-semester course.

Climate Science Program at California State University, Northridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steele Cox, H.; Klein, D.; Cadavid, A. C.; Foley, B.

2012-12-01

Due to its interdisciplinary nature, climate science poses wide-ranging challenges for science and mathematics students seeking careers in this field. There is a compelling need for universities to provide coherent programs in climate science in order to train future climate scientists. With funding from NASA Innovations in Climate Education (NICE), California State University, Northridge (CSUN), is creating the CSUN Climate Science Program. An interdisciplinary team of faculty members is working in collaboration with UCLA, Santa Monica College and NASA/JPL partners to create a new curriculum in climate science. The resulting sequence of climate science courses, or Pathway for studying the Mathematics of Climate Change (PMCC), is integrated into a Bachelor of Science degree program in the Applied Mathematical Sciences offered by the Mathematics Department at CSUN. The PMCC consists of courses offered by the departments of Mathematics, Physics, and Geography and is designed to prepare students for Ph.D. programs in technical fields relevant to global climate change and related careers. The students who choose to follow this program will be guided to enroll in the following sequence of courses for their 12 units of upper division electives: 1) A newly created course junior level course, Math 396CL, in applied mathematics which will introduce students to applications of vector calculus and differential equations to the study of thermodynamics and atmospheric dynamics. 2) An already existing course, Math 483, with new content on mathematical modeling specialized for this program; 3) An improved version of Phys 595CL on the mathematics and physics of climate change with emphasis on Radiative Transfer; 4) A choice of Geog 407 on Remote Sensing or Geog 416 on Climate Change with updated content to train the students in the analysis of satellite data obtained with the NASA Earth Observing System and instruction in the analysis of data obtained within a Geographical Information System (GIS). In addition the Geography department will similarly update the corresponding graduate courses on Remote Sensing, Geog 690D, and Climate Change Geog 620F, and there will be a reciprocal curriculum and data sharing collaboration with the Earth and Environmental Sciences program at Santa Monica College. Throughout the academic year a seminar series offers the students the opportunity to learn about ongoing work on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate and during the summer they have access to research experiences at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Courses in Modern Physics for Non-science Majors, Future Science Teachers, and Biology Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zollman, Dean

2001-03-01

For the past 15 years Kansas State University has offered a course in modern physics for students who are not majoring in physics. This course carries a prerequisite of one physics course so that the students have a basic introduction in classical topics. The majors of students range from liberal arts to engineering. Future secondary science teachers whose first area of teaching is not physics can use the course as part of their study of science. The course has evolved from a lecture format to one which is highly interactive and uses a combination of hands-on activities, tutorials and visualizations, particularly the Visual Quantum Mechanics materials. Another course encourages biology students to continue their physics learning beyond the introductory course. Modern Miracle Medical Machines introduces the basic physics which underlie diagnosis techniques such as MRI and PET and laser surgical techniques. Additional information is available at http://www.phys.ksu.edu/perg/

New Sustainability Programs and Their Impact at a Large Public State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bralower, T. J.; Guertin, L. A.

2016-12-01

The Pennsylvania State University comprises 24 campuses across the state. Students who are admitted to any campus are automatically admitted to the University Park Campus once they meet the entrance requirements for their major. The University Park Campus has a Geoscience Department with over 30 faculty and several degree programs. Several of the campuses also have Geoscience faculty. Two of the campuses offer majors in geoscience fields with plans at other campuses to add Environmental Science degree programs. Campus faculty play an instrumental role in recruiting students into the geosciences and providing them with general and allied science education. However, these faculty have high teaching loads and often struggle to fulfill student demand for courses. Penn State is also home to the World Campus which offers courses solely online to students all around the world including a large number of Military personnel. Penn State has led the development of five introductory-level blended and online courses as part of the InTeGrate STEP center. These courses are Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society; Water Science and Society; Climate, Energy, and Our Future; the Future of Food; and Earth Modeling. They add to an existing blended and online course, Earth in the Future that has been taught at the University Park and World Campuses for four years. Combined, the courses include 70 weekly modules. The courses constitute the basis of a recently approved Minor and Certificate of Excellence in Earth Sustainability offered in online format through the World Campus and in blended format at all the campuses. We are in the process of establishing an e-Learning Cooperative so that faculty at a campus can teach any of the sustainability courses online to students throughout the Penn State system. This will enable students to receive a greater introduction to, and variety of, sustainability courses at the campuses, and enable faculty to tailor courses to local campus interests and issues instead of that of World Campus students. The Cooperative is designed to provide lower faculty-student ratios and instill community among faculty throughout the system. Finally, this program will support the development of, and collaboration between, independent Environmental Science four-year degree programs at multiple campuses.

Teaching climate science within the transdisciplinary framework of Critical Zone science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, T. S.; Wymore, A.; Dere, A. L. D.; Washburne, J. C.; Hoffman, A.; Conklin, M. H.

2017-12-01

During the past decade a new realm of Earth surface and environmental science has evolved, Critical Zone (CZ) science. The CZ is the outermost layer of the continents spanning from the top of the vegetation canopy down to the bottom of the fresh groundwater zone. CZ science integrates across many disciplines and cross cutting concepts, including climate science, and much progress has been made by the CZ community to develop educational curricula - descriptions of the climate science aspects of two of those follows. An interdisciplinary team of CZ scientists developed an undergraduate course entitled "Introduction to CZ science". The semester-long course is modular, has been tested in multiple university settings, and the content is available online. A primary tenet of the course is that to achieve environmental sustainability, society must understand the CZ system, the natural processes and services of the CZ that are of value to society, and how those processes operate with and without the presence of humanity. A fundamental concept in the course is that the fluxes of water, C, energy, reactive gases, particulates and nutrients throughout the CZ are directly and indirectly related to climatic phenomenon and processes. Units on land-atmosphere interactions, weathering, and water budgets highlight the connection between CZ science and climate science, and are augmented by learning activities that consider climate links to soil development and landscape evolution. An online open-source course entitled "Earth 530: Earth Surface Processes in the Critical Zone'" is offered as part of The Pennsylvania State University's Masters of Education in Earth Sciences program. The course is designed to educate teachers interested in incorporating CZ science into their classrooms, though it is usable by anyone with a basic understanding of Earth surface and environmental science. Earth 530 introduces students to knowledge needed to understand the CZ through integration of transdisciplinary science. The course structure is organized into seven units; those covering the atmosphere and climate, water, and landforms, are of particular interest to this session. Earth 530 is unique from the introductory course discussed previously in that students also consider paleoclimate and future climate predictions as part of this curriculum.

A Joint Venture Model for Teaching Required Courses in "Ethics and Engineering" to Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zandvoort, H.; Van Hasselt, G. J.; Bonnet, J. A. B. A. F.

2008-01-01

We present our experience, spanning more than 10 years of teaching a course on "ethics and engineering" for a group of MSc programmes in applied sciences at Delft University of Technology. The course is taught by a team of teachers from the faculty of Applied Sciences and from the department of Philosophy of the Faculty of Technology,…

Measuring the Impact of App Inventor for Android and Studio-Based Learning in an Introductory Computer Science Course for Non-Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmad, Khuloud Nasser

2012-01-01

A reexamination of the traditional instruction of introductory computer science (CS) courses is becoming a necessity. Introductory CS courses tend to have high attrition rates and low success rates. In many universities, the CS department suffered from low enrollment for several years compared to other majors. Multiple studies have linked these…

Teaching the Scientific Study of International Relations to Undergraduates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, D. Scott

2002-01-01

Discusses how theory and science are integrated into "Introduction to International Relations" and "International Relations Theory", two undergraduate courses at Pennsylvania State University (University Park). Highlights five issues that are used in the author's approach to teaching theory and science. (CMK)

ESSEA On-Line Courses and the WestEd Eisenhower Regional Consortium (WERC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rognier, E.

2001-12-01

The WestEd Eisenhower Regional Consortium (WERC) is in its second year of offering two Earth Systems Science On-line Graduate courses from IGES - one for High School teachers, and one for Middle School teachers. These high-quality courses support WERC's commitment to "supporting increased scientific and mathematical literacy among our nation's youth through services and other support aimed at enhancing the efforts of those who provide K-12 science and mathematics education." WERC has been able to use its EdGateway online community network to offer these courses to environmental education and science teachers nationwide. Through partnerships with the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), the National Environmental Education Advancement Project (NEEAP), and other regional, state and local science and environmental education organizations, WERC has a broad reach in connecting with science educators nationwide. WERC manages several state and national listservs, which enable us to reach thousands of educators with information about the courses. EdGateway also provides a private online community in which we offer the courses. WERC partners with two Master Teachers from Utah, who facilitate the courses, and with the Center for Science and Mathematics Education at Weber State University, who provides low-cost graduate credit for the courses. Our students have included classroom teachers from upper elementary through high school, community college science teachers, and environmental science center staff who provide inservice for teachers. Educators from Hawaii to New Jersey have provided diverse personal experiences of Earth Systems Science events, and add richness to the online discussions. Two Earth Science Experts, Dr. Rick Ford from Weber State University, and Dr. Art Sussman from WestEd also contribute to the high caliber of learning the students experience in the courses. (Dr. Sussman's book, Dr. Art's Guide to Planet Earth, is used as one of the texts for our courses.) This is our first effort in offering online courses, and we are learning valuable lessons about recruitment, retention, team-building, and facilitating discussions for classes with no "face to face" component. This format is both rich and challenging, with teammates from diverse geographic regions and timezones, with a variety of connectivity and accessibility issues. In this second year of offering the courses, we are pleased to have students referred by former participants, anxious to take this "highly recommended" course!

First Contact: Expectations of Beginning Astronomy Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacey, T. L.; Slater, T. F.

1999-05-01

Three hundred seven undergraduate students enrolled in Introductory Astronomy were surveyed at the beginning of class to determine their expectations for course content. The course serves as a survey of astronomy for non-science majors and is a distribution course for general education core requirements. The course has no prerequisites, meets three times each week for 50 minutes, and represents three semester credit hours. The university catalog describes the course with the title "PHYSICS 101 - Mysteries of the Sky" and the official course description is: a survey of the struggle to understand the Universe and our place therein. The structure, growth, methods, and limitations of science will be illustrated using the development of astronomy as a vehicle. Present day views of the Universe are presented. Two questions were asked as open response items: What made you decide to take this course? and What do you expect to learn in this course? The reasons that students cited to take the course, in order of frequency, were: interested in astronomy, interesting or fun sounding course, required general education fulfillment, recommendation by peer. Secondary reasons cited were required for major or minor, general interest in science, and was available in the schedule. Tertiary reasons listed were recommendation by advisor or orientation leader, inflate grade point average, and heard good things about the teacher. The students' expectations about what they would learn in the course were numerous. The most common objects listed, in order of frequency, were: stars, constellations, planets, galaxies, black holes, solar system, comets, galaxies, asteroids, moon, and Sun. More interesting were the aspects not specifically related to astronomy. These were weather, atmosphere, UFOs and the unexplained, generally things in the sky. A mid-course survey suggests that students expected to learn more constellations and that the topics would be less in-depth.

A Transformative Model for Undergraduate Quantitative Biology Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usher, David C.; Driscoll, Tobin A.; Dhurjati, Prasad; Pelesko, John A.; Rossi, Louis F.; Schleiniger, Gilberto; Pusecker, Kathleen; White, Harold B.

2010-01-01

The "BIO2010" report recommended that students in the life sciences receive a more rigorous education in mathematics and physical sciences. The University of Delaware approached this problem by (1) developing a bio-calculus section of a standard calculus course, (2) embedding quantitative activities into existing biology courses, and (3)…

H. Craig Heller

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoopes, Laura L. Mays

2007-01-01

This article presents an interview with H. Craig Heller, a professor of Biological Sciences (in Humanities and Sciences) at Stanford University. In this interview, Heller talks about an interesting course he has taught at Stanford called "Exercise Physiology" and what he likes about it. What is unique about this course is that in laboratory, the…

A snapshot of global health education at North American universities.

PubMed

Lencucha, Raphael; Mohindra, Katia

2014-03-01

Global health education is becoming increasingly prominent in North America. It is widely agreed upon that global health is an important aspect of an education in the health sciences and increasingly in other disciplines such as law, economics and political science. There is currently a paucity of studies examining the content of global health courses at the post-secondary level. The purpose of our research is to identify the content areas being covered in global health curricula in North American universities, as a first step in mapping global health curricula across North America. We collected 67 course syllabi from 31 universities and analyzed the topics covered in the course. This snapshot of global health education will aid students searching for global health content, as well as educators and university administrators who are developing or expanding global health programs in Canada and the United States.

[Kampo Education in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Toho University].

PubMed

Koike, Kazuo

2016-01-01

In the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Toho University, Kampo education commenced 40 years ago through a course titeled "Kampo", which has since been renamed as "Kampo Pharmacology". The current university curriculum offers courses in subjects such as Pharmacognosy and Practical Pharmacognosy for sophomores, Kampo Pharmacology for juniors, and Clinical Kampo Medicine for seniors. Kampo Pharmacology is a subject that bridges "Pharmacognosy" to "Clinical Kampo Medicine". The functions of the crude drugs included in Kampo prescriptions are explained both in terms of efficacy from the perspective of Kampo and by contemporary evidence. Furthermore, the "Clinical Kampo Therapeutics" course offered for seniors involves lectures on the fundamentals of Kampo, determination of evidence and prescriptions, case analysis, and prescription analysis by physicians affiliated with our university's medical center. Acquiring an understanding of the effectiveness of crude drugs in herbal medicine and gaining practical clinical knowledge are considered beneficial for future pharmacists.

The Earth System Course at the University of Oklahoma: Science and Pedagogy Aimed at Pre-service Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postawko, S.; Soreghan, M.; Marek, E.

2005-12-01

Traditionally, education majors at the University of Oklahoma took either Introduction to Physical Geology or Introduction to Meteorology to fulfill their physical sciences requirement. Science education majors were required to take both courses. These courses are large-enrollment lecture type courses, with required lab sections taught by graduate teaching assistants. Beginning in 1997, faculty from the Colleges of Education and Geosciences at the University of Oklahoma began working together to provide effective earth science education for pre-service teachers. The first step in this collaboration was the development of a new course on The Earth System that focuses on Earth as a whole rather than on the more narrow focus of either the geology or meteorology courses. The new course, which was taught for the first time in the Spring of 2001, covers a number of major themes related to Earth Science, including the Carbon Cycle, Earth Materials, Plate Tectonics, Atmosphere and Oceans. The particular concepts within each theme were chosen based on two criteria: 1) alignment with content advocated by national (NSES) and state (Priority Academic Student Skills-PASS) standards; and 2) they are amenable to a learning cycle pedagogical approach. Besides an interdisciplinary approach to the content, the new course features pedagogical innovations. In lieu of independent laboratory and lecture times, we scheduled two class periods of longer duration, so that active learning, involving hands-on activities and experiments were possible throughout each class period. The activities modeled the learning-cycle approach with an exploration, concept invention, and an expansion phase (Marek and Cavallo, 1997). Therefore, the pre-service teachers experienced the learning cycle in practice prior to learning the theory in their upper division "methods" course. In the first 3 years that the course was taught, students were given surveys early in the semester and at the end of the semester. The surveys aimed to both assess the students' learning and retention (compared to students in the more traditional Introductory Geology course, who were given similar surveys), and solicit the students' opinions of the inquiry-based learning approach compared to more traditional lecture/lab classroom teaching methods.

Decomposing University Grades: A Longitudinal Study of Students and Their Instructors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beenstock, Michael; Feldman, Dan

2018-01-01

First-degree course grades for a cohort of social science students are matched to their instructors, and are statistically decomposed into departmental, course, instructor, and student components. Student ability is measured alternatively by university acceptance scores, or by fixed effects estimated using panel data methods. After controlling for…

University of Michigan Physics Department: E[superscript2]Coach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EDUCAUSE, 2014

2014-01-01

The E[superscript 2]Coach project from the Department of Physics at the University of Michigan (UM) addresses the challenge of providing individual student support in high-enrollment introductory science courses. This web application employs tailored communications technology, course experiences, student data, and analytics to deliver customized…

Problems Relating to Examinations in Three-Year Technical/Natural Science Courses of Study at the Federal Armed Forces University, Munich.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulbricht, Kurt; Zimmermann, Peter

1981-01-01

Problems encountered in testing in aerospace engineering courses in an accelerated technical program of a German military university are outlined. Four common grading procedures are compared, and the optimum length of written tests is discussed. (MSE)

Education and training of future wetland scientists and managers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilcox, D.A.

2008-01-01

Wetland science emerged as a distinct discipline in the 1980s. In response, courses addressing various aspects of wetland science and management were developed by universities, government agencies, and private firms. Professional certification of wetland scientists began in the mid-1990s to provide confirmation of the quality of education and experience of persons involved in regulatory, management, restoration/construction, and research involving wetland resources. The education requirements for certification and the need for persons with specific wetland training to fill an increasing number of wetland-related positions identified a critical need to develop curriculum guidelines for an undergraduate wetland science and management major for potential accreditation by the Society of Wetland Scientists. That proposed major contains options directed toward either wetland science or management. Both options include required basic courses to meet the general education requirements of many universities, required upper-level specialized courses that address critical aspects of physical and biological sciences applicable to wetlands, and a minimum of four additional upper-level specialized courses that can be used to tailor a degree to students' interests. The program would be administered by an independent review board that would develop guidelines and evaluate university applications for accreditation. Students that complete the required coursework will fulfill the education requirements for professional wetland scientist certification and possess qualifications that make them attractive candidates for graduate school or entry-level positions in wetland science or management. Universities that offer this degree program could gain an advantage in recruiting highly qualified students with an interest in natural resources. Alternative means of educating established wetland scientists are likewise important, especially to provide specialized knowledge and experience or updates related to new management discoveries, policies, and regulations. ?? 2008 The Society of Wetland Scientists.

Princeton Science and Engineering Education Initiative: Revising Undergraduate Environmental Science Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riihimaki, C. A.; Sealfon, C. D.; Paine, E. N.; O'Donnell, F. C.; Caylor, K. K.; Wilcove, D. S.

2012-12-01

The Science and Engineering Education Initiative at Princeton University aims to inspire and prepare all undergraduates, irrespective of their majors, to become scientifically and technologically literate citizens and decision-makers. Launched by the faculty on the Council on Science and Technology in September 2011, the initiative involves revising and creating science and engineering courses that emphasize the role of science in society. The course "Fundamentals of Environmental Studies" will serve as a model course for the initiative starting with revisions to the course in Fall 2012. Given the general interest undergraduates have for sustainability topics and the obvious connections between sustainability and society, this course should generate ample interest from students across the campus. We have begun the Initiative by defining student-centered learning goals and surveying students' attitudes towards science and engineering. Course by course, we are also gradually applying research-based teaching methods to better align course activities with learning goals, assessing learning gains, and creating a repository of successful methods and courses. Among the changes to "Fundamentals of Environmental Studies" will be a greater emphasis on science communication, such as incorporating an assignment in which students track the evolution of communicating a research project, from journal article to newspaper coverage to editorials.

A Graduate Course in Polymer Processing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Middleman, Stanley

1978-01-01

This course, offered by the departments of chemical engineering and polymer science and engineering at the University of Massachusetts, is mainly a course in applied fluid dynamics with an emphasis on flow pressures dominated by viscous effects. (BB)

Student Staff Partnership to Create an Interdisciplinary Science Skills Course in a Research Intensive University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woolmer, Cherie; Sneddon, Peter; Curry, Gordon; Hill, Bob; Fehertavi, Szonja; Longbone, Charlotte; Wallace, Katherine

2016-01-01

This paper reflects upon the development of a multidisciplinary lesson plan aimed at developing science skills for Physics and Astronomy, Geographical and Earth Sciences, and Chemistry students at a research intensive Scottish university. The lesson plan was co-developed with a small group of staff and undergraduate students from these…

Developing state-of-the-art Cosmology courses for undergraduate non-science students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Aleman, Ramon

2007-04-01

All undergraduate students at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras are required to take a General Studies interdisciplinary science course as a requisite for graduation. We have successfully developed a new course for non-science majors that deal in current topics of interest including Big Bang cosmology, the uses and misuses of anthropic principle as a philosophical guide for scientists, dark energy and accelerated expansion, string theory and quantum gravity, and the current controversy of Intelligent Design vs Evolution by Natural Selection as explanations for the origins of life on Earth, intelligence and free will in sentient beings. The course was designed with help of philosophers, neuroscientists, biologists and physicists to present science as interesting, exciting, and socially useful sets of ``stories'' to people who usually dislike and misunderstand traditional science courses.

Cultivating Sustainable and Authentic Service-Learning Partnerships in the Environmental Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanochko, Tara; Grain, Kari

2017-04-01

The two-term, community service-learning capstone course for Environmental Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Canada, aims to support both community and students using authentic science practice in service of the community. During the course development, we implemented a routine process for student and community feedback, instructor reflection and course revision. Drawing on data from 23 interviews and 9 focus groups collected over three years, findings from this study highlight ways that community partnerships can be sustained while students have an authentic science experience. Based on data collected from community partners, we highlight the key processes, challenges, successes, and practical considerations in the creation and sustainability of a scientifically robust service-learning course.

Overview of the Earth System Science Education Alliance Online Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Botti, J. A.

2001-12-01

Science education reform has skyrocketed over the last decade in large part thanks to technology-and one technology in particular, the Internet. The World Wide Web has opened up dynamic new online communities of learners. It has allowed educators from around the world to share thoughts about Earth system science and reexamine the way science is taught. A positive offshoot of this reform effort is the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA). This partnership among universities, colleges, and science education organizations is led by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and the Center for Educational TechnologiesTM at Wheeling Jesuit University. ESSEA's mission is to improve Earth system science education. ESSEA has developed three Earth system science courses for K-12 teachers. These online courses guide teachers into collaborative, student-centered science education experiences. Not only do these courses support teachers' professional development, they also help teachers implement Earth systems science content and age-appropriate pedagogical methods into their classrooms. The ESSEA courses are open to elementary, middle school, and high school teachers. Each course lasts one semester. The courses begin with three weeks of introductory content. Then teachers develop content and pedagogical and technological knowledge in four three-week learning cycles. The elementary school course focuses on basic Earth system interactions between land, life, air, and water. In week A of each learning cycle, teachers do earth system activities with their students. In week B teachers investigate aspects of the Earth system -- for instance, the reason rocks change to soil, the relationship between rock weathering and soil nutrients, and the consequent development of biomes. In week C teachers develop classroom activities and share them online with other course participants. The middle school course stresses the effects of real-world events -- volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, rainforest destruction -- on Earth's lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere. Teachers team during week A of each cycle to research the effect of each event on individual spheres. In week B groups "jigsaw" to study the interactions between events, spheres, and positive and negative feedback loops. In week C teachers develop classroom activities. The high school course uses problem-based learning to examine critical areas of global change, such as coral reef degradation, ozone depletion, and climate change. The ESSEA presentation provides examples of learning environments from each of the three courses.

Overview of the Earth System Science Education Alliance Online Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Botti, J.; Myers, R.

2002-12-01

Science education reform has skyrocketed over the last decade in large part thanks to technology-and one technology in particular, the Internet. The World Wide Web has opened up dynamic new online communities of learners. It has allowed educators from around the world to share thoughts about Earth system science and reexamine the way science is taught. A positive offshoot of this reform effort is the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA). This partnership among universities, colleges, and science education organizations is led by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and the Center for Educational Technologiestm at Wheeling Jesuit University. ESSEA's mission is to improve Earth system science education. ESSEA has developed three Earth system science courses for K-12 teachers. These online courses guide teachers into collaborative, student-centered science education experiences. Not only do these courses support teachers' professional development, they also help teachers implement Earth systems science content and age-appropriate pedagogical methods into their classrooms. The ESSEA courses are open to elementary, middle school, and high school teachers. Each course lasts one semester. The courses begin with three weeks of introductory content. Then teachers develop content and pedagogical and technological knowledge in four three-week learning cycles. The elementary school course focuses on basic Earth system interactions between land, life, air, and water. In week A of each learning cycle, teachers do earth system activities with their students. In week B teachers investigate aspects of the Earth system-for instance, the reason rocks change to soil, the relationship between rock weathering and soil nutrients, and the consequent development of biomes. In week C teachers develop classroom activities and share them online with other course participants. The middle school course stresses the effects of real-world events-volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, rainforest destruction-on Earth's lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere. Teachers team during week A of each cycle to research the effect of each event on individual spheres. In week B groups "jigsaw" to study the interactions between events, spheres, and positive and negative feedback loops. In week C teachers develop classroom activities. The high school course uses problem-based learning to examine critical areas of global change, such as coral reef degradation, ozone depletion, and climate change. The ESSEA presentation provides examples of learning environments from each of the three courses.

Student Engagement and Empowerment Through Earth System Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Low, R.; Schnurrenberger, D.

2001-12-01

Through ESSEA's curricula, we promote empowerment of our diverse student body through access to excellence in science education and technology. Global change, by virtue of its economic relevance and environmental urgency, engages students in science inquiry. Global change is emerging as a political issue as countries with fewer resources are less able to buffer their economic systems from hardships resulting from climatic change. The ESS and global change emphasis facilitates in-depth classroom examination of the social ramifications of science and technology as required by Minnesota's state science standards. Access to ESSEA courses for in-service teachers is promoted by several programmatic initiatives of the University of Minnesota. High school and undergraduate versions of the on-line course are now in development. Summer research experiences for teachers, research projects by secondary classrooms tracking local environmental change, and involvement of graduate student scientists as on-line mentors of the ESSEA courses are components of a broader program that is building a multidisciplinary science-based learning community in Minnesota. ESSEA is the flagship program of Science CentrUM, a consortium of science and education colleges at the University of Minnesota promoting excellence in science education through content-based professional development for K-12 educators.

I'll Tell You What You Think: An Exercise in Pseudoscience Debunking in an Introductory Astronomy Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caton, Dan

2013-01-01

At Appalachian State University students have to take just two semesters of a physical or biological science to satisfy the general education requirements. Most non-science major students have little time in their crowded schedules to take additional science courses, whether they want to or not, and in fact face a surcharge when taking more…

MSU Medical Colleges Blended Learning for First Year Science Courses: Uniting Pedagogy to Maximize Experience and Real World Limitations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovell, Kathryn; Vignare, Karen

2009-01-01

At Michigan State University the two medical schools, College of Human Medicine (CHM; M.D. degree) and College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM; D.O. degree), have offered the same science courses to first year students for many years. Science departments report to both colleges, and the same faculty can effectively teach the content required in the…

Students' conceptions of evidence during a university introductory forensic science course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeshion, Theodore Elliot

Students' Conceptions of Science, Scientific Evidence, and Forensic Evidence during a University Introductory Forensic Science Course This study was designed to examine and understand what conceptions undergraduate students taking an introductory forensic science course had about scientific evidence. Because the relationships between the nature of science, the nature of evidence, and the nature of forensic evidence are not well understood in the science education literature, this study sought to understand how these concepts interact and affect students' understanding of scientific evidence. Four participants were purposefully selected for this study from among 89 students enrolled in two sections of an introductory forensic science course taught during the fall 2005 semester. Of the 89 students, 84 were criminal justice majors with minimal science background and five were chemistry majors with academic backgrounds in the natural and physical sciences. All 89 students completed a biographical data sheet and a pre-instruction Likert scale survey consisting of twenty questions relating to the nature of scientific evidence. An evaluation of these two documents resulted in a purposeful selection of four varied student participants, each of whom was interviewed three times throughout the semester about the nature of science, the nature of evidence, and the nature of forensic evidence. The same survey was administered to the participants again at the end of the semester-long course. This study examined students' assumptions, prior knowledge, their understanding of scientific inference, scientific theory, and methodology. Examination of the data found few differences with regard to how the criminal justice majors and the chemistry majors responded to interview questions about forensic evidence. There were qualitative differences, however, when the same participants answered interview questions relating to traditional scientific evidence. Furthermore, suggestions are offered for undergraduate science teachers, science teaching programs, and future research.

Science for the Masses: A Public Lecture Series and Associated Course for K-12 Educators at the University of Arizona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mangin, K.; Wilch, M. H.; Thompson, R. M.; Ruiz, J.

2008-12-01

The College of Science at the University of Arizona in Tucson offers a series of free public lectures each year centered on a science theme of high general interest. Themes have been Evolution (2006), Global Climate Change (2007), and Edges of Life (2008). Speakers are UA faculty members. We have seen an overwhelming response from the public to each lecture series, with a typical audience size of 800-1200. Features that make the lecture series successful are careful choice of the themes, previews of lecture drafts by a panel, and the participation of a graphic design firm in the planning process, from the series title to the design of posters, bookmarks, and postcards used to advertise the series. This model could be successfully transferred to many universities. We offer a course for K-12 grade teachers in association with each lecture series. Teachers attend each public lecture, and participate in inquiry-based classroom activities and discussions of papers related to lecture topics. After each lecture, the speaker answers questions from the public, and then accompanies the teachers to a classroom to hold a private question and answer session lasting 45 minutes. The course and lecture series has been influential in changing attitudes about the nature of science research among teacher participants. In 2006, evolution was the lecture series topic, a science concept whose foundation in authentic science research has been difficult to communicate to the general public. Pre- and post- questionnaires on attitudes towards the science of evolution administered to the teacher participants showed a dramatic increase after the course in their view of the robustness of the theory of evolution, its testable nature, the amount of data supporting the theory, and its degree of consensus among scientists. A pre-course survey of the background of teachers in the course, mostly biology teachers, showed a need for more formal instruction in evolution: 76 percent had no formal course in evolution as part of their teacher training, and 76 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed that their undergraduate courses had prepared them to teach evolution. In addition, 53 percent do not teach, or only briefly mention, evolution in their middle and high school science classrooms.

Honors Anthropology and the Four Rs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrer, Claire R.

1990-01-01

Describes an honors introductory cultural anthropology course taught at California State University, Chico. Discusses the course design, how course information is made relevant and reinforced, and how students have partial responsibility for the course design. Discusses the use of science fiction books to make material relevant to students. (JS)

Expanding the Scope of Anatomical Sciences: The Case of "Human Evolution--The Fossil Evidence" Course at the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Notzer, Netta; Abramovitz, Ruth

2012-01-01

The Anatomy Department at Tel-Aviv University Medical School offers its students an elective course of 26 didactic hours on human evolution. The course is open to students from all faculties, who must fulfill all academic requirements, without a prerequisite of a background in anatomy. Approximately 120 students attend annually, a third of them…

Bringing ocean observations to the classroom - integrating research infrastructure into education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Proctor, R.; Hoenner, X.; Mancini, S.; Tattersall, K.; Everett, J. D.; Suthers, I. M.; Steinberg, P.; Doblin, M.; Moltmann, T.

2016-02-01

For the past 4 years the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, a partnership of four Australian Universities (Macquarie University, the University of NSW, the University of Sydney and the University of Technology Sydney) has been running a Master's degree course called Topics in Australian Marine Science (TAMS). This course is unique in that the core of the course is built around research infrastructure - the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). IMOS, established in 2007, is collecting unprecedented volumes of multi-disciplinary oceanographic data in the ocean and on the continental shelf which is made freely available across the web; IMOS frequently runs `data user workshops' throughout Australia to introduce scientists and managers to the wealth of observations available at their fingertips. The Masters course gives students an understanding of how different measurement platforms work and they explore the data that these platforms collect. Students combine attending seminars and lectures with hands on practicals and personal assignments, all built around access to IMOS data and the many tools available to visualise and analyse. The course attracts a diverse class with many mature students (i.e. > 25 years old) from a range of backgrounds who find that the ease of discovering and accessing data, coupled with the available tools, enables them to easily study the marine environment without the need for high level computational skills. Since its inception the popularity of the course has increased with 38 students undertaking the subject in 2014. The consensus from students and lecturers is that integrating `real' observations into the classroom is beneficial to all, and IMOS is seeking to extend this approach to other university campuses. The talk will describe the experiences from the TAMS course and highlight the IMOS approach to data discovery, availability and access through course examples.

Assessing the impact of Native American elders as co-educators for university students in STEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alkholy, Sarah Omar

Introduction: Minorities are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce, post-secondary STEM education, and show high academic attrition rates. Academic performance and retention improve when culturally relevant support is provided. The interface of Western Science and Indigenous Science provides an opportunity for bridging this divide. This three parts project is an example of Community-based participatory research (CBPR) that aims to support academic institutions that serve minority students in STEM, and implement educational components (pedagogy) to serve the needs of the underserved community. Method: Part 1: was a cross-sectional used a survey given to participants designed to assess prevalence of natural health products use by students, and to determine how students learn about NHPs. Part 2: was a longitudinal survey pilot study based upon an online STEM course offer at four universities to determine the differences between U.S. vs. Canadian and minority vs. non-minority university students regarding their perceptions of traditional Elders as STEM co-educators, interest in STEM, and science identity by using a pre-and post- course survey. Part 3: was a longitudinal quasi-experiment based upon an online STEM course offered at four universities show what Indigenous science claims regarding: Elders are viewed as valuable STEM co-educators; Elders increase student interest in STEM; students exposed to Indigenous science improve their identity as a scientist; students exposed to Indigenous Science/Elders show improved learning outcomes. Result: We found that Native/Aboriginal students learn information about natural health products from traditional Elders significantly more so than non-Native/Aboriginal students. There were no statistically significant results from the pilot study. Findings from the quasi-experiment show that students taught with Indigenous science Elder co-educators have significantly greater interest in STEM than students not exposed to Elders' teachings. Minority students reported significantly less self-identification as a scientist than did White students at pre-course, but report similar identity as a scientist to White students post-course. Discussion: Future work should investigate the role of Elder traditional educators to convey NHPs information directed specifically to Aboriginal university students. We expect that Elder co-educators may then impact student science identity and interest in STEM. We expect that Elder co-educators may then impact student science identity and interest in STEM. Although there were no statistically significant results from the pilot study, the observed trends suggest that Indigenous science Elder educators merit involvement in novel pedagogical approaches and delivery modalities to reach minority students and to increase students' interest in STEM. From quasi-experiment we attribute these findings to the impact of culturally competent course content to minority students especially, in a post-secondary STEM class. This work establishes the need for convergence of Indigenous science and Western STEM in academia.

Designing English for Specific Purposes Course for Computer Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irshad, Isra; Anwar, Behzad

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to design English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course for University students enrolled in the Computer Science Department. For this purpose, academic English language needs of the students were analyzed by using a 5 point Likert scale questionnaire. Additionally, interviews were also conducted with four faculty members of…

Learning to Provide 3D Virtual Reference: A Library Science Assignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Megan; Purpur, Geraldine; Abbott, Lisa T.

2009-01-01

In spring semester 2009, two of the authors taught LIB 5020--Information Sources & Services to graduate library science students at Appalachian State University. The course covers information seeking patterns and provides an overview of reference services. The course is also designed to examine and evaluate library reference materials and…

Class Size and Academic Achievement in Introductory Political Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Towner, Terri L.

2016-01-01

Research on the influence of class size on student academic achievement is important for university instructors, administrators, and students. The article examines the influence of class size--a small section versus a large section--in introductory political science courses on student grades in two comparable semesters. It is expected that…

Questions and Problems in Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dressel, Paul L.; Nelson, Clarence H.

This folio of test items, contributed by a number of colleges and universities from their course, placement, entrance, or other institutional examinations, was compiled to aid teachers in constructing tests. Only those science courses offered in the first two years of college are represented by the scope of the items. The test items may also serve…

Revision and Evaluation of a Course in Behavioral Sciences for Undergraduate Medical Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuire, Frederick L.; Friedmann, Claude T. H.

1981-01-01

The new teaching format of a behavioral science course at the University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine is described. Specific objectives were to present an introduction of life's developmental cycles, the nature of mind-body relationships, and dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship, and to develop interviewing skills. (MLW)

The Computer as a Research and Teaching Instrument for Students in the Behavioral Sciences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowland, David L.; Crisler, Larry J.

A program designed to provide students a background in computers and computing that was implemented by the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Millikin University, Illinois, is described. The program was implemented in three overlapping stages: faculty preparation; course preparation; and course implementation. The development of faculty…

Textbook Use in the Sciences and Its Relation to Course Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French, Michelle; Taverna, Franco; Neumann, Melody; Paulo Kushnir, Lena; Harlow, Jason; Harrison, David; Serbanescu, Ruxandra

2015-01-01

There are limited studies with conflicting results examining textbook use and student performance at the university level. To learn more, we surveyed instructors and over one thousand students in 12 undergraduate introductory science courses. The majority (77%) of the students reported reading the textbook either "often" (>75% of the…

Syllabi Set on Women, Health and Healing: Fourteen Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruzek, Sheryl, Comp.; And Others

Compiled with the goal of developing social science perspectives on women's health and on topics at the intersection of social science and clinical issues, the syllabi included were developed by faculty teaching in the Women, Health and Healing Program at the University of California, San Francisco. The courses here are directed at upper division…

Foundations in Science and Mathematics Program for Middle School and High School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desai, Karna Mahadev; Yang, Jing; Hemann, Jason

2016-01-01

The Foundations in Science and Mathematics (FSM) is a graduate student led summer program designed to help middle school and high school students strengthen their knowledge and skills in mathematics and science. FSM provides two-week-long courses over a broad spectrum of disciplines including astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer programming, geology, mathematics, and physics. Students can chose two types of courses: (1) courses that help students learn the fundamental concepts in basic sciences and mathematics (e.g., "Precalculus"); and (2) knowledge courses that might be excluded from formal schooling (e.g., "Introduction to Universe"). FSM has served over 500 students in the Bloomington, IN, community over six years by acquiring funding from Indiana University and the Indiana Space Grant Consortium. FSM offers graduate students the opportunity to obtain first hand experience through independent teaching and curriculum design as well as leadership experience.We present the design of the program, review the achievements, and explore the challenges we face. We are open to collaboration with similar educational outreach programs. For more information, please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~fsm/ .

