JoinResearch & Teaching
Advice to Future Participants From Six Cohorts of an Undergraduate Summer Research Program in Atmospheric Science
Journal of College Science Teaching—January/February 2023 (Volume 52, Issue 3)
By Adam T. Murry, Nan Yuan, and Dean Atkinson
Many undergraduates use research internships to gain experience for graduate school. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs involve heavy research and lab work duties, for which students are often unprepared and lack opportunities for practice. Evidence supports Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) programs’ ability to improve retention in STEM, but research has not conclusively identified what students need to do to excel in these programs. This analysis used a multimethod approach to identify and quantify student-to-student peer advice from six cohorts of a summer STEM URE. We identified six themes in the advice from exit surveys: proactively manage time, communicate with your team, motivate yourself, be diligent, have fun, and accommodate changes in lifestyle. Each theme included between three and five subthemes that demonstrated nuance within the larger themes. Navigating the expectations of a URE is a complicated endeavor, but participants who are close to the experience provide rich descriptions to aid adjustment. Developing strategies for time management and team communication are most important, followed by motivation, work ethic, enjoyment, and practical adjustments.
Many undergraduates use research internships to gain experience for graduate school. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs involve heavy research and lab work duties, for which students are often unprepared and lack opportunities for practice. Evidence supports Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) programs’ ability to improve retention in STEM, but research has not conclusively identified what students need to do to excel in these programs.
Many undergraduates use research internships to gain experience for graduate school. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs involve heavy research and lab work duties, for which students are often unprepared and lack opportunities for practice. Evidence supports Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) programs’ ability to improve retention in STEM, but research has not conclusively identified what students need to do to excel in these programs.
Research & Teaching
A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Perspectives Toward Learning Assistant–Faculty Relationships
Journal of College Science Teaching—January/February 2023 (Volume 52, Issue 3)
By Cameron J. Hill, Anthony P. Barrasso, and Kathryn E. Spilios
Learning Assistant (LA) programs oversee and support undergraduate instructors and faculty members who work together to facilitate student learning in a variety of classroom settings. The success of an LA program is tied to experiences of the participants; therefore, understanding the perceptions of LAs and faculty is central to driving programmatic changes and ensuring positive outcomes. In this article, we use a mixed-methods approach to analyze the perspectives of LAs and faculty in Boston University’s LA program. Using surveys and one-on-one interviews, we highlight the qualities of a strong LA, the nature of LA-faculty relationships, the role of the LA in a course, and how faculty benefit from working with LAs. Our data suggest that interpersonal skills are imperative to be a successful LA, there is variation in how LAs and faculty interact, curriculum can be inclusive of LAs, and LA-faculty partnerships impact faculty understanding and implementation of evidence-based pedagogy. This article provides targeted, actionable suggestions for LA program improvements based on our analysis, as well as a foundation for future studies to further explore the impact of the LA model on faculty and LAs.
Learning Assistant (LA) programs oversee and support undergraduate instructors and faculty members who work together to facilitate student learning in a variety of classroom settings. The success of an LA program is tied to experiences of the participants; therefore, understanding the perceptions of LAs and faculty is central to driving programmatic changes and ensuring positive outcomes. In this article, we use a mixed-methods approach to analyze the perspectives of LAs and faculty in Boston University’s LA program.
Learning Assistant (LA) programs oversee and support undergraduate instructors and faculty members who work together to facilitate student learning in a variety of classroom settings. The success of an LA program is tied to experiences of the participants; therefore, understanding the perceptions of LAs and faculty is central to driving programmatic changes and ensuring positive outcomes. In this article, we use a mixed-methods approach to analyze the perspectives of LAs and faculty in Boston University’s LA program.
Research & Teaching
Beyond “See Figure 1”
A Heuristic for Writing About Figures and Tables
Visual elements such as graphs, tables, and diagrams are essential components of scientific writing. Although scientific writing textbooks and guides often contain information on how to design such visuals, little has been written on how to effectively discuss those visuals within the text. This article offers a novel heuristic for teaching students how to effectively execute these “passages about visuals” in a way that is both conceptually simple enough to be understood by novices yet rich enough to accommodate the complexity of expert scientific writing. The heuristic consists of a set of “moves”: announce, orient, observe, and explain. Following an explanation of the moves, readers are walked through a variety of examples showing the moves in context and noting the different ways the moves are arranged and executed in published scientific research articles. Pedagogical implications and approaches for using the heuristic in the classroom are then discussed.
Visual elements such as graphs, tables, and diagrams are essential components of scientific writing. Although scientific writing textbooks and guides often contain information on how to design such visuals, little has been written on how to effectively discuss those visuals within the text. This article offers a novel heuristic for teaching students how to effectively execute these “passages about visuals” in a way that is both conceptually simple enough to be understood by novices yet rich enough to accommodate the complexity of expert scientific writing.
Visual elements such as graphs, tables, and diagrams are essential components of scientific writing. Although scientific writing textbooks and guides often contain information on how to design such visuals, little has been written on how to effectively discuss those visuals within the text. This article offers a novel heuristic for teaching students how to effectively execute these “passages about visuals” in a way that is both conceptually simple enough to be understood by novices yet rich enough to accommodate the complexity of expert scientific writing.