Innovations in Science Education in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuepbach, E.

2001-12-01

At many European Universities, the retention of skilled science graduates is hindered mainly by organisational structures. In particular, women students are often under-represented in sciences, and career progression is in general difficult. The linear system of knowhow transfer is inefficient from the pedagogical point of view and unsatisfactory for many students. Owing to fast changes in society and the working environment, a re-building of curricula in tertiary education (including University Education) has begun. Conceptual visions aim at influencing the investment in the largely untapped human capital and preparing the students for quick adaptation and enhanced flexiblity. Traditional methods of classroom teaching and knowhow transfer are increasingly complemented by New Learning Technologies and Mentoring. The EU Project INDECS (Potentials of Interdisciplinary Degree Courses in Engineering, Information Technology, Natural and Socio-Economic Sciences in a Changing Society) examines such pedagogical aspects in European degree courses combining engineering, IT, physical sciences and socio-economic sciences. Inclusion of specific IT and social science topics in modular form is examined. How innovation in University Teaching will meet the attractiveness to both students and employers in Europe is major focus of the study.

Students' Experiences of Learning: Orientations to Learning, Perceptions of Gains, and Development as Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Alistair; And Others

Students' orientations to learning, their perceptions of gain from their studies at Great Britain's Open University, and their development as learners were studied. Thirty students were followed from their first university course, the Social Science Foundation Course, through their two subsequent years of study, using in-depth interviews to…

Where History, Philosophy, and Psychology Meet: An Interview with Wayne Viney

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutherford, Alexandra

2004-01-01

Wayne Viney is Professor of Psychology and University Distinguished Teaching Scholar at Colorado State University where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in the history of psychology. He is also inaugurating a new course, The Development of Scientific Thought, for the College of Natural Sciences at Colorado State. Earlier in his…

Dissemination of Continuing Education Materials Via Television Delivery Systems. Final Technical Report and Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munushian, Jack

In 1972, the University of Southern California School of Engineering established a 4-channel interactive instructional television network. It was designed to allow employees of participating industries to take regular university science and engineering courses and special continuing education courses at or near their work locations. Final progress…

Teaching Planetary Sciences at the Universidad del País Vasco in Spain: The Aula Espazio Gela and its Master in Space Science and Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hueso, R.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Pérez-Hoyos, S.

2011-12-01

Planetary science is a highly multidisciplinary field traditionally associated to Astronomy, Physics or Earth Sciences Departments. Spanish universities do not generally offer planetary sciences courses but some departments give courses associated to studies on Astronomy or Geology. We show a different perspective obtained at the Engeneering School at the Universidad del País Vasco in Bilbao, Spain, which offers a Master in Space Science and Technology to graduates in Engineering or Physics. Here we detail the experience acquired in two years of this master which offers several planetary science courses: Solar System Physics, Astronomy, Planetary Atmospheres & Space Weather together with more technical courses. The university also owns an urban observatory in the Engineering School which is used for practical exercises and student projects. The planetary science courses have also resulted in motivating part of the students to do their master thesis in scientific subjects in planetary sciences. Since the students have very different backgrounds their master theses have been quite different: From writing open software tools to detect bolides in video observations of Jupiter atmosphere to the photometric calibration and scientific use or their own Jupiter and Saturn images or the study of atmospheric motions of the Venus' South Polar Vortex using data from the Venus Express spacecraft. As a result of this interaction with the students some of them have been engaged to initiate Ph.D.s in planetary sciences enlarging a relative small field in Spain. Acknowledgements: The Master in Space Science and Technology is offered by the Aula Espazio Gela at the Universidad del País Vasco Engineer School in Bilbao, Spain and is funded by Diputación Foral de Bizkaia.

Social issues in nanoscience and nanotechnology master's degrees: the socio-political stakes of curricular choices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fages, Volny; Albe, Virginie

2015-06-01

This paper proposes a study of the various ways in which social and ethical issues are integrated in the curricula of nanoscience and nanotechnology master degrees. During the last decade, new types of courses have appeared in science and technology universities, first in the United States and now reaching Europe and France, associating a call for interdisciplinarity with a strong convergence of science and industry and new ways of integrating social and/or human sciences in scientific curricula. These courses entitled "science and society", meant for science students, lean on (and participate in the construction of) specific ways of describing science, technology, and the social world, generally saturated with political values. The integration of these courses in science education, linked with a strong effort to specify new institutional organizations of scientific practice and education (in particular through political support of emerging fields like nanoscience, synthetic biology, or the cognitive sciences), may play an important role in the acculturation of future scientists and engineers to "good" scientific practices and discourses. The case of nanoscience and nanotechnology is particularly revealing of the changes which are now taking place in some universities. This paper will strive to identify different types of courses called "nano and society", taking examples from both French and American contexts, and linking them to more or less implicit socio-epistemic and political values.

Analytical Study of Self-Motivations among a Southwest Public University Nonpolitical Science Major Students in Required Political Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gasim, Gamal; Stevens, Tara; Zebidi, Amira

2012-01-01

All undergraduate students are required by state law to take six credited hours in political science. This study will help us identify if differences exist in self-determination among students enrolled in American Public Policy and American Government at a large, Southwestern public university. Because some types of motivation are associated with…

Diversification through Mini-Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Thomas P.

1975-01-01

The second-year French course at Dalhousie University was divided into two semesters and redesignated as separate, half-credit courses, allowing science students to complete the basic program in less than two years and allowing the others more options for the second semester. (RM)

A Climate Change Course for Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nam, Y.; Ito, E.

2011-01-01

For the past 10 years, a climate change course has been offered in a large Midwest university. This course has been focusing on improving college students' scientific knowledge of climate change and human interactions using historical evidence as well as improving their information literacy in science through a course project that requires…

Collaborative Course Design in Scientific Writing: Experimentation and Productive Failure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Combs, D. Shane; Frost, Erin A.; Eble, Michelle F.

2015-01-01

English 3820: Scientific Writing, a writing-intensive (WI) course offered by the Department of English at East Carolina University (ECU), serves primarily science majors. According to the course catalog, it provides students with "practice in assimilation and written presentation of scientific information." The course asks students to…

The Inspiring Science Education project and the resources for HEP analysis by university students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fassouliotis, Dimitris; Kourkoumelis, Christine; Vourakis, Stylianos

2016-11-01

The Inspiring Science Education outreach project has been running for more than two years, creating a large number of inquiry based educational resources for high-school teachers and students. Its goal is the promotion of science education in schools though new methods built on the inquiry based education techniques, involving large consortia of European partners and implementation of large-scale pilots in schools. Recent hands-on activities, developing and testing the above mentioned innovative applications are reviewed. In general, there is a lack for educational scenaria and laboratory courses earmarked for more advanced, namely university, students. At the University of Athens for the last four years, the HYPATIA on-line event analysis tool has been used as a lab course for fourth year undergraduate physics students, majoring in HEP. Up to now, the course was limited to visual inspection of a few tens of ATLAS events. Recently the course was enriched with additional analysis exercises, which involve large samples of events. The students through a user friendly interface can analyse the samples and optimize the cut selection in order to search for new physics. The implementation of this analysis is described.

Interdisciplinary MSc and Doctoral Education in Climate System Science at the University of Hamburg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dilly, Oliver; Stammer, Detlef; Pfeiffer, Eva-Maria

2010-05-01

Modern education in climate system sciences is based on a number of disciplines such as meteorology, geophysics, oceanography, geosciences and also economics and social sciences. Facts across these disciplines are required to address the faced key issues related to climate change effectively. Climate experts need to have profound knowledge that can only be achieved in interdisciplinary MSc and PhD programs. In Europe, graduate students who completed a BSc degree are typically proceeding with MSc programs to increase knowledge and qualification. Afterwards, the participation in a doctoral program may follow. Many doctoral programs include courses supporting disciplinary methodological and scientific background in particular. Those courses derive either from advanced MSc programs or specific trainings. Typically, interdisciplinary exchange is difficult to achieve at any stage of disciplinary graduate programs. Recent developments showed the need to educate climate experts in interdisciplinary MSc programs in climate system sciences for both researchers and professionals outside the university. The University of Hamburg offers an interdisciplinary 2-yr MSc program in Integrated System Sciences with 120 ECTS (30 compulsory, 90 eligible) in English language. If the MSc student decides to proceed with a PhD thesis, he/she may not necessarily complete the MSc program but may start to work on a specific and disciplinary doctoral thesis for 3 years. Each doctoral student is guided by an advisory panel (AP) which meets at least bi-annually. The AP consists of a Principal Advisor, a Co-Advisor and a Chair of the panel who come from neighboring disciplines. The structured doctoral program with only 12 CPs includes interdisciplinary compulsory courses and tailor-made eligible expert courses. Summer schools and soft skill courses add to both MSc and doctoral programs. Accordingly, the new graduate school concepts in climate system sciences at the University of Hamburg supports starting with the interdisciplinary MSc program Integrated Climate System Sciences and then get in-depth disciplinary expertise during PhD studies. The completion of the total MSc curriculum may not be essential. Advantages and limitations of this concept will be discussed.

Combating illiteracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A science course for nonscientists at Columbia University's Columbia College that was created in 1981 as an experiment to combat “the national crisis of scientific illiteracy” has received major new foundation support and has achieved a permanent place in the college's curriculum.The course, The Theory and Practice of Science, has received a $240,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, according to Robert E. Pollack, college dean, professor of biological sciences, and originator of the course. The grant will be used for the preparation and publication in 1985 of a textbook, titled The Scientific Experience, which will permit the course to be taught at other schools around the country.

Humanities Teaching and Research at the University of California, San Francisco.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jameton, Andrew; Todes, Dan

1982-01-01

Among the humanities offerings integrated into the health sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, are the following: bioethics workshop, ethical dilemmas in medical practice, health and human rights, and history of the health sciences. Such courses help illuminate the relationship between humanities teaching and the health…

Successful Massive Open Online Climate Course on Climate Science and Psychology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuccitelli, D. A.; Cook, J.

2015-12-01

In 2015, the University of Queensland and edX launched a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), 'Making Sense of Climate Science Denial.' The MOOC debunked approximately 50 common climate myths using elements of both physical science and psychology. Students learned how to recognise the social and psychological drivers of climate science denial, how to better understand climate change, how to identify the techniques and fallacies that climate myths employ to distort climate science, and how to effectively debunk climate misinformation. Contributors to the website Skeptical Science delivered the lectures, which were reinforced via interviews with climate science and psychology experts. Over 15,000 students from 167 countries enrolled in the course, and student feedback was overwhelmingly positive. This MOOC provides a model for effective climate science education.

Factors associated with staff development processes and the creation of innovative science courses in higher education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hodges, Jeanelle Bland

1999-11-01

The purpose of the study was to determine factors associated with staff development processes and the creation of innovative science courses by higher education faculty who have participated in a model staff development project. The staff development program was designed for college faculty interested in creating interdisciplinary, constructivist-based science, mathematics, or engineering courses designed for non-majors. The program includes workshops on incorporating constructivist pedagogy, alternative assessment, and technology into interdisciplinary courses. Staff development interventions used in the program include grant opportunities, distribution of resource materials, and peer mentoring. University teams attending the workshops are comprised of faculty from the sciences, mathematics, or engineering, as well as education, and administration. A purposeful and convenient sample of three university teams were subjects for this qualitative study. Each team had attended a NASA Opportunities for Visionary Academics (NOVA) workshop, received funding for course development, and offered innovative courses. Five questions were addressed in this study: (a) What methods were used by faculty teams in planning the courses? (b) What changes occurred in existing science courses? (c) What factors affected the team collaboration process? (d) What personal characteristics of faculty members were important in successful course development? and (e) What barriers existed for faculty in the course development process? Data was collected at each site through individual faculty interviews (N = 11), student focus group interviews (N = 15), and classroom observations. Secondary data included original funding proposals. The NOVA staff development model incorporated effective K--12 interventions with higher education interventions. Analysis of data revealed that there were four factors of staff development processes that were most beneficial. First, the team collaborative processes were crucial in successful course development. Second, the use of instructional grants to fund course development gave credibility to the faculty involved in course development. Third, the faculty members taking the lead in creating teams actively sought out faculty members in the sciences who had previous experience teaching at the K--12 level or in informal education. In addition, college environments were found to have an impact on the success of the innovative course development projects.

I'll Tell You What You Think: An Exercise in Pseudoscience Debunking in an Introductory Astronomy Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caton, Dan

2013-11-01

At Appalachian State University students have to take just two semesters of a physical or biological science to satisfy the general education requirements. Most non-science major students have little time in their crowded schedules to take additional science courses, whether they want to or not, and in fact face a surcharge when taking more courses than needed to graduate. Given this environment, it is essential that we cover more than just the basics of one particular discipline, like astronomy in my case. We should teach something about the overall philosophy of science, the scientific method, and the importance of science in our lives.

Physics Problems Based on Up-to-Date Science and Technology.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Folan, Lorcan M.; Tsifrinovich, Vladimir I.

2007-03-01

We observe a huge chasm between up-to-date science and undergraduate education. The result of this chasm is that current student interest in undergraduate science is low. Consequently, students who are graduating from college are often unable to take advantage of the many opportunities offered by science and technology. Cutting edge science and technology frequently use the methods learned in undergraduate courses, but up-to-date applications are not normally used as examples or for problems in undergraduate courses. There are many physics problems which contain information about the latest achievements in science and technology. But typically, the level of these problems is too advanced for undergraduates. We created physics problems for undergraduate science and engineering students, which are based on the latest achievements in science and technology. These problems have been successfully used in our courses at the Polytechnic University in New York. We believe that university faculty may suggest such problems in order to provide information about the frontiers of science and technological, demonstrate the importance of undergraduate physics in solving contemporary problems and raise the interest of talented students in science. From the other side, our approach may be considered an indirect way for advertising advanced technologies, which undergraduate students and, even more important, future college graduates could use in their working lives.

Introduction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Allen E.

1985-01-01

Political science departments were surveyed to determine the extent of course offerings on any aspect of the Vietnam War or its legacy. Survey results are discussed. Provided is a chart indicating the name of the university, course title, professor(s) teaching course, level and enrollment, and when offered. (RM)

Promoting Continuing Computer Science Education through a Massively Open Online Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Kevin

2016-01-01

This paper presents the results of a comparison study between graduate students taking a software security course at an American university and international working professionals taking a version of the same course online through a free massive open online course (MOOC) created in the Google CourseBuilder learning environment. A goal of the study…

Increasing the Presence of Underrepresented Minorities in the Geosciences: The Woods Hole Partnership Education Program Model and Outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, A.; Gutierrez, B.; Jearld, A.; Liles, G.; Scott, O.; Harden, B.

2017-12-01

Launched in 2009, the Partnership Education Program (PEP) is supported by six scientific institutions in Woods Hole, Massachusetts through the Woods Hole Diversity Initiative. PEP, which was shaped by experience with other diversity programs as well as input from scientists in Woods Hole, is designed to promote a diverse scientific community by recruiting talent from minority groups that are under-represented in marine and environmental sciences. Focused on college juniors and seniors with course work in marine and/or environmental sciences, PEP is comprised of a four-week course, "Ocean and Environmental Sciences: Global Climate Change," and a six to eight week individual research project under the guidance of a research mentor. Investigators from the six science institutions serve as course faculty and research mentors. Course credit is through PEP's academic partner, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. PEP students also participate in seminars, workshops, field trips, at-sea experiences, career development activities, and attend lectures at participating science institutions throughout the summer. Students present their research results at the end of the summer with a 15-minute public presentation. A number of PEP participants then presented their work at professional and scientific meetings, such as AGU, using the program as a gateway to graduate education and career opportunities in the marine and environmental sciences. From 2009 through 2017, 138 students from 86 colleges and universities, including many that previously had sent few or no students or faculty to Woods Hole, have participated in the program. Participating organizations are: Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NOAA Fisheries), Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Sea Education Association (SEA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC), and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) - academic partner.

Virtual in-service training from the librarians' point of view in libraries of medical sciences universities in Tehran.

PubMed

Mohaghegh, Niloofar; Raiesi Dehkordi, Puran; Alibeik, MohammadReza; Ghashghaee, Ahmad; Janbozorgi, Mojgan

2016-01-01

Background: In-service training courses are one of the most available programs that are used to improve the quantity and quality level of the staff services in various organizations, including libraries and information centers. With the advent of new technologies in the field of education, the problems and shortcomings of traditional in-service training courses were replaced with virtual ones. This study aimed to evaluate the virtual in-service training courses from the librarians' point of view in libraries of state universities of medical sciences in Tehran. Methods: This was a descriptive- analytical study. The statistical population consisted of all librarians at libraries of universities of medical sciences in Tehran. Out of 103 librarians working in the libraries under the study, 93 (90%) participated in this study. Data were collected, using a questionnaire. Results: The results revealed that 94/6% of librarians were satisfied to participate in virtual in-service training courses. In this study, only 45 out of 93 participants said that the virtual in-service courses were held in their libraries. Of the participants, 75.6% were satisfied with the length of training courses, and one month seemed to be adequate time duration for the librarians to be more satisfied. The satisfaction level of the individuals who participated in in-service courses of the National Library was moderate to high. A total of 84.4% participants announced that the productivity level of the training courses was moderate to high. The most important problem with which the librarians were confronted in virtual in-service training was the "low speed of the internet and inadequate computer substructures". Conclusion: Effectiveness of in-service training courses from librarians' point of view was at an optimal level in the studied libraries.

Virtual in-service training from the librarians' point of view in libraries of medical sciences universities in Tehran

PubMed Central

Mohaghegh, Niloofar; Raiesi Dehkordi, Puran; Alibeik, MohammadReza; Ghashghaee, Ahmad; Janbozorgi, Mojgan

2016-01-01

Background: In-service training courses are one of the most available programs that are used to improve the quantity and quality level of the staff services in various organizations, including libraries and information centers. With the advent of new technologies in the field of education, the problems and shortcomings of traditional in-service training courses were replaced with virtual ones. This study aimed to evaluate the virtual in-service training courses from the librarians' point of view in libraries of state universities of medical sciences in Tehran. Methods: This was a descriptive- analytical study. The statistical population consisted of all librarians at libraries of universities of medical sciences in Tehran. Out of 103 librarians working in the libraries under the study, 93 (90%) participated in this study. Data were collected, using a questionnaire. Results: The results revealed that 94/6% of librarians were satisfied to participate in virtual in-service training courses. In this study, only 45 out of 93 participants said that the virtual in-service courses were held in their libraries. Of the participants, 75.6% were satisfied with the length of training courses, and one month seemed to be adequate time duration for the librarians to be more satisfied. The satisfaction level of the individuals who participated in in-service courses of the National Library was moderate to high. A total of 84.4% participants announced that the productivity level of the training courses was moderate to high. The most important problem with which the librarians were confronted in virtual in-service training was the "low speed of the internet and inadequate computer substructures". Conclusion: Effectiveness of in-service training courses from librarians’ point of view was at an optimal level in the studied libraries. PMID:28491833

Integrating Earth System Science Data Into Tribal College and University Curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tilgner, P. J.; Perkey, D. J.

2007-12-01

Universities Space Research Association and Sinte Gleska University (SGU) have teamed with eight Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to participate in a NASA Earth Science funded project, TRibal Earth Science and Technology Education (TRESTE) project which focuses on TCU faculty teaching undergraduate Earth science courses to non-science and science students, with particular attention to TCU faculty teaching K-12 pre- and in- service teachers. The eight partner TCUs are: Blackfeet Community College (BCC), Browning, MT, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Cloquet, MN, Fort Berthold Community College, New Town, ND, Little Priest Tribal College, Winnebago, NE, Oglala Lakota College, Pine Ridge, SD, Sitting Bull College, Fort Yates, ND, Turtle Mountain Community College, Belcourt, ND, United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), Bismarck, ND. The goal of this 3-year project is to promote the use of NASA Earth science data and products in the classroom thereby enabling faculty to inspire undergraduate students to careers in Earth system science, the physical sciences, and related fields of science and engineering. To accomplish this goal we are targeting three areas: (1) course content - enhance the utilization of Earth system science and physical science concepts, (2) teaching methodology - develop problem-based learning (PBL) methods, and (3) tools and technology - increase the utilization of GIS and remote sensing in the classroom. We also have enlisted ESRI, NativeView and the USGS as collaborators. To date we have held an introductory "needs" workshop at the USGS EROS Data Center and two annual workshops, one at UTTC and the second at BCC. During these annual workshops we have divided our time among the three areas. We have modeled the workshops using the PBL or Case Study approach by starting with a story or current event. Topics for the annual workshops have been Drought and Forest and Grassland Fires. These topics led us into the solar radiation budget, surface energy budgets, climate and climate change, impacts, etc. GIS and remote sensing training has focused on importing, converting and displaying data sets related to drought and fires. The Integrated Science courses at SGU, designed primarily for pre-service elementary teachers, have incorporated physical science concepts and teaching approaches presented at the TRESTE annual workshops. The content of the courses follows the PBL teaching approach and is organized around a relevant, local problem such as prairie dog control and prairie management. Concepts from Earth, life and physical sciences are included in the course design. The fall course is introduced using recent news articles on legislation to control prairie dogs. After expressing their ideas based solely on experience and emotion, students determine what knowledge they will need to write an informed opinion on the issue. One of the instructional units for the course includes instruction and practice in interpreting satellite images of the local reservation to determine impact of prairie dog towns on vegetation. Students also conduct soil studies in the disturbed areas and nearby undisturbed areas. Data is gathered on soil chemistry, soil temperatures, and surface temperatures, measured with an infrared sensor provided by the TRESTE grant. Additional topics covered in the course that contain information from the annual workshops, include prairie fires, climate and climate change, and effects of the drought on local bodies of water.

Using Student-Teachers' Reports of Self-Efficacy to Evaluate an Early Childhood Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giallousi, Maria; Tselfes, Vasilis; Gialamas, Vasilis

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate teaching effectiveness in an elective science course, in the Early Childhood Education Department of Athens University in Greece. For this, a sequential mixed research design was applied to investigate freshmen beliefs about the effectiveness of their future teaching in kindergarten. An enhancement and a…

Divided by a Common Degree Program? Profiling Online and Face-to-Face Information Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haigh, Maria

2007-01-01

This study examines profiles of online and face-to-face students in a single information science school: the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Information Studies. A questionnaire was administered to 76 students enrolled in online course sections and 72 students enrolled in face-to-face course sections. The questionnaire examined student…

The Implementation of a Cost Effectiveness Analyzer for Web-Supported Academic Instruction: An Example from Life Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Anat; Nachmias, Rafi

2012-01-01

This paper describes implementation of a quantitative cost effectiveness analyzer for Web-supported academic instruction that was developed in our University. The paper presents the cost effectiveness analysis of one academic exemplary course in Life Science department and its introducing to the course lecturer for evaluation. The benefits and…

Coherent Teaching and Need-Based Learning in Science: An Approach to Teach Engineering Students in Basic Physics Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurki-Suonio, T.; Hakola, A.

2007-01-01

In the present paper, we propose an alternative, based on constructivism, to the conventional way of teaching basic physics courses at the university level. We call this approach "coherent teaching" and the underlying philosophy of teaching science and engineering "need-based learning". We have been applying this philosophy in…

A Teaching Intervention to Increase Achievement of Hispanic Nonscience Majors Taking Physical Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poelzer, G. Herold; Zeng, Liang

2008-01-01

This quasi-experimental pilot study of nonscience majors taking a physical science course at a university in South Texas was conducted on Hispanic undergraduate students, and is theory based--an application of attribution theory. That the treatment group outperformed the comparison group provides evidence of the positive effect of having students…

20 CFR 901.12 - Eligibility for enrollment of individuals applying for enrollment before January 1, 1976.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... course of study in which the major area of concentration was actuarial science, or (2) Received a... mathematics, statistics, or computer science, and shall have successfully completed at least 6 semester hours or 9 quarter hours of courses in life contingencies at an accredited college or university. (e...

English Language Needs Analysis of Qur'anic Sciences and Tradition Students in Iran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salehi, Hadi; Davari, Ameneh; Yunus, Melor Md

2015-01-01

Needs analysis is fundamental to determine what students need to achieve through the medium of English accurately analysis. In this regard, the present study seeks to evaluate the ESP course book entitled "The ESP Course of Qur'anic Sciences and Tradition" taught at some universities in Iran. More specifically, the study aims to identify…

Social Media for Learning and Teaching Undergraduate Sciences: Good Practice Guidelines from Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thalluri, Jyothi; Penman, Joy

2015-01-01

In 2013, Facebook was used in learning and teaching clinical problem solving in a Pathology and a Clinical Sciences course delivered at a South Australian university. It involved first- and second-year Medical Radiation students and second-year Nursing students, Of the 152 students enrolled in the Pathology course, there were 148 students who…

A Look at the Definition, Pedagogy, and Evaluation of Scientific Literacy within the Natural Science Departments at a Southwestern University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Deborah Kay

2011-01-01

This study focuses on the promotion of scientific literacy within the natural science departments and how faculty within these departments define, incorporate, and evaluate scientific literacy in their courses. The researcher examined data from participant interviews, observations, and archival material from courses taught by the participants. The…

20 CFR 901.12 - Eligibility for enrollment of individuals applying for enrollment before January 1, 1976.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... course of study in which the major area of concentration was actuarial science, or (2) Received a... mathematics, statistics, or computer science, and shall have successfully completed at least 6 semester hours or 9 quarter hours of courses in life contingencies at an accredited college or university. (e...

Investigating the International Awareness of Students Meeting Their International Dimension Requirement through Course Offerings in a College of Agriculture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moriba, Samba; Edwards, M. Craig; Robinson, J. Shane; Cartmell, D. Dwayne, II; Henneberry, David M.

2012-01-01

Many U.S. universities are preparing their students to attain international awareness through various approaches. The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) at Oklahoma State University offers three international dimension undergraduate courses intended to provide students a formal educational opportunity to learn about…

Preparation of Speciality-Integrated Assignments in Informatics Study Courses at the Higher Education Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vitinš, Maris; Rasnacs, Oskars

2012-01-01

Information and communications technologies today are used in virtually any university course when students prepare their papers. ICT is also needed after people are graduated from university and enter the job market. This author is an instructor in the field of informatics related to health care and social sciences at the Riga Stradins…

Measuring Confidence Levels of Male and Female Students in Open Access Enabling Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atherton, Mirella

2015-01-01

The study of confidence was undertaken at the University of Newcastle with students selecting science courses at two campuses. The students were enrolled in open access programs and aimed to gain access to undergraduate studies in various disciplines at University. The "third person effect" was used to measure the confidence levels of…

Teaching medical information retrieval and application courses in Chinese universities: a case study.

PubMed

Clark, Adam W; Li, Hong-Mei

2010-12-01

An important aspect of Chinese academic health science libraries is their involvement in teaching medical information retrieval courses as part of the medical curriculum. Health science librarians in China have a more formal teaching role than is generally found in Western countries, including many full-time teaching positions. This article provides a case study of Kunming Medical University Library, where courses are provided as credit units at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The teaching practices of Chinese health science libraries are compared with teaching experiences reported in Western countries. It is noted that Chinese government's educational policy is similar to that of the United States in promoting the role of the library in teaching subjects as part of the medical curriculum. In China, this has lead to the development of teaching departments within health science libraries and the appointment of full and part-time teacher librarians. © 2010 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2010 Health Libraries Group.

Classroom Demonstrations in Materials Science/Engineering.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirschhorn, J. S.; And Others

Examples are given of demonstrations used at the University of Wisconsin in a materials science course for nontechnical students. Topics include crystal models, thermal properties, light, and corrosion. (MLH)

Predicting Scientific Understanding of Prospective Elementary Teachers: Role of Gender, Education Level, Courses in Science, and Attitudes Toward Science and Mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, David D.; Morris, John D.

2005-12-01

A multiple regression analysis of the relationship between prospective teachers' scientific understanding and Gender, Education Level (High School, College), Courses in Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Astronomy, and Agriculture), Attitude Towards Science, and Attitude Towards Mathematics is reported. Undergraduate elementary science students ( N = 176) in an urban doctoral-level university in the United States participated in this study. The results of this study showed Gender, completion of courses in High School Chemistry and Physics, College Chemistry and Physics, and Attitudes Toward Mathematics and Science significantly correlated with scientific understanding. Based on a regression model, Gender, and College Chemistry and Physics experiences added significant predictive accuracy to scientific understanding among prospective elementary teachers compared to the other variables.

Insights on Supporting Learning during Computing Science and Engineering Students' Transition to University: A Design-Oriented, Mixed Methods Exploration of Instructor and Student Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guloy, Sheryl; Salimi, Farimah; Cukierman, Diana; McGee Thompson, Donna

2017-01-01

Using a design-based orientation, this mixed-method study explored ways to support computing science and engineering students whose study strategies may be inadequate to meet coursework expectations. Learning support workshops, paired with university courses, have been found to assist students as they transition to university learning, thereby…

Planetary boundaries and environmental citizenship: enhancing environmental science through the Princeton University Science and Engineering Education Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riihimaki, C. A.; Caylor, K. K.; Wilcove, D. S.

2014-12-01

Introductory courses in environmental science are challenging to teach effectively because instructors need to balance the breadth of content coverage with the depth needed to solve complex, interdisciplinary environmental problems. For three years, the Council on Science and Technology at Princeton University has been collaborating with faculty to enhance the introductory environmental science course as part of the Science and Engineering Education Initiative, which aims to ensure that all students, regardless of discipline, graduate with an appreciation for and literacy in science and engineering. Our primary aim in the course is to foster improved environmental citizenship by helping students develop a mechanistic understanding of our individual, societal, and global role as agents of environmental change; an ability to predict or forecast the potential impact that decisions may have on the future structure and function of Earth systems; and a sense of responsibility that leads to informed action and decision-making related to environmental issues. Toward those ends, we have 1) reframed the course curriculum to focus on the central theme of "planetary boundaries" (Rockstrom et al., 2009), including their scientific evidence and policy implications, 2) developed hands-on laboratory exercises that give students authentic research experiences, and 3) modified the assessment to ensure that the students have consistent and clear indications of their mastery of the material. Student feedback through course surveys has been positive, although challenges remain, including coordination across a large teaching staff (two lead instructors for lecture and three TAs for discussion sections, plus a lead lab instructor and one lab TA), optimizing learning activities across the course structure (lecture, precept, and an optional lab), and engaging students that have diverse academic interests.

Course-Based Undergraduate Research--It Can Be Accomplished!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allyn, Debra A.

2013-01-01

This article describes a senior seminar course in the Health and Human Performance (HHP) Department at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. All students in the HHP department are required to complete the course. The emphases within HHP include physical education, health education, and exercise and sport science. In this course students learn…

Inquiry-Based Course in Physics and Chemistry for Preservice K-8 Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loverude, Michael E.; Gonzalez, Barbara L.; Nanes, Roger

2011-01-01

We describe an inquiry-based course in physics and chemistry for preservice K-8 teachers developed at California State University Fullerton. The course is one of three developed primarily to enhance the science content understanding of prospective teachers. The course incorporates a number of innovative instructional strategies and is somewhat…

The relationship between competencies acquired through Swiss academic sports science courses and the job requirements.

PubMed

Schlesinger, T; Studer, F; Nagel, S

2016-01-01

In view of the changes in and growing variety of sports-related occupations, it is highly relevant for educational institutions to know how well the educational contents of their sport science courses meet the professional requirements. This study analyses the relationship between the competencies acquired through academic sports science courses and the requirements of the relevant jobs in Switzerland. The data for this empirical analysis were drawn from a sample of n = 1054 graduates of different academic sport science programmes at all eight Swiss universities. The results show that academic sport science courses primarily communicate sports-specific expertise and practical sports skills. On the other hand, most graduates consider that the acquisition of interdisciplinary competencies plays a comparatively minor role in sport science education, even though these competencies are felt to be an important requirement in a variety of work-related environments and challenges.

A sociohistorical examination of George Herbert Mead's approach to science education.

PubMed

Edwards, Michelle L

2016-07-01

Although George Herbert Mead is widely known for his social psychological work, his views on science education also represent a significant, yet sometimes overlooked contribution. In a speech delivered in March 1906 entitled "The Teaching of Science in College," Mead calls for cultural courses on the sciences, such as sociology of science or history of science courses, to increase the relevancy of natural and physical science courses for high school and university students. These views reflect Mead's perspective on a number of traditional dualisms, including objectivity versus subjectivity and the social sciences versus natural and physical sciences. Taking a sociohistorical outlook, I identify the context behind Mead's approach to science education, which includes three major influences: (1) German intellectual thought and the Methodenstreit debate, (2) pragmatism and Darwin's theory of evolution, and (3) social reform efforts in Chicago and the General Science Movement. © The Author(s) 2014.

Graduate Experience in Science Education: the development of a science education course for biomedical science graduate students.

PubMed

Markowitz, Dina G; DuPré, Michael J

2007-01-01

The University of Rochester's Graduate Experience in Science Education (GESE) course familiarizes biomedical science graduate students interested in pursuing academic career tracks with a fundamental understanding of some of the theory, principles, and concepts of science education. This one-semester elective course provides graduate students with practical teaching and communication skills to help them better relate science content to, and increase their confidence in, their own teaching abilities. The 2-h weekly sessions include an introduction to cognitive hierarchies, learning styles, and multiple intelligences; modeling and coaching some practical aspects of science education pedagogy; lesson-planning skills; an introduction to instructional methods such as case studies and problem-based learning; and use of computer-based instructional technologies. It is hoped that the early development of knowledge and skills about teaching and learning will encourage graduate students to continue their growth as educators throughout their careers. This article summarizes the GESE course and presents evidence on the effectiveness of this course in providing graduate students with information about teaching and learning that they will use throughout their careers.

Graduate Experience in Science Education: The Development of a Science Education Course for Biomedical Science Graduate Students

PubMed Central

DuPré, Michael J.

2007-01-01

The University of Rochester's Graduate Experience in Science Education (GESE) course familiarizes biomedical science graduate students interested in pursuing academic career tracks with a fundamental understanding of some of the theory, principles, and concepts of science education. This one-semester elective course provides graduate students with practical teaching and communication skills to help them better relate science content to, and increase their confidence in, their own teaching abilities. The 2-h weekly sessions include an introduction to cognitive hierarchies, learning styles, and multiple intelligences; modeling and coaching some practical aspects of science education pedagogy; lesson-planning skills; an introduction to instructional methods such as case studies and problem-based learning; and use of computer-based instructional technologies. It is hoped that the early development of knowledge and skills about teaching and learning will encourage graduate students to continue their growth as educators throughout their careers. This article summarizes the GESE course and presents evidence on the effectiveness of this course in providing graduate students with information about teaching and learning that they will use throughout their careers. PMID:17785406

Crossing Borders: An Online Interdisciplinary Course in Health Informatics for Students From Two Countries.

PubMed

Fossum, Mariann; Fruhling, Ann; Moe, Carl Erik; Thompson, Cheryl Bagley

2017-04-01

A cross-countries and interprofessional novel approach for delivering an international interdisciplinary graduate health informatics course online is presented. Included in this discussion are the challenges, lessons learned, and pedagogical recommendations from the experiences of teaching the course. Four professors from three different fields and from three universities collaborated in offering an international health informatics course for an interdisciplinary group of 18 US and seven Norwegian students. Highly motivated students and professors, an online technology infrastructure that supported asynchronously communication and course delivery, the ability to adapt the curriculum to meet the pedagogy requirements at all universities, and the support of higher administration for international collaboration were enablers for success. This project demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of an interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and cross-countries approach in teaching health informatics online. Students were able to establish relationships and conduct professional conversations across disciplines and international boundaries using content management software. This graduate course can be used as a part of informatics, computer science, and/or health science programs.

A General Education Course in Cultural Astronomy: Exploring the Universe Through Human Eyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Kristine

2017-01-01

Astronomy courses for non-science majors (often referred to as Astro 101) are the bread and butter of the general education service obligation of astronomy faculty and programs across the US. Their content has traditionally been a general survey of the solar system, stars and galaxies, or even the entire universe. However, because the audience is students who will not be continuing on in astronomy, there is actually no need to cover a broad range of specific topics. Rather, it is more important to concentrate on the scientific process, and hopefully leave the student with an understanding of the relevance of science in everyday life, regardless of his or her major. As a result, some faculty prefer a more interdisciplinary focus for their Astro 101 classes, for example courses on the search for extraterrestrial life. Another option for general education astronomy courses is what has become known as cultural astronomy. Cultural astronomy focuses on the ways in which astronomical knowledge and belief influences human behavior and social structures. Under this umbrella fall two important areas of study, archaeoastronomy (concentrating on ancient cultures) and enthoastronomy (focusing on extant cultures). Such interdisciplinary courses draw heavily upon archaeology, history, anthropology, art, and other fields more traditionally aligned with the humanities and social sciences than the natural sciences, and therefore can be attractive to students in these non-science majors. In such courses, students experience the “humanity” of science: the important connections between science and the human experience, and how experts in myriad fields contribute in meaningful ways to our understanding of how astronomical knowledge has been constructed and disseminated across time and space. This poster describes the content and pedagogy of a general education course in cultural astronomy for non-science majors that stresses hands-on and experiential learning, including the use of planispheres, sundials, simple sextants, astrolabes and the planetarium, as well as the integration of mathematics, myth, and creative writing.

Why Study Geoscience? Identifying Effective Recruitment and Retention Strategies for an Undergraduate Earth & Environmental Sciences Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vajoczki, S.; Eyles, C. H.; Stewart, J.; Dasilva, L.

2005-12-01

McMaster University is a `research intensive' university with 17,000+ full time undergraduate students. The School of Geography and Earth Sciences (SGES) is located within the Faculty of Science, offers B.Sc., B.A., M.Sc., M.A. and PhD degree programs and teaches more than 70 undergraduate courses on an annual basis. The Honours B.Sc program in Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) graduates approximately 25 students per year. Students enroll in undergraduate SGES programs in their second year, after completion of an introductory first year in the Faculty of Science in which they take compulsory science courses including math, physics, chemistry, and biology. First year students, as well as those in upper years, may also elect to take one or more of three introductory courses offered by SGES (Earth & the Environment, The Living Environment, Atmosphere & Hydrosphere) to complete their science requirements. Most students entering the Faculty of Science know little about geoscience as it does not form an important part of the Ontario secondary school curriculum. Hence, recruitment into the EES program is primarily via the first year courses. In order to establish reasons why students elected to take the introductory courses offered by SGES, and their reasons for considering subsequent entry to the B.Sc program, a survey of students taking one of the courses was conducted in the fall of 2003. Results from the survey indicate that students enroll in the course, and subsequently the EES program, for a variety of reasons including: general interest in how the planet works, concern for the environment, interesting title of the course and reputation of the instructor. Student concern over lack of potential jobs is cited as the main reason for not pursuing a degree in geoscience. This survey has helped to direct the multifaceted recruitment strategies used by SGES to continue to develop its undergraduate program through delivery of high quality first year courses. Additional recruitment strategies used to recruit and retain high quality students include an active undergraduate society and departmental events that contribute towards a culture of learning and sense of belonging that is sought by students.

The Teaching Practices Inventory: A New Tool for Characterizing College and University Teaching in Mathematics and Science

PubMed Central

Gilbert, Sarah

2014-01-01

We have created an inventory to characterize the teaching practices used in science and mathematics courses. This inventory can aid instructors and departments in reflecting on their teaching. It has been tested with several hundred university instructors and courses from mathematics and four science disciplines. Most instructors complete the inventory in 10 min or less, and the results allow meaningful comparisons of the teaching used for the different courses and instructors within a department and across different departments. We also show how the inventory results can be used to gauge the extent of use of research-based teaching practices, and we illustrate this with the inventory results for five departments. These results show the high degree of discrimination provided by the inventory, as well as its effectiveness in tracking the increase in the use of research-based teaching practices. PMID:25185237

Integrating Science Content and Pedagogy in the Earth, Life, and Physical Sciences: A K-8 Pre-Service Teacher Preparation Continuum at the University of Delaware

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, J.; Allen, D.; Donham, R.; Fifield, S.; Ford, D.; Shipman, H.; Dagher, Z.

2007-12-01

University of Delaware faculty in the geological sciences, biological sciences, and the physics and astronomy departments have partnered with faculty and researchers from the school of education to form a continuum for K- 8 pre-service teacher preparation in science. The goal of the continuum is to develop integrated understandings of content and pedagogy so that these future teachers can effectively use inquiry-based approaches in teaching science in their classrooms. Throughout the continuum where earth science content appears an earth system science approach, with emphasis on inquiry-based activities, is employed. The continuum for K-8 pre-service teachers includes a gateway content course in the earth, life, or physical sciences taken during the freshman year followed by integrated science content and methods courses taken during the sophomore year. These integrated courses, called the Science Semester, were designed and implemented with funding from the National Science Foundation. During the Science Semester, traditional content and pedagogy subject matter boundaries are crossed to stress shared themes that teachers must understand to teach standards-based science. Students work collaboratively on multidisciplinary problem-based learning (PBL) activities that place science concepts in authentic contexts and build learning skills. They also critically explore the theory and practice of elementary science teaching, drawing on their shared experiences of inquiry learning during the Science Semester. The PBL activities that are the hallmark of the Science Semester provide the backdrop through which fundamental earth system interactions can be studied. For example in a PBL investigation that focuses on kids, cancer, and the environment, the hydrologic cycle with emphasis on surface runoff and ground water contamination is studied. Those students seeking secondary certification in science will enroll, as a bridge toward their student teaching experience, in an additional content course within a science discipline that is concurrently taught with a science methods course. Emphasizing inquiry-based activities, these bridge courses also focus on developing integrated understandings of the sciences. The continuum extends beyond the student teaching experience by tracking cohorts of science teachers during their in-service years. With funding from the National Science Foundation's Teacher Professional Continuum program, we are conducting research on this inquiry-based professional development approach for K-8 teachers across this continuum.

Effectiveness of Science, Technology, Society, and Religion (STSR) on Achievement of Curricula Course and Development of the Inclinations towards Study for Students at Najran University in KSA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmed, Gamal S.

2017-01-01

The study conducted at Najran University located in Najran city in Saudi Arabia. It aimed for examination the effectiveness of the STSR approach on achievement the course of curriculum foundations and development of the inclinations towards study for students at Najran University. Both questions and hypotheses were formulated in light of the aims…

Environmental and Conservation Volunteering as Workplace Integrated Learning for University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Rowena H.; van Etten, Eddie

2013-01-01

This research paper introduces the concept and practice of tertiary sciences students doing environmental volunteering, also known as conservation volunteering, as a core part of their course. First year Natural Sciences students at Edith Cowan University do five days environmental volunteer work with community groups as a practicum, currently…

Information Science Courses and the Graduate Job Context in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chain-Navarro, Celia; Munoz-Canavate, Antonio

2009-01-01

This paper supports the appropriateness of the objectives of the Librarianship and Information Science (LIS) graduate university studies system in Spain. It identifies formulas to allow the construction of innovative study plans which are attractive within the information society. LIS university studies started in Spain in the 1990s although…

ESSEA as an Enhancement to K-12 Earth Systems Science Efforts at San José State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messina, P.; Metzger, E. P.; Sedlock, R. L.

2002-12-01

San José State University's Geology Department has implemented and maintained a two-fold approach to teacher education efforts. Both pre-service and in-service populations have been participants in a wide variety of content-area enrichment, training, and professional development endeavors. Spearheading these initiatives is the Bay Area Earth Science Institute (BAESI); organized in 1990, this program has served more than 1,000 teachers in weekend- and summer-workshops, and field trips. It sustains a network of Bay Area teachers via its Website (http://www.baesi.org), newsletter, and allows teachers to borrow classroom-pertinent materials through the Earth Science Resource Center. The Department has developed a course offering in Earth Systems Science (Geology 103), which targets pre-service teachers within SJSU's multiple-subject credential program. The curriculum satisfies California subject matter competency requirements in the geosciences, and infuses pedagogy into the syllabus. Course activities are intended for pre-service and in-service teachers' adaptation in their own classrooms. The course has been enhanced by two SJSU-NASA collaborations (Project ALERT and the Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum), which have facilitated incorporation of NASA data, imagery, and curricular materials. SJSU's M.A. in Natural Science, a combined effort of the Departments of Geology, Biology, and Program in Science Education, is designed to meet the multi-disciplinary needs of single-subject credential science teachers by providing a flexible, individually-tailored curriculum that combines science course work with a science education project. Several BAESI teachers have extended their Earth science knowledge and teaching skills through such projects as field guides to local sites of geological interest; lab-based modules for teaching about earthquakes, rocks and minerals, water quality, and weather; and interactive online materials for students and teachers of science. In keeping with SJSU's alliance with NASA Centers, the Geology Department is proud to offer ESSEA online courses as part of its multi-dimensional approach to Earth Systems teacher education. SJSU plans to offer both the middle- and high-school courses to a national audience, beginning spring 2003. The addition of ESSEA courses will complement existing projects, and will help to build a stronger Earth Systems-savvy community.

An analysis of factors that lead to better learning in an integrated and interdisciplinary course on climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, D. E.; Lyford, M.; Schmidt, L. O.; Bowles-Terry, M.

2012-12-01

Climate change education presents many challenges to college educators due to the interdisciplinary nature of the issue as well as the social and political context and implications. This presents multiple barriers to learning for the student, both because it is difficult to address all scientific components in one course, and because many students have strong preconceived feelings or beliefs about climate change. A further barrier to learning for non-science majors is that very often the number of required science courses is low and a highly complex issue such as climate change is difficult to address in introductory science courses. To attempt to address these issues a course for non-science majors, Life Science 1002, Discovering Science, at the University of Wyoming was created as an interdisciplinary and integrated science course that includes a lecture component as well as weekly lab and discussion sections. Our previous work has shown a clear change in the reference sources used by non-science majors when referring to complex topics; namely, students increase their use of scientific journals when they are shown how to use scientific journals and students also report a correlated decrease in non-peer reviewed sources (ie, radio, newspapers, TV). We seek to expand on this work by using pre- and post-topic student surveys in the course at the University of Wyoming to directly measure student performance in different components of the course. The course has enrollment between 120 and 130 students, with nearly equal distribution between grade levels and a wide sampling of non-science majors or undeclared majors. For this work we will use a non-quantitative survey of students to find out which part of the course (lecture, lab or discussion) is most effective for student learning. Further, quantitative analysis of which factors of the student body (class standing, major, gender, background and personal beliefs) will be correlated to help predict who achieved the best and we will apply a non-quantitative analysis to determine which section of the student body had difficulties and why. This work will show other higher education instructors both the methodology and results from this study of the interdisciplinary course on climate change. While this work is limited in only focusing on one introductory course, the large number of students and the diversity of those students allow for a study of which factors in the course are best for student learning.

Approaches for Promoting Lunar and Planetary Science in Higher Education Curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurtado, J. M.; CenterLunar Science Education; Higher Education Consortium

2011-12-01

The Center for Lunar Science and Exploration (CLSE) at the Lunar and Planetary Institute has formed a higher-education consortium comprising a group of educators throughout the states of Texas and Oklahoma, all of who are committed to furthering the inclusion of lunar and planetary science in university-level curricula. Members of the Consortium represent the spectrum of higher-educational venues, from research universities to small colleges. They also teach planetary science in a range of settings, from specialized graduate/undergraduate courses to introductory undergraduate courses in general science that incorporate a wide range of other topics. One of the top-level goals of the Consortium is to provide an online forum and a network of educators that can share teaching materials, including: illustrations and animations of scientific concepts; syllabi and lesson plans; and laboratory and other exercises. These materials are being shared with the entire community through the CLSE website (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/nlsi/), and a series of workshops has been held with participating members of the Consortium to continue to develop and solicit content. A specific avenue of bringing lunar and planetary content into the classroom that has been discussed and experimented with over the past two years involves planetary analogs. Participatory exercises developed around the author's work with NASA analog field tests has been used in several classroom lab exercises in a planetary science course, a remote sensing course, and a introductory geologic mapping course. These efforts have proven fruitful in engaging the students in lunar and planetary exploration science.

Teaching Research Integrity and Bioethics to Science Undergraduates

PubMed Central

2005-01-01

Undergraduate students in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Alabama, Mobile, are required to take a course entitled “Issues in Biomedical Sciences,” designed to increase students' awareness about bioethical questions and issues concerning research integrity. This paper describes the main features of this course and summarizes the results of a survey designed to evaluate the students' perceptions about the course. A summary of this study was presented at the 2002 Conference on Research Integrity in Potomac, MD, sponsored by the Office of Research Integrity of the National Institutes of Health. PMID:16341260

Astronomy stories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berenson, Rhoda

2015-03-01

For many years I have taught physics and astronomy courses to liberal arts students. I have found most of my students to be intelligent and diligent, but not anxious to study science. They typically take the class only because their degree requires a science course. Many arrive having already decided they will not be able to do the math or understand the scientific concepts, and have essentially built a wall between themselves and science. In the 1990s, in an effort to help break down that wall, as part of an NSF-supported course, "The Evolution of the Universe, Earth and Life," I began using creative writing assignments.

Developments in the instruction of biostatistics at the Kuwait University Health Science Centre in a decade.

PubMed

Moussa, Mohamed A A

2002-01-01

Kuwait has witnessed many changes that influenced, among other things, the structure of medical education including biostatistics. This article describes the developments in biostatistics instruction and curriculum in the Health Science Centre, University of Kuwait, during the past 10 years. Instead of teaching biostatistics as an independent component, the university has developed an integrated course (35 hr of lectures and 12 hr of tutorial sessions) of biostatistics, epidemiology, and demography that is taught to undergraduate medical and dentistry students to ensure interdisciplinary interaction, to remove redundancies, and to standardize terminology across the three disciplines. The core curriculum of the biostatistics course is compatible with the recommendations of the American Statistical Association. Separate biostatistics courses are also offered to pharmacy and allied health students to address their diverse interests. In addition, new biostatistics and computer applications instruction courses were developed and are taught to the students of the Master of Science (MSc), Master of Public Health (MPH), and PhD programs. For continuing medical education, a workshop on biostatistics and computer applications is organized annually for the medical profession as a collaboration between the Health Science Centre and the Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization. The instructor and curriculum content of the biostatistics courses are confidentially evaluated and independently analyzed by the office of the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs. Overall, students evaluate the biostatistics instructors highly and are pleased with the content of the biostatistics curriculum. During the last decade, biostatistics instruction in the Kuwait Health Science Centre had many new developments. An integrated course on biostatistics, epidemiology, and demography was developed with emphasis on problem solving and small group learning. Another biostatistics course is offered to the students of the new faculty of pharmacy. Further biostatistics courses became operational for the postgraduate programs: (MSc), (MPH), and PhD. Continuing medical education is supported by workshops, which is a sign of collaboration with the health community, and a consultancy office has been established. Overall, biostatistics instruction is well received by students, and the role of biostatistics is recognized by researchers from the medical profession.

A Course in Earth System Science: Developed for Teachers by Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, K.; Read, K.; Charlevoix, D.; Tomkin, J.; Hug, B.; Williams, M.; Pianfetti, E.

2008-12-01

ESES 202 is a new general education course in physical science at the University of Illinois's School of Earth, Society and Environment, designed for pre-service K-8 teachers. The goal of the course is to help future classroom teachers become confident with teaching earth science content. The designers of this course include a faculty expert in earth system science, a pre-service teacher and a former middle school science teacher. The goal of the in the curriculum design was to utilize the unique perspectives and experiences of our team. Our poster will highlight the unique nature of the curriculum development outlining the challenges and successes of designing the course. The general format of the class will be a combination of discussions, hands on experiences, and opportunities for students to design their own lessons. Class meetings will be once per week in a three-hour block, allowing students to immediately transfer new content knowledge into classroom activities. The end goal is that they can use these same activities with their students once they are practicing teachers. The content of the course shall be taught using an earth systems approach by showing the relationships among the four spheres: biosphere, hydrosphere, atmospheric, and anthrosphere. There are five units in the course: Introduction to Earth Systems, Carbon Cycle, Water Quality, El Niño and Climate Change. In addition to the science portion of the course, students will spend time reflecting on the classroom activities from the perspective of future educators. Activities will be presented at a late elementary school level; however, time will be devoted to discussing methods to adapt the lesson to different grade levels and differentiation needs within a classroom. Additionally, students in this course will be instructed on how to utilize a multitude of resources from stream tables to science education databases to prepare them for the dynamic nature of the classroom. By the end of the class preservice teachers will have an organized resource binder with science content and classroom activities for each unit. This will serve as an invaluable tool for them when they enter a classroom. Most of the University students who take this course will not yet have had an opportunity to teach in their practicum. By the conclusion of the semester they will have a plethora of experience and resources with increased confidence in teaching earth science.

A Curriculum for a Three Year High School Science Research Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darytichen, F.; Danch, J.

2003-12-01

A three-year high school science research program has been taught in Woodbridge Township School District - Woodbridge, New Jersey, since 1987. The program's focus is to foster originial science research projects for high school students that have shown an aptitude and an interest in science. Students are instructed in basic research skills, including developing and conducting original research projects, statistical analysis, scientific writing, and presentation of research at local and national symposia, and science fairs. Upon completion of the third year all students are required to submit a paper, suitable for journal publication, detailing their research. Participating students have gone on to win awards with Westinghouse, Intel, The National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, the International Science and Engineering Fair, New Jersey Academy of Sciences, and local and regional science fairs and symposia. Participating teachers have been recoginized by the Sigma Xi Research Society of Rutgers University for excellence in science teaching. New Jersey awarded the curriulum a Best Practice Award for 2003. Goals and strategies of the curriculum are detailed in a guide written for the courses. Professional development for the courses and resources for mentoring programs are the responsibility of the District Science Supervisor, and have been fostered over the years with the assistance of local colleges and universities including Rutgers Univesity, Monmouth University, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Liberty Science Center of New Jersey's Partners in Science Program, as well as local industries including Hatco Corporation, Merck Corporation, Englehard Corporation, and Lucent Technologies. Science Research teachers have conducted developmental workshops for school districts interested in implementing similar curricula.

A Comparison of the Development and Delivery of Two Short-Term Study-Abroad Thermal Sciences Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobitz, Frank

2014-11-01

Short-term study-abroad engineering courses provide an opportunity to increase the international awareness and global competency of engineering students. Two different approaches have been taken in the past years in the development and delivery of two three-week long thermal sciences courses. A senior-level elective Topics in Fluid Mechanics course was taught twice in Marseille (France) in January 2010 and 2013. A sophomore-level Introduction to Thermal Sciences course was offered in London (United Kingdom) in July 2014. Both courses were developed due to a strong student desire for engineering study-abroad courses and an effort by the home institution to internationalize its curriculum. The common goals of the two courses are an effective teaching of their respective technical content combined with a meaningful international experience. The two courses differed in their respective settings: Topics in Fluid Mechanics was taught at Aix-Marseille University and included strong interactions with local faculty and students. Introduction to Thermal Sciences, however, was taught in a cluster of seven courses offered by the home institution in London. The courses were assessed using surveys, student reflection papers, course evaluations, and instructor observations.

Increasing Persistence in Undergraduate Science Majors: A Model for Institutional Support of Underrepresented Students

PubMed Central

Toven-Lindsey, Brit; Levis-Fitzgerald, Marc; Barber, Paul H.; Hasson, Tama

2015-01-01

The 6-yr degree-completion rate of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at U.S. colleges and universities is less than 40%. Persistence among women and underrepresented minorities (URMs), including African-American, Latino/a, Native American, and Pacific Islander students, is even more troubling, as these students leave STEM majors at significantly higher rates than their non-URM peers. This study utilizes a matched comparison group design to examine the academic achievement and persistence of students enrolled in the Program for Excellence in Education and Research in the Sciences (PEERS), an academic support program at the University of California, Los Angeles, for first- and second-year science majors from underrepresented backgrounds. Results indicate that PEERS students, on average, earned higher grades in most “gatekeeper” chemistry and math courses, had a higher cumulative grade point average, completed more science courses, and persisted in a science major at significantly higher rates than the comparison group. With its holistic approach focused on academics, counseling, creating a supportive community, and exposure to research, the PEERS program serves as an excellent model for universities interested in and committed to improving persistence of underrepresented science majors and closing the achievement gap. PMID:25828403

Using Educational Games and Simulation Software in a Computer Science Course: Learning Achievements and Student Flow Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Tsung-Yu

2016-01-01

This study investigates how educational games impact on students' academic performance and multimedia flow experiences in a computer science course. A curriculum consists of five basic learning units, that is, the stack, queue, sort, tree traversal, and binary search tree, was conducted for 110 university students during one semester. Two groups…

Using Problem-Based Learning to Deliver a More Authentic Experience in Paleontology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Homer; Donaldson, Katherine

2014-01-01

This study is a research project focused on the implementation of problem-based learning in an honors, paleontology-oriented, Earth Science course. The course, the Age of Dinosaurs, is taught at the University of Texas at Dallas to undergraduates from a range of majors who seek core-curriculum science credit. All class work is centered on fossils…

Science and Human Behavior translated into Portuguese: Ciência e Comportamento Humano.

PubMed

Todorov, João Claudio

2003-11-01

Science and Human Behavior was translated to Portuguese as part of the effort to begin a psychology course at the University of Brasília 40 years ago; one of the many results of the first visit of Fred S. Keller to Brazil. The book has been used continuously in undergraduate courses in Brazil since 1967.

Implementation of Large-Scale Science Curricula: A Study in Seven European Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pilling, G. M.; Waddington, D. J.

2005-01-01

The Salters Chemistry courses, context-led curricula for 13-16 and 17-18 year old students, first developed by the Science Education Group at the University of York in the UK, have now been translated and/or adapted in seven other European countries. This paper describes and discusses the different reasons for taking up the courses, the ways in…

An Investigation into Prospective Science Teachers' Attitudes towards Laboratory Course and Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Laboratory Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aka, Elvan Ince

2016-01-01

The aim of the current study is to identify the attitudes towards the laboratory course and self-efficacy beliefs in the laboratory use of prospective teachers who are attending Gazi University Gazi Education Faculty Primary Education Science Teaching program, and to investigate the relationship between the attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs.…

The Role of Gender in Students' Ratings of Teaching Quality in Computer Science and Environmental Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Linda; Svensson, Ingrid; Borell, Jonas; Richardson, John T. E.

2017-01-01

Students' ratings of teaching quality on course units in a computer science program and an environmental engineering program at a large Swedish university were obtained using the Course Experience Questionnaire; 8888 sets of ratings were obtained from men and 4280 sets were obtained from women over ten academic years. These student ratings from…

'To Go Boldly': Teaching Science Fiction to First-Year Engineering Students in a South African Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manià, Kirby; Mabin, Linda Kathleen; Liebenberg, Jessica

2018-01-01

This paper reflects on the teaching of science fiction texts to first-year engineering students at the University of the Witwatersrand as part of a Critical Thinking course that uses literature as a vehicle through which to develop competence in critical literacy and communication. This course aims to equip engineering students, as future…

Views and Experiences of Third-Year, Early Childhood Education, University Students about Science Education in Junior and Senior High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stylianou, Liana; Plakitsi, Katerina; Papantoniou, Georgia

2016-01-01

Research on Junior and Senior high school students' attitude toward SE (Science Education) courses focuses on students' attitudes, views, interests and perceptions stemming from their school experiences related to the courses. This study examines the way third-year students of the Early Childhood Education Department in Ioannina have viewed and…

A Survey of Beginning Crop Science Courses at 49 U.S. Universities. II. Laboratory Format, Teaching Methods, and Topical Content.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connors, Krista L.; Karnok, Keith J.

1986-01-01

This paper is the second of a two-part series which discusses the findings related to laboratory segments in the beginning crop science courses offered in Land Grant institutions. Survey results reveal that laboratories are used but employ traditional teaching rather than individualized or auto-tutorial techniques. (ML)

Impact of Redesigning a Large-Lecture Introductory Earth Science Course to Increase Student Achievement and Streamline Faculty Workload

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapp, Jessica L.; Slater, Timothy F.; Slater, Stephanie J.; Lyons, Daniel J.; Manhart, Kelly; Wehunt, Mary D.; Richardson, Randall M.

2011-01-01

A Geological Perspective is a general education survey course for non-science majors at a large southwestern research extensive university. The class has traditionally served 600 students per semester in four 150-student lectures taught by faculty, and accompanied by optional weekly study groups run by graduate teaching assistants. We radically…

Fostering Learner Autonomy in English for Science: A Collaborative Digital Video Project in a Technological Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hafner, Christoph A.; Miller, Lindsay

2011-01-01

This paper reports on the syllabus design and implementation of an English for Science and Technology (EST) course at an English-medium university in Hong Kong. The course combined elements of project-based learning and a "pedagogy for multiliteracies" (New London Group, 1996) to produce a strong learner autonomy focus. A major component…

[Promotion of the systematization of consistent education for medical technologists].

PubMed

Shiba, Kiyoko; Sato, Kenji

2006-03-01

Although only about 35 years have passed since the birth of medical technology, marked advances have been made in the clinical laboratory science field. However, the educational system for technologists attached importance only to the learning of techniques for a long period because special training schools primarily provided medical technologist education. With the passing of time, the need for advanced knowledge has increased, and a plan to change the education system for medical technologists to 4-year colleges was evaluated. In 1989, the Course of Laboratory Sciences as a 4-year system for medical technologist education was established in the Department of Medicine, Tokyo Medical & Dental University. The Doctoral Course of Graduate School (first term) was established in 1993 and the Doctoral Course of Graduate School(second term) in 1995. In 2001, these courses formed a graduate university as the Division of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, the Graduate School of Allied Health Sciences. Thus, a consistent educational system for medical technologists was established. By March 2005, about 500 students had graduated from this division. Based on this experience, we produced a 4-stage developmental program and provide an advanced educational system for the promotion of the systematization of consistent medical technologist education.

The Effect of a Pre-University Mathematics Bridging Course on Adult Learners' Self-Efficacy and Retention Rates in STEM Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Patrick; O'Keeffe, Lisa

2016-01-01

In August 2008, the Mathematics Learning Centre at the University of Limerick initiated a mathematics bridging course, entitled "Head Start Maths", to provide mathematics revision for adult learners about to embark on science or technology degree programmes. The aim of Head Start Maths was to revise mathematics fundamentals before the…

Use of a Video Assistive Device in a University Course in Laboratory Science: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Ryan A.; Slavin, Alan J.

2013-01-01

This article describes a case study involving an assistive device that aided a student with low vision registered in the introductory physics course at Trent University in the fall of 2009. His Snellen visual acuity fluctuated significantly, with an average acuity of about 20/400. This low acuity presented obvious difficulties for him with the…

The Application of General Education and Intercultural Communication in a "News-Listening" Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Tiao

2014-01-01

General education (GE) is a new fashion in Chinese university courses, as can be seen by the fact that a GE curriculum has been set in several high-ranking universities in China recently. These courses include knowledge of history, arts, science, society, law and medicine, etc., and require English as the bridge between Chinese cultures and…

MiTEP's Collaborative Field Course Design Process Based on Earth Science Literacy Principles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelmann, C. A.; Rose, W. I.; Huntoon, J. E.; Klawiter, M. F.; Hungwe, K.

2010-12-01

Michigan Technological University has developed a collaborative process for designing summer field courses for teachers as part of their National Science Foundation funded Math Science Partnership program, called the Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MiTEP). This design process was implemented and then piloted during two two-week courses: Earth Science Institute I (ESI I) and Earth Science Institute II (ESI II). Participants consisted of a small group of Michigan urban science teachers who are members of the MiTEP program. The Earth Science Literacy Principles (ESLP) served as the framework for course design in conjunction with input from participating MiTEP teachers as well as research done on common teacher and student misconceptions in Earth Science. Research on the Earth Science misconception component, aligned to the ESLP, is more fully addressed in GSA Abstracts with Programs Vol. 42, No. 5. “Recognizing Earth Science Misconceptions and Reconstructing Knowledge through Conceptual-Change-Teaching”. The ESLP were released to the public in January 2009 by the Earth Science Literacy Organizing Committee and can be found at http://www.earthscienceliteracy.org/index.html. Each day of the first nine days of both Institutes was focused on one of the nine ESLP Big Ideas; the tenth day emphasized integration of concepts across all of the ESLP Big Ideas. Throughout each day, Michigan Tech graduate student facilitators and professors from Michigan Tech and Grand Valley State University consistantly focused teaching and learning on the day's Big Idea. Many Earth Science experts from Michigan Tech and Grand Valley State University joined the MiTEP teachers in the field or on campus, giving presentations on the latest research in their area that was related to that Big Idea. Field sites were chosen for their unique geological features as well as for the “sense of place” each site provided. Preliminary research findings indicate that this collaborative design process piloted as ESI I and ESI II was successful in improving MiTEP teacher understanding of Earth Science content and that it was helpful to use the ESLP framework. Ultimately, a small sample of student scores will look at the impact on student learning in the MiTEP teacher classrooms.

Exploring the value and role of integrated supportive science courses in the reformed medical curriculum iMED: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Eisenbarth, Sophie; Tilling, Thomas; Lueerss, Eva; Meyer, Jelka; Sehner, Susanne; Guse, Andreas H; Guse Nee Kurré, Jennifer

2016-04-29

Heterogeneous basic science knowledge of medical students is an important challenge for medical education. In this study, the authors aimed at exploring the value and role of integrated supportive science (ISS) courses as a novel approach to address this challenge and to promote learning basic science concepts in medical education. ISS courses were embedded in a reformed medical curriculum. The authors used a mixed methods approach including four focus groups involving ISS course lecturers and students (two each), and five surveys of one student cohort covering the results of regular student evaluations including the ISS courses across one study year. They conducted their study at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf between December 2013 and July 2014. Fourteen first-year medical students and thirteen ISS course lecturers participated in the focus groups. The authors identified several themes focused on the temporal integration of ISS courses into the medical curriculum, the integration of ISS course contents into core curriculum contents, the value and role of ISS courses, and the courses' setting and atmosphere. The integrated course concept was positively accepted by both groups, with participants suggesting that it promotes retention of basic science knowledge. Values and roles identified by focus group participants included promotion of basic understanding of science concepts, integration of foundational and applied learning, and maximization of students' engagement and motivation. Building close links between ISS course contents and the core curriculum appeared to be crucial. Survey results confirmed qualitative findings regarding students' satisfaction, with some courses still requiring optimization. Integration of supportive basic science courses, traditionally rather part of premedical education, into the medical curriculum appears to be a feasible strategy to improve medical students' understanding of basic science concepts and to increase their motivation and engagement.

Technoscientific French Teaching Guide = Guide pour l'enseignement du Francais technoscientifique.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Brigitte D.

This course guide aids university professors in doing research to develop a course in scientific and technical French. The course is intended to aid students in developing communicative skills in French in the context of science and technology. The course introduces students to the culture of France as well as to its industrial and technological…

The Kept University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Press, Eyal; Washburn, Jennifer

2000-01-01

Examines the trend of increasing collaboration between American universities and corporations, including issues such as the academic-industrial complex, secrecy and science, the university as a business/commercial enterprise, who controls the research agenda, downsizing the humanities, and on-line marketing of course material. Expresses concerns…

Student Involvement in an EST Reading Course for Remedial Students: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. Louis, Rubena; Pereira, Silvia

2003-01-01

Discusses an English for science and technology course at Simon Bolivar University in Venezuela in which students were allowed to choose reading activities and alternative forms of assessment were implemented. Results of a questionnaire used to evaluate the course are provided. (Author/VWL)

Impact Assessment of Problem-Based Learning in an Engineering Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nasr, Karim J.; Ramadan, Bassem H.

2008-01-01

This paper presents the development and implementation of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in an engineering thermodynamics course at Kettering University. In this project, the thermodynamics course was restructured as modules presenting practical applications first, whereas principles were introduced just-in-time and as encountered. Theoretical…

The supplemental instruction program: Student perceptions of the learning environment and impact on student academic achievement in college science at California State University, San Marcos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hizer, Suzanne Elizabeth

Higher education in science has been criticized and calls to increase student learning and persistence to degree has been recognized as a national problem by the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council, and the National Academy of Sciences. One mode of academic assistance that may directly address this issue is the implementation of Supplemental Instruction (SI) in science courses. SI is a specific model of academic assistance designed to help students in historically difficult science classes master course content, thus increasing their academic achievement and retention. This study assessed the SI program at California State University, San Marcos, in supported science courses. Specifically, academic achievement based on final course grades were compared between SI participating and nonparticipating students, multiple affective factors were measured at the beginning and end of the semester, and students' perceptions of the classroom and SI session learning environments recorded. Overall, students who attended five or more SI sessions achieved higher final course grades. Students who chose to participate in SI had higher initial levels of responsibility and anxiety. Additionally, SI participants experienced a reduction in anxiety over the semester whereas nonparticipants experienced an increase in anxiety from beginning to the end of the semester. The learning environment of SI embodies higher levels of constructivist principles of active learning such as cooperation, cohesiveness, innovation, and personalization---with one exception for the physics course, which is a based on problem-based learning. Structural equation modeling of variables indicates that high self-efficacy at the end of the semester is directly related to high final course grades; this is mediated by cohesion in the classroom and the cooperation evidenced in SI sessions. These findings are elaborated by student descriptions of what happened in SI sessions and discussed given the theoretical frameworks of Bandura's concept of self-efficacy and learning environment activities that embody constructivist principles.

Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA): Universities, Oceanographic Institutions, Science Centers and Aquariums Working Together to Improve Ocean Education and Public Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glenn, S.; McDonnell, J.; Halversen, C.; Zimmerman, T.

2006-12-01

Ocean observatories have already demonstrated their ability to maintain long-term time series, capture episodic events, provide context for improved shipboard sampling, and improve accessibility to a broader range of participants. Communicating Ocean Sciences, an already existing college course (http://www.cacosee.net/collegecourse) from COSEE California has demonstrated its ability to teach future scientists essential communication skills. The NSF-funded Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA) project will leverage these experiences and others to demonstrate a long-term model for promoting effective science communication skills and techniques applicable to diverse audiences. The COSIA effort will be one of the pathfinders for ensuring that the new scientific results from the increasing U.S. investments in ocean observatories is effectively communicated to the nation, and will serve as a model for other fields. Our presentation will describe a long-term model for promoting effective science communication skills and techniques applicable to diverse audiences. COSIA established partnerships between informal science education institutions and universities nationwide to facilitate quality outreach by scientists and the delivery of rigorous, cutting edge science by informal educators while teaching future scientists (college students) essential communication skills. The COSIA model includes scientist-educator partnerships that develop and deliver a college course derived from COS that teaches communication skills through the understanding of learning theory specifically related to informal learning environments and the practice of these skills at aquariums and science centers. The goals of COSIA are to: provide a model for establishing substantive, long-term partnerships between scientists and informal science education institutions to meet their respective outreach needs; provide future scientists with experiences delivering outreach to informal institutions and promoting the broader impact of research; and provide diverse role models and inquiry-based ocean sciences activities for children and families visiting ISEI. COSIA partners include: Hampton University Virginia Aquarium; Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Visitor's Center; Rutgers University Liberty Science Center; University of California, Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science; and University of Southern California Aquarium of the Pacific. COS has been or will soon be taught at Rutgers University, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, University of Oregon (GK-12 program), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and others. Data from surveys of students demonstrates improvement in their understanding of how people learn and how to effectively communicate. For example, there was a decrease in agreement with statements describing traditional didactic teaching strategies suggesting that students who took the course developed a more sophisticated, inquiry-based philosophy of learning. Providing college students with a background in current learning theory, and applying that theory through practical science communication experiences, will empower future generations of scientists to meet the communication challenges they will encounter in their careers.

‘The physics of life,’ an undergraduate general education biophysics course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parthasarathy, Raghuveer

2015-05-01

Improving the scientific literacy of non-scientists is an important aim, both because of the ever-increasing impact of science on our lives and because understanding science enriches our experience of the natural world. One route to improving scientific literacy is via general education undergraduate courses—i.e. courses for students not majoring in the sciences or engineering. Because it encompasses a variety of important scientific concepts, demonstrates connections between basic science and real-world applications and illustrates the creative ways in which scientific insights develop, biophysics is a useful subject with which to promote scientific literacy. I describe here a course on biophysics for non-science-major undergraduates recently developed at the University of Oregon (Eugene, OR, USA), noting its design, which spans both macroscopic and microscopic topics, and the specific content of a few of its modules. I also describe evidence-based pedagogical approaches adopted in teaching the course and aspects of course enrollment and evaluation.

Building confidence: an exploration of nurses undertaking a postgraduate biological science course.

PubMed

Van Wissen, Kim; McBride-Henry, Karen

2010-01-01

This study aimed to explore the impact of studying biological science at a postgraduate level and how this impacted on nursing practice. The term biological sciences in this research encompasses elements of physiology, genetics, biochemistry and pathophysiology. A qualitative research study was designed, that involved the dissemination of a pre- and post-course semi-structured questionnaire for a biological science course, as part of a Master of Nursing programme at a New Zealand University, thus exploring the impact of undertaking a postgraduate biological sciences course. The responses were analysed into themes, based on interpretive concepts. The primary themes revealed improvement in confidence as: confidence in communication, confidence in linking nursing theoretical knowledge to practice and confidence in clinical nursing knowledge. This study highlights the need to privilege clinically-derived nursing knowledge, and that confidence in this nursing knowledge and clinical practice can be instilled through employing the model of theory-guided practice.

Soils in Schools: Embedding Soil Science in STEM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryce, Alisa

2015-01-01

Soil science, though relevant to a variety of subjects including science, geography, mathematics, social sciences and history, is typically perceived as a subgenre of agriculture. With a global need for soil scientists, and declining numbers in university soil courses, there's a growing gap between science needs and providers. One way to promote…

Teachers, Research, and Reform: Improving Teaching and Learning in High School Science Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaiser, Bonnie

One of the challenges issued by the National Science Education Standards is for students to learn the content and process of modern scientific inquiry by engaging in research and entering science competitions. The Rockefeller University Precollege Science Education Outreach Programs (Science Outreach) provide access for about 70 students from…

A college of science: Bridging the gap between school and university

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutherford, Margaret; Zietsman, Aletta

1992-12-01

Many tertiary institutions in South Africa have implemented schemes to help redress the unfair school educational system. This paper describes one such initiative to increase access and success of educationally disadvantaged students in science. The background of the College of Science and the success of its first intake of students is described with an emphasis on the physics component of the physical sciences course. Sixty six percent of the students passed all three courses in their first year with the most educationally disadvantaged showing the greatest gains.

Universal Design for Learning and Its Application to Clinical Placements in Health Science Courses (Practice Brief)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heelan, Ann; Halligan, Phil; Quirke, Mary

2015-01-01

In 2013 Ireland's Association for Higher Education, Access and Disability (AHEAD), in partnership with the School of Nursing University College Dublin (UCD), hosted a summer school for professionals working in the Health Sciences sector who have responsibility for including students with disabilities in the health professions, including clinical…

Introducing Project-Based Instruction in the Saudi ESP Classroom: A Study in Qassim University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsamani, Abdul-Aziz Saleh; Daif-Allah, Ayman Sabry

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to study the impact of introducing an integrative pedagogical approach in the ESP classes on developing the English language vocabulary of Computer Science and Information Technology students in the College of Science, Qassim University. The study suggests a framework for an ESP course-design employing students' project…

Improving Assessment Methods in University Science Education with Negotiated Self- and Peer-Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poon, Wai-Yin; McNaught, Carmel; Lam, Paul; Kwan, H. S.