Research & Teaching
How Do Students Interact With the Primary Scientific Literature in an Undergraduate Science Program?
Journal of College Science Teaching—January/February 2023 (Volume 52, Issue 3)
By Yi Hou, Heather Verkade, Jan van Driel
The ability to read, understand, and interpret primary scientific literature is an essential skill for undergraduate students in science. This study aimed to provide a detailed understanding of how second- and third-year undergraduate students in a biochemistry and molecular biology major at the University of Melbourne in Australia feel about reading research articles and how often they are expected to do so. Teachers’ expectations of the students’ use of literature in their assessment tasks were compared with the experiences of students with their reading of the literature. There was a clear increase in the confidence and reported skills of third-year students, as well as an increase in the importance they see in reading the literature, compared with the second-year students. This increase was matched by much higher teacher expectations that students would read the literature for their assessment tasks. This expectation can be seen in the shift from a low proportion of relatively low-level literature “understand” interactions on Bloom’s revised taxonomy to a larger proportion of marks for higher-level “analyze.” A more guided approach with second-year students would be beneficial.
The ability to read, understand, and interpret primary scientific literature is an essential skill for undergraduate students in science. This study aimed to provide a detailed understanding of how second- and third-year undergraduate students in a biochemistry and molecular biology major at the University of Melbourne in Australia feel about reading research articles and how often they are expected to do so. Teachers’ expectations of the students’ use of literature in their assessment tasks were compared with the experiences of students with their reading of the literature.
The ability to read, understand, and interpret primary scientific literature is an essential skill for undergraduate students in science. This study aimed to provide a detailed understanding of how second- and third-year undergraduate students in a biochemistry and molecular biology major at the University of Melbourne in Australia feel about reading research articles and how often they are expected to do so. Teachers’ expectations of the students’ use of literature in their assessment tasks were compared with the experiences of students with their reading of the literature.
Research & Teaching
Assessment of Demographic Biases Associated With the Ground Rules System in a Large Undergraduate Engineering Course
Journal of College Science Teaching—January/February 2023 (Volume 52, Issue 3)
By Christine King, Kameryn Denaro, and Brian Sato
Despite more women and underrepresented students entering engineering, there are still gaps in achievement. A potential remedy is to establish equitable team dynamics during groupwork. Groupware systems have been implemented in the workforce and, recently, piloted in undergraduate lower-division education to establish team norms. Our prior work found that there was a significant association between gender and the utility of rules systems to establish team norms. To assess biases regarding gender and minority groups in the rules system, we examined the differences between rules chosen by individuals and teams based on demographic characteristics in a large engineering course. Students individually identified which rules were most important when working in a team, then formed teams and performed a “negotiation” to choose which rules the team would follow. We used statistical analyses to determine whether certain demographic factors predicted how influential an individual was during the selection process. We found that demographic and educational characteristics did not have a significant influence on decision-making for team rules. Furthermore, we found that female and first-generation students were more likely to select the rule “Play an active part in the team” than their male or continuing-generation peers.
Despite more women and underrepresented students entering engineering, there are still gaps in achievement. A potential remedy is to establish equitable team dynamics during groupwork. Groupware systems have been implemented in the workforce and, recently, piloted in undergraduate lower-division education to establish team norms. Our prior work found that there was a significant association between gender and the utility of rules systems to establish team norms.
Despite more women and underrepresented students entering engineering, there are still gaps in achievement. A potential remedy is to establish equitable team dynamics during groupwork. Groupware systems have been implemented in the workforce and, recently, piloted in undergraduate lower-division education to establish team norms. Our prior work found that there was a significant association between gender and the utility of rules systems to establish team norms.
Research & Teaching
Newspaper Physics for First-Year College Students
An Interdisciplinary Approach
Journal of College Science Teaching—January/February 2023 (Volume 52, Issue 3)
By E. J. Bahng, John Hauptman, and Jennifer Lowery
This article describes and illustrates a physics course for first-year college students whose only knowledge of physics is that they do not like the subject. The physics content is driven entirely by what appears in the daily newspapers and generally covers most physics topics in a semester. This course was structured as a learning community that combined English and physics in a single 6-credit course. Most of the writing assignments were about physics. A semester-long overview is shared, as is the instructional model for Newspaper Physics. We also provide three examples of how this model is used. Findings indicate that students gained higher physics content knowledge, higher-order thinking skills, greater confidence in seeking help and understanding science, and more opportunities to work with peers outside of class. This study contributes community-based interdisciplinary teaching and learning strategies.
This article describes and illustrates a physics course for first-year college students whose only knowledge of physics is that they do not like the subject. The physics content is driven entirely by what appears in the daily newspapers and generally covers most physics topics in a semester. This course was structured as a learning community that combined English and physics in a single 6-credit course. Most of the writing assignments were about physics. A semester-long overview is shared, as is the instructional model for Newspaper Physics.