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate whether, in the Hong Kong context, self- and peer-assessment promote students' self-reflection and enable students to understand their own strengths and weaknesses better. A three-stage assessment strategy was employed in three Science courses at The Chinese University of Hong Kong: (1) students developing…

Educational Transformation in Upper-Division Physics: The Science Education Initiative Model, Outcomes, and Lessons Learned

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chasteen, Stephanie V.; Wilcox, Bethany; Caballero, Marcos D.; Perkins, Katherine K.; Pollock, Steven J.; Wieman, Carl E.

2015-01-01

In response to the need for a scalable, institutionally supported model of educational change, the Science Education Initiative (SEI) was created as an experiment in transforming course materials and faculty practices at two institutions--University of Colorado Boulder (CU) and University of British Columbia. We find that this departmentally…

Food Control and a Citizen Science Approach for Improving Teaching of Genetics in Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borrell, Y. J.; Muñoz-Colmenero, A. M.; Dopico, E.; Miralles, L.; Garcia-Vazquez, E.

2016-01-01

A Citizen Science approach was implemented in the laboratory practices of Genetics at the University of Oviedo, related with the engaging topic of Food Control. Real samples of food products consumed by students at home ("students as samplers") were employed as teaching material in three different courses of Genetics during the academic…

The Association between Secondary Mathematics and First Year University Performance in Health Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joyce, Christopher; Hine, Gregory; Anderton, Ryan

2017-01-01

In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the rate of participation in secondary school mathematics courses within Australia, particularly in advanced or higher level mathematics. The aim of this study was to investigate how grade point average (GPA) differed between five health science degrees at an Australian university. The…

The Development of Teaching Skills to Support Active Learning in University Science (ALIUS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bedgood, Danny R., Jr.; Bridgeman, Adam J.; Buntine, Mark; Mocerino, Mauro; Southam, Daniel; Lim, Kieran F.; Gardiner, Michael; Yates, Brian; Morris, Gayle; Pyke, Simon M.; Zadnik, Marjan

2010-01-01

This paper describes an Australian Learning and Teaching Council funded project for which Learning Design is encompassed in the broadest sense. ALIUS (Active Learning In University Science) takes the design of learning back to the learning experiences created for students. ALIUS is not about designing a particular activity, or subject, or course,…

Formative Reflections of University Recreation Science Students in South Africa as Catalyst for an Adapted Service-Learning Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goslin, Anneliese; van der Klashorst, Engela; Kluka, Darlene A.; van Wyk, Johannes G. U.

2016-01-01

Community-university partnerships through service-learning have progressively developed as part of institutions of higher education's mission statements. This paper explores the qualitative reflections of 410 undergraduate students enrolled in an academic recreation science course on a first time service-learning experience in South Africa. The…

Translanguaging Practices at a Bilingual University: A Case Study of a Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazak, Catherine M.; Herbas-Donoso, Claudia

2015-01-01

The objective of this ethnographic case study is to describe in detail one professor's translanguaging practices in an undergraduate science course at an officially bilingual university. The data-set is comprised of ethnographic field notes of 11 observed classes, audio recordings of those classes, an interview with the professor, and artifacts…

AMS Online Weather Studies: The National Dissemination of a Distance Learning Course for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinbeck, R. S.; Geer, I. W.; Mills, E. W.; Porter, W. A.; Moran, J. M.

2004-12-01

Our nation faces a serious challenge in attracting young people to science and science-related careers (including teaching). This is particularly true for members of groups underrepresented in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology and is especially acute in the number of minority college students majoring in the geosciences. A formidable obstacle in attracting undergraduates to the geosciences is lack of access, that is, no opportunity to enroll in geoscience courses simply because none is offered at their college or university. Often college-level introductory courses are a student's first exposure to the geosciences. To help alleviate this problem of access, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) has developed and implemented nationally an introductory weather and climate course, Online Weather Studies, which can be added to an institution's menu of general education course offerings. This highly successful course has been licensed by over 230 colleges and universities nationwide, among them 72 minority-serving institutions which have joined via the AMS Online Weather Studies Geosciences Diversity Program since 2002. This program designed to reach institutions serving large numbers of minority students has been made possible through support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG) and Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement-National Dissemination (CCLI-ND) programs. Online Weather Studies is an innovative, 12- to 15-week introductory college-level, online distance-learning course on the fundamentals of atmospheric science. Learner-formatted current weather data are delivered via the Internet and coordinated with investigations keyed to the day's weather. The principal innovation of Online Weather Studies is that students learn about weather as it happens in near real-time - a highly motivational learning experience. The AMS Education Program designed and services this course and makes it available to colleges and universities as a user-friendly turnkey package with electronic and printed components. The AMS Geosciences Diversity Program, in cooperation with the National Weather Service (NWS), facilitates institutional participation in Online Weather Studies. Prior to an instructor's initial offering of the course, he or she is invited to attend a one-week course implementation workshop at the NWS Training Center at Kansas City, MO. Participants are encouraged to share best practices ideas in science content and teaching strategies related to their offering of Online Weather Studies. Through the course homepage, students are provided with information on further studies in the atmospheric sciences, opportunities for internships and summer research, and career counseling. Meteorologists-in-Charge at NWS Weather Forecast Offices across the nation have interacted with minority-serving institutions to encourage adoption of the AMS weather course. Also, participating faculty members are invited to the Educational Symposium of the AMS Annual Meeting where they will attend a special Diversity Session and are encouraged to present posters.

Flexner 2.0-Longitudinal Study of Student Participation in a Campus-Wide General Pathology Course for Graduate Students at The University of Arizona.

PubMed

Briehl, Margaret M; Nelson, Mark A; Krupinski, Elizabeth A; Erps, Kristine A; Holcomb, Michael J; Weinstein, John B; Weinstein, Ronald S

2016-01-01

Faculty members from the Department of Pathology at The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson have offered a 4-credit course on enhanced general pathology for graduate students since 1996. The course is titled, "Mechanisms of Human Disease." Between 1997 and 2016, 270 graduate students completed Mechanisms of Human Disease. The students came from 21 programs of study. Analysis of Variance, using course grade as the dependent and degree, program, gender, and year (1997-2016) as independent variables, indicated that there was no significant difference in final grade (F = 0.112; P = .8856) as a function of degree (doctorate: mean = 89.60, standard deviation = 5.75; master's: mean = 89.34, standard deviation = 6.00; certificate program: mean = 88.64, standard deviation = 8.25), specific type of degree program (F = 2.066, P = .1316; life sciences: mean = 89.95, standard deviation = 6.40; pharmaceutical sciences: mean = 90.71, standard deviation = 4.57; physical sciences: mean = 87.79, standard deviation = 5.17), or as a function of gender (F = 2.96, P = .0865; males: mean = 88.09, standard deviation = 8.36; females: mean = 89.58, standard deviation = 5.82). Students in the physical and life sciences performed equally well. Mechanisms of Human Disease is a popular course that provides students enrolled in a variety of graduate programs with a medical school-based course on mechanisms of diseases. The addition of 2 new medically oriented Master of Science degree programs has nearly tripled enrollment. This graduate level course also potentially expands the interdisciplinary diversity of participants in our interprofessional education and collaborative practice exercises.

Flexner 2.0—Longitudinal Study of Student Participation in a Campus-Wide General Pathology Course for Graduate Students at The University of Arizona

PubMed Central

Briehl, Margaret M.; Nelson, Mark A.; Krupinski, Elizabeth A.; Erps, Kristine A.; Holcomb, Michael J.; Weinstein, John B.

2016-01-01

Faculty members from the Department of Pathology at The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson have offered a 4-credit course on enhanced general pathology for graduate students since 1996. The course is titled, “Mechanisms of Human Disease.” Between 1997 and 2016, 270 graduate students completed Mechanisms of Human Disease. The students came from 21 programs of study. Analysis of Variance, using course grade as the dependent and degree, program, gender, and year (1997-2016) as independent variables, indicated that there was no significant difference in final grade (F = 0.112; P = .8856) as a function of degree (doctorate: mean = 89.60, standard deviation = 5.75; master’s: mean = 89.34, standard deviation = 6.00; certificate program: mean = 88.64, standard deviation = 8.25), specific type of degree program (F = 2.066, P = .1316; life sciences: mean = 89.95, standard deviation = 6.40; pharmaceutical sciences: mean = 90.71, standard deviation = 4.57; physical sciences: mean = 87.79, standard deviation = 5.17), or as a function of gender (F = 2.96, P = .0865; males: mean = 88.09, standard deviation = 8.36; females: mean = 89.58, standard deviation = 5.82). Students in the physical and life sciences performed equally well. Mechanisms of Human Disease is a popular course that provides students enrolled in a variety of graduate programs with a medical school-based course on mechanisms of diseases. The addition of 2 new medically oriented Master of Science degree programs has nearly tripled enrollment. This graduate level course also potentially expands the interdisciplinary diversity of participants in our interprofessional education and collaborative practice exercises. PMID:28725783

Important Role of the Hall Effect Measurement System in a Modified Course of Materials in Electrical Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stojanovic, G.; Savic, S.; Zivanov, L.

2009-01-01

The course "Materials in Electrical Engineering" is a core course in the Mechatronics curriculum at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Serbia. In the past, this course was comprehensive and mainly theory-based. Teaching methods used in this course had not been changed for many years, and were mainly based on a…

Communicating the Benefits of a Full Sequence of High School Science Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholas, Catherine Marie

High school students are generally uninformed about the benefits of enrolling in a full sequence of science courses, therefore only about a third of our nation's high school graduates have completed the science sequence of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The lack of students completing a full sequence of science courses contributes to the deficit in the STEM degree production rate needed to fill the demand of the current job market and remain competitive as a nation. The purpose of the study was to make a difference in the number of students who have access to information about the benefits of completing a full sequence of science courses. This dissertation study employed qualitative research methodology to gain a broad perspective of staff through a questionnaire and document review and then a deeper understanding through semi-structured interview protocol. The data revealed that a universal sequence of science courses in the high school district did not exist. It also showed that not all students had access to all science courses; students were sorted and tracked according to prerequisites that did not necessarily match the skill set needed for the courses. In addition, the study showed a desire for more support and direction from the district office. It was also apparent that there was a disconnect that existed between who staff members believed should enroll in a full sequence of science courses and who actually enrolled. Finally, communication about science was shown to occur mainly through counseling and peers. A common science sequence, detracking of science courses, increased communication about the postsecondary and academic benefits of a science education, increased district direction and realistic mathematics alignment were all discussed as solutions to the problem.

Pedagogical Preparation of the Science Graduate Teaching Assistant: Challenges and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Grant E.; Jones, M. Gail

2011-01-01

Graduate teaching assistants are often left out of the science teacher education reform agenda, but these science educators are responsible for significant amounts of undergraduate instruction especially at large research universities. Within science departments specifically, a number of courses and laboratories are taught by graduate teaching…

Preparing minority undergraduate students for successful science careers.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akundi, Murty

2008-03-01

Xavier University of Louisiana is well known for being number one in graduating the most minority students in physical and biological sciences. The reason for this success is built on the concept of Standards with Sympathy in the Sciences (Triple S). This is an outgrowth of over twenty years of planning and development by the Xavier science faculty to devise a program for preparing and retaining students in the sciences and engineering. Xavier has been successfully conducting for over ten years, Summer Science Academy (SSA) for middle and high school students; Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Scholars and Howard Hughes Biomedical programs for in-coming freshmen. Recently, through a grant from NSF, we have developed the Experiential Problem-solving and Analytical Reasoning (EPsAR) summer bridge program for in-coming freshmen who were given conditional admission to the university (i.e., those students who scored below the acceptable range for placement into degree mathematics courses). In this program, EPsAR participants will be engaged in problem-solving and critical thinking activities for eight hours per day, five days per week, for six weeks. Additionally, an interdisciplinary approach is taken to convey the mathematical skills learned to relate to physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. Sixty-six students have participated in the last two years in the EPsAR program. During the first year 23 of 28 students successfully bi-passed the algebra review course and were placed into a degree credit course in mathematics. In the second year, thirty-one (31) of the 38 were advanced to a higher-level mathematics course. Twenty-three (23) out of 38 went on to degree credit math course. To retain students in the sciences peer tutoring in all the science disciplines are made available to students throughout the day for 5 days per week. Faculty and students are available to give guidance to the needed students. The University has established a Graduate Placement Office and a Center for Undergraduate Research to facilitate students' pursuit of gradate studies. The results of these efforts indicate a 40 percent graduation rate in four years and increased to 90 percent in six years in the natural sciences and 50 percent of these graduates pursue graduate/professional careers.

Earth Futures: a General Education Sustainability Course at the Pennsylvania State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bralower, T. J.; Bice, D. M.; Barron, E. J.

2012-12-01

Earth in the Future: Predicting Climate Change and Its Impacts Over the Next Century has been taught at The Pennsylvania State University since 2000. The course is a general education course designed to give a broad survey of the science underlying climate change as well as the impacts on natural and human systems. The course has three major goals: (1) to provide an understanding of climate science and of the possible scenarios of how climate may change in the future; (2) to analyze the linkages between climate and major human and natural systems, including agriculture, water, ocean circulation, and coastal ecosystems, necessary to assess the potential impacts of climate change; and (3) to understand the potential responses to climate change, including both adaptation to, and mitigation of change. The general education course is the entry point for a new BS-degree program, Earth System Science and Policy (ESSP). Initially the course was taught face to face on a yearly basis. Recently we have developed an on-line version of the course, and, in Fall semester, 2012, we are teaching a revised version of the course face-to-face and on-line. Both versions of the course are being assessed using survey instruments developed for InTeGrate courses. The simultaneous instruction provides a unique opportunity to compare the strengths and weaknesses of the two different modes of education. From its beginning, the course has included laboratory exercises designed to enhance the student's understanding of climate science. The revised course includes laboratory exercises in every module, including STELLA-based model experiments. These exercises form an essential part of the on-line version of the course, however, the identical exercises are involved in the face-to-face version. In our presentation, we provide preliminary comparison of the two instructional modes as well as their effectiveness in recruiting students to the ESSP major.

The Casualty Actuarial Society: Helping Universities Train Future Actuaries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boa, J. Michael; Gorvett, Rick

2014-01-01

The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) believes that the most effective way to advance the actuarial profession is to work in partnership with universities. The CAS stands ready to assist universities in creating or enhancing courses and curricula associated with property/casualty actuarial science. CAS resources for university actuarial science…

Universities and nursing education.

PubMed

Hayward, J

1982-07-01

Trends reflected by Department of Health and Social Security statistics on the nursing workforce are examined and the ratios between grades discussed. Recruitment into nursing degree courses in the UK is considered in relation to overall recruitment into nursing. The somewhat ambiguous position of nursing degree courses in the UK leads into consideration of policy statements by the universities and the nursing profession. The importance of such policies is emphasized in the current financial climate, as are the potential contributions of university departments to professional debate, for example standards of care. Comparisons are drawn between the goals of courses involving full-time studentships as opposed to part-time apprenticeships and the present boundaries between these noted, especially in relation to the expanding roles of courses. On-going research into the preparation of nurse-tutors in the UK is mentioned, together with a preliminary analysis of the academic basis in the biological sciences possessed by learners and tutors. Out of this is derived a suggestion that the present-day shortage of nurse teachers could be helped by varying the existing patterns of recruitment, especially involving subject specialists in the biological, behavioural and social sciences.

Enhancing Science Literacy and Art History Engagement at Princeton Through Collaboration Between the University Art Museum and the Council on Science and Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riihimaki, C. A.; White, V. M.

2016-12-01

The importance of innovative science education for social science and humanities students is often under-appreciated by science departments, because these students typically do not take science courses beyond general education requirements, nor do they contribute to faculty research programs. However, these students are vitally important in society—for example as business leaders or consultants, and especially as voters. In these roles, they will be confronted with decisions related to science in their professional and personal lives. The Council on Science and Technology at Princeton University aims to fill this education gap by developing and supporting innovative programs that bring science to cross-disciplinary audiences. One of our most fruitful collaborations has been with the Princeton University Art Museum, which has an encyclopedic collection of over 92,000 works of art, ranging from antiquity to the contemporary. Our work includes 1) bringing introductory environmental science courses to the Museum to explore how original works of art of different ages can serve as paleo-environmental proxies, thereby providing a means for discussing broader concepts in development of proxies and validation of reconstructions; 2) sponsoring a panel aimed at the general public and composed of science faculty and art historians who discussed the scientific and art historical contexts behind Albert Bierstadt's Mount Adams, Washington, 1875 (oil on canvas, gift of Mrs. Jacob N. Beam, accession number y1940-430), including the landscape's subjects, materials, technique, and style; and 3) collaborating on an installation of photographs relevant to a freshman GIS course, with an essay about the artwork written by the students. This first-hand study of works of art encourages critical thinking and an empathetic approach to different historical periods and cultures, as well as to the environment. Our collaboration additionally provides an opportunity to engage more students in science and art history concepts, energizes the faculty by providing new opportunities for them to interact with colleagues across the University, and enhances funding requests by broadening the typical audience for Art Museum and science departments.

Persistence and withdrawal by students in a preservice science and mathematics teacher education course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tulip, David F.; Lucas, Keith B.

1991-12-01

At a time when recruitment into preservice teacher education courses in mathematics and science is difficult, one strategy to increase the number of graduates is to minimise the number of students who fail to complete their university courses. This study sought to determine factors which distinguish withdrawers from persisters in the first semester of a B.Ed course. Discriminant analysis was employed; a discriminant function employing seven factors resulted in correct classification in 81% of cases. Further analysis distinguishing between dropouts and transferees resulted in two discriminant functions with some common variables.

Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences through National Dissemination of the AMS Online Weather Studies Distance Learning Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinbeck, R. S.; Geer, I. W.; Mills, E. W.; Porter, W. A.; Moran, J. M.

2002-12-01

Our nation faces a serious challenge in attracting young people to science and science-related careers (including teaching). This is particularly true for members of groups underrepresented in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology and is especially acute in the number of minority college students majoring in the geosciences. A formidable obstacle in attracting undergraduates to the geosciences is lack of access, that is, no opportunity to enroll in an introductory geoscience course simply because none is offered at their college or university. Often introductory or survey courses are a student's first exposure to the geosciences. To help alleviate this problem, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) through its Education Program developed and implemented nationally an introductory weather and climate course, Online Weather Studies, which can be added to an institution's menu of general education course offerings. This highly successful course will be offered at 130 colleges and universities nationwide, including 30 minority-serving institutions, 20 of which have joined the AMS Online Weather Studies Diversity Program during 2002. The AMS encourages course adoption by more institutions serving large numbers of minority students through support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG) and Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement-National Dissemination (CCLI-ND) programs. Online Weather Studies is an innovative, 12- to 15-week introductory college-level, online distance-learning course on the fundamentals of atmospheric science. Learner-formatted current weather data are delivered via the Internet and coordinated with investigations keyed to the day's weather. The principal innovation of Online Weather Studies is that students learn about weather as it happens in near real-time-a highly motivational learning experience. The AMS Education Program designed and services this course and makes it available to colleges and universities as a user-friendly turnkey package with electronic and printed components. The AMS Diversity Program, in cooperation with the National Weather Service (NWS) facilitates institutional participation in Online Weather Studies. Prior to an instructor's initial offering of the course, he or she is invited to attend a one-week course implementation workshop at the NWS Training Center at Kansas City, MO. Participants then join an interactive network to share best practices ideas in science content and teaching strategies related to their offering of Online Weather Studies. They participate in a mentoring program that networks students with professional meteorologists and provides opportunities for internships, summer research, and career counseling. Meteorologists-in-Charge at NWS Weather Forecast Offices across the nation have volunteered their time to help make these opportunities possible. Also, participants are invited to attend the Educational Symposium of the AMS Annual Meeting where they will attend a special Diversity Session and are encouraged to present a paper or poster.

DoD Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program for High School Students, 1995-󈨤 Activities

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-06-01

University of Florida Sports Medicine Honor Roll Weightlifting , Swimming NAME: RACE: SEX: HIGH SCHOOL: ANTICIPATED COLLEGE: ANTICIPATED MAJOR...program. Three of the students took a Psychology course, one took a Nutritional Science class, one a Math course and two of them took a Meteorology...Awards and Scholarships: Honor Roll 13. Activities/Hobbies: Weightlifting , Swimming (Suggested Form) INFORMATION FOR EACH APPRENTICE

When and Why Are the Values of Physical Quantities Expressed with Uncertainties? A Case Study of a Physics Undergraduate Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caussarieu, Aude; Tiberghien, Andrée

2017-01-01

The understanding of measurement is related to the understanding of the nature of science--one of the main goals of current international science teaching at all levels of education. This case study explores how a first-year university physics course deals with measurement uncertainties in the light of an epistemological analysis of measurement.…

Content Analysis of the Practicum Course in the Master of Science in Educational Leadership/Administration Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norman, Scott W.

2013-01-01

In this study, I explored the overall efficacy of the Master of Science in Educational Leadership/ Administration (MSEL/A) program at Florida State University (FSU), by taking a closer look at the introductory course, Practicum in Educational Leadership (the Practicum), as well as the final assessment, the student e-portfolio. The MSEL/A at FSU is…

What Can Expeditions Do for Students … and for Science? An Investigation into the Impact of University of Glasgow Exploration Society Expeditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, Lynsey R.; Downie, J. Roger; Muir, Martin; White, Stewart A.

2017-01-01

The benefits of field courses for biological science students are well established, but field courses also have limitations: they are generally too brief to allow significant research and they are staff-designed and led, limiting the development of student autonomy. In contrast, the value of student-organised field expeditions has been little…

Comparisons Between Science Knowledge, Interest, and Information Literacy of Learners in Introductory Astronomy Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, Sanlyn; Impey, Chris David; Formanek, Martin; Wenger, Matthew

2018-01-01

Introductory astronomy courses are exciting opportunities to engage non-major students in scientific issues, new discoveries, and scientific thinking. Many undergraduate students take these courses to complete their general education requirements. Many free-choice learners also take these courses, but for their own interest. We report on a study comparing the basic science knowledge, interest in science, and information literacy of undergraduate students and free choice learners enrolled in introductory astronomy courses run by the University of Arizona. Undergraduate students take both in-person and online courses for college credit. Free choice learners enroll in massive open online courses (MOOCs), through commercial platforms, that can earn them a certificate (although most do not take advantage of that opportunity). In general, we find that undergraduate students outperform the general public on basic science knowledge and that learners in our astronomy MOOCs outperform the undergraduate students in the study. Learners in the MOOC have higher interest in science in general. Overall, learners in both groups report getting information about science from online sources. Additionally, learners’ judgement of the reliability of different sources of information is weakly related to their basic science knowledge and more strongly related to how they describe what it means to study something scientifically. We discuss the implications of our findings for both undergraduate students and free-choice learners as well as instructors of these types of courses.

College Readiness: The Evaluation of Students Participating in the Historically Black College and University Program in Pre-Calculus and the Calculus Sequence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Angela Renee

2011-01-01

This investigative research focuses on the level of readiness of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students entering Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the college Calculus sequence. Calculus is a fundamental course for STEM courses. The level of readiness of the students for Calculus can very well play a…

"Quit School and Become a Taxi Driver": Reframing First-Year Students' Expectations of Assessment in a University Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niven, Penelope

2009-01-01

The context of this research is an academic writing course for first-year Social Science students on a four-year extended curriculum at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. This course traditionally uses written formative feedback on drafts of students' assignments and the lecturers were frustrated by the students' negative, minimal responses to the…

Light-based science and technologies and human civilization: an optical course for general education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaotong; Wang, Kaiwei; Yang, Qing; Si, Ke

2017-08-01

Starting from 2015, a general education course named "Light-based science and technologies and human civilization" has been offered in Zhejiang University. We try to give a humanism view angle to observe optics and optical engineering, and combine them with the relationship of human and the nature, the development of human society and human health. In this course we introduce different historical periods of light-based science and technologies, the great optical researchers, the typical research methods, advantages, academic discussions and the relationship with human civilization. The relevant cross-fields of learning and Nobel Prize winners are also included. This course provides the students with the typical examples about how academic revolution influences the world development, and also with humanism sight which exceeds the range of science and technologies themselves.

Massive open online courses in health sciences from Latin American institutions: A need for improvement?

PubMed

Culquichicón, Carlos; Helguero-Santin, Luis M; Labán-Seminario, L Max; Cardona-Ospina, Jaime A; Aboshady, Omar A; Correa, Ricardo

2017-01-01

Background: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have undergone exponential growth over the past few years, offering free and worldwide access to high-quality education. We identified the characteristics of MOOCs in the health sciences offered by Latin American institutions (LAIs). Methods: We screened the eight leading MOOCs platforms to gather their list of offerings. The MOOCs were classified by region and subject. Then, we obtained the following information: Scopus H-index for each institution and course instructor, QS World University Ranking® 2015/16 of LAI, and official language of the course. Results: Our search identified 4170 MOOCs worldwide. From them, 205 MOOCs were offered by LAIs, and six MOOCs were health sciences related. Most of these courses (n = 115) were offered through Coursera. One health science MOOC was taught by three instructors, of which only one was registered in Scopus (H-index = 0). The remaining five health science MOOCs had solely one instructor (H-index = 4 [0-17]). The Latin American country with the highest participation was Brazil (n = 11). Conclusion: The contribution of LAI to MOOCs in the health sciences is low.

A Retrospective Look at Replacing Face-to-Face Embryology Instruction with Online Lectures in a Human Anatomy Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beale, Elmus G.; Tarwater, Patrick M.; Lee, Vaughan H.

2014-01-01

Embryology is integrated into the Clinically Oriented Anatomy course at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. Before 2008, the same instructor presented embryology in 13 face-to-face lectures distributed by organ systems throughout the course. For the 2008 and 2009 offerings of the course, a hybrid embryology…

Reaching Beyond the Geoscience Stigma: Strategies for Success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messina, P.; Metzger, E. P.

2004-12-01

The geosciences have traditionally been viewed with less "academic prestige" than other science curricula. Among the effects of this perception are depressed K-16 enrollments; state standards' relegation of Earth and space science concepts to earlier grades; Earth Science assignments to lower-performing students, and sometimes even to under-qualified teachers: all of which simply confirm the misconceptions. Restructuring pre-college science curricula so that Earth Science is placed as a capstone course is one way to enhance student understanding of the geosciences. Research demonstrates that reversing the traditional science course sequence (by offering Physics in the ninth grade) improves student success in subsequent science courses. The "Physics First" movement continues to gain momentum offering a possible niche for the Earth and space sciences beyond middle school. It is also critical to bridge the information gap for those with little or no prior exposure to the Earth sciences, particularly K-12 educators. An Earth systems course developed at San José State University is aligned to our state's standards; it is approved to satisfy geoscience subject matter competency by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, making it a popular offering for pre- and in-service teachers. Expanding our audience beyond the Bay Area, the Earth Systems Science Education Alliance courses infuse real-world and hands-on learning in a cohesive online curriculum. Through these courses teachers gain knowledge, share effective pedagogies, and build geography-independent communities.

Adding a Bit More History to Science Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeBuvitz, William

2011-05-01

The usual science course is not meant to be a history course and the usual science book is not meant to be a history book. However, most science books do include some historical information. Unfortunately, the history part is usually so brief that it is far from interesting and often so oversimplified that it is totally wrong. Introductory physics books often present the history of physics as a dull, cold, logical progression of discoveries and theories. As a result, the student might think that one day Sir Isaac Newton said to himself, "I think I'll produce a theory of gravitation." Then he sat down, wrote it all out, published it, received universal acclaim, and then was included in all physics textbooks. This view of science can look pretty dull and unappealing to students.

Self-Instructional Materials for Underprepared Science Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bedient, Douglas; And Others

1984-01-01

Some of the students in Southern Illinois University's introductory zoology course were deficient in certain skills. The design of self-instructional modules that would be educationally sound and help overcome some problems encountered in this course is discussed. (MLW)

Educational technology usage and needs of science education in Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turkmen, Hakan

The purpose of this study was to examine Turkish science teachers and pre-service teachers' attitudes towards the use of technological tools in their science lessons in Turkish colleges of education in the assist of Turkish government projects, and how science education teachers, who have earned a science education degree from western countries, influence the use technology in Turkish higher education. The research method employed were quantitative data sources, including a technology background questionnaire, which is cross-sectional design, and qualitative historical research data sources. The study analyzed the data under a cross-section or between subjects' method with four factors: Turkish science teachers; Turkish pre-service science teachers; Turkish science teachers who have earned science degrees from western universities; and Turkish graduate students whose majors are in science education in U.S. It was anticipated that an analysis of variance (ANOVA) would be used to analyze data and "level 0.05" was established. Major findings of the study include: (1) Science education faculty members who have earned science education degrees from western countries have a positive effect on the use of technological tools in science courses in Turkish higher education. (2) Science education faculty members who have earned science degrees from Turkish universities have a limited knowledge on the use of technological tools in science courses in Turkish higher education. (3) Science education graduate students who have been studying in science education in western countries have positive attitudes for the use of technological tools in science courses have potential to impact Turkish higher education, when they return to Turkey. (4) Most Turkish pre-service teachers know very little about effective use of technology in education. Gender differences are apparent and females consistently indicated that they knew less and hence may not integrate technological tools in their teaching. (5) Turkish pre-service or new teachers are exposed to teacher educators that do not sufficiently model the appropriate use of computers for instructional purposes, either in courses or in field experiences. The technology that is used focuses more on older and simpler instructional applications of computer technology (e.g., computer assisted instruction, word processing) and older educational technologies (e.g., overhead projectors, calculators, slides). (6) Faculty rank in general, made little vis-a-vis technology use in knowledge. Integrating technology into teaching and learning in Turkish education is a slow, time-consuming process that requires substantial levels of support and encouragement and requires patience and understanding. In light of efforts by the Turkish government, Turkish faculty members who earned their degrees from western universities, and graduate students earning degrees from American universities will be leaders on the long road to change.

Integrating Mathematics into the Introductory Biology Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, James D.; Carpenter, Jenna P.

2008-01-01

Louisiana Tech University has an integrated science curriculum for its mathematics, chemistry, physics, computer science, biology-research track and secondary mathematics and science education majors. The curriculum focuses on the calculus sequence and introductory labs in biology, physics, and chemistry. In the introductory biology laboratory…

The Metamorphosis of an Introduction to Computer Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-Jacob, Marion G.

1997-01-01

Introductory courses in computer science at colleges and universities have undergone significant changes in 20 years. This article provides an overview of the history of introductory computer science (FORTRAN, ANSI flowchart symbols, BASIC, data processing concepts, and PASCAL) and its future (robotics and C++). (PEN)

Towson University's Professional Science Master's Program in Applied Physics: The first 5 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolagani, Rajeswari

It is a well-established fact that the scientific knowledge and skills acquired in the process of obtaining a degree in physics meet the needs of a variety of positions in multiple science and technology sectors. However, in addition to scientific competence, challenging careers often call for skills in advanced communication, leadership and team functions. The professional science master's degree, which has been nick-named as the `Science MBA', aims at providing science graduates an edge both in terms of employability and earning levels by imparting such skills. Our Professional Science Master's Program in Applied Physics is designed to develop these `plus' skills through multiple avenues. In addition to advanced courses in Applied Physics, the curriculum includes graduate courses in project management, business and technical writing, together with research and internship components. I will discuss our experience and lessons learned over the 5 years since the inception of the program in 2010. The author acknowledges support from the Elkins Professorship of the University System of Maryland.

Diversity of Approaches to Structuring University-Based Earth System Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aron, J.; Ruzek, M.; Johnson, D. R.

2004-12-01

Over the past quarter century, the "Earth system science" paradigm has emerged among the interdisciplinary science community, emphasizing interactions among components hitherto considered within separate disciplines: atmosphere (air); hydrosphere (water); biosphere (life); lithosphere (land); anthroposphere (human dimension); and exosphere (solar system and beyond). How should the next generation of Earth system scientists learn to contribute to this interdisciplinary endeavor? There is no one simple answer. The Earth System Science Education program, funded by NASA, has addressed this question by supporting faculty at U.S. universities who develop new courses, curricula and degree programs in their institutional contexts. This report demonstrates the diversity of approaches to structuring university-based Earth system science education, focusing on the 18 current grantees of the Earth System Science Education Program for the 21st Century (ESSE21). One of the most fundamental characteristics is the departmental structure for teaching Earth system science. The "home" departments of the Earth system science faculty range from Earth sciences and physics to agronomy and social work. A brand-new institution created an interdisciplinary Institute for Earth Systems Science and Policy without traditional "parent" departments. Some institutions create new degree programs as majors or as minors while others work within existing degree programs to add or revise courses. A university may also offer multiple strands, such as a degree in the Science of the Earth System and a degree in the Human Dimensions of the Earth System. Defining a career path is extremely important to students considering Earth system science programs and a major institutional challenge for all programs in Earth system science education. How will graduate programs assess prospective students? How will universities and government agencies assess prospective faculty and scientists? How will government agencies allocate funds to interdisciplinary Earth system science and technology? Finally, how should the Earth system science education community evolve?

Course Manual for X-Ray Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Food and Drug Administration (DHEW), Rockville, MD. Bureau of Radiological Health.

This publication is the third of three sequential course manuals for instructors in x-ray science and engineering. This course manual has been tested by introducing it into the Oregon State University curriculum. The publication is prepared for the purpose of improving the qualifications of x-ray users and to reduce the ionizing radiation exposure…

Sex and Gender in the Social Sciences: Reassessing the Introductory Course, Principles in Microeconomics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gappa, Judith M.; Pearce, Janice

Developed to help faculty teaching introductory courses in microeconomics, psychology, and sociology in colleges and universities incorporate existing knowledge about women into their course content and teaching practices, this report is organized into two sets of guidelines. The first, "Content Guidelines: Sex and Gender in the Introductory…

Developing and Implementing an Interdisciplinary Origins Course at a State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Keith; Totten, Iris

2009-01-01

A truly interdisciplinary course was successfully developed and taught that presented an overview of the historical sciences with an emphasis on the nature of scientific inquiry and its relationship to other ways of knowing. The course included contributions from faculty in physics, biology, geology, philosophy, and English. (Contains 2 figures.)

Adding Interactivity to a Non-Interative Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Gary; Krichen, Jack

2004-01-01

The IT 3050 course at Capella University is an introduction to fundamental computer networking. This course is one of the required courses in the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology program. In order to provide a more enriched learning environment for learners, Capella has significantly modified this class (and others) by infusing it…

Use of Selected Dental School Courses for Continuing Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanger, Roger G.

1981-01-01

In an effort to market current predoctoral dental courses offered at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry to the practicing dentist, a 10-hour forensic odontology course was offered to both predoctoral dental students and practicing dentists and their staffs. Positive reactions and cost effectiveness of this pilot…

Communicating about Sexuality: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Honors Seminar.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rozema, Hazel J.

A course in the honors program (a sophomore level social science seminar) at Millikin University offers an interdisciplinary approach to communication and sexuality, functions as a course in the Gender Studies Minor curriculum, and provides a needed source of sex education for the campus. The purpose of the course is to facilitate communication…

UWHS Climate Science: Uniting University Scientists and High School Teachers in the Development and Implementation of a Dual-Credit STEM-Focused Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertram, M. A.; Thompson, L.; Ackerman, T. P.

2012-12-01

The University of Washington is adapting a popular UW Atmospheric Sciences course on Climate and Climate Change for the high school environment. In the process, a STEM-focused teaching and learning community has formed. With the support of NASA Global Climate Change Education 20 teachers have participated in an evolving professional development program that brings those actively engaged in research together with high school teachers passionate about bringing a formal climate science course into the high school. Over a period of several months participating teachers work through the UW course homework and delve deeply into specific subject areas. Then, during a week-long summer institute, scientists bring their particular expertise (e.g. radiation, modeling) to the high school teachers through lectures or labs. Together they identify existing lectures, textbook material and peer-reviewed resources and labs available through the internet that can be used to effectively teach the UW material to the high school students. Through this process the scientists learn how to develop teaching materials around their area of expertise, teachers engage deeply in the subject matter, and both the university and high school teachers are armed with the tools to effectively teach a STEM-focused introductory course in climate science. To date 12 new hands-on modules have been completed or are under development, exploring ice-cores, isotopes, historical temperature trends, energy balance, climate models, and more. Two modules have been tested in the classroom and are ready for peer-review through well-respected national resources such as CLEAN or the National Earth Science Teachers Association; three others are complete and will be implemented in a high school classroom this year, and the remainder under various stages of development. The UWHS ATMS 211 course was piloted in two APES (Advanced Placement Environmental Science classrooms) in Washington State in 2011/2012. The high school course used the UW Atmospheric Sciences curriculum, exams, and textbook (The Earth System, 3rd edition, Kump, Kasting and Crane, 2010), and one of the hands-on modules. Communication with these instructors during the year helped us define assessment strategies and to identify challenges of bringing the material into the high school classroom. This knowledge will be shared with teachers during our summer 2012 workshop and will inform approaches to teaching the course in 2012/2013. Proposed formats for implementation include year-long courses, using the APES/Climate format of 2011/2012, a union of Oceanography and Climate content, or in the context of an engineering course. Our initial vision was for a stand-alone semester or year-long course in climate science, incorporating excel and data handling as a learning tool and a suite of hands-on learning opportunities. Yet, the creative approaches to implementation of a new course in the schools, together with the breadth and depth of the UW curriculum and the Kump et al. 2010 textbook, have resulted in diverse educational approaches for bringing climate science into the high school.

Specialized Workshops on the Agricultural Science and Technology Curriculum for Secondary Agricultural Science Teachers. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock.