This article describes and illustrates a physics course for first-year college students whose only knowledge of physics is that they do not like the subject. The physics content is driven entirely by what appears in the daily newspapers and generally covers most physics topics in a semester. This course was structured as a learning community that combined English and physics in a single 6-credit course. Most of the writing assignments were about physics. A semester-long overview is shared, as is the instructional model for Newspaper Physics.
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The Tachyon Nexus
An Educational Resource on Tachyons and Time Travel
This article describes a website called The Tachyon Nexus (no relation to Tachyon Nexus Inc.), which includes reliable information about the controversial subjects of time travel and faster-than-light particles known as tachyons. This compendium of various resources should be of great value both to students seeking to learn about these subjects or to high school teachers or college professors wishing to include them in their teaching on special or general relativity.
This article describes a website called The Tachyon Nexus (no relation to Tachyon Nexus Inc.), which includes reliable information about the controversial subjects of time travel and faster-than-light particles known as tachyons. This compendium of various resources should be of great value both to students seeking to learn about these subjects or to high school teachers or college professors wishing to include them in their teaching on special or general relativity.
This article describes a website called The Tachyon Nexus (no relation to Tachyon Nexus Inc.), which includes reliable information about the controversial subjects of time travel and faster-than-light particles known as tachyons. This compendium of various resources should be of great value both to students seeking to learn about these subjects or to high school teachers or college professors wishing to include them in their teaching on special or general relativity.
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Preservice Teachers’ Meaningful Science Learning
A Collaborative Project Between a College of Education and an Elementary School
Journal of College Science Teaching—January/February 2023 (Volume 52, Issue 3)
By Lizzette M. Velázquez Rivera and Isaris R. Quiñones Pérez
This article describes how preservice elementary teachers learn about the nature of science and develop scientific literacy through a collaborative project that prepares them to design meaningful learning experiences for students. The Life’s Replica Project was an effort between a college professor and an elementary school teacher to facilitate meaningful science learning. The preservice teachers were students from two college courses in a teacher preparation program. The project’s strategy focused on learning through problematization and inquiry-based activities that engaged participants in diverse and collaborative learner-centered experiences. Students were presented with the problem of human beings’ impact on Earth’s ecosystems, and they were challenged to collaborate through community service by creating and presenting a product that addressed the needs they identified. Some of the project’s assessments were the answers gathered in the KWH table (know, want to know, and how will we learn it), from group reflections on the learning experiences with the core activities of the project, and through the creation of educational materials. The project’s assessment outcomes demonstrated its contribution to the development of meaningful science learning for preservice elementary teachers.
This article describes how preservice elementary teachers learn about the nature of science and develop scientific literacy through a collaborative project that prepares them to design meaningful learning experiences for students. The Life’s Replica Project was an effort between a college professor and an elementary school teacher to facilitate meaningful science learning. The preservice teachers were students from two college courses in a teacher preparation program.
This article describes how preservice elementary teachers learn about the nature of science and develop scientific literacy through a collaborative project that prepares them to design meaningful learning experiences for students. The Life’s Replica Project was an effort between a college professor and an elementary school teacher to facilitate meaningful science learning. The preservice teachers were students from two college courses in a teacher preparation program.
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Using a Game to Teach Invasive Species Spread and Management
Invasive species are a major ecological and economic problem at the global scale, and education plays a major role in raising awareness and combating these species’ future spread. There are complex management and economic issues associated with preventing the spread of invasive species, and these are challenging to teach in a way that students can understand and apply. Several educators have developed games to help students identify invaders and understand their impacts, but no published examples build a game around their global spread and economic impact. I describe a game in which groups allocate resources to protect their island nation from invasive species through prevention and mitigation strategies. In this game, invasive species are introduced to each island; if their establishment is not prevented, they have a negative economic impact and spread to other islands. Groups compete to try to lose the least amount of money, and the class tries to minimize the overall amount of money lost. By playing multiple times and allowing students to discuss strategies and see those strategies play out, students gain an in-depth understanding of the complexities of invasive species management and economics.
Invasive species are a major ecological and economic problem at the global scale, and education plays a major role in raising awareness and combating these species’ future spread. There are complex management and economic issues associated with preventing the spread of invasive species, and these are challenging to teach in a way that students can understand and apply. Several educators have developed games to help students identify invaders and understand their impacts, but no published examples build a game around their global spread and economic impact.
Invasive species are a major ecological and economic problem at the global scale, and education plays a major role in raising awareness and combating these species’ future spread. There are complex management and economic issues associated with preventing the spread of invasive species, and these are challenging to teach in a way that students can understand and apply. Several educators have developed games to help students identify invaders and understand their impacts, but no published examples build a game around their global spread and economic impact.
Remote Learning
Teaching Assistant Responses to COVID-19
Investigating Relationships Between Stress, Self-Efficacy, and Approaches to Teaching
Journal of College Science Teaching—January/February 2023 (Volume 52, Issue 3)
By Cody Smith, Deepika Menon, Annette Wierzbicki, and Jenny Dauer