This brief report describes six 2- to 3-day specialized workshops conducted at Texas Tech University and Stephen F. Austin University campuses for 121 secondary agriscience teachers. The workshops provided teachers with instruction and materials to assist them in teaching the new 100, 200, and 300 level semester courses. Topics were as follows:…

Expanding Access for Training of Science Teachers through ODL: A Case Study of University of Lagos, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okunuga, A. O.; Olaoluniyi, O.; Opara, A. I.

2013-01-01

Rising up to the challenge of shortage of middle manpower in Nigeria, the University of Lagos established the Correspondence and Open Studies Unit (COSU), now Distance Learning Institute DLI). Accounting, Business Administration and Science-Education were the pilot courses at the B.Sc. level. The Special Entry Preparatory Programme (SEPP) was…

Teaching Physics at a Business College: Challenges and Opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finberg, Sharon

2003-10-01

Most physicists are familiar with the challenge of teaching physics to non-science students. At Bentley College, a premier business university, we have unique challenges and opportunities. Newsweek magazine (Sept. 1, 2003) named Bentley College among the 12 "Hot Schools" for 2004 and the most "career-focused." Undergraduates intent on business majors often perceive physics as unbearable and opt for courses in other science disciplines to fulfill requirements. Within a relatively short period of time, I have successfully applied various strategies to attract these business-minded students to our one-semester "Basic Physics" course, such changing to a highly experiential course and including examples from many consumer products. Innovative one-semester elective courses aimed at specific interests such as energy, sports, music and the visual arts meet the challenge of enticing students to physics courses to complete their math/science elective requirement.

A case-based, small-group cooperative learning course in preclinical veterinary science aimed at bridging basic science and clinical literacy.

PubMed

Schoeman, J P; van Schoor, M; van der Merwe, L L; Meintjes, R A

2009-03-01

In 1999 a dedicated problem-based learning course was introduced into the lecture-based preclinical veterinary curriculum of the University of Pretoria. The Introduction to Clinical Studies Course combines traditional lectures, practical sessions, student self-learning and guided tutorials. The self-directed component of the course utilises case-based, small-group cooperative learning as an educational vehicle to link basic science with clinical medicine. The aim of this article is to describe the objectives and structure of the course and to report the results of the assessment of the students' perceptions on some aspects of the course. Students reacted very positively to the ability of the course to equip them with problem-solving skills. Students indicated positive perceptions about the workload of the course. There were, however, significantly lower scores for the clarity of the course objectives. Although the study guide for the course is very comprehensive, the practice regarding the objectives is still uncertain. It is imperative to set clear objectives in non-traditional, student-centred courses. The objectives have to be explained at the outset and reiterated throughout the course. Tutors should also communicate the rationale behind problem-based learning as a pedagogical method to the students. Further research is needed to verify the effectiveness of this course in bridging the gap between basic science and clinical literacy in veterinary science. Ongoing feedback and assessment of the management and content are important to refine this model for integrating basic science with clinical literacy.

The transformative experiences of a scientist-professor with teacher candidates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lashley, Terry Lee Hester

This case study documented the pedagogical and philosophical change experiences of a senior research scientist-professor at a large Research I University as he implemented an open inquiry immersion course with secondary science teacher candidates. The 4-semester hour graduate-level credit course (Botany 531) is titled "Knowing and Teaching Science: Just Do-It!" The students were 5th-year education students who possessed an undergraduate degree in the biological sciences. The premise for the course is that to teach science effectively, one must be able to DO science. Students were provided with extensive opportunities to design and carry out experiments and communicate the results both orally and in a written format. The focus of this dissertation was on changes in the pedagogical philosophy and practice of the scientist-professor as he taught this course over a 4-year period, 1997--2000. The data used in this study include the scientist-professor's reflective journals (1997--2000), the students' journals (1997--2000), and interviews with the scientist-professor (2001--2002). HyperRESEARCH 2.03 software was used to code and analyze the reflective journals and transcribed interviews. Data were reviewed and then placed into original codes. The codes were then grouped into themes for analysis. Identified themes included (1) Reflective Practice, (2) Social Construction of Knowledge, (3) Legitimate Peripheral Participation, and (4) the Zone of Proximal Development. There is clear evidence that the scientist-professor experienced transformative changes in his philosophy and practice over the 4-year period. This is shown by (1) differences in learning outcomes and expectations for Do-It! course students and traditional course students, (2) documentation of the scientist-professor's movement through the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Stages of Concern, (3) increased collaboration and support from the college of education, (4) development and delivery of two other courses patterned after the Do-It! course, (5) interest and participation in education research, (6) presentation and participation in national and regional science education conferences, and (7) efforts to influence colleagues regarding teaching and learning. Furthermore, questioning strategies are an instructional strategy and dialogue is a component of all his university courses. Moreover, his professional research interest includes science pedagogy and he coauthors research articles with science educators.

Evaluating Interactive Transect Area Assessments Hands-On Instruction for Natural Resource Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unger, Daniel; Schwab, Sarah; Jacques, Ryan; Zhang, Yanli; Hung, I-Kuai; Kulhavy, David

2016-01-01

Undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Spatial Science degree at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) receive instruction in the spatial sciences with a focus on hands-on applications. All undergraduate students take the course Introduction to Spatial Science which includes a comprehensive overview of spatial science…

Characteristics of Abductive Inquiry in Earth Science: An Undergraduate Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oh, Phil Seok

2011-01-01

The goal of this case study was to describe characteristic features of abductive inquiry learning activities in the domain of earth science. Participants were undergraduate junior and senior students who were enrolled in an earth science education course offered for preservice secondary science teachers at a university in Korea. The undergraduate…

An Integrative Approach to Improving an Introductory Weather & Climate Course and Developing an Allied NASA Earth & Space Science Certificate Program for Pre-service Secondary Teachers (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrow, C. A.; Martin-Hansen, L.; Diem, J.; Elliott, W.

2009-12-01

An Atlanta-based partnership made up of leaders in science, education, and Georgia’s state-wide STEM Education Initiative are creating an enduring legacy of climate science education for pre-service and in-service teachers in Georgia as well as for underrepresented high school students who participate in an "Early College" program with Georgia State University (GSU). The core elements of our NASA-funded program are to infuse NASA global climate change resources and best pedagogical practice into a popular 4-credit lecture/lab course called “Introduction to Weather & Climate” (GEOG 1112) at GSU, and to establish a sustainable academic program for pre-service teachers in the College of Education called the NASA Earth & Space Science (ESS) Teacher Certificate. The NASA ESS Certificate will require candidates to accomplish the following as part of (or in addition to) standard degree and licensure requirements: 1. successfully complete a graduate section of “Introduction to Weather and Climate” (GEOG 7112), which requires lesson planning related to course content and engagement with GSU's new CO2 monitoring station whose research-quality data will provide unique hands-on opportunities for Metro Atlanta students and teachers; 2) complete an additional advanced course in climate change (GEOG 6784) plus elective hours in physical science disciplines (e.g. astronomy and physics); 3) serve as a lab teaching assistant for GEOG 1112 and a coach for a cadre of Carver Early College students who are taking the course; 4) make at least one of two teaching practica at a Georgia-based NASA Explorer School; and 5) participate or co-present in a week-long, residential, field-based, Summer Institute in Earth & Space Science intended to increase the interest, knowledge, and ability of in-service secondary science educators to fulfill climate-related standards in Earth Science and Earth Systems Science. We will evaluate, document, and disseminate (to the University System of Georgia and beyond) our model for the NASA-enhancement of an introductory science course as a focal point for teacher preparation and professional development.

Climate Literacy: STEM and Climate Change Education and Remote Sensing Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, S. R.

2015-12-01

NASA Innovations in Climate Education (NICE) is a competitive project to promote climate and Earth system science literacy and seeks to increase the access of underrepresented minority groups to science careers and educational opportunities. A three year funding was received from NASA to partnership with JSU and MSU under cooperative agreement "Strengthening Global Climate Change education through Remote Sensing Application in Coastal Environment using NASA Satellite Data and Models". The goal is to increase the number of highschool and undergraduate students at Jackson State University, a Historically Black University, who are prepared to pursue higher academic degrees and careers in STEM fields. A five Saturday course/workshop was held during March/April 2015 at JSU, focusing on historical and technical concepts of math, enginneering, technology and atmosphere and climate change and remote sensing technology and applications to weather and climate. Nine students from meteorology, biology, industrial technology and computer science/engineering of JSU and 19 high scool students from Jackson Public Schools participated in the course/workshop. The lecture topics include: introduction to remote sensing and GIS, introduction to atmospheric science, math and engineering, climate, introduction to NASA innovations in climate education, introduction to remote sensing technology for bio-geosphere, introduction to earth system science, principles of paleoclimatology and global change, daily weather briefing, satellite image interpretation and so on. In addition to lectures, lab sessions were held for hand-on experiences for remote sensing applications to atmosphere, biosphere, earth system science and climate change using ERDAS/ENVI GIS software and satellite tools. Field trip to Barnett reservoir and National weather Service (NWS) was part of the workshop. Basics of Earth System Science is a non-mathematical introductory course designed for high school seniors, high school teachers and undergraduate students who may or may not have adequate exposure to fundamental concepts of the key components of the modern earth system and their interactions. This is an online course that will be delivered using Blackboard platform available at Jackson State University.

Assessing and Enhancing Science Education at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saroka, Keith W.

The department of Physics of the University of Glasgow was concerned about losing students after the end of the level 1 Physics course. The current research project started as an attempt to find out the reasons for this, but moved to investigate attitudes towards Physics at several stages during secondary school and attitudes towards science with primary pupils. Analyses of factors, which influence students' intentions towards studying Physics, were performed against the background of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which interprets people's behaviour by considering three factors: attitude towards behaviour (advantages or disadvantages of being involved in the behaviour, e.g. studying Physics for Honours); subjective norm (approval or disapproval of important people towards engaging in the behaviour, e.g. parents, teacher, general norms of the society); perceived behavioural control (skills, knowledge, cooperation of others, abilities, efforts required to perform the behaviour). Analysis of these factors revealed some reasons for students' withdrawal from Physics after level 1 and pointed to factors which may facilitate students' persistence in the subject. A general analysis of level 1 and level 2 students' attitudes towards different aspects of the university Physics course revealed that the level 1 students' attitudes towards their university course of lectures and course of laboratories tended to be negatively polarised. Recommendations were suggested on the basis of the gathered evidence about how to make students' experience in university Physics more satisfactory for them. The data obtained from the separate analyses of females' and males' attitudes towards university Physics course have showed that attitudes of females and males were similar. The only significant difference between level 1 females and males was found to be the perceived behavioural control factor (students' attitudes towards course difficulty, attitudes towards work load in the course), which was significantly lower for females than for males. Special attention in this work was given to the problem of university Physics laboratory practice. Possibilities to improve students' attitudes towards laboratory work were discussed. This could be done through introduction of pre-lab (aimed to consolidate students' grasp of the necessary background for performing the experiment) and post-lab (aimed to provide students with opportunity to apply the theory they have learned and skills they have obtained from doing laboratory work to solve everyday problems). Examples of pre- and post-labs that were designed for the first term of the level 1 university Physics laboratory practice are given in the Appendix T. The project was extended from the university to the school area where cross-age analyses (measurements at one time with pupils of different age) of pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons were performed. Pupils from upper Primary P6/P7 up to Higher S5/S6 were involved in the research. These analyses have shown that patterns of Scottish pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons are not linear with age: attitudes of pupils who were self-selected towards the subject were not always more positive than attitudes of lower level pupils: primary school pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly more positive than attitudes of secondary S2 pupils; pupils doing Standard Grade Physics course were similar in their evaluations of Physics lessons at both S3 and S4 levels; at Higher Grade Physics pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly less positive than attitudes of Standard Grade Physics pupils. Pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons can be considered as a good indicator of pupils' reactions towards existing syllabuses in Science and Physics. Special attention in this study was devoted to the so-called "problem of girls in Physics". Separate analyses of boys' and girls' interests towards Physics topics revealed that although boys and girls are equally interested in certain areas of the subject, there are areas in Physics where boys and girls interests are significantly different. No differences were found in intensity of boys' and girls' interests towards suggested Physics topics at primary P6/P7 level, S3 and S5/S6 levels. At S2 and S4 levels a significant decline of girls' interests relative to boys interests was observed. S2 and S4 stages are decision making ones when pupils have the opportunity to select courses for the future. It was also revealed that the ratio of boys to girls in Physics once established at S2 level remains unchanged through the years of Standard Grade and Higher Grade Physics courses. This may indicate that if the number of girls in Physics is an issue for concern then attention should be paid to the primary and, especially early secondary years to attract girls to Physics. School Physics courses in Scotland revealed a high retention rate of girls in Physics. Analyses of preferred activities revealed that practical work is the most enjoyable activity in Science/Physics lessons for both girls and boys at every stage of schooling and studying the theory was found to be the least enjoyable activity at school for both genders at every age. The picture was almost the reverse with university Physics students.

Barrier Island Activity to Illustrate Hands-On Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, Suzanne H.

The department of Physics of the University of Glasgow was concerned about losing students after the end of the level 1 Physics course. The current research project started as an attempt to find out the reasons for this, but moved to investigate attitudes towards Physics at several stages during secondary school and attitudes towards science with primary pupils. Analyses of factors, which influence students' intentions towards studying Physics, were performed against the background of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which interprets people's behaviour by considering three factors: attitude towards behaviour (advantages or disadvantages of being involved in the behaviour, e.g. studying Physics for Honours); subjective norm (approval or disapproval of important people towards engaging in the behaviour, e.g. parents, teacher, general norms of the society); perceived behavioural control (skills, knowledge, cooperation of others, abilities, efforts required to perform the behaviour). Analysis of these factors revealed some reasons for students' withdrawal from Physics after level 1 and pointed to factors which may facilitate students' persistence in the subject. A general analysis of level 1 and level 2 students' attitudes towards different aspects of the university Physics course revealed that the level 1 students' attitudes towards their university course of lectures and course of laboratories tended to be negatively polarised. Recommendations were suggested on the basis of the gathered evidence about how to make students' experience in university Physics more satisfactory for them. The data obtained from the separate analyses of females' and males' attitudes towards university Physics course have showed that attitudes of females and males were similar. The only significant difference between level 1 females and males was found to be the perceived behavioural control factor (students' attitudes towards course difficulty, attitudes towards work load in the course), which was significantly lower for females than for males. Special attention in this work was given to the problem of university Physics laboratory practice. Possibilities to improve students' attitudes towards laboratory work were discussed. This could be done through introduction of pre-lab (aimed to consolidate students' grasp of the necessary background for performing the experiment) and post-lab (aimed to provide students with opportunity to apply the theory they have learned and skills they have obtained from doing laboratory work to solve everyday problems). Examples of pre- and post-labs that were designed for the first term of the level 1 university Physics laboratory practice are given in the Appendix T. The project was extended from the university to the school area where cross-age analyses (measurements at one time with pupils of different age) of pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons were performed. Pupils from upper Primary P6/P7 up to Higher S5/S6 were involved in the research. These analyses have shown that patterns of Scottish pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons are not linear with age: attitudes of pupils who were self-selected towards the subject were not always more positive than attitudes of lower level pupils: primary school pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly more positive than attitudes of secondary S2 pupils; pupils doing Standard Grade Physics course were similar in their evaluations of Physics lessons at both S3 and S4 levels; at Higher Grade Physics pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly less positive than attitudes of Standard Grade Physics pupils. Pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons can be considered as a good indicator of pupils' reactions towards existing syllabuses in Science and Physics. Special attention in this study was devoted to the so-called "problem of girls in Physics". Separate analyses of boys' and girls' interests towards Physics topics revealed that although boys and girls are equally interested in certain areas of the subject, there are areas in Physics where boys and girls interests are significantly different. No differences were found in intensity of boys' and girls' interests towards suggested Physics topics at primary P6/P7 level, S3 and S5/S6 levels. At S2 and S4 levels a significant decline of girls' interests relative to boys interests was observed. S2 and S4 stages are decision making ones when pupils have the opportunity to select courses for the future. It was also revealed that the ratio of boys to girls in Physics once established at S2 level remains unchanged through the years of Standard Grade and Higher Grade Physics courses. This may indicate that if the number of girls in Physics is an issue for concern then attention should be paid to the primary and, especially early secondary years to attract girls to Physics. School Physics courses in Scotland revealed a high retention rate of girls in Physics. Analyses of preferred activities revealed that practical work is the most enjoyable activity in Science/Physics lessons for both girls and boys at every stage of schooling and studying the theory was found to be the least enjoyable activity at school for both genders at every age. The picture was almost the reverse with university Physics students.

Teaching Research Integrity and Bioethics to Science Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turrens, Julio F.

2005-01-01

Undergraduate students in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Alabama, Mobile, are required to take a course entitled "Issues in Biomedical Sciences," designed to increase students' awareness about bioethical questions and issues concerning research integrity. This paper describes the main features of this…

Facilitating Long-Term Changes in Student Approaches to Learning Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchwitz, Brian J.; Beyer, Catharine H.; Peterson, Jon E.; Pitre, Emile; Lalic, Nevena; Sampson, Paul D.; Wakimoto, Barbara T.

2012-01-01

Undergraduates entering science curricula differ greatly in individual starting points and learning needs. The fast pace, high enrollment, and high stakes of introductory science courses, however, limit students' opportunities to self-assess and modify learning strategies. The University of Washington's Biology Fellows Program (BFP) intervenes…

An Innovative, Multidisciplinary Educational Program in Interactive Information Storage and Retrieval. M.S. Thesis Final Report, 1 Jul. 1985 - 31 Dec. 1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Gallagher, Mary C.

1985-01-01

There exists a large number of large-scale bibliographic Information Storage and Retrieval Systems containing large amounts of valuable data of interest in a wide variety of research applications. These systems are not used to capacity because the end users, i.e., the researchers, have not been trained in the techniques of accessing such systems. This thesis describes the development of a transportable, university-level course in methods of querying on-line interactive Information Storage and Retrieval systems as a solution to this problem. This course was designed to instruct upper division science and engineering students to enable these end users to directly access such systems. The course is designed to be taught by instructors who are not specialists in either computer science or research skills. It is independent of any particular IS and R system or computer hardware. The project is sponsored by NASA and conducted by the University of Southwestern Louisiana and Southern University.

A comparative study of traditional lecture methods and interactive lecture methods in introductory geology courses for non-science majors at the college level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hundley, Stacey A.

In recent years there has been a national call for reform in undergraduate science education. The goal of this reform movement in science education is to develop ways to improve undergraduate student learning with an emphasis on developing more effective teaching practices. Introductory science courses at the college level are generally taught using a traditional lecture format. Recent studies have shown incorporating active learning strategies within the traditional lecture classroom has positive effects on student outcomes. This study focuses on incorporating interactive teaching methods into the traditional lecture classroom to enhance student learning for non-science majors enrolled in introductory geology courses at a private university. Students' experience and instructional preferences regarding introductory geology courses were identified from survey data analysis. The information gained from responses to the questionnaire was utilized to develop an interactive lecture introductory geology course for non-science majors. Student outcomes were examined in introductory geology courses based on two teaching methods: interactive lecture and traditional lecture. There were no significant statistical differences between the groups based on the student outcomes and teaching methods. Incorporating interactive lecture methods did not statistically improve student outcomes when compared to traditional lecture teaching methods. However, the responses to the survey revealed students have a preference for introductory geology courses taught with lecture and instructor-led discussions and students prefer to work independently or in small groups. The results of this study are useful to individuals who teach introductory geology courses and individuals who teach introductory science courses for non-science majors at the college level.

The persistence of Black males in the STEM fields at Texas State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, Beverly Woodson

For the past five years, enrollment in the College of Science and Engineering by first-time undergraduate students has steadily increased. However, retaining the students through their first-year and their persistence to their second year of college and beyond has been problematic. The purpose of this study is to add to the knowledge of why Black students, specifically Black men, are not persisting at Texas State University in the STEM majors. It will also determine if specific factors like the SAT scores, parent's education, high school rank, college GPA, college science and math courses (physics, math, biology and chemistry), college credits earned and average GPA in all science and math college courses predict college preparation and college performance for all students and for Black male students.

Veicolarita e linguaggio scientifico--analisi del primo "Progetto italiano per studenti universitari somali" (Languages for Special Purposes and Scientific Usage--An Analysis of the First "Italian Project for Somali University Students").

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amato, Antonio

1979-01-01

The development of an intensive Italian course for science students attending Somalia's National University is described. The historical background for this project, sponsored by the Italian Government and staffed by Italian teachers, is outlined. Course objectives, methods, and organization are illustrated by samples of instructional materials,…

Lessons Learned from Undergraduate Students in Designing a Science-Based Course in Bioethics

PubMed Central

Loike, John D.; Rush, Brittany S.; Schweber, Adam; Fischbach, Ruth L.

2013-01-01

Columbia University offers two innovative undergraduate science-based bioethics courses for student majoring in biosciences and pre–health studies. The goals of these courses are to introduce future scientists and healthcare professionals to the ethical questions they will confront in their professional lives, thus enabling them to strategically address these bioethical dilemmas. These courses incorporate innovative pedagogical methods, case studies, and class discussions to stimulate the students to think creatively about bioethical issues emerging from new biotechnologies. At the end of each course, each student is required to submit a one-page strategy detailing how he or she would resolve a bioethical dilemma. Based on our experience in teaching these courses and on a qualitative analysis of the students’ reflections, we offer recommendations for creating an undergraduate science-based course in bioethics. General recommendations include: 1) integrating the science of emerging biotechnologies, their ethical ramifications, and contemporary bioethical theories into interactive class sessions; 2) structuring discussion-based classes to stimulate students to consider the impact of their moral intuitions when grappling with bioethical issues; and 3) using specific actual and futuristic case studies to highlight bioethical issues and to help develop creative problem-solving skills. Such a course sparks students’ interests in both science and ethics and helps them analyze bioethical challenges arising from emerging biotechnologies. PMID:24297296

Students' attitudes to learning physics at school and university levels in Scotland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skryabina, Elena

The department of Physics of the University of Glasgow was concerned about losing students after the end of the level 1 Physics course. The current research project started as an attempt to find out the reasons for this, but moved to investigate attitudes towards Physics at several stages during secondary school and attitudes towards science with primary pupils. Analyses of factors, which influence students' intentions towards studying Physics, were performed against the background of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which interprets people's behaviour by considering three factors: attitude towards behaviour (advantages or disadvantages of being involved in the behaviour, e.g. studying Physics for Honours); subjective norm (approval or disapproval of important people towards engaging in the behaviour, e.g. parents, teacher, general norms of the society); perceived behavioural control (skills, knowledge, cooperation of others, abilities, efforts required to perform the behaviour). Analysis of these factors revealed some reasons for students' withdrawal from Physics after level 1 and pointed to factors which may facilitate students' persistence in the subject. A general analysis of level 1 and level 2 students' attitudes towards different aspects of the university Physics course revealed that the level 1 students' attitudes towards their university course of lectures and course of laboratories tended to be negatively polarised. Recommendations were suggested on the basis of the gathered evidence about how to make students' experience in university Physics more satisfactory for them. The data obtained from the separate analyses of females' and males' attitudes towards university Physics course have showed that attitudes of females and males were similar. The only significant difference between level 1 females and males was found to be the perceived behavioural control factor (students' attitudes towards course difficulty, attitudes towards work load in the course), which was significantly lower for females than for males. Special attention in this work was given to the problem of university Physics laboratory practice. Possibilities to improve students' attitudes towards laboratory work were discussed. This could be done through introduction of pre-lab (aimed to consolidate students' grasp of the necessary background for performing the experiment) and post-lab (aimed to provide students with opportunity to apply the theory they have learned and skills they have obtained from doing laboratory work to solve everyday problems). Examples of pre- and post-labs that were designed for the first term of the level 1 university Physics laboratory practice are given in the Appendix T. The project was extended from the university to the school area where cross-age analyses (measurements at one time with pupils of different age) of pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons were performed. Pupils from upper Primary P6/P7 up to Higher S5/S6 were involved in the research. These analyses have shown that patterns of Scottish pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons are not linear with age: attitudes of pupils who were self-selected towards the subject were not always more positive than attitudes of lower level pupils: primary school pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly more positive than attitudes of secondary S2 pupils; pupils doing Standard Grade Physics course were similar in their evaluations of Physics lessons at both S3 and S4 levels; at Higher Grade Physics pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly less positive than attitudes of Standard Grade Physics pupils. Pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons can be considered as a good indicator of pupils' reactions towards existing syllabuses in Science and Physics. Special attention in this study was devoted to the so-called "problem of girls in Physics". Separate analyses of boys' and girls' interests towards Physics topics revealed that although boys and girls are equally interested in certain areas of the subject, there are areas in Physics where boys and girls interests are significantly different. No differences were found in intensity of boys' and girls' interests towards suggested Physics topics at primary P6/P7 level, S3 and S5/S6 levels. At S2 and S4 levels a significant decline of girls' interests relative to boys interests was observed. S2 and S4 stages are decision making ones when pupils have the opportunity to select courses for the future. It was also revealed that the ratio of boys to girls in Physics once established at S2 level remains unchanged through the years of Standard Grade and Higher Grade Physics courses. This may indicate that if the number of girls in Physics is an issue for concern then attention should be paid to the primary and, especially early secondary years to attract girls to Physics. School Physics courses in Scotland revealed a high retention rate of girls in Physics. Analyses of preferred activities revealed that practical work is the most enjoyable activity in Science/Physics lessons for both girls and boys at every stage of schooling and studying the theory was found to be the least enjoyable activity at school for both genders at every age. The picture was almost the reverse with university Physics students.

Redesigning a General Education Science Course to Promote Critical Thinking.

PubMed

Rowe, Matthew P; Gillespie, B Marcus; Harris, Kevin R; Koether, Steven D; Shannon, Li-Jen Y; Rose, Lori A

2015-01-01

Recent studies question the effectiveness of a traditional university curriculum in helping students improve their critical thinking and scientific literacy. We developed an introductory, general education (gen ed) science course to overcome both deficiencies. The course, titled Foundations of Science, differs from most gen ed science offerings in that it is interdisciplinary; emphasizes the nature of science along with, rather than primarily, the findings of science; incorporates case studies, such as the vaccine-autism controversy; teaches the basics of argumentation and logical fallacies; contrasts science with pseudoscience; and addresses psychological factors that might otherwise lead students to reject scientific ideas they find uncomfortable. Using a pretest versus posttest design, we show that students who completed the experimental course significantly improved their critical-thinking skills and were more willing to engage scientific theories the general public finds controversial (e.g., evolution), while students who completed a traditional gen ed science course did not. Our results demonstrate that a gen ed science course emphasizing the process and application of science rather than just scientific facts can lead to improved critical thinking and scientific literacy. © 2015 M. P. Rowe, B. M. Gillespie, et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Assessing Student Attitudes Towards Science in an Adaptive Online Astrobiology Course: Comparing Online and On-Campus Undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, S.; Perera, V.; Mead, C.; Horodyskyj, L.; Semken, S. C.; Lopatto, D.; Anbar, A. D.

2016-12-01

General-education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses are considered essential to a college education, in part, to train students to think critically and to make informed decisions about complex scientific issues such as climate change and public health. Therefore, the goals of these STEM courses go beyond content knowledge to include generating positive attitudes towards science, developing competence in evaluating scientific information in everyday life, and understanding the nature of science. The Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) survey is frequently used to measure these attitudes, but it has not previously been used in an online, general education course. In this work, we administered the CURE survey for three semesters (N = 774) before and after completion of an online astrobiology course called Habitable Worlds. We compare students taking this course as part of fully-online degree programs (o-course) with those taking it as part of traditional undergraduate programs (i-course). More females and older students were among the o-course group, while overall the course had more white students than the Arizona State University average. Mean course grades were similar between the two groups but attitudes toward science differred significantly. O-course students began the course with more positive attitudes than i-course students, and o-course students also showed more positive changes at the end of the course. These differences suggest lesser intrinsic motivation among the i-course students. Additionally, pre-course attitudes correlated with final course grade for o-course students, but not for i-course students, which implies that success among o-course students is influenced by different factors than i-course students. Thus, effective student support strategies may differ for online-only students. Future work will include student interviews to better calibrate the CURE survey to online science courses.

Criminalistics and the forensic nursing process.

PubMed

Burgess, Ann Wolbert; Piatelli, Michael J; Pasqualone, Georgia

2011-06-01

Students learn science by actually performing science activities. The 12 laboratories described in this article assist students in applying the fundamental techniques germane to the field of forensic science to "solve" contrived cases and present "evidence" in a mock trial. Moreover, students are also confronted with some of the legal and ethical issues concerning the validity, reliability, and application of some forensic techniques. The pedagogical design of the laboratory course provides a rich, challenging, and interdisciplinary academic experience intended to augment and compliment the didactic forensic lecture portion of the course. This laboratory course was designed to engender, embody, and articulate one of the University's directive goals to support interdisciplinary teaching, research, and programming. Because we developed the laboratories on minimal funds, we demonstrated that it could be cost-effective. And thus, we recommend a laboratory science course be included as part of the curriculum of all forensic nursing students and practitioners. © 2011 International Association of Forensic Nurses.

The ongoing educational anomaly of earth science placement

USGS Publications Warehouse

Messina, P.; Speranza, P.; Metzger, E.P.; Stoffer, P.

2003-01-01

The geosciences have traditionally been viewed with less "aCademic prTstige" than other science curricula. Among the results of this perception are depressed K-16 enrollments, Earth Science assignments to lower-performing students, and relegation of these classes to sometimes under-qualified educators, all of which serve to confirm the widely-held misconceptions. An Earth Systems course developed at San Jos??e State University demonstrates the difficulty of a standard high school Earth science curriculum, while recognizing the deficiencies in pre-college Earth science education. Restructuring pre-college science curricula so that Earth Science is placed as a capstone course would greatly improve student understanding of the geosciences, while development of Earth systems courses that infuse real-world and hands-on learning at the college level is critical to bridging the information gap for those with no prior exposure to the Earth sciences. Well-crafted workshops for pre-service and inservice teachers of Earth Science can heIp to reverse the trends and unfortunate "sTatus" in geoscience education.

The NASA Radiation Interuniversity Science and Engineering(RaISE) Project: A Model for Inter-collaboration and Distance Learning in Radiation Physics and Nuclear Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Denkins, Pamela S.; Saganti, P.; Obot, V.; Singleterry, R.

2006-01-01

This viewgraph document reviews the Radiation Interuniversity Science and Engineering (RaISE) Project, which is a project that has as its goals strengthening and furthering the curriculum in radiation sciences at two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University. Those were chosen in part because of the proximity to NASA Johnson Space Center, a lead center for the Space Radiation Health Program. The presentation reviews the courses that have been developed, both in-class, and on-line.

Preparing to understand and use science in the real world: interdisciplinary study concentrations at the Technical University of Darmstadt.

PubMed

Liebert, Wolfgang J

2013-12-01

In order to raise awareness of the ambiguous nature of scientific-technological progress, and of the challenging problems it raises, problems which are not easily addressed by courses in a single discipline and cannot be projected onto disciplinary curricula, Technical University of Darmstadt has established three interdisciplinary study concentrations: "Technology and International Development", "Environmental Sciences", and "Sustainable Shaping of Technology and Science". These three programmes seek to overcome the limitations of strictly disciplinary research and teaching by developing an integrated, problem-oriented approach. For example, one course considers fundamental nuclear dilemmas and uses role-playing techniques to address a controversy in the area of nuclear security. At the same time, incorporating interdisciplinary teaching into a university that is organized around mono- or multi-disciplinary faculties also poses a number of challenges. Recognition in disciplinary curricula, and appropriate organizational support and funding are examples of those challenges. It is expected that science and engineering students, empowered by such interdisciplinary study programmes, will be better prepared to act responsibly with regard to scientific and technological challenges.

From Gatekeeping to Engagement: A Multicontextual, Mixed Method Study of Student Academic Engagement in Introductory STEM Courses.

PubMed

Gasiewski, Josephine A; Eagan, M Kevin; Garcia, Gina A; Hurtado, Sylvia; Chang, Mitchell J

2012-03-01

The lack of academic engagement in introductory science courses is considered by some to be a primary reason why students switch out of science majors. This study employed a sequential, explanatory mixed methods approach to provide a richer understanding of the relationship between student engagement and introductory science instruction. Quantitative survey data were drawn from 2,873 students within 73 introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses across 15 colleges and universities, and qualitative data were collected from 41 student focus groups at eight of these institutions. The findings indicate that students tended to be more engaged in courses where the instructor consistently signaled an openness to student questions and recognizes her/his role in helping students succeed. Likewise, students who reported feeling comfortable asking questions in class, seeking out tutoring, attending supplemental instruction sessions, and collaborating with other students in the course were also more likely to be engaged. Instructional implications for improving students' levels of academic engagement are discussed.

CLIMANDES climate science e-learning course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunziker, Stefan; Giesche, Alena; Jacques-Coper, Martín; Brönnimann, Stefan

2016-04-01

Over the past three years, members of the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR) and the Climatology group at the Institute of Geography at the University of Bern, have developed a new climate science e-learning course as part of the CLIMANDES project. This project is a collaboration between Peruvian and Swiss government, research, and education institutions. The aim of this e-learning material is to strengthen education in climate sciences at the higher education and professional level. The course was recently published in 2015 by Geographica Bernensia, and is hosted online by the Peruvian Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (SENAMHI): http://surmx.com/chamilo/climandes/e-learning/. The course is furthermore available for offline use through USB sticks, and a number of these are currently being distributed to regional training centers around the world by the WMO (World Meteorological Organization). There are eight individual modules of the course that each offer approximately 2 hours of individual learning material, featuring several additional learning activities, such as the online game "The Great Climate Poker" (http://www.climatepoker.unibe.ch/). Overall, over 50 hours of learning material are provided by this course. The modules can be integrated into university lectures, used as single units in workshops, or be combined to serve as a full course. This e-learning course presents a broad spectrum of topics in climate science, including an introduction to climatology, atmospheric and ocean circulation, climate forcings, climate observations and data, working with data products, and climate models. This e-learning course offers a novel approach to teaching climate science to students around the world, particularly through three important features. Firstly, the course is unique in its diverse range of learning strategies, which include individual reading material, video lectures, interactive graphics, responsive quizzes, as well as group activities and discussions that are led by a tutor. This combination of self-learning and group-based learning presents a new and more interactive style of online education. Secondly, the course provides links to many existing e-learning and other online learning resources for specific climate science topics. This makes the course a starting point for students looking to deepen their knowledge in specific areas. Lastly, the existing course template is available upon request, for teachers to add modules that they would like to offer in addition to the CLIMANDES course. This gives instructors an easy way to adapt the course to their needs and learn about the software needed to make more e-learning material.

Teaching Critical Thinking through a course on Science and Religion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shipman, H. L.; Jordan, J. J.

2004-12-01

The relationship between science and religion is, according to the public debate, rather stormy. It doesn't have to be this way. Since 1998, an astronomer (Shipman) and a philosopher (Jordan) have team-taught a course with a more constructive approach. This course has a recognized role in the University's General Education program and in the philosophy major. As overall course goals, we hope that our students will be able to: - exhibit critical thinking skills in being able to tell the difference between good arguments and bad arguments in this area - recognize that the relationship between science and religion is not necessarily an antagonistic one. We accomplish these goals by focusing the course on four major issues, namely: - Does Big Bang Cosmology leave room for a Creator? - Can a rational person believe in miracle reports? - In the light of modern science, what does it mean to be human? - Can a theist, someone who believes in God, rationally accept the scientific theory of biological evolution? We have evidence in the course to evaluate student progress towards our goals. Student responses to a pre- and post-testing methodology, where they responded to the same assignment at the beginning and at the end of the course, were classified as seeing the relationship between science and religion as confrontational, distinct, convergent, or transitional between distinct and convergent. Preliminary analysis of the student responses shows a significant shift away from a confrontational position and towards a more convergent position. The development of this course was supported by the John Templeton Foundation's Science and Religion course program. H.L.S.'s scholarly work integrating science research and science education research is supported by the National Science Foundation's Distinguished Teaching Scholars Program. DUE-0306557),

Composing Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atkins, Leslie

2015-03-01

The course Scientific Inquiry at California State University was developed by faculty in biology, physics and English to meet ``writing proficiency'' requirements for non-science majors. Drawing from previous work in composition studies, the position that we take in this course is that we should be engaging students in writing that replicates the work that writing does in science, rather than replicating the particular structural conventions characteristic of scientific writing. That is, scientists use writing to have, remember, share, vet, challenge, and stabilize ideas, and our course requires students use writing to achieve those aims, rather than produce writing that obeys particular conventions of scientific writing. This talk will describe how we have integrated findings from composition studies with a course on scientific inquiry, and provide examples of how scientific communication has resulted from this dialogue. Funding by NSF #1140860.

Design and Delivery of Online Courses in YCMOU

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamlaskar, Chetana H.; Killedar, Manoj

2015-01-01

The School of Science and Technology of "Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU)" has proposed to offer "Web Based Live Teaching Learning Support" from "real" teacher, with "Live Virtual Online Class (LVOC)" integrated with "Learning Management System (LMS)" for all courses of all…

Effect of nickel silicide gettering on metal-induced crystallized polycrystalline-silicon thin-film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyung Yoon; Seok, Ki Hwan; Chae, Hee Jae; Lee, Sol Kyu; Lee, Yong Hee; Joo, Seung Ki

2017-06-01

Low-temperature polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated via metal-induced crystallization (MIC) are attractive candidates for use in active-matrix flat-panel displays. However, these exhibit a large leakage current due to the nickel silicide being trapped at the grain boundaries of the poly-Si. We reduced the leakage current of the MIC poly-Si TFTs by developing a gettering method to remove the Ni impurities using a Si getter layer and natively-formed SiO2 as the etch stop interlayer. The Ni trap state density (Nt) in the MIC poly-Si film decreased after the Ni silicide gettering, and as a result, the leakage current of the MIC poly-Si TFTs decreased. Furthermore, the leakage current of MIC poly-Si TFTs gradually decreased with additional gettering. To explain the gettering effect on MIC poly-Si TFTs, we suggest an appropriate model. He received the B.S. degree in School of Advanced Materials Engineering from Kookmin University, Seoul, South Korea in 2012, and the M.S. degree in Department of Materials Science and Engineering from Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea in 2014. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul. He is involved in semiconductor device fabrication technology and top-gate polycrystalline-silicon thin-film transistors. He received the M.S. degree in innovation technology from Ecol Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France in 2013. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul. He is involved in semiconductor device fabrication technology and bottom-gate polycrystalline-silicon thin-film transistors. He is currently pursuing the integrated M.S and Ph.D course with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul. He is involved in semiconductor device fabrication technology and copper-gate polycrystalline-silicon thin-film transistors. He is currently pursuing the integrated M.S and Ph.D course with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul. He is involved in semiconductor device fabrication technology and bottom-gate polycrystalline-silicon thin-film transistors. He is currently pursuing the integrated M.S and Ph.D course with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul. He is involved in semiconductor device fabrication technology and bottom-gate polycrystalline-silicon thin-film transistors. He received the B.S. degree in metallurgical engineering from Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, in 1974, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in material science and engineering from Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, in 1980 and 1983, respectively. He is currently a Professor with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul.

Investigating Student Attitudes toward a Synchronous, Online Graduate Course in a Multi-User Virtual Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annetta, Leonard; Murray, Marshall; Gull Laird, Shelby; Bohr, Stephanie; Park, John

2008-01-01

This article describes a graduate distance education course at North Carolina State University, which combined science content and pedagogy with video game design. The course was conducted entirely in a synchronous, online, Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) through the ActiveWorlds[TM] platform. Inservice teachers enrolled as graduate students in…

Life in the Cosmic Context. An Astrobiology Course as an Experiment in Transdisciplinarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friaça, A. C. S.; Janot Pacheco, E.

2014-10-01

``Life in the Cosmic Context" (AGA0316) is the astrobiology course offered by University of São Paulo to undergraduate students of science and humanities majors. The variety of background of the population attending AGA0316 and the broad scope of the addresssed issues makes this course a laboratory of transdisciplinarity.

Causal Attributions of Success and Failure Made by Undergraduate Students in an Introductory-Level Computer Programming Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawi, N.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this research is to identify the causal attributions of business computing students in an introductory computer programming course, in the computer science department at Notre Dame University, Louaize. Forty-five male and female undergraduates who completed the computer programming course that extended for a 13-week semester…

Diploma of Higher Studies in Oceanography. Red Sea & Gulf of Aden Programme (PERSGA).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arab Organization for Education and Science, Cairo (Egypt).

This document presents four courses for the diploma of higher studies in oceanography conducted by the Department of Oceanography, Faculty of Science, University of Alexandria, Egypt. These courses are organized by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO). Each course is designed to be taught in one academic year…

Improved Student Learning through a Faculty Learning Community: How Faculty Collaboration Transformed a Large-Enrollment Course from Lecture to Student Centered

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Emily R.; Reason, Robert D.; Coffman, Clark R.; Gangloff, Eric J.; Raker, Jeffrey R.; Powell-Coffman, Jo Anne; Ogilvie, Craig A.

2016-01-01

Undergraduate introductory biology courses are changing based on our growing understanding of how students learn and rapid scientific advancement in the biological sciences. At Iowa State University, faculty instructors are transforming a second-semester large-enrollment introductory biology course to include active learning within the lecture…

Accessible by Design: Applying UDL Principles in a First Year Undergraduate Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, Kari Lynne; Wideman, Maureen

2014-01-01

This article presents a case study of a technology-enhanced face-to-face health sciences course in which the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) were applied. Students were offered a variety of means of representation, engagement, and expression throughout the course, and were surveyed and interviewed at the end of the term to…

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Engineering Course Syllabi and Recommendations for Increasing Engagement among Women in STEM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savaria, Michael; Monteiro, Kristina

2017-01-01

Men outnumber women in the enrollment of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate majors. Course syllabi are distributed to students during open enrollment and provide key insights into the courses. A critical discourse analysis of introductory engineering syllabi at a 4-year public university revealed limited to no…

A New Approach to Public Speaking Course in ESL Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hou, Minghua

2008-01-01

This paper is a project report on the experiment of an English public speaking and debating course with advanced level English majors in College of Arts and Science, Yangtze University. The paper analyzes the validity of the course, introduces the design rationale, the design and experiment process, and students' responses. The paper suggests that…

Benefits and Drawbacks of Using Multiple Instructors to Teach Single Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Francis; Harris, Sara

2012-01-01

We set out to identify the benefits and drawbacks of using more than one instructor to teach single section science courses at a large research university. Nine courses were investigated involving widely differing subjects and levels. Teaching models included: sequential teaching with two to six instructors each covering only their own modules,…

Real Science for Real Science Teachers: Providing Astrobiology Science Content and Contemporary Pedagogy for Today's Educators Online

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Offerdahl, E. G.; Prather, E. E.; Slater, T. F.

2003-12-01

As teachers strive to improve the way science is taught in the classroom, many are turning to the interdisciplinary science of astrobiology as a way integrate inquiry effectively in the science classroom. However, it is generally recognized that teachers do not often have easy access to understandable and usable cutting-edge science to enrich their science lessons. Through the generous support of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), middle and high school teachers have the opportunity to learn current and provocative scientific results within the context of astrobiology as well as receive training in pedagogically sound methods of incorporating astrobiology appropriately in the classroom. In Astrobiology for Teachers, a 15-week on-line distance learning course co-sponsored by NAI, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Professional Development Institute, National Teachers Enhancement Network (NTEN), Montana State University, and the Department of Astronomy at University of Arizona, teachers engage in a virtual classroom facilitated by an integrated teaching team of educators and scientists using a standards-based, inquiry curriculum. The collaborative nature of the course encourages, demonstrates, and enhances a professional exchange among scientists and educators which, in turn, fosters implementation of innovative science teaching in today's classroom.

Supporting Inquiry-based Earth System Science Instruction with Middle and High School Earth Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkel, L.; Varner, R.; Froburg, E.; Smith, M.; Graham, K.; Hale, S.; Laura, G.; Brown, D.; Bryce, J.; Darwish, A.; Furman, T.; Johnson, J.; Porter, W.; von Damm, K.

2007-12-01

The Transforming Earth System Science Education (TESSE) project, a partnership between faculty at the University of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania State University, Elizabeth City State University and Dillard University, is designed to enrich the professional development of in-service and pre-service Earth science teachers. One goal of this effort is to help teachers use an inquiry-based approach to teaching Earth system science in their classrooms. As a part of the TESSE project, 42 pre-service and in-service teachers participated in an intensive two-week summer institute at UNH taught by Earth scientists and science educators from TESSE partnership institutions. The institute included instruction about a range of Earth science system topics as well as an introduction to teaching Earth science using an inquiry-based approach. In addition to providing teachers with information about inquiry-based science teaching in the form of sample lesson plans and opportunities to revise traditional lessons and laboratory exercises to make them more inquiry-based, TESSE instructors modeled an inquiry- based approach in their own teaching as much as possible. By the end of the Institute participants had developed lesson plans, units, or year-long course overviews in which they were expected to explain the ways in which they would include an inquiry-based approach in their Earth science teaching over the course of the school year. As a part of the project, graduate fellows (graduate students in the earth sciences) will work with classroom teachers during the academic year to support their implementation of these plans as well as to assist them in developing a more comprehensive inquiry-based approach in the classroom.

The role biomedical science laboratories can play in improving science knowledge and promoting first-year nursing academic success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arneson, Pam

The Role Biomedical Science Laboratories Can Play In Improving Science Knowledge and Promoting First-Year Nursing Academic Success The need for additional nursing and health care professionals is expected to increase dramatically over the next 20 years. With this in mind, students must have strong biomedical science knowledge to be competent in their field. Some studies have shown that participation in bioscience laboratories can enhance science knowledge. If this is true, an analysis of the role bioscience labs have in first-year nursing academic success is apposite. In response, this study sought to determine whether concurrent enrollment in anatomy and microbiology lecture and lab courses improved final lecture course grades. The investigation was expanded to include a comparison of first-year nursing GPA and prerequisite bioscience concurrent lecture/lab enrollment. Additionally, research has indicated that learning is affected by student perception of the course, instructor, content, and environment. To gain an insight regarding students' perspectives of laboratory courses, almost 100 students completed a 20-statement perception survey to understand how lab participation affects learning. Data analyses involved comparing anatomy and microbiology final lecture course grades between students who concurrently enrolled in the lecture and lab courses and students who completed the lecture course alone. Independent t test analyses revealed that there was no significant difference between the groups for anatomy, t(285) = .11, p = .912, but for microbiology, the lab course provided a significant educational benefit, t(256) = 4.47, p = .000. However, when concurrent prerequisite bioscience lecture/lab enrollment was compared to non-concurrent enrollment for first-year nursing GPA using independent t test analyses, no significant difference was found for South Dakota State University, t(37) = -1.57, p = .125, or for the University of South Dakota, t(38) = -0.46, p = .651. Student perception survey examination included computation of means and standard deviations for statements related to the educational importance of lab courses, the value of lab experimentation, and the usefulness of concurrent lecture/lab enrollment. Independent t test analyses sought to determine differences within the courses of anatomy lab and microbiology lab as well as differences between the instructors involved. Results suggested that student perceptions may be dependent on the course, the instructor, and possibly the content.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Readiness: Ethno-linguistic and gender differences in high-school course selection patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamuti-Trache, Maria; Sweet, Robert

2014-03-01

The study examines science-related course choices of high-school students in the culturally diverse schools of the province of British Columbia, Canada. The analysis employs K-12 provincial data and includes over 44,000 students born in 1990 who graduated from high school by 2009. The research sample reflects the presence of about 27% of students for whom English is not a first language. We construct an empirical model that examines ethno-linguistic and gender differences in Grade 12 course choices while accounting for personal and situational differences among students. The study employs a course selection typology that emphasizes readiness for science, technology, engineering and math fields of study. Findings indicate that math- and science-related course selection patterns are strongly associated with ethnicity, qualified not only by gender and prior math and science achievement but also by the individual's grade level at entry to the system and enrollment in English as a Second Language program. Students who are more likely to engage in math and science courses belong to Asian ethno-linguistic groups and entered the provincial school system during the senior high-school years. We suggest that ethnic diversity and broader academic exposure may play a crucial role in changing the gender composition of science classrooms, university fields of study and science-related occupations.

New Interdisciplinary Science Course for First-Year Faculty of Science Students: Overview and Preliminary Results from the Pilot

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cockcroft, Robert; Symons, Sarah L.; Goff, Lori; Knorr, Kris; Robinson, Sarah J.; van Wersch, Geneviève; Charney, Devra; Farquharson, Michael J.

2016-01-01

Transitioning to university can be a daunting endeavour, with student success dependent on a myriad of effects (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). Understanding how to navigate university systems, who to meet, how to get help, how to study, and what goals to set can be hard to grasp (Valle et al., 2003). We provide an overview of the new…

Development of the competency-based medical curriculum for the new Augsburg University Medical School.

PubMed

Härtl, Anja; Berberat, Pascal; Fischer, Martin R; Forst, Helmuth; Grützner, Stefanie; Händl, Thomas; Joachimski, Felix; Linné, Renate; Märkl, Bruno; Naumann, Markus; Putz, Reinhard; Schneider, Werner; Schöler, Claus; Wehler, Markus; Hoffmann, Reinhard

2017-01-01

Aim: With the resolution from April 28, 2014, the Bavarian state government in Germany decided to found a new medical school at Augsburg University, thereby requiring the development of a competency-based medical curriculum. Methods: Two interdisciplinary groups developed a spiral curriculum (following Harden) employing the model of Thumser-Dauth & Öchsner. The curriculum focuses on specifically defined competencies: medical expertise, independent scientific reasoning, argumentation and scholarship, as well as communication skills. Results: The spiral curriculum was developed as a hybrid curriculum. Its modular structure incorporates the mandatory subjects required by the German regulations for medical licensure (Approbationsordnung) into organ- and system-centered blocks which are integrated both horizontally and vertically. Basic preclinical sciences are covered in the blocks "Movement," "Balance" and "Contact." The clinical sciences are organized according to six pillars (conservative medicine, surgical medicine, men's-women's-children's medicine, the senses, the nervous system and the mind, and general medicine) which students revisit three times each over the course of the program. A longitudinal clinical course incorporates interdisciplinary education. A particular focus is on scientific education encompassing a longitudinal course in the sciences (including interdisciplinary classes with other university departments), block practicums, and two scientific projects. Conclusion: It is not only the degree of integration und intensity of the Augsburg University undergraduate medical degree program, but also its targeted advancement of academic, social and communication skills that have not yet been realized to such an extent elsewhere in Germany. On July 8, 2016, the German Council of Science and Humanities unanimously gave this concept a positive evaluation. Future research will examine and evaluate the Augsburg medical curriculum and the impact of the new medical school on the hospital and university in Augsburg.

Development of the competency-based medical curriculum for the new Augsburg University Medical School

PubMed Central

Härtl, Anja; Berberat, Pascal; Fischer, Martin R.; Forst, Helmuth; Grützner, Stefanie; Händl, Thomas; Joachimski, Felix; Linné, Renate; Märkl, Bruno; Naumann, Markus; Putz, Reinhard; Schneider, Werner; Schöler, Claus; Wehler, Markus; Hoffmann, Reinhard

2017-01-01

Aim: With the resolution from April 28, 2014, the Bavarian state government in Germany decided to found a new medical school at Augsburg University, thereby requiring the development of a competency-based medical curriculum. Methods: Two interdisciplinary groups developed a spiral curriculum (following Harden) employing the model of Thumser-Dauth & Öchsner. The curriculum focuses on specifically defined competencies: medical expertise, independent scientific reasoning, argumentation and scholarship, as well as communication skills. Results: The spiral curriculum was developed as a hybrid curriculum. Its modular structure incorporates the mandatory subjects required by the German regulations for medical licensure (Approbationsordnung) into organ- and system-centered blocks which are integrated both horizontally and vertically. Basic preclinical sciences are covered in the blocks “Movement,” “Balance” and “Contact.” The clinical sciences are organized according to six pillars (conservative medicine, surgical medicine, men’s-women’s-children’s medicine, the senses, the nervous system and the mind, and general medicine) which students revisit three times each over the course of the program. A longitudinal clinical course incorporates interdisciplinary education. A particular focus is on scientific education encompassing a longitudinal course in the sciences (including interdisciplinary classes with other university departments), block practicums, and two scientific projects. Conclusion: It is not only the degree of integration und intensity of the Augsburg University undergraduate medical degree program, but also its targeted advancement of academic, social and communication skills that have not yet been realized to such an extent elsewhere in Germany. On July 8, 2016, the German Council of Science and Humanities unanimously gave this concept a positive evaluation. Future research will examine and evaluate the Augsburg medical curriculum and the impact of the new medical school on the hospital and university in Augsburg. PMID:28584869

Climate Change Science Teaching through Integration of Technology in Instruction and Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sriharan, S.; Ozbay, G.; Robinson, L.; Klimkowski, V.

2015-12-01

This presentation demonstrates the importance of collaborations between the institutions with common focus on offering the academic program on climate change science. Virginia State University (VSU) developed and established the course on climate change and adaptation, AGRI 350 for undergraduates, in cooperation with two HBCUs, Delaware State University (DSU) and Morgan State University (MSU). This program was developed to enhance the science curriculum with funding from the USDA NIFA. The hands-on research opportunities for students were supported by the NSF HBCU UP Supplement Grant at VSU. The technical guidance and lesson plans were available through the courtesy of the AMS and faculty/student team training at the NCAR. In the initial stages, the faculty members participated in faculty development workshops hosted by the AMS and NCAR. This contributed to trained faculty members developing the courses on Climate Change at VSU, DSU, and MSU. To create awareness of global climate change and exposure of students to international programs, seven students from VSU, MSU, and DSU participated in the Climate Change course (ENS 320) at the University of Sunshine Coast (USC), Australia. This international experience included faculty members in using SimCLIM for climate change data into decision-making with regard to potential changes to cropping systems and tree growth. The Climate Change program at VSU, DSU, and MSU is emerging into comprehensive academic program which includes use of case studies and exchange of students' reflections with their peers through discussion board and videoconferencing, hands-on research on water quality monitoring and mapping the study sites, and integration of geospatial technologies and i-Tree. In addition, the students' engagement in intensive research was conducted through hands-on experience with Scanning Electron Microscopy in the Marine Science Department, University of Hawaii at Hilo in summer 2015.

Is cosmology a historical science?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grignon, Claude

2012-06-01

To explain the formation and the evolution of the Universe, cosmology settles universal laws. In this respect, cosmology belongs to the category of the nomothetic sciences, which write and think in mathematics. But cosmology is also akin to the historical sciences; like archaeology, geology or the biology of evolution, cosmology infers history from the vestiges of the past; moreover, it is not an experimental but an observational science. Due to this ambivalence, cosmology confronts divergent epistemological options. Nomothetic and historical sciences use indeed different, even opposite conceptions of such fundamental notions as time, causality and chance. Is it possible to make the history of the Universe intelligible without referring to the narrative conception of history congruent with the course of the historical world?.

Citizen Science: The Small World Initiative Improved Lecture Grades and California Critical Thinking Skills Test Scores of Nonscience Major Students at Florida Atlantic University.

PubMed

Caruso, Joseph P; Israel, Natalie; Rowland, Kimberly; Lovelace, Matthew J; Saunders, Mary Jane

2016-03-01

Course-based undergraduate research is known to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics student achievement. We tested "The Small World Initiative, a Citizen-Science Project to Crowdsource Novel Antibiotic Discovery" to see if it also improved student performance and the critical thinking of non-science majors in Introductory Biology at Florida Atlantic University (a large, public, minority-dominant institution) in academic year 2014-15. California Critical Thinking Skills Test pre- and posttests were offered to both Small World Initiative (SWI) and control lab students for formative amounts of extra credit. SWI lab students earned significantly higher lecture grades than control lab students, had significantly fewer lecture grades of D+ or lower, and had significantly higher critical thinking posttest total scores than control students. Lastly, more SWI students were engaged while taking critical thinking tests. These results support the hypothesis that utilizing independent course-based undergraduate science research improves student achievement even in nonscience students.

Opportunity to Participate in ESSE 21: The 2003 Call for Participation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruzek, M.; Johnson, D. R.

2003-12-01

Earth System Science Education for the 21st Century (ESSE 21), sponsored by NASA through the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), is a collaborative undergraduate/graduate education program offering small grants to colleges and universities to engage a diverse interdisciplinary community of faculty and scientists in the development of courses, curricula and degree programs and sharing of learning resources focused on the fundamental understanding and application of Earth system principles for the classroom and laboratory. Through an expanded focus including partnerships with minority institutions, ESSE 21 is further developing broadly based courses, educational resources, electronic learning materials and degree programs that extend Earth system science concepts in both undergraduate and graduate classrooms and laboratories. These resources emphasizing the fundamentals of Earth system science advance the nation's broader agenda for improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics competency. The thrust to establish Earth system and global change science within the classrooms of colleges and universities is critical to laying and extending the foundation for knowledge-based decision making in the 21st century by both scientists and society in an effort to achieve sustainability. ESSE 21 released a Call for Participation (CFP) in the Fall of 2002 soliciting proposals from undergraduate institutions to create and adopt undergraduate and graduate level Earth system science content in courses, curricula and degree programs. In February 2003, twelve college and university teams were competitively selected through the CFP as the Year 1 and Year 2 Program participants. Eight of the participating teams are from minority institutions. The goal for all is to effect systemic change through developing Earth system science learning materials, courses, curricula, degree tracks or programs, and departments that are self-sustaining in the coming decades. ESSE 21 offers an expanded infrastructure for an interactive community of educators and researchers including minority participants that develops interdisciplinary Earth system science content. Emphasis is on the utilization of NASA resources involving global change data, models, visualizations and electronic media and networks. The ultimate aim of ESSE 21 is to expand and accelerate the nation's realization of sound, scientific interdisciplinary educational resources for informed learning and decision-making by all from the perspective of sustainability of the Earth as a system. The next Call for Participation will be released in late 2003.

Infusion of Climate Change and Geospatial Science Concepts into Environmental and Biological Science Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balaji Bhaskar, M. S.; Rosenzweig, J.; Shishodia, S.

2017-12-01

The objective of our activity is to improve the students understanding and interpretation of geospatial science and climate change concepts and its applications in the field of Environmental and Biological Sciences in the College of Science Engineering and Technology (COEST) at Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston, TX. The courses of GIS for Environment, Ecology and Microbiology were selected for the curriculum infusion. A total of ten GIS hands-on lab modules, along with two NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) lab modules on climate change were implemented in the "GIS for Environment" course. GIS and Google Earth Labs along with climate change lectures were infused into Microbiology and Ecology courses. Critical thinking and empirical skills of the students were assessed in all the courses. The student learning outcomes of these courses includes the ability of students to interpret the geospatial maps and the student demonstration of knowledge of the basic principles and concepts of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and climate change. At the end of the courses, students developed a comprehensive understanding of the geospatial data, its applications in understanding climate change and its interpretation at the local and regional scales during multiple years.

Chemistry Lectures and Laboratories. A Model to Improve Preservice Elementary Science Teacher Development. Volume III.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crosby, Glenn; And Others

A group of scientists and science educators of Washington State University has developed and pilot tested an integrated physical science program designed for preservice elementary school teachers. This document includes the syllabus and class materials for the Chemistry block of the physical science courses developed by the group. Included are…

A Tale of Two Courses: Exploring Teacher Candidates' Translation of Science and Special Education Methods Instruction into Inclusive Science Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahn, Sami; Pigman, Ryan; Ottley, Jennifer

2017-01-01

Early childhood educators teach science to all students, including students with disabilities. Strategies for accommodating students with disabilities in science, including familiarity with equitable frameworks such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are therefore a critical aspect of early childhood teacher candidates' pedagogical content…

Geology Lectures and Laboratories. A Model to Improve Preservice Elementary Science Teacher Development. Volume IV.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, Gary

A group of scientists and science educators at Washington State University has developed and pilot tested an integrated physical science program designed for preservice elementary school teachers. This document includes the syllabus and class materials for the Geology block of the physical science courses developed by the group. Included are…

Astronomy Lectures and Laboratories. A Model to Improve Preservice Elementary Science Teacher Development. Volume I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lutz, Julie H.; Orlich, Donald C.

A group of scientists and science educators at Washington State University has developed and pilot tested an integrated physical science program designed for preservice elementary school teachers. This document includes the syllabus and class materials for the Astronomy block of the physical science courses developed by the group. Included are…

Increasing science literacy among the educated elite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bender, Carl M.

1997-03-01

The Physics Department at Washington University is making a serious and continuing effort to raise the level of understanding of science for bright students who do not intend to take further courses in science or mathematics. We have established a course called Physics and Society, which considers such issues as availability of energy, nuclear power, nuclear weapons, the greenhouse effect, the ozone hole, risk analysis, the scientific method, and claims of the paranormal. By examining such topics quantitatively, we hope to improve the students' ability to grasp and assess critically the problems that society faces.

The academic majors of students taking American soil science classes: 2004-2005 to 2013-2014 academic years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, Eric C.; Vaughan, Karen L.; Parikh, Sanjai J.; Dolliver, Holly; Lindbo, David; Steffan, Joshua J.; Weindorf, David; McDaniel, Paul; Mbila, Monday; Edinger-Marshall, Susan

2017-04-01

Many papers have been written in recent years discussing the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary aspects of soil science. Therefore, it would make sense that soil science courses would be taken by students in a wide array of academic majors. To investigate this, we collected data from eight different American universities on the declared academic majors of students enrolled in soil science courses over a 10 year time period (2004-2005 to 2013-2014 academic years). Data was collected for seven different classes taught at the undergraduate level: introduction to soil science, soil fertility, soil management, pedology, soil biology/microbiology, soil chemistry, and soil physics. Overall trends and trends for each class were evaluated. Generally, environmental science and crop science/horticulture/agronomy students were enrolled in soil science courses in the greatest numbers. Environmental science and engineering students showed rapid increases in enrollment over the 10 years of the study, while the number of crop science/ horticulture/ agronomy students declined. In the introduction to soil science classes, environmental science and crop science/ horticulture/ agronomy students were enrolled in the greatest numbers, while declared soil science majors only made up 6.6% of the average enrollment. The highest enrollments in soil fertility were crop science/ horticulture/ agronomy students and other agricultural students (all agricultural majors except crop science, horticulture, agronomy, or soil science). In both the soil management and pedology classes, environmental science and other agricultural students were the largest groups enrolled. Other agricultural students and students from other majors (all majors not otherwise expressly investigated) were the largest enrolled groups in soil biology/microbiology courses, and environmental science and soil science students were the largest enrolled groups in soil chemistry classes. Soil physics was the only class investigated where declared soil science students made up the largest single group of students, with other agricultural students being the second largest group. Results of the study showed that students from many different academic majors take soil science classes at American universities, and the most common majors in these classes depended on the class and the material it addressed.

Opportunities for learning about animal welfare from online courses to graduate degrees.

PubMed

Siegford, Janice M; Cottee, Stephanie Yue; Widowski, Tina M

2010-01-01

Knowledge of animal welfare has become essential for veterinarians. However, there is no clear consensus about how to provide veterinarians and students with this critical information. The challenges associated with finding qualified instructors and fitting additional courses into an already full curriculum mean that options for learning about animal welfare beyond the veterinary school classroom must be explored. Online courses can be excellent ways for veterinary students and graduate veterinarians to become familiar with current animal-welfare science, assessment schemes, and regulations while removing geographical barriers and scheduling difficulties. Faculty at Michigan State University have created an online animal-welfare course with lecture material from experts in welfare-related social and scientific fields that provides an overview of the underlying concepts as well as opportunities to practice assessing welfare. However, to develop expertise in animal welfare, veterinarians need more than a single course. Graduate degrees can be a way of obtaining additional knowledge and scientific expertise. Traditional thesis-based graduate programs in animal-welfare science are available in animal-science departments and veterinary colleges throughout North America and offer students in-depth research experience in specific areas or species of interest. Alternatively, the University of Guelph offers a year-long Master of Science degree in which students complete a series of courses with a specialization in animal behavior and welfare along with a focused research project and paper. In summary, a range of options exist that can be tailored to provide graduate veterinarians and veterinary students with credible education regarding animal welfare beyond the veterinary curriculum.

Integrating writing into an introductory environmental science curriculum: Perspectives from biology and physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selkin, P. A.; Cline, E. T.; Beaufort, A.

2008-12-01

In the University of Washington, Tacoma's Environmental Science program, we are implementing a curriculum-wide, scaffolded strategy to teach scientific writing. Writing in an introductory science course is a powerful means to make students feel part of the scientific community, an important goal in our environmental science curriculum. Writing is already an important component of the UW Tacoma environmental science program at the upper levels: our approach is designed to prepare students for the writing-intensive junior- and senior-level seminars. The approach is currently being tested in introductory biology and physics before it is incorporated in the rest of the introductory environmental science curriculum. The centerpiece of our approach is a set of research and writing assignments woven throughout the biology and physics course sequences. The assignments progress in their degree of complexity and freedom through the sequence of introductory science courses. Each assignment is supported by a number of worksheets and short written exercises designed to teach writing and critical thought skills. The worksheets are focused on skills identified both by research in science writing and the instructors' experience with student writing. Students see the assignments as a way to personalize their understanding of basic science concepts, and to think critically about ideas that interest them. We find that these assignments provide a good way to assess student comprehension of some of the more difficult ideas in the basic sciences, as well as a means to engage students with the challenging concepts of introductory science courses. Our experience designing these courses can inform efforts to integrate writing throughout a geoscience or environmental science curriculum, as opposed to on a course-by-course basis.

Hacia una pedagogia Co-emergente, Transaccional y Transcultural: El Cuento Ultracorto de Cienca Ficcion en Ingles (Towards a Co-emerging Transactional and Transcultural Pedagogy: The Science Fiction Short Short Story in English).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zoreda, Margaret Lee

An outline of a "co-emergent" pedagogical perspective describes the conceptual framework for an advanced university-level English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) course. The course framework, which involves choosing and studying a brief science fiction story, allows for transcultural encounters via a transactional literary approach in which…

The Freshman Year in Science and Engineering: Old Problems, New Perspectives for Research Universities. Report of a Conference (Ann Arbor, Michigan, April 6-7, 1990).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wineke, William R.; Certain, Phillip

The goal of the conference reported in this document was to initiate major revitalization of freshman science by bringing together individuals who have been working to improve introductory courses with research faculty who may or may not have been actively involved in the teaching of these courses. This report tries to capture the spirit and the…

MOOCs to internationalize Masters. A case study at the University of Salamanca

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, Dolores; Recio, Marian; Perez, Ana Victoria; López, Santiago; Palacios, Esther

2015-04-01

Current major objectives of Master's degrees taught at the University of Salamanca are to incorporate multidisciplinary skills and to address international issues. It is important to ensure that students and early career scientists have all of the necessary skills to deal with professional development before career planning whether in academic research, professional practices or alternative careers, whether in Spain or elsewhere. However, many students choose a Master's programme without sufficient understanding of what they might need to deal with. A multidisciplinary degree course at the University of Salamanca, linked to the Institute of Social Studies for Science and Technology, focuses on training potential experts equipped to mediate between participants in science and technology and the wider public. Students participating in this course currently come from Spanish speaking countries. Because the course is taught mainly in Spanish, subsequent outreach might also be confined to Spanish speaking communities. Even so, it is essential to properly explain, at the outset, the aims of the Master's programme and the international potential of the qualification to attract more. Here we propose the use of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) both to help students to know about the content and other details of the Master program before they join in and to internationalize the course to reach more potential interested students in the subject. This will be the first experience implementing MOOCs in the teaching of masters at the University of Salamanca and, if successful, the experience can be applied to other masters and courses in need of students and internationalization.

The exploration and practice of integrated innovation teaching mode in the Applied Optics course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dongmei; Zhao, Huifu; Fu, Xiuhua; Zhang, Jing

2017-08-01

In recent years, the Ministry of Education of China attaches great importance to the reform of higher education quality. As an important link in the reform of higher education, curriculum development is bound to promote the development of "quality-centered connotative education". Zhejiang University, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Southern Airlines University and other colleges and universities carried out a full range of close cooperation, proposed integrated innovation teaching mode of the course based on network technology. Based on this model, the course of "Applied Optics" has been practiced for two years. The results show that the integrated innovation teaching mode can fully realize the integration amplification effect among multiple colleges and universities and the depth sharing all types of resources. Based on the principle of co-building and sharing, mutual help, comprehensively improve the teaching quality of domestic related courses and promote the comprehensive development of the curriculum to meet the needs of learning society.

Massive open online courses in health sciences from Latin American institutions: A need for improvement?

PubMed Central

Culquichicón, Carlos; Helguero-Santin, Luis M.; Labán-Seminario, L. Max; Cardona-Ospina, Jaime A.

2017-01-01

Background: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have undergone exponential growth over the past few years, offering free and worldwide access to high-quality education. We identified the characteristics of MOOCs in the health sciences offered by Latin American institutions (LAIs). Methods: We screened the eight leading MOOCs platforms to gather their list of offerings. The MOOCs were classified by region and subject. Then, we obtained the following information: Scopus H-index for each institution and course instructor, QS World University Ranking® 2015/16 of LAI, and official language of the course. Results: Our search identified 4170 MOOCs worldwide. From them, 205 MOOCs were offered by LAIs, and six MOOCs were health sciences related. Most of these courses (n = 115) were offered through Coursera. One health science MOOC was taught by three instructors, of which only one was registered in Scopus (H-index = 0). The remaining five health science MOOCs had solely one instructor (H-index = 4 [0–17]). The Latin American country with the highest participation was Brazil (n = 11). Conclusion: The contribution of LAI to MOOCs in the health sciences is low. PMID:28713560

Development of teaching material to integrate GT-POWER into combustion courses for IC engine simulations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-02-01

The main objective of this project was to develop instructional engineering projects that utilize the newly-offered PACE software GT-POWER for engine simulations in combustion-related courses at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Stud...

A Laboratory Course in Technological Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiseman, P.

1986-01-01

Describes a laboratory course taught at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (United Kingdom) which focuses on the preparation, properties, and applications of end-use products of the chemical industry. Outlines laboratory experiments on dyes, fibers, herbicides, performance testing, antioxidants, and surface active…

Online Learning: Is It Meant for Science Courses?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seng, Lau; Mohamad, Fitri Suraya

2002-01-01

Discusses a case study experience in conducting scientific courses with undergraduates at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) using Web-based learning environments to support conventional teaching sessions. Results showed online learning helped students become more interested, encouraged participation in class discussions, and provided more…

Educational transformation in upper-division physics: The Science Education Initiative model, outcomes, and lessons learned

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chasteen, Stephanie V.; Wilcox, Bethany; Caballero, Marcos D.; Perkins, Katherine K.; Pollock, Steven J.; Wieman, Carl E.

2015-12-01

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Upper Division Physics Courses.] In response to the need for a scalable, institutionally supported model of educational change, the Science Education Initiative (SEI) was created as an experiment in transforming course materials and faculty practices at two institutions—University of Colorado Boulder (CU) and University of British Columbia. We find that this departmentally focused model of change, which includes an explicit focus on course transformation as supported by a discipline-based postdoctoral education specialist, was generally effective in impacting courses and faculty across the institution. In CU's Department of Physics, the SEI effort focused primarily on upper-division courses, creating high-quality course materials, approaches, and assessments, and demonstrating an impact on student learning. We argue that the SEI implementation in the CU Physics Department, as compared to that in other departments, achieved more extensive impacts on specific course materials, and high-quality assessments, due to guidance by the physics education research group—but with more limited impact on the departmental faculty as a whole. We review the process and progress of the SEI Physics at CU and reflect on lessons learned in the CU Physics Department in particular. These results are useful in considering both institutional and faculty-led models of change and course transformation.

A course in tools and procedures for Physics I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allie, Saalih; Buffler, Andy

1998-07-01

A one-semester course covering the tools, skills, and procedures that are required to engage meaningfully with first-year university physics is described. The course forms part of the Science Foundation Programme at the University of Cape Town which was set up to provide access to a science degree for students who have been educationally disadvantaged, part of the legacy of racial discrimination in South Africa. The course comprises three basic elements: a theoretical component, a laboratory-based experimental component, and a communication skills component. The theory component consists of the various mathematical techniques used in a calculus-based Physics I course, grouped into cognate areas so that each technique is presented immediately in the full range of contexts that will be encountered later on. Part of the theory component involves written explanations of the mathematical formalism. The focus of the communication skills component is on report writing which follows as a natural consequence of the laboratory tasks which have been restructured as problems necessitating an experimental investigation. The implementation of cooperative tutorial groups, which forms an integral part of the learning environment, is also discussed.

Knowledge loss of medical students on first year basic science courses at the university of Saskatchewan

PubMed Central

D'Eon, Marcel F

2006-01-01

Background Many senior undergraduate students from the University of Saskatchewan indicated informally that they did not remember much from their first year courses and wondered why we were teaching content that did not seem relevant to later clinical work or studies. To determine the extent of the problem a course evaluation study that measured the knowledge loss of medical students on selected first year courses was conducted. This study replicates previous memory decrement studies with three first year medicine basic science courses, something that was not found in the literature. It was expected that some courses would show more and some courses would show less knowledge loss. Methods In the spring of 2004 over 20 students were recruited to retake questions from three first year courses: Immunology, physiology, and neuroanatomy. Student scores on the selected questions at the time of the final examination in May 2003 (the 'test') were compared with their scores on the questions 10 or 11 months later (the 're-test') using paired samples t -tests. A repeated-measures MANOVA was used to compare the test and re-test scores among the three courses. The re-test scores were matched with the overall student ratings of the courses and the student scores on the May 2003 examinations. Results A statistically significant main effect of knowledge loss (F = 297.385; p < .001) and an interaction effect by course (F = 46.081; p < .001) were found. The students' scores in the Immunology course dropped 13.1%, 46.5% in Neuroanatomy, and 16.1% in physiology. Bonferroni post hoc comparisons showed a significant difference between Neuroanatomy and Physiology (mean difference of 10.7, p = .004). Conclusion There was considerable knowledge loss among medical students in the three basic science courses tested and this loss was not uniform across courses. Knowledge loss does not seem to be related to the marks on the final examination or the assessment of course quality by the students. PMID:16412241

Effect of Cathode Depth on Sediment Microbial Fuel Cell (sMFC) Performance and Microbial Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minka, Paige R.

The department of Physics of the University of Glasgow was concerned about losing students after the end of the level 1 Physics course. The current research project started as an attempt to find out the reasons for this, but moved to investigate attitudes towards Physics at several stages during secondary school and attitudes towards science with primary pupils. Analyses of factors, which influence students' intentions towards studying Physics, were performed against the background of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which interprets people's behaviour by considering three factors: attitude towards behaviour (advantages or disadvantages of being involved in the behaviour, e.g. studying Physics for Honours); subjective norm (approval or disapproval of important people towards engaging in the behaviour, e.g. parents, teacher, general norms of the society); perceived behavioural control (skills, knowledge, cooperation of others, abilities, efforts required to perform the behaviour). Analysis of these factors revealed some reasons for students' withdrawal from Physics after level 1 and pointed to factors which may facilitate students' persistence in the subject. A general analysis of level 1 and level 2 students' attitudes towards different aspects of the university Physics course revealed that the level 1 students' attitudes towards their university course of lectures and course of laboratories tended to be negatively polarised. Recommendations were suggested on the basis of the gathered evidence about how to make students' experience in university Physics more satisfactory for them. The data obtained from the separate analyses of females' and males' attitudes towards university Physics course have showed that attitudes of females and males were similar. The only significant difference between level 1 females and males was found to be the perceived behavioural control factor (students' attitudes towards course difficulty, attitudes towards work load in the course), which was significantly lower for females than for males. Special attention in this work was given to the problem of university Physics laboratory practice. Possibilities to improve students' attitudes towards laboratory work were discussed. This could be done through introduction of pre-lab (aimed to consolidate students' grasp of the necessary background for performing the experiment) and post-lab (aimed to provide students with opportunity to apply the theory they have learned and skills they have obtained from doing laboratory work to solve everyday problems). Examples of pre- and post-labs that were designed for the first term of the level 1 university Physics laboratory practice are given in the Appendix T. The project was extended from the university to the school area where cross-age analyses (measurements at one time with pupils of different age) of pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons were performed. Pupils from upper Primary P6/P7 up to Higher S5/S6 were involved in the research. These analyses have shown that patterns of Scottish pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons are not linear with age: attitudes of pupils who were self-selected towards the subject were not always more positive than attitudes of lower level pupils: primary school pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly more positive than attitudes of secondary S2 pupils; pupils doing Standard Grade Physics course were similar in their evaluations of Physics lessons at both S3 and S4 levels; at Higher Grade Physics pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly less positive than attitudes of Standard Grade Physics pupils. Pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons can be considered as a good indicator of pupils' reactions towards existing syllabuses in Science and Physics. Special attention in this study was devoted to the so-called "problem of girls in Physics". Separate analyses of boys' and girls' interests towards Physics topics revealed that although boys and girls are equally interested in certain areas of the subject, there are areas in Physics where boys and girls interests are significantly different. No differences were found in intensity of boys' and girls' interests towards suggested Physics topics at primary P6/P7 level, S3 and S5/S6 levels. At S2 and S4 levels a significant decline of girls' interests relative to boys interests was observed. S2 and S4 stages are decision making ones when pupils have the opportunity to select courses for the future. It was also revealed that the ratio of boys to girls in Physics once established at S2 level remains unchanged through the years of Standard Grade and Higher Grade Physics courses. This may indicate that if the number of girls in Physics is an issue for concern then attention should be paid to the primary and, especially early secondary years to attract girls to Physics. School Physics courses in Scotland revealed a high retention rate of girls in Physics. Analyses of preferred activities revealed that practical work is the most enjoyable activity in Science/Physics lessons for both girls and boys at every stage of schooling and studying the theory was found to be the least enjoyable activity at school for both genders at every age. The picture was almost the reverse with university Physics students.

Using Remote Sensing and Satellite Technology at Charles F. Patton Middle School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leiden, Anita L.

The department of Physics of the University of Glasgow was concerned about losing students after the end of the level 1 Physics course. The current research project started as an attempt to find out the reasons for this, but moved to investigate attitudes towards Physics at several stages during secondary school and attitudes towards science with primary pupils. Analyses of factors, which influence students' intentions towards studying Physics, were performed against the background of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which interprets people's behaviour by considering three factors: attitude towards behaviour (advantages or disadvantages of being involved in the behaviour, e.g. studying Physics for Honours); subjective norm (approval or disapproval of important people towards engaging in the behaviour, e.g. parents, teacher, general norms of the society); perceived behavioural control (skills, knowledge, cooperation of others, abilities, efforts required to perform the behaviour). Analysis of these factors revealed some reasons for students' withdrawal from Physics after level 1 and pointed to factors which may facilitate students' persistence in the subject. A general analysis of level 1 and level 2 students' attitudes towards different aspects of the university Physics course revealed that the level 1 students' attitudes towards their university course of lectures and course of laboratories tended to be negatively polarised. Recommendations were suggested on the basis of the gathered evidence about how to make students' experience in university Physics more satisfactory for them. The data obtained from the separate analyses of females' and males' attitudes towards university Physics course have showed that attitudes of females and males were similar. The only significant difference between level 1 females and males was found to be the perceived behavioural control factor (students' attitudes towards course difficulty, attitudes towards work load in the course), which was significantly lower for females than for males. Special attention in this work was given to the problem of university Physics laboratory practice. Possibilities to improve students' attitudes towards laboratory work were discussed. This could be done through introduction of pre-lab (aimed to consolidate students' grasp of the necessary background for performing the experiment) and post-lab (aimed to provide students with opportunity to apply the theory they have learned and skills they have obtained from doing laboratory work to solve everyday problems). Examples of pre- and post-labs that were designed for the first term of the level 1 university Physics laboratory practice are given in the Appendix T. The project was extended from the university to the school area where cross-age analyses (measurements at one time with pupils of different age) of pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons were performed. Pupils from upper Primary P6/P7 up to Higher S5/S6 were involved in the research. These analyses have shown that patterns of Scottish pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons are not linear with age: attitudes of pupils who were self-selected towards the subject were not always more positive than attitudes of lower level pupils: primary school pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly more positive than attitudes of secondary S2 pupils; pupils doing Standard Grade Physics course were similar in their evaluations of Physics lessons at both S3 and S4 levels; at Higher Grade Physics pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly less positive than attitudes of Standard Grade Physics pupils. Pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons can be considered as a good indicator of pupils' reactions towards existing syllabuses in Science and Physics. Special attention in this study was devoted to the so-called "problem of girls in Physics". Separate analyses of boys' and girls' interests towards Physics topics revealed that although boys and girls are equally interested in certain areas of the subject, there are areas in Physics where boys and girls interests are significantly different. No differences were found in intensity of boys' and girls' interests towards suggested Physics topics at primary P6/P7 level, S3 and S5/S6 levels. At S2 and S4 levels a significant decline of girls' interests relative to boys interests was observed. S2 and S4 stages are decision making ones when pupils have the opportunity to select courses for the future. It was also revealed that the ratio of boys to girls in Physics once established at S2 level remains unchanged through the years of Standard Grade and Higher Grade Physics courses. This may indicate that if the number of girls in Physics is an issue for concern then attention should be paid to the primary and, especially early secondary years to attract girls to Physics. School Physics courses in Scotland revealed a high retention rate of girls in Physics. Analyses of preferred activities revealed that practical work is the most enjoyable activity in Science/Physics lessons for both girls and boys at every stage of schooling and studying the theory was found to be the least enjoyable activity at school for both genders at every age. The picture was almost the reverse with university Physics students.

Holographic Microscopy: A Feasibility Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCann, Guy W.

The department of Physics of the University of Glasgow was concerned about losing students after the end of the level 1 Physics course. The current research project started as an attempt to find out the reasons for this, but moved to investigate attitudes towards Physics at several stages during secondary school and attitudes towards science with primary pupils. Analyses of factors, which influence students' intentions towards studying Physics, were performed against the background of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which interprets people's behaviour by considering three factors: attitude towards behaviour (advantages or disadvantages of being involved in the behaviour, e.g. studying Physics for Honours); subjective norm (approval or disapproval of important people towards engaging in the behaviour, e.g. parents, teacher, general norms of the society); perceived behavioural control (skills, knowledge, cooperation of others, abilities, efforts required to perform the behaviour). Analysis of these factors revealed some reasons for students' withdrawal from Physics after level 1 and pointed to factors which may facilitate students' persistence in the subject. A general analysis of level 1 and level 2 students' attitudes towards different aspects of the university Physics course revealed that the level 1 students' attitudes towards their university course of lectures and course of laboratories tended to be negatively polarised. Recommendations were suggested on the basis of the gathered evidence about how to make students' experience in university Physics more satisfactory for them. The data obtained from the separate analyses of females' and males' attitudes towards university Physics course have showed that attitudes of females and males were similar. The only significant difference between level 1 females and males was found to be the perceived behavioural control factor (students' attitudes towards course difficulty, attitudes towards work load in the course), which was significantly lower for females than for males. Special attention in this work was given to the problem of university Physics laboratory practice. Possibilities to improve students' attitudes towards laboratory work were discussed. This could be done through introduction of pre-lab (aimed to consolidate students' grasp of the necessary background for performing the experiment) and post-lab (aimed to provide students with opportunity to apply the theory they have learned and skills they have obtained from doing laboratory work to solve everyday problems). Examples of pre- and post-labs that were designed for the first term of the level 1 university Physics laboratory practice are given in the Appendix T. The project was extended from the university to the school area where cross-age analyses (measurements at one time with pupils of different age) of pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons were performed. Pupils from upper Primary P6/P7 up to Higher S5/S6 were involved in the research. These analyses have shown that patterns of Scottish pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons are not linear with age: attitudes of pupils who were self-selected towards the subject were not always more positive than attitudes of lower level pupils: primary school pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly more positive than attitudes of secondary S2 pupils; pupils doing Standard Grade Physics course were similar in their evaluations of Physics lessons at both S3 and S4 levels; at Higher Grade Physics pupils' attitudes towards science lessons were significantly less positive than attitudes of Standard Grade Physics pupils. Pupils' attitudes towards Science/Physics lessons can be considered as a good indicator of pupils' reactions towards existing syllabuses in Science and Physics. Special attention in this study was devoted to the so-called "problem of girls in Physics". Separate analyses of boys' and girls' interests towards Physics topics revealed that although boys and girls are equally interested in certain areas of the subject, there are areas in Physics where boys and girls interests are significantly different. No differences were found in intensity of boys' and girls' interests towards suggested Physics topics at primary P6/P7 level, S3 and S5/S6 levels. At S2 and S4 levels a significant decline of girls' interests relative to boys interests was observed. S2 and S4 stages are decision making ones when pupils have the opportunity to select courses for the future. It was also revealed that the ratio of boys to girls in Physics once established at S2 level remains unchanged through the years of Standard Grade and Higher Grade Physics courses. This may indicate that if the number of girls in Physics is an issue for concern then attention should be paid to the primary and, especially early secondary years to attract girls to Physics. School Physics courses in Scotland revealed a high retention rate of girls in Physics. Analyses of preferred activities revealed that practical work is the most enjoyable activity in Science/Physics lessons for both girls and boys at every stage of schooling and studying the theory was found to be the least enjoyable activity at school for both genders at every age. The picture was almost the reverse with university Physics students.

Comparing Political Experiences (CPE).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillespie, Judith A.; Patrick, John J.

The rationale, goals, curriculum components, instructional strategies, and curriculum development process of a two-semester, secondary-level political science course, "Comparing Political Experiences," are described in this paper. Developed as part of the High School Political Science Curriculum Project at Indiana University, the major…

Distance education: Physics through the University of South Carolina for pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safko, John L.; Edge, Ronald D.

1997-03-01

For the past several years (10 years for JLS, 3 years for RDE) we have been offering telecommunications-based distance education for K-12 teachers through our Office of Distance Education. In addition to practicing teachers and those majoring in science education, we also enroll students who are working on their Master's of Art in Teaching. These latter students often have an undergraduate degree in some science and are completing content and methods courses for state certification as a teacher. These courses are delivered by video cassette and written material. The courses offered are a two semester introductory physics course (by JLS) and a one semester course in physics demonstrations and experiments suitable for the elementary/middle/high school with little or no sources of equipment (by RDE). These courses will be described in the next two sections. First, a few comments on the services provided by the Office of Distance Education and Instructional Services. The University of South Carolina has been offering courses by telecommunications instruction since 1972. During that time it has developed excellent support services for the instructor. Currently the university offers courses live over satellite links and by video cassette to over 10,000 students. The office provides recording capabilities as well as taking care of distribution of video and print materials. They coordinate the receipt and return of any assignments and exams and provide student services for questions about enrollment, supplies, and other technical problems versus content questions. Keeping all of this organized is a full time job for many staff.

Introducing Taiwanese undergraduate students to the nature of science through Nobel Prize stories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eshach, Haim; Hwang, Fu-Kwun; Wu, Hsin-Kai; Hsu, Ying-Shao

2013-06-01

Although there is a broad agreement among scientists and science educators that students should not only learn science, but also acquire some sense of its nature, it has been reported that undergraduate students possess an inadequate grasp of the nature of science (NOS). The study presented here examined the potential and effectiveness of Nobel Prize stories as a vehicle for teaching NOS. For this purpose, a 36-hour course, “Albert Einstein’s Nobel Prize and the Nature of Science,” was developed and conducted in Taiwan Normal University. Ten undergraduate physics students participated in the course. Analysis of the Views of Nature of Science questionnaires completed by the students before and after the course, as well as the students’ own presentations of Nobel Prize stories (with an emphasis on how NOS characteristics are reflected in the story), showed that the students who participated in the course enriched their views concerning all aspects of NOS. The paper concludes with some suggestions for applying the novel idea of using Nobel Prize stories in physics classrooms.

A few ideas for teaching environmental physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forinash, Kyle

2016-11-01

Unlike a typical university physics course there is no standardised syllabus for environmental physics. The topics covered also range beyond what is normally part of the physics curriculum, requiring the instructor to become knowledgeable about fields outside of physics. Some of these issues are complex and, unlike the laws of physics, change rapidly over time. This paper, based on 15 years experience teaching undergraduate environmental physics courses, both for non-science students and for students with strong backgrounds in the sciences, attempts to present a reasonable range of concepts and educational resources which could be included in an environmental physics course or added to an existing physics course as motivation for learning traditional physics concepts. An additional goal is to warn the reader of pitfalls they may encounter in trying to include material with which they may not be familiar. The approach is different from environmental courses taught in the social sciences in that the focus of an environmental physics course is on physical constraints to environmental solutions rather than limitations imposed by culture or politics.

Math Refresher Workshop Series as an Aid to Registrants of a College Level Math Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, Vivian; And Others

Because the failure rate for Math 110 (a college algebra course for non-science/technology-oriented majors at the University of Maryland) was so high, it was decided to offer selected registrants the opportunity to take a free refresher workshop series to improve their mathematics skills before they took the course. In summer 1985, 809 students…

A Laboratory Course for Teaching Laboratory Techniques, Experimental Design, Statistical Analysis, and Peer Review Process to Undergraduate Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gliddon, C. M.; Rosengren, R. J.

2012-01-01

This article describes a 13-week laboratory course called Human Toxicology taught at the University of Otago, New Zealand. This course used a guided inquiry based laboratory coupled with formative assessment and collaborative learning to develop in undergraduate students the skills of problem solving/critical thinking, data interpretation and…

APEX: A Computerized Simulation Game as the Basis for an Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tannenbaum, Robert S.

APEX is a computerized gaming simulation; it is also the name of an interdisciplinary course in environmental problems in urban areas introduced at the School of Health Science, Hunter College of the City University of New York. In the course, students assume the roles of decision makers in both the private and public sectors. They receive data…

Comparative Effects of Various High School Biology Course-Content Backgrounds on Achievement in College Biology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Gordon Ronald

The purposes of this study are (1) to determine whether college students who have taken Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) High School Biology attain significantly different grades in college biology courses at the University of Missouri than do college students who have taken a non-BSCS high school biology course, and (2) to determine if…

"I've Never Done a Dissertation before Please Help Me": Accommodating L2 Students through Course Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salter-Dvorak, Hania

2014-01-01

This article considers how course design accommodates the adaptation of L2 students into the early stages of the master's dissertation (Social Sciences and Humanities) at a UK university. I present a contrastive process-oriented analysis of two students' experiences on different courses, extracted from a 13-month ethnographic study in which…

Enticing Students to Enter into Undergraduate Research: The Instrumentality of an Undergraduate Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behar-Horenstein, Linda S.; Johnson, Melissa L.

2010-01-01

To encourage students to seek research opportunities with campus faculty, one large university in the Southeast created a course entitled Science for All. A major goal of the course was to encourage students to work directly with faculty on research projects of their interest. Overall, the findings show that some of the participants began to…

Relationship between Students' Diagnostic Assessment and Achievement in a Pre-University Mathematics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shim, George Tan Geok; Shakawi, Abang Mohammad Hudzaifah Abang; Azizan, Farah Liyana

2017-01-01

Educators have always highlighted the importance of mathematics mastery in education for many years. With the current emphasis of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEMs) education, mathematics mastery is even more vital because it supports the learning and mastery of science fields such as engineering and science. Furthermore, in…

Stateless Programming as a Motif for Teaching Computer Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Avi

2004-01-01

With the development of XML Web Services, the Internet could become an integral part of and the basis for teaching computer science and software engineering. The approach has been applied to a university course for students studying introduction to computer science from the point of view of software development in a stateless, Internet…

Earth Sciences as a Vehicle for Gifted Education--The Hong Kong Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Phillip J.; Chan, Lung Sang; Murphy, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

The development and delivery of an Earth-science-focused short course designed to prepare Hong Kong students for university level study is described. Earth sciences provide an inspirational and challenging context for learning and teaching in Hong Kong's increasingly skills-based curriculum. (Contains 3 figures and 4 online resources.)

Setting up Uncertified Teachers to Succeed

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sterling, Donna R.; Frazier, Wendy M.

2011-01-01

A study of new teachers with science degrees but little or no training in education found that coaches who spent time in their classrooms provided the most effective support for new teachers. Science methods courses provided by a university also were very helpful for the new teacher. But academic mentors for science content and teacher mentors who…

A Problem-Based Learning Approach to Teaching Introductory Soil Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amador, Jose A.; Gorres, Josef H.

2004-01-01

At most land-grant universities in the USA, Introduction to Soil Science is traditionally taught using a combination of lecture and laboratory formats. To promote engagement, improve comprehension, and enhance retention of content by students, we developed a problem-based learning (PBL) introductory soil science course. Students work in groups to…

From Data to Policy: An Undergraduate Program in Research and Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuoco, Rebecca; Blum, Arlene; Peaslee, Graham F.

2012-01-01

To bridge the gap between science and policy, future scientists should receive training that incorporates policy implications into the design, analysis, and communication of research. We present a student Science and Policy course for undergraduate science majors piloted at the University of California, Berkeley in the summer of 2011. During this…

Physics and Physical Science Units for Tech Prep.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bielefeld, Marilyn; Daniels, Sadie; Hall, Yolanda; McClendon, Cecil; Schlinger, Gary

Promoting ACademic Excellence in Mathematics and Science for Workers of the 21st Century (PACE) was a consortium project made up of Indiana University Northwest, the Gary Community Schools, and the Merrillville Community Schools. The focus of this project was to prepare teachers and curricula for Tech Prep mathematics and science courses for the…

Learning Style Preferences of Undergraduate Dietetics, Athletic Training, and Exercise Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Meredith G.; Hansen, Pamela; Rhee, Yeong; Brundt, Ardith; Terbizan, Donna; Christensen, Bryan

2014-01-01

The study assessed the preferred learning style (LS) of college students and compared LS preferences among students majoring in Dietetics, Exercise Science, and Athletic Training. LS questionnaires were distributed to students (N = 693, mean age 20.5 ± 1.7) enrolled in health science courses at three Midwestern universities. Most students…

Introductory Disciplines of Astronomy in Undergraduation Geography in Brazilian Public Universities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henrique Azevedo Sobreira, Paulo

2015-08-01

There are some previous works about introductory disciplines of Astronomy in higher education in various undergraduation at Brazilian universities, but this is a specific research for Geography courses in public universities. Some undergraduate courses in Geography in Brazil offer introductory disciplines of Astronomy, since the second half of the twentieth century. This work presents an updated survey on the topic, and it proposes an effort at the national level, for the benefit of the increase in introductory disciplines of Astronomy in undergraduation in Geography. The data collected from public universities were obtained from the consultation of the websites of state universities, federal and county in 2012, 2013 and 2015, for information on the Geography courses and, among them, those with disciplines of Astronomy. The results show that there are 94 undergraduation in Geography courses in public universities, 12 of them had introductory disciplines of Astronomy until 2012 and 2013. In 2015 three of these disciplines were canceled which reduced to 9 universities. There were 23 undergraduation in Geography courses in 10 bachelor degrees and 14 education degrees with Astronomy disciplines. At 2015 it decreased to 20 in 5 bachelors and 8 education degrees. There are two undergraduation Geography courses with two introductory disciplines of Astronomy, while the other 18 offer only one discipline. The inclusion of introductory disciplines of Astronomy depends on the actions of professors' groups who works in undergraduation Geography courses, and of the astronomers initiative to offering them. The ideal is that the astronomers who actuate like professors in universities, normally in Math, Physics, Technologies, Enginnering and Science courses, they would can help and offer introductory disciplines in Astronomy for undergraduation in Geography courses.

Integration of basic science and clinical medicine: the innovative approach of the cadaver biopsy project at the Boston University School of Medicine.

PubMed

Eisenstein, Anna; Vaisman, Lev; Johnston-Cox, Hillary; Gallan, Alexander; Shaffer, Kitt; Vaughan, Deborah; O'Hara, Carl; Joseph, Lija

2014-01-01

Curricular integration has emerged as a consistent theme in medical education reform. Vertical integration of topics such as pathology offers the potential to bring basic science content into the clinical arena, but faculty/student acceptance and curricular design pose challenges for such integration. The authors describe the Cadaver Biopsy Project (CBP) at Boston University School of Medicine as a sustainable model of vertical integration. Faculty and select senior medical students obtained biopsies of cadavers during the first-year gross anatomy course (fall 2009) and used these to develop clinical cases for courses in histology (spring 2010), pathology (fall 2010-spring 2011), and radiology (fall 2011 or spring 2012), thereby linking students' first experiences in basic sciences with other basic science courses and later clinical courses. Project goals included engaging medical stu dents in applying basic science princi ples in all aspects of patient care as they acquire skills. The educational intervention used a patient (cadaver)-centered approach and small-group, collaborative, case-based learning. Through this project, the authors involved clinical and basic science faculty-plus senior medical students-in a collaborative project to design and implement an integrated curriculum through which students revisited, at several different points, the microscopic structure and pathophysiology of common diseases. Developing appropriate, measurable out comes for medical education initiatives, including the CBP, is challenging. Accumu lation of qualitative feedback from surveys will guide continuous improvement of the CBP. Documenting longer-term impact of the curricular innovation on test scores and other competency-based outcomes is an ultimate goal.

Embedded librarian within an online health informatics graduate research course: a case study.

PubMed

Kumar, Sajeesh; Wu, Lin; Reynolds, Rebecca

2014-01-01

The Health Sciences Library and the Department of Health Informatics & Information Management at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis piloted an embedded librarian project in summer 2012. The value and effectiveness of the pilot project was evaluated by analyzing the content of e-mail questions received from the students and the students' answers to the pre- and post-class surveys. The project received positive feedback from the students and course faculty. Librarians collaborating with teaching faculty and interacting one-on-one with students in health information-intensive courses proved to be helpful for student learning.

Geological applications and training in remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sabins, F. F., Jr.

1981-01-01

Some of the experiences, methods, and opinions developed during 15 years of teaching an introductory course in remote sensing at several universities in the Southern California area are related. Although the course is offered in Geology departments, every class includes significant numbers of students from other disciplines including geography, computer science, biology, and environmental science. The instructor or teaching assistant provides a few hours of tutorial lectures (outside of regular class time) on basic geology for these nongeologists. This approach is successful because the grade distribution for nongeologists is similar to that for geologists. The schedule for a typical one-semester course is given.

Law and Marine Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bockrath, Joseph

1976-01-01

The University of Delaware Marine Studies has implemented courses in coastal zone law and policy and maritime law. The courses attempt to integrate the scientist's or engineer's work with public policy formation. The program emphasizes historical and current issues and the economic, cultural, and political forces operating in decision-making…

Catalyzing Institutional Transformation: Insights from the AAU STEM Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Emily R.; Fairweather, James S.; Slakey, Linda; Smith, Tobin; King, Tara

2017-01-01

In 2011, the Association of American Universities (AAU) embarked on an ambitious effort to improve the instructional quality and effectiveness of undergraduate introductory Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses. The primary focus was on sustainable implementation of evidence-based methods of instruction in courses that…

Teaching Hypertext and Hypermedia through the Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Bra, Paul M. E.

This paper describes a World Wide Web-based introductory course titled "Hypermedia Structures and Systems," offered as an optional part of the curriculum in computing science at the Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands). The technical environment for the current (1996) edition of the course is presented, which features…

New Course Design: Classification Schemes and Information Architecture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinberg, Bella Hass

2002-01-01

Describes a course developed at St. John's University (New York) in the Division of Library and Information Science that relates traditional classification schemes to information architecture and Web sites. Highlights include functional aspects of information architecture, that is, the way content is structured; assignments; student reactions; and…

Resolving Bottlenecks: Converting Three High-Enrollment Nursing Courses to an Online Format.

PubMed

Chen, Ken-Zen; Anderson, Jeff; Hannah, Elizabeth Lyon; Bauer, Christine; Provant-Robishaw, Corinna

2015-07-01

Converting large undergraduate classes from the classroom to online has been an effective way to increase enrollments in high-demand courses in undergraduate education. However, challenges exist to maintaining students' high-quality learning interaction and engagement in large online courses. This article presents a collaborative model between faculty in health sciences and instructional designers to redesign and redevelop three high-enrollment courses to online at Boise State University. Health studies course faculty and eCampus instructional designers conducted this study to reflect the collaborative online course development process at Boise State. The offering of high-enrollment nursing courses met enrollment demand and maintained student retention. Challenges related to instruction were addressed by using a careful course redesign process and continuous improvement. Implications of this educational innovation for health science educators, instructional designers, and lessons learned are provided. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

Conceptual astronomy. II. Replicating conceptual gains, probing attitude changes across three semesters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeilik, Michael; Schau, Candace; Mattern, Nancy

1999-10-01

We report on a long-term, large-scale study of a one-semester, conceptually based, introductory astronomy course with data from more than 400 students over three semesters at the University of New Mexico. Using traditional and alternative assessment tools developed for the project, we examined the pre- and postcourse results for Fall 1994, Spring 1995, and Fall 1995. We find our results are robust: novice students show large, positive gains on assessments of conceptual understanding and connected understanding of the knowledge structure of astronomy. We find no relationship between course achievement and completion of prior courses in science or math; we do find a small to moderate relationship between students' science self-image and course achievement. Also, we detect little change over each semester in students' mildly positive incoming attitudes about astronomy and science.

Necessity and Role of Introductory Education in the Engineering Education in University Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Endo, Ginro

In the faculties of “Engineering” or “Science and Technology” of many universities, faculty stuffs are teaching the academic foundations of technology to the students. From the standing point of the students in engineering course, first their study should be started to be accustomed to the new studying situations in their universities or colleges, and then the students proceed to be adjusted to study engineering specialty. The former is or should be realized through liberal arts education in university level and extracurricular activities in the universities. However, the latter needs special education schemes. In the past, educational courses in universities were clearly divided into a liberal arts period and a specialty education period in Japan. In that system, the students in engineering were accustomed to the specialty education after their promotion to their engineering curriculum. At present, the students in the faculties must be engrossed in the study of engineering from their first year of the university education, because the science and technology have been very rapidly progressed and have made increase in the level and quantity of engineering education. In this article, the author discusses how should the faculty give the scholastic ability to the students in engineering from the early years of the university courses, and introduces the case studies of introductory education (or the first-year education) in the engineering education that has been done in a faculty to that the author belongs.

Using an Electronic Bulletin Board in Science Teacher Education: Issues and Trade-Offs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burkett, Ruth S.; Leard, Cynthia; Spector, Barbara S.

2004-01-01

University professors increasingly are expected to infuse computer technology in teaching. Many universities are aggressively promoting the delivery of entire courses and programs using computers and the Internet as vehicles for instruction. There is also a movement to align university teaching with the national standards for K-12 teaching.…

Indications of Knowledge Retention in the Transition to Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Harriet; Black, Beth; Green, Jon; Langton, Phil; Rutherford, Stephen; Scott, Jon; Brown, Sally

2015-01-01

First year undergraduate courses in higher education tend to be designed based on assumptions of students' prior knowledge. Almost 600 undergraduates at five UK universities, studying biological sciences, were given an MCQ test in their first week at university, based on biology A-level (pre-university examination) core criteria. Results…

Asian Universities' Collaboration for Advanced Environmental Engineering via Simultaneous Distant Learning Classes Using Video Playback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araki, Mituhiko; Nakamura, Yuichi; Fujii, Shigeo; Tsuno, Hiroshi

Three international simultaneous lectures of the post graduate level in the field of environmental science and engineering are under preparation in Kyoto University. They are planned to be opened in three Asian universities (Tsinghua University in China, University of Malaya in Malaysia, and Kyoto University in Japan) as formal courses. The contents of the lectures, purpose of the project and technical problems are reported.

Cloud Pedagogy: Utilizing Web-Based Technologies for the Promotion of Social Constructivist Learning in Science Teacher Preparation Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barak, Miri

2017-10-01

The new guidelines for science education emphasize the need to introduce computers and digital technologies as a means of enabling visualization and data collection and analysis. This requires science teachers to bring advanced technologies into the classroom and use them wisely. Hence, the goal of this study was twofold: to examine the application of web-based technologies in science teacher preparation courses and to examine pre-service teachers' perceptions of "cloud pedagogy"—an instructional framework that applies technologies for the promotion of social constructivist learning. The study included university teachers ( N = 48) and pre-service science teachers ( N = 73). Data were collected from an online survey, written reflections, and interviews. The findings indicated that university teachers use technologies mainly for information management and the distribution of learning materials and less for applying social constructivist pedagogy. University teachers expect their students (i.e., pre-service science teachers) to use digital tools in their future classroom to a greater extent than they themselves do. The findings also indicated that the "cloud pedagogy" was perceived as an appropriate instructional framework for contemporary science education. The application of the cloud pedagogy fosters four attributes: the ability to adapt to frequent changes and uncertain situations, the ability to collaborate and communicate in decentralized environments, the ability to generate data and manage it, and the ability to explore new venous.

A Comparison of the Expertise of University Faculty and Students in American Political Science: Implications for Future Research on High School Civics and Government

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Budano, Christopher

2012-01-01

This study investigated the disciplinary knowledge and nature of expertise among political science experts studying American political science. A comparison group of students who had completed an introductory undergraduate course in American political science also participated in the study. Numerous research studies have found that civics and…

Inscriptional Practices in Undergraduate Introductory Science Courses: A Path toward Improving Prospective K-6 Teachers' Understanding and Teaching of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kindfield, Ann C. H.; Singer-Gabella, Marcy

2010-01-01

Inscriptions play a critical role in the creation and communication of scientific knowledge, yet are afforded little status in traditional science education research and practice. In the vast majority of science classrooms, K-12 and university alike, inscriptions are treated as transparent, unproblematic illustrations of the "content" rather than…

Preparing Students for Careers in Science and Industry with Computational Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florinski, V. A.

2011-12-01

Funded by NSF CAREER grant, the University of Alabama (UAH) in Huntsville has launched a new graduate program in Computational Physics. It is universally accepted that today's physics is done on a computer. The program blends the boundary between physics and computer science by teaching student modern, practical techniques of solving difficult physics problems using diverse computational platforms. Currently consisting of two courses first offered in the Fall of 2011, the program will eventually include 5 courses covering methods for fluid dynamics, particle transport via stochastic methods, and hybrid and PIC plasma simulations. The UAH's unique location allows courses to be shaped through discussions with faculty, NASA/MSFC researchers and local R&D business representatives, i.e., potential employers of the program's graduates. Students currently participating in the program have all begun their research careers in space and plasma physics; many are presenting their research at this meeting.

Experimental course of bioethics upon the bioethics core curriculum of UNESCO: methodoloy and result of investigation.

PubMed

Davtyan, S

2012-12-01

In October 2005 the General Conference of UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. The aim of this Declaration was to assist in the realization ofprinciples and support the thorough understanding of the consequences of the ethics of scientific and technical progress, especially for youth. In 2008, the Division of Ethics of Science and Technology Sector for Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO worked out an Educational Program (Bioethics Core Curriculum). On November 23, 2010 a Memorandum was signed between UNESCO and the Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi. The Memorandum was aimed to test the Bioethics Core Curriculum of UNESCO. In this article we will analyze the aims and goals of studying the course, as well as disputable shortcomings of the Program, make recommendations for the improvement of the course of bioethics, and highlight the positive aspects of this Educational Program.

Ornithology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Biology Teacher, 2004

2004-01-01

A landmark group of Cornell University is dedicated to diffusing every possible information available on ornithology, the website is divided into several different sections. There is enough material in this website to cover various units in any life science or integrated science course (www.birds.cornell.edu/programs.allaboutbirds).

The Development of Interactive World Wide Web Based Teaching Material in Forensic Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daeid, Niamh Nic

2001-01-01

Describes the development of a Web-based tutorial in the forensic science teaching program at the University of Strathclyde (Scotland). Highlights include the theoretical basis for course development; objectives; Web site design; student feedback; and staff feedback. (LRW)

The New Geology or the Role of the Geological Sciences in Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emiliani, Cesare

1989-01-01

Described is a two-course sequence dealing with the origin and evolution of the entire natural system including the universe, solar system, earth, and life. The content, suggestions about teacher preparation, teaching techniques, and testing are discussed. (CW)

Expanding the scope of anatomical sciences: the case of "Human evolution: The fossil evidence" course at the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University.

PubMed

Notzer, Netta; Abramovitz, Ruth

2012-01-01

The Anatomy Department at Tel-Aviv University Medical School offers its students an elective course of 26 didactic hours on human evolution. The course is open to students from all faculties, who must fulfill all academic requirements, without a prerequisite of a background in anatomy. Approximately 120 students attend annually, a third of them are nonmedical students who major in philosophy, archeology, and sociology. This article discusses the course's contributions to students' understanding of a scientific concept that a scientific theory can be contradicted by new evidence, because facts govern science. Also, research methods of applying scientific principles establish the understanding of the human body, which evidently contributes to health and medicine. In the classes, the students are divided into mini-groups of 2-3 students, while the lecturer moves among students to examine fossils. In addition, analogies, open-discussions, and explanations accompany the tangible experiences. The lecturer of the course is an experienced anthropologist-anatomist researcher. He is a role-model and a mentor, sharing with the students his belief that a scientist should be persistent in his research to overcome difficult circumstances. Students, regardless of their backgrounds, express high appreciation of the course in their feedback questionnaires. The message conveyed by this course is that not only knowledge counts but also its integration with scientific principles. This course teaches us that science can bring students from different areas to study together and share ideas. In conclusion, this is a unique course in the eyes of the faculty and students alike. Copyright © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.

Building a Course on Global Sustainability using the grand challenges of Energy-Water-Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, J. D.

2012-12-01

GEOL1600: Global Sustainability: Managing the Earth's Resources is a lower division integrated science course at the University of Wyoming that fulfills the university's science requirement. Course content and context has been developed using the grand challenge nexus of energy-water-and climate (EWC). The interconnection of these issues, their social relevance and timeliness has provided a framework that gives students an opportunity to recognize why STEM is relevant to their lives regardless of their ultimate professional career choices. The EWC nexus provides the filter to sieve the course's STEM content. It also provides an ideal mechanism by which the non-STEM perspectives important in grand challenge solutions can be seamlessly incorporated in the course. Through a combination of content and context, the relevance of these issues engage students in their own learning. Development of the course followed the Grand Challenge Scientific Literacy (GCSL) model independently developed by the author and two colleagues at the University of Wyoming. This course model stresses science principles centered on the nature of science (e.g., fundamental premises, habits of mind, critical thinking) and unifying scientific concepts (e.g., methods and tools, experimentation, modeling). Grand challenge principles identify the STEM and non-STEM concepts needed to understand the grand challenges, drawing on multiple STEM and non-STEM disciplines and subjects (i.e., economics, politics, unintended consequences, roles of stakeholders). Using the EWC nexus filter and building on the Grand Challenge Principles, specific content included in the course is selected is that most relevant to understanding the Grand Challenges, thereby stressing content depth over breadth. Because quantitative data and reasoning is critical to effectively evaluating challenge solutions, QR is a component of nearly all class activities, while engineering and technology aspects of grand challenges are explicitly stressed. Running concurrently through the course is a consideration of personal perspectives and their influence on student learning, particularly for controversial subjects. Organizationally, the course consists of three one hour lectures and a two hour lab each week. The lectures are used to introduce content and prepare the knowledge base students need for lab. Complementing traditional lectures are lecture worksheets (short activities applying topics previously presented in lecture) and lecture activities (more involved exercises that present a problem the students need to solve using previously learned scientific content and QR skills and tools). Labs focus on case studies set in global social contexts that are timely and relevant. Labs stress scientific skills (modeling groundwater flow) and also consider political and environmental issues, e.g. developing a policy to manage SO2 emissions from copper smelting. The ideas, concepts, educational materials and content developed in this course have been used as the basis for two Math Science Partnerships that have provided professional development for middle and high school science and math teachers and K-12 social, math and science teachers. These programs have worked with teachers to break down the barriers between disciplines and foster collaborative learning centered on socially relevant grand challenges.

Maharishi International University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberg, Phil

1975-01-01

The director of curriculum development at Maharishi International University describes background and design of the program based on the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) as a unifying theoretical structure and on transcendental meditation (TM) for expanding awareness and utilizing videotape technology in its core curriculum courses. (JT)

Using AN Essea Earth Systems Science Course in a Web-Enhanced Setting for Pre-Service Middle School Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slattery, W.

2003-12-01

The ESSEA Middle School course was originally designed as an asynchronous on-line tool for teacher professional development. The ESSEA course uses real world events such as deforestation, volcanic eruptions and hurricanes to develop content understandings of Earth systems processes and to model pedagogical best practices appropriate for middle school students. The course is structured as multiple three-week learning cycles. During week one of each cycle, participants are formed into Sphere groups to study the impact of the event under consideration on the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, or lithosphere. During week two, Event teams are formed to include members from each of the previous week's Sphere groups. Together they develop interactions between the different spheres and the event. During week three, teachers develop classroom applications and post them on-line for other participants to comment upon. On-going assessment suggests that in-service teacher participants of the on-line course are more likely to infuse inquiry-based science instruction into their classroom settings and to teach science as a subject integrating Physical science, Life science, and Earth/Space science in their own classrooms It is imperative to develop such characteristics in pre-service teachers as well. Wright State University's undergraduate Middle School teacher preparation program requires that undergraduates seeking Middle Childhood Licensure by the State of Ohio take a course in Earth Systems science that is aligned with the national and state science education standards. Towards this end the ESSEA course has been adapted for use in a web-enhanced setting. Weeks one and two (Sphere and Event study) of the ESSEA Middle School course are used as an integral component of this Earth Systems science course. In this way content knowledge and pedagogical strategies are modeled just as they are in the fully on-line course. Questions raised on-line are the topic of research or experimentation during the face-to-face component of the course. Follow-up interviews and classroom visits to student teaching sites confirm that pre-service teachers are using Earth systems science concepts and cooperative teaching techniques to teach science as an integrated whole.

Plans of Implementation and Methods for Increasing Student Enrollment in the Earth Systems Science Course at Elizabeth City State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porter, W.

2001-12-01

This presentation reviews the experience of Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) in offering the Earth Systems Science (ESS) online course sponsored the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) and how it relates to our plans to offer the course in the Spring Semester of 2002. The course was offered for the first time at ECSU during the Fall semester 2000. Eight students were enrolled in the course, which may not be considered a large number; however, we felt the administration of the course was successful because of the staff's learning experience. The small number is also a reflection of the nature of ECSU's primary recruitment region of northeastern North Carolina; this area is extremely rural with a smaller population, lower economic development, and fewer cultural amenities than most regions of the state. Our approach to this project is for a long-term effective offering of a course that is much needed, especially in this area of the state. The ultimate goal is to develop ESS as our online offering of courses in the Geoscience Department curriculum as to recruit students who might not have the opportunity to take college-level courses because of daytime work commitments and/or inaccessibility to a local college or university. A major component of ESS is its focus on problem-based learning built upon the life experiences of participating students. Having learned from the previous offering of the course, the following are objectives related to the Spring Semester 2002: 1. To get ESS to become a part of the Geoscience curriculum so that it will be listed on the schedule of classes for the Spring Semester 2002 and each succeeding semester; 2. To aggressively reach out to the public school teachers, especially in the recruitment region of ECSU in northeastern North Carolina, by using effective recruitment strategies; 3. To have an active and continuous communication with prospective students prior to and immediately after the enrollment, as well as being accessible to them during the entire period of the course; and 4. To have students focus on the problem-based aspect of the course as it relates to their life experiences. These objectives are designed to increase enrollment in the course as well as to enhance the retention of participating students.

Developing a science teacher education course that supports student teachers' thinking and teaching about the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sorensen, Pete; Newton, Len; McCarthy, Sue

2012-04-01

Background and purpose . This paper reports on part of an ongoing research project in England concerning the Nature of Science (NOS). The particular focus is on the initial thinking of the graduate scientists starting a one-year, Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) course and the way the course approaches adopted influence their views and understanding of NOS and their teaching. The research is set against a wealth of literature indicating that teachers find it difficult to teach curricula that emphasise NOS. Thus a key impetus for research in this area has been to look for ways that beginning teachers might be better prepared to face such challenges. Sample The paper draws on data from three cohorts of secondary PGCE students in a university-schools partnership, involving a total of 169 students. Design and method The research lies within a design research tradition. It has used mixed methods, involving written tasks, interviews and focus groups, with an iterative approach where the outcomes from one cohort have been used to inform course developments in successive years. Results The results from these cohorts suggest that, while the students starting the course have a less restricted view of NOS than indicated by some other studies, in most cases there is a lack of breadth and depth to their understanding. There is some evidence that the use of specific tasks focusing on NOS in university-based sessions may be helping to develop and deepen understanding. However, the impact of current approaches remains fairly limited and attempts to develop teaching practices often face considerable barriers in the school-based practicum. Conclusions Graduate science students' understanding of NOS as they embark on the PGCE is not highly developed. Hence, the emphasis on aspects of NOS in the school curriculum presents a considerable challenge. This study suggests that there is a need to both further develop an explicit focus on NOS in university-based sessions and to develop closer relationships between schools and university faculty in seeking to support developments in classroom practice in this difficult area.

A Climate Change Minor that gets Physics Students talking to Philosophy Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Running, S. W.; Phear, N.

2015-12-01

We started a Climate Change Studies Minor at the University of Montana in 2008. The curriculum is divided into three Sections: Science, Society and Solutions. Faculty from at least 8 different departments offer courses. The Science curriculum is what you would expect, however we worked hard to build the Society Section to include courses in political science, ethics, economics, communication, international policy. The Solutions Section introduces a variety of sustainability, renewable energy and green business courses, and internships and practicums with local organizations and businesses. Our goal has been a Minor that can be taken by students from any major on campus. The high point for me is watching the AGU type geeks interacting with philosophy majors, business students, and pre-law students.

Assessment of an On-Line Earth System Science Course for Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuster, R. D.; Grandgenett, N.

2009-12-01

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) has been offering on-line Earth System Science coursework to in-service teachers in Nebraska since 2002 through the Earth Systems Science Education Alliance (ESSEA). The goal of this course is to increase teacher content knowledge in Earth Science, introduce them to Earth System Science, and have them experience cooperative learning. We have offered three different ESSEA courses, with nearly 200 students having taken ESSEA courses at UNO for graduate credit. This effort represents a close collaboration between faculty and students from the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and Education, with periodic assistance of the local schools. In a follow-up study related to ESSEA coursework, UNO examined the perceptions of teachers who have taken the course and the potential benefits of the ESSEA courses for their own educational settings. The study was descriptive in design and included an online survey and a focus group. The results of these assessments indicated that the teachers felt very positive about what they learned in these courses, and in particular, how they could incorporate cooperative learning, inquiry based activities, and Earth System Science interconnections in their own classrooms. Problems identified by the teachers included a perceived lack of time to be able to integrate the learned material into their science curriculua and a lack of computer and/or technological resources in their educational settings. In addition, this Fall, we will conduct two teacher case studies, where we will interview two teachers, visit their classrooms, acquire work samples and talk with students. All of the results of our survey and focus group will be presented.

The Arkansas Science Crusade: A descriptive study of the implications for science education reform at the postsecondary level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, Carol Ann

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the National Science Foundation-sponsored, constructivist-based course Higher Order Thinking Skills in Science for teachers of grades 5--16 in Arkansas in terms of its impact on post secondary teaching. The course was part of the Arkansas Statewide Systemic Initiative from 1995 to 1998. The participants in the study were 10 science instructors from 9 two-year colleges, 16 instructors from 8 four-year colleges or universities, and one instructor from a private college. Four of the participants were also involved in teaching science education courses. Data were collected from questionnaires and telephone interviews of the 27 participants. They were asked to respond to 26 interview questions to evaluate the effectiveness of the course and its impact on reform of college science teaching. The transcribed interviews were analyzed and responses were tabulated in order to investigate why the participants chose to participate, including their expectations for the course; how the course had changed their views toward the need for reform; how the course had changed the way the participants teach; factors that they considered to hinder reform in science teaching on the college level; and how they would evaluate the overall effectiveness of the course. The findings indicated that there was no difference in responses between participants from two-year or four-year colleges or from the teacher-educators. The majority of the participants reported that the course had resulted in changes in, or reinforcement of, their teaching strategies to include constructivist, hands-on, and/or collaborative group methodologies; use of alternative assessments; and use of calculator-based technology, as well as an opportunity to interact with pre-college teachers. Based upon the interview responses, suggestions for improving the course were discussed. Recommendations for future research included increasing the sample size, especially to include more teacher-educators, and evaluating the effects of the course on the attitudes and achievement of the students of the participants.

Integrating Climate Change Science and Sustainability in Environmental Science, Sociology, Philosophy and Business Courses.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boudrias, M. A.; Cantzler, J.; Croom, S.; Huston, C.; Woods, M.

2015-12-01

Courses on sustainability can be taught from multiple perspectives with some focused on specific areas (environmental, socio-cultural, economic, ethics) and others taking a more integrated approach across areas of sustainability and academic disciplines. In conjunction with the Climate Change Education Program efforts to enhance climate change literacy with innovative approaches, resources and communication strategies developed by Climate Education Partners were used in two distinct ways to integrate climate change science and impacts into undergraduate and graduate level courses. At the graduate level, the first lecture in the MBA program in Sustainable Supply Chain Management is entirely dedicated to climate change science, local and global impacts and discussions about key messages to communicate to the business community. Basic science concepts are integrated with discussions about mitigation and adaptation focused on business leaders. The concepts learned are then applied to the semester-long business plan project for the students. At the undergraduate level, a new model of comprehensive integration across disciplines was implemented in Spring 2015 across three courses on Sustainability each with a specific lens: Natural Science, Sociology and Philosophy. All three courses used climate change as the 'big picture' framing concept and had similar learning objectives creating a framework where lens-specific topics, focusing on depth in a discipline, were balanced with integrated exercises across disciplines providing breadth and possibilities for integration. The comprehensive integration project was the creation of the climate action plan for the university with each team focused on key areas of action (water, energy, transportation, etc.) and each team built with at least one member from each class ensuring a natural science, sociological and philosophical perspective. The final project was presented orally to all three classes and an integrated paper included all three perspectives. The best projects are being compiled so they can be shared with the University of San Diego's planning committee.

Planning and implementing an honors degree in environmental science curricula: a case study from the University of Delaware, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levia, Delphis

2015-04-01

Environmental degradation is undermining the sustainability of our planet. The multi-faceted nature of environmental stressors, which inherently couples human-environment interactions across space and time, necessitates that we train environmental scientists holistically within an interdisciplinary framework. Recruiting top-notch honors students to major in the environmental sciences is a critical step to ensure that we have the human capital to tackle complicated environmental problems successfully. Planning and implementing an honors degree is no trivial task. Based upon a recently completed and implemented set of programmatic revisions*, this poster showcases a successful example of an honors curriculum in environmental science to recruit and educate dynamic thinkers capable of improving the quality of our environment. The interdisciplinary environmental science program at the University of Delaware emphasizes the cross-cutting among earth's spheres through a core set of courses which employ a quantitative approach which is supplemented by several environmental policy courses. The core is coupled with six different thematic concentrations (students choose one) which permit the student to delve into a particular area of environmental science. The honors component of the degree consists of twelve additional credits. These credits are met through a specially designed introductory environmental course, a field experience requiring data collection, analysis, and write-up, a capstone course, and one other environmentally related course. The environmental sciences honors curriculum outlined in this poster may serve as a useful guide to others wishing to establish an honors program of their own in environmental science to recruit and prepare the next generation to mitigate environmental degradation. -------------- * Please note that the planning process for the environmental programs was and is the collective effort of many dedicated people. Current members of the advisory Environmental Council include Drs. Delphis Levia (Program Director & Chair), Nancy Targett (Dean), Frank Newton, Tracy Deliberty, Steve Hastings, John Madsen, Paul Imhoff, Jan Johnson, Jerry Kauffman, Murray Johnston.

The Sea Floor: A Living Learning Residential Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guentzel, J. L.; Rosch, E.; Stoughton, M. A.; Bowyer, R.; Mortensen, K.; Smith, M.

2016-02-01

Living learning communities are collaborations between university housing and academic departments designed to enhance the overall student experience by integrating classroom/laboratory learning, student life and extracurricular activities. At Coastal Carolina University, the residential community associated with the Marine Science program is known as the Sea Floor. Students selected to become members of the Sea Floor remain "in residence" for two consecutive semesters. These students are first-time freshman that share a common course connection. This course is usually Introduction to Marine Science (MSCI 111) or MSCI 399s, which are one credit field/laboratory centered internships. The common course connection is designed so residents can establish and maintain an educational dialog with their peers. Activities designed to enhance the students' networking skills and educational and social development skills include monthly lunches with marine science faculty and dinner seminars with guest speakers from academia, industry and government. Additionally, each semester several activities outside the classroom are planned so that students can more frequently interact with themselves and their faculty and staff partners. These activities include field trips to regional aquariums, local boat trips that include water sample collection and analysis, and an alternative spring break trip to the Florida Keys to study the marine environment firsthand. The resident advisor that supervises the Sea Floor is usually a sophomore or junior marine science major. This provides the residents with daily communication and mentoring from a marine science major that is familiar with the marine science program and residence life. Assessment activities include: a university housing community living survey, student interest housing focus groups, fall to spring and fall to fall retention, and evaluation of program advisors and program activities.

Increasing Student Success in Large Survey Science Courses via Supplemental Instruction in Learning Centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooper, Eric Jon; Nossal, S.; Watson, L.; Timbie, P.

2010-05-01

Large introductory astronomy and physics survey courses can be very challenging and stressful. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Physics Learning Center (PLC) reaches about 10 percent of the students in four introductory physics courses, algebra and calculus based versions of both classical mechanics and electromagnetism. Participants include those potentially most vulnerable to experiencing isolation and hence to having difficulty finding study partners as well as students struggling with the course. They receive specially written tutorials, conceptual summaries, and practice problems; exam reviews; and most importantly, membership in small groups of 3 - 8 students which meet twice per week in a hybrid of traditional teaching and tutoring. Almost all students who regularly participate in the PLC earn at least a "C,” with many earning higher grades. The PLC works closely with other campus programs which seek to increase the participation and enhance the success of underrepresented minorities, first generation college students, and students from lower-income circumstances; and it is well received by students, departmental faculty, and University administration. The PLC staff includes physics education specialists and research scientists with a passion for education. However, the bulk of the teaching is conducted by undergraduates who are majoring in physics, astronomy, mathematics, engineering, and secondary science teaching (many have multiple majors). The staff train these enthusiastic students, denoted Peer Mentor Tutors (PMTs) in general pedagogy and mentoring strategies, as well as the specifics of teaching the physics covered in the course. The PMTs are among the best undergraduates at the university. While currently there is no UW-Madison learning center for astronomy courses, establishing one is a possible future direction. The introductory astronomy courses cater to non-science majors and consequently are less quantitative. However, the basic structure of small groups focusing on fundamental understanding taught mostly by dedicated undergraduates should transfer well.

Earth Systems Science Curriculum Choices for Pre-Service Teachers at San Jose State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messina, P.; Metzger, E. P.

2008-12-01

San José State University was a member of the original ESSEA consortium (2003-05), and it continues its participation with the broadening ESSEA community. Having hosted the original Middle- and High School Teachers' ESSEA courses, the Geology Department and Program in Science Education have maintained their commitments toward supporting pre- and in-service teachers in geoscience concept competency and effective pedagogy. We have witnessed an encouraging trend in the numbers of K-8 (multiple subject) pre-service teachers who have enrolled in our in-house ESSEA-inspired course: Geology 103 (Earth Systems and the Environment). We have also seen an influx of prospective secondary (single subject) teachers seeking credentials in non- geoscience disciplines. California teacher credentialing requirements, especially when layered on the increasing demands of major fields of study and the California State University System's hefty General Education mandates, give prospective teachers little latitude in their academic programs. Geology 103 was developed to satisfy three logistical objectives: to comply with "geoscience content competency" as defined by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC); to fulfill one of the CSU's upper-division General Education requirements, and to develop science process skills in a population that may never have had similar prior opportunities. The course is offered in two modalities: online and on-campus. The Web-based sections are currently comparing the relative effectiveness of two dissimilar online learning modalities and assessments: one delivers video/audio/animated "podcasts," while the other requires student involvement through interactive Flash media. The course is taught by professors with joint appointments in the Department of Geology and Program in Science Education, and by current and former classroom teachers to ensure that geoscience content knowledge is achieved through inquiry, systems analyses, and other methods promoting enduring understandings.

Summer Institute for High School Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maheswaranathan, Ponn; Calloway, Cliff

2008-04-01

We have conducted again a summer institute for high-school teachers in South Carolina at Winthrop University. The target audience were 9th grade physical science teachers in schools within a 50-mile radius from Winthrop. We developed a graduate level physics professional development course covering selected topics from the physics and chemistry content areas of the South Carolina Science Standards. Delivery of the material included the traditional lectures and the following innovative approaches in science teaching: hands-on experiments, group activities, computer based data collection, group discussions, and presentations. Two master teachers assisted us during the delivery of the course which took place in June 20-29, 2007 using Winthrop facilities. Requested funds were used for the following: salary for us and master teachers, contract course fee, some of the participants' room and board, startup equipment for all the teachers, and indirect costs to Winthrop University. Startup equipment included Pasco's stand-alone and portable Xplorer GLX interface and sensors (temperature, voltage, pH, pressure, motion, and sound). What we learned and ideas for continued K-12 teacher preparation initiatives will be presented.

Six University Canada/US/Mexico exchange program in Earth Hazards (EHaz)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stix, J.; Rose, W. I.

2005-12-01

This program is a consortium of six research-based universities in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S (Michigan Tech, Buffalo, McGill, Waterloo, UNAM and Colima) funded by the Department of education in the US and equivalent organizations in Canada and Mexico as part of the NAFTA agreement. The focus area for the mobility program is mitigation of geological natural hazards in North America. The consortium universities will exchange students and faculty in several engineering and science disciplines (e.g. environmental engineering, civil engineering, geological engineering, social sciences and geology) involved in the study of natural geological hazards. Students in the social sciences also will be exchanged, recognizing that the solution of natural hazards problems involves critical political, social, and economic aspects. Students will be mobilized among the participating universities through one- to two-semester visits and up to 60 more students will be mobilized via short-term, intensive courses. Student activities will consist of three stages: intensive language training, natural hazards coursework, and professional or research internships with local industries, agencies or at the host university. In each of the next three years there will be a joint advanced volcanology class run via videoconferencing and a three week field trip to areas of volcanological interest in Canada, US and Mexico. The course and field trip foci for the next three years are: 2006: Megaeruptions/ LongValley and Yellowstone; 2007: Volcanic edifice failure/ Cascades and Western Canada 2008: Convergent plate Boundary Volcanism/ Mexican Volcanic Belt Although the six universities will have first access to the exchange we are constructing ways for other volcanology programs to share the teleconference courses and field trips.

Collaborative Projects Increase Student Learning Outcome Performance in Nonmajors Environmental Science Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chace, Jameson F.

2014-01-01

Between 2007 and 2010, three types of semester research projects were assigned in BIO 140 Humans and Their Environment, a nonmajors introductory course at Salve Regina University. Specific environmental impact-type assessments were used to foster scientific inquiry and achieve higher scientific literacy. Quantitative and qualitative measurements…

Exploring Digital Badges in University Courses: Relationships between Quantity, Engagement, and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fanfarelli, Joseph R.; McDaniel, Rudy

2017-01-01

Digital badging research is gaining momentum as instructors and administrators consider new models for assessing learning in nontraditional contexts (e.g., informal science learning programs, flexible online courses, adaptive learning systems). While many studies are examining the effectiveness of digital badges for pedagogical functions, such as…

A Tutorial Design Process Applied to an Introductory Materials Engineering Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenblatt, Rebecca; Heckler, Andrew F.; Flores, Katharine

2013-01-01

We apply a "tutorial design process", which has proven to be successful for a number of physics topics, to design curricular materials or "tutorials" aimed at improving student understanding of important concepts in a university-level introductory materials science and engineering course. The process involves the identification…

Rapid Conversion of Traditional Introductory Physics Sequences to an Activity-Based Format

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoder, Garett; Cook, Jerry

2014-01-01

The Department of Physics at EKU [Eastern Kentucky University] with support from the National Science Foundations Course Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement Program has successfully converted our entire introductory physics sequence, both algebra-based and calculus-based courses, to an activity-based format where laboratory activities,…

Physics Teacher Use of the History of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winrich, Charles

2013-01-01

The School of Education and the Department of Physics at Boston University offer a sequence of 10 two-credit professional development courses through the Improving the Teaching of Physics (ITOP) project. The ITOP courses combine physics content, readings from the physics education research (PER) literature, and the conceptual history of physics…

Engineers: Designers--No Alibis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Susan A. R.; Wilkins, Linda C.

Engineering is the science, art, and business of designing and getting things done; engineers are required to make things happen through interpersonal relationships. At Monash University (Australia), a new course, Management for Engineers, was set up in 1990 to encourage a more holistic approach to the process of engineering. The course included…

Technoscientific French for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Brigitte D.

A two-semester sequence of courses in French and Spanish for science and technology at Eastern Michigan University responds to alumni demands for better linguistic and cultural preparation for increasingly global business and industry. In addition, high schools teacher enrolled in the courses find they answer a need for professional upgrading of…

Placement of Students into First-Year Writing Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliot, Norbert; Deess, Perry; Rudniy, Alex; Joshi, Kamal

2012-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to examine concurrent and predictive evidence used in the validation of ACCUPLACER, a purchased test used to place first-year students into writing courses at an urban, public research university devoted to science and technology education. Concurrent evidence was determined by correlations between ACCUPLACER…

An Introductory Course in Bioengineering and Biotechnology for Chemical Engineering Sophomores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Kim C.

2007-01-01

Advances in the biological sciences necessitate the training of chemical engineers to translate these fundamental discoveries into applications that will benefit society. Accordingly, Tulane University revised its core chemical engineering curriculum in 2005 to include a new introductory course in bioengineering and biotechnology for sophomores.…

Social Ecology as Innovative Tertiary Environmental Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Lesley

1992-01-01

This paper explains the origin of the University of West Sidney's Bachelor of Applied Science in Social Ecology degree, and describes underlying philosophical framework, the major course organizing principles, and the proposed structure of the course. Highlights the problematic nature of setting up a dialectical, nondisciplinary-based program.…

MIT Orients Course Materials Online to K-12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavanagh, Sean

2008-01-01

Many science and mathematics educators across the country are taking advantage of a Web site created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the famed research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which offers free video, audio, and print lectures and course material taken straight from the school's classes. Those resources…

Teaching Practical Watershed Science to non-Watershed Science Majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fassnacht, S. R.; Laituri, M.; Layden, P.; Coleman, R.

2008-12-01

The Warner College of Natural Resources (WCNR) at Colorado State University (CSU) has had a long tradition of integrating field measurements into the classroom, dating back to the first forestry summer camp held in 1917 at the CSU Pingree Park mountain campus. In the early 1960s, the Cooperative Watershed Management Unit coordinated efforts to understand and analyse the basic resources of the area, with an emphasis on the geology, hydrology, and climate. Much of this understand is now used as the Abiotic (Geology and Watershed) component of a five-credit, four-week course offered twice each summer at Pingree Park. With the exception of Geology students who have their own field course, this Natural Resources Ecology and Measurements course (NR 220) is required for all WCNR undergraduate students. These majors include Watershed Science, Forestry, Rangeland Ecology, Fisheries, Wildlife Biology, Conservation Biology, and Recreation and Tourism. Since most of these are students are much better trained in biological and/or social sciences rather than physical sciences, a challenge for the Watershed professor is to teaching practical Watershed Science to non-Watershed Science majors. This presentation describes how this challenge is met and how this course helps broaden the knowledge base of Natural Resources students.

Health Science students' evaluation of courses and Instructors: the effect of response rate and class size interaction.

PubMed

Kuwaiti, Ahmed Al

2015-01-01

This study aims at investigating the effect of response rate and class size interaction on students' evaluation of instructors and the courses offered at heath science colleges in Saudi Arabia. A retrospective study design was adapted to ascertain Course Evaluation Surveys (CES) conducted at the health science colleges of the University of Dammam [UOD] in the academic year 2013-2014. Accordingly, the CES data which was downloaded from an exclusive online application 'UDQUEST' which includes 337 different courses and 15,264 surveys were utilized in this study. Two-way analysis of variance was utilized to test whether there is any significant interaction between the class size and the response rate on the students' evaluation of courses and instructors. The study showed that high response rate is required for student evaluation of instructors at Health Science colleges when the class size is small whereas a medium response rate is required for students' evaluation of courses. On the other hand, when the class size is medium, a medium or high response rate is needed for students' evaluation of both instructors and courses. The results of this study recommend that the administrators of the health science colleges to be aware of the interpretation of students' evaluations of courses and instructors. The study also suggests that the interaction between response rate and class size is a very important factor that needs to be taken into consideration while interpreting the findings of the students' evaluation of instructors and courses.

An alternative path to improving university Earth science teaching and developing the geoscience workforce: Postdoctoral research faculty involvement in clinical teacher preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zirakparvar, N. A.; Sessa, J.; Ustunisik, G. K.; Nadeau, P. A.; Flores, K. E.; Ebel, D. S.

2013-12-01

It is estimated that by the year 2020 relative to 2009, there will be 28% more Earth Science jobs paying ≥ $75,000/year1 in the U.S.A. These jobs will require advanced degrees, but compared to all arts and science advanced degrees, the number of physical science M.S. and Ph.D. awarded per year decreased from 2.5% in 1980 to 1.5% in 20092. This decline is reflected on a smaller scale and at a younger age: in the New York City school system only 36% of all 8th graders have basic proficiency in science 3. These figures indicate that the lack achievement in science starts at a young age and then extends into higher education. Research has shown that students in grades 7 - 12 4,5 and in university level courses 6 both respond positively to high quality science teaching. However, much attention is focused on improving science teaching in grades 7- 12, whereas at many universities lower level science courses are taught by junior research and contingent faculty who typically lack formal training, and sometimes interest, in effective teaching. The danger here is that students might enter university intending to pursue geoscience degrees, but then encounter ineffective instructors, causing them to lose interest in geoscience and thus pursue other disciplines. The crux of the matter becomes how to improve the quality of university-level geoscience teaching, without losing sight of the major benchmark of success for research faculty - scholarly publications reporting innovative research results. In most cases, it would not be feasible to sidetrack the research goals of early career scientists by placing them into a formal teacher preparation program. But what happens when postdoctoral research scientists take an active role in clinical teacher preparation as part of their research appointments? The American Museum of Natural History's Masters of Arts in Teaching (AMNH-MAT) urban residency pilot program utilizes a unique approach to grade 7 - 12 Earth Science teacher preparation in that postdoctoral research scientists are directly involved in the clinical preparation of the teacher candidates7. In this program, professional educators and senior scientists guide and work closely with the postdoctoral scientists in developing lessons and field experiences for the teacher candidates. This exposes the postdoctoral scientists to pedagogical techniques. Furthermore, postdoctoral scientists make regular visits to partner schools and share their research interests with high school science students8. Regular assessments about the quality of the postdoctoral scientist's teaching, in the form of course evaluations and informal discussions with the teacher candidates and professional educators, further augments the postdoctoral scientists teaching skills. These experiences can ultimately improve university level science teaching, should the postdoctoral scientists find positions within a university setting. Here, five postdoctoral researchers present self-studies of changing instructional practice born of their involvement in clinical teacher preparation in the AMNH-MAT program.

Climate Change Education at the University of Washington: Bridging Academic Degrees, Departments and Disciplines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, L.; Bertram, M. A.

2012-12-01

Education on climate change occurs in many departments at large research universities, but providing a coordinated educational experience for students in this topic is challenging. Departmental boundaries, accounting for student credit hours, and curricula inertia create roadblocks to the creation of interdisciplinary curriculum for both graduate and undergraduate students. We describe a hierarchy of interdisciplinary programs that reach students from seniors in high school to graduate students, targeting students from a variety of disciplines. The UWHS (University of Washington in the High School) program allows high school teachers to be trained to teach UW courses to their own high school students at their own school. The students who enroll receive a UW grade and credit for the course (as well as high school credit). A UWHS course on Climate and Climate Change (Atmospheric Sciences 211) was created in 2011 supported by training to high school science teachers on the fundamentals of climate science. For the 2012-13 academic year we anticipate at least 5 schools in Washington State will be offering this course. Once students matriculate at UW, 211 serves as a prerequisite for the Climate Minor that began in 2011. The minor is hosted by the departments of Atmospheric Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences and Oceanography, offering instruction in three focus areas: climate chemistry and biology, the physical climate, and past climate and ice. Students also take an integrative seminar where they are required to communicate to both scientific and non-scientific audiences some topic in climate science. Students enrolled in graduate programs at UW can participate in the Graduate Certificate in Climate Science that began 2008. The certificate gives students instruction in climate science covering the same topic areas as the minor and with a capstone project where student communicate some aspect of climate science to a non-physical science audience. Projects have included describing to policy students how rainfall is expected to impact crops in Africa, the development of a series of talks on the health impacts of climate change for County Health officials, and the development of hands on curriculum modules for the 211 course. A climate and society track is under development for the Environmental Studies BA students who are also required to take 211. For these students capstone project will focus on societal implications of climate change. A track will be added to the Graduate Certificate focusing on impact, vulnerability and adaptation. This will serve students in natural resource sciences, public health, and social science programs. We are also working to linkage with the Graduate Certificate in Global Health so that group capstone experiences could focus on the climate impacts and adaption strategies for the most vulnerable people in the world. The richness of offerings at a large research intensive university can allow students to engage in all aspects of climate science, with the programs described above providing the structure that students need to be guided towards a deep and nuanced understanding of all aspects of climate change.

Transnational nursing programs: models, advantages and challenges.

PubMed

Wilson, Michael

2002-07-01

Conducting transnational programs can be a very rewarding activity for a School, Faculty or University. Apart from increasing the profile of the university, the conduct of transnational programs can also provide the university with openings for business opportunities, consultative activities, and collaborative research. It can also be a costly exercise placing an enormous strain on limited resources with little reward for the provider. Transnational ventures can become nonviable entities in a very short period of time due to unanticipated global economic trends. Transnational courses offered by Faculties of Business and Computing are commonplace, however, there is a growing number of health science programs, particularly nursing that are being offered transnational. This paper plans an overview of several models employed for the delivery of transnational nursing courses and discusses several key issues pertaining to conducting courses outside the host university's country.

Project-Based Learning as a Vehicle for Teaching Science at the University Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Courtney, A. R.; Wade, P.

2012-12-01

In a typical science course learning is teacher directed. Students are presented with knowledge and concepts via textbooks and lecture and then given the opportunity to apply them. Project-based learning (PBL) creates a context and reason to learn information and concepts. In PBL, learning is student directed and teacher facilitated. Students take ownership of their learning by finding, evaluating and synthesizing information from a variety of resources and via interaction between each other. In PBL, the project is central rather than peripheral to the curriculum. It is not just an activity that provides examples, additional practice or applications of the course content, but rather, the vehicle through which major concepts are discovered. The PBL process requires students to do revision and reflection encouraging them to think about what and how they are learning. PBL projects also allow students to develop important life-work skills such as collaboration, communication and critical thinking within the discipline. We have employed PBL in both Liberal Arts courses for non-science majors and upper division courses for science students. Three examples will be discussed. The first will be the production of video documentaries in a non-science major course; the second, a student generated electronic textbook in a 300-level energy course for science students; and lastly, a student designed analysis project in a chemistry major capstone laboratory course. The product in each of these examples was used to deliver knowledge to others in the class as well as members of the public providing motivation for students to do high-quality work. In our examples, student documentaries are publicly screened as part of a university-wide Academic Excellence Showcase; the student generated electronic textbook is available for public use on the internet; and the results of the student designed analysis were communicated to the real-world clients via letters and reports. We will discuss various technology tools employed in these projects such as the internet, wikis for collaborative writing, bookmarking management tools for sharing literature resources, photo sharing sites, and electronic literature searching tools. Also described will be assessment methods to gauge how the projects affected student learning.

Gender differences in introductory university physics performance: The influence of high school physics preparation and affect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazari, Zahra Sana

The attrition of females studying physics after high school is a concern to the science education community. Most undergraduate science programs require introductory physics coursework. Thus, success in introductory physics is necessary for students to progress to higher levels of science study. Success also influences attitudes; if females are well-prepared, feel confident, and do well in introductory physics, they may be inclined to study physics further. This quantitative study using multilevel modeling focused on determining factors from high school physics preparation (content, pedagogy, and assessment) and the affective domain that influenced female and male performance in introductory university physics. The study controlled for some university/course level characteristics as well as student demographic and academic background characteristics. The data consisted of 1973 surveys from 54 introductory physics courses within 35 universities across the US. The results highlight high school physics and affective experiences that differentially influenced female and male performance. These experiences include: learning requirements, computer graphing/analysis, long written problems, everyday world examples, community projects, cumulative tests/quizzes, father's encouragement, family's belief that science leads to a better career, and the length of time students believed that high school physics would help in university physics. There were also experiences that had a similar influence on female and male performance. Positively related to performance were: covering fewer topics for longer periods of time, the history of physics as a recurring topic, physics-related videos, and test/quiz questions that involved calculations and/or were drawn from standardized tests. Negatively related to performance were: student-designed projects, reading/discussing labs the day before performing them, microcomputer based laboratories, discussion after demonstrations, and family's belief that science is a series of courses to pass. This study is a unique and noteworthy addition to the literature. The results paint a dynamic picture of the factors from high school physics and within the affective domain that influence students' future physics performance. The implication is that there are many aspects to the teaching of physics in high school that, although widely used and thought to be effective, need reform in their implementation in order to be beneficial to females and males in university.

Phys FilmMakers: teaching science students how to make YouTube-style videos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coates, Rebecca L.; Kuhai, Alvina; Turlej, Laurence Z. J.; Rivlin, Tom; McKemmish, Laura K.

2018-01-01

Phys FilmMakers (PFM) is a new type of course in which a science expert and science communicator partner teach physics students how to make YouTube-style videos on cutting-edge scientific research within the university department. Here, we describe this new course, outline its key components and provide recommendations for others considering implementing a similar FilmMakers-style course using feedback from course tutors and students. We discuss successful and less successful teaching techniques as well as use our experience to identify areas that science students in particular often have difficulties: finding an interesting ‘hook’ for the video, imagining creative B-roll and making a succinct video by removing extraneous (though usually correct and often interesting) material. The course has two major components: workshop sessions in which students learn the key elements of film-making and independent video production where PFM students partner with senior PhD or post-doc researchers to produce a video on their research. This partnership with the department means that the videos produced serve not only as interesting ‘edutainment’ to encourage teenagers and young adults into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects, but also provide valuable outreach for the academic department.

The University Scientist's Role in Promoting Collaborative K-12 Professional Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuster, D.; Brown, L. L.; Carlsen, W. S.

2004-12-01

Comprehensive K-12 science teacher professional development is dependent upon the successful interaction between the university and K-12 communities (National Research Council, 2001), which can be realized through partnerships between university scientists and K-12 science teachers. This paper will identify some best practices of university scientists in the professional development of science teachers, first by citing the professional development and science education literature (Loucks-Horsley, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; National Research Council, 1996a, 1996b), and then by highlighting how these best practices were actualized in summer workshops for science educators offered at Penn State. Each summer the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium supports seven one-week courses for secondary science teachers taught by university scientists from disciplines representative of NASA's research interests. Approximately 100 teachers enroll in these two-credit, graduate-level workshops from a variety of locations and contexts throughout the United States. These summer courses share a number of important features (duration, general format, teacher recruitment and admission, location, number of participants, etc.), making them a unique dataset for comparative research on science teacher professional development. By recognizing the role of university scientists relating to both practice and standards of professional development, we identify areas in which teachers could be empowered to lead and, alternatively, where scientists and administrators should improve and continue to direct-- both supporting a culture of collaboration that builds K-12 science teacher capacity (Fullan, 2001, 2003; Hawley & Valli, 1999). In our observations and analysis of the evaluations, three best practices, as defined by the literature, appeared to distinguish the exceptional workshops: First, teachers give high marks and make affirmative comments about workshops with clearly presented curricular goals. Second, teachers respond well to workshops and the university scientists who taught them when they are treated as professionals. Third, teachers welcome the opportunity to be integrally involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the workshops. By identifying best practices and delineating the roles of university scientists in K-12 professional development, teachers, university faculty, and policy makers are better equipped to improve the quality of professional development programs at all levels; school, district, university, and state, ultimately actualizing the symbiotic relationship that needs to exists between professional development and school improvement efforts (Fullan, 2001, 2003; Hawley & Valli, 1999).

Online course delivery modes and design methods in the radiologic sciences.

PubMed

Kowalczyk, Nina; Copley, Stacey

2013-01-01

To determine the current status of online education in the radiologic sciences and to explore learning management systems, course design methods, and online educational tools used in the radiologic sciences. A random sample of 373 educators from Joint Review Committee-accredited radiography, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine technology educational programs was invited to participate in this study with an online survey. The majority of the programs responding to the survey do not offer online core courses. However, the institutions that do provide online core radiologic courses reported limited use of online tools for course delivery. BlackBoard was reported as the most commonly used learning management system. No significant relationships were identified in reference to self-reported instructor information technology self-efficacy and the instructors' age, years of teaching in higher education, years of teaching online, or use of asynchronous and synchronous technologies. Survey results did demonstrate a significant relationship between the type of institution and the use of synchronous technologies, suggesting that university-based programs were more likely to use this technology. Although the results suggest that online distance education is still not prevalent in radiologic science education, the past 3 years have seen a substantial increase in online course activity. This increase emphasizes the importance of adequate educator instruction and continuing education in the use of interactive technologies for online content delivery. Most educators report receiving 1 to 4 hours of training prior to online course implementation, but additional postimplementation training is necessary to improve the success of online delivery and further integrate interactive learning activities into an online format. The traditional classroom setting is still the primary course offering for radiologic science programs. PowerPoint remains the primary content delivery tool, suggesting a need for educators to incorporate tools that promote student interactions and interactive learning. Although the results did not reveal a significant relationship between assessed factors, the small correlations identified suggest that the younger instructors have a higher information technology self-efficacy. In addition, survey results suggest that instructors responding to this survey received limited training in reference to online course methods and design both before and after implementing an online course. Although educators may not have a choice regarding the system adopted by their university or college, they should seek additional training regarding the best tools available for online course delivery methods.