Joinresearch & teaching
Developing a Tiered Mentoring Model for Teaching Assistants Instructing Course-Based Research Experiences
Journal of College Science Teaching—May/June 2019 (Volume 48, Issue 5)
By Magdalene K. Moy, Penny L. Hammrich and Karen Kabnick
As undergraduate institutions rely more heavily on teaching assistants (TAs) they are simultaneously encouraging implementation of course-based research experiences (CBREs). Due to the dynamic nature of CBREs, it is challenging to assign novice TAs to instruct these types of classes. A 10-week CBRE was designed to guide both TAs and their students through a tiered mentored course. The CBRE scaffolded the learning experience for both the TAs and their students for the first 4 weeks with preset labs and then allowed 6 weeks for the TAs to guide their students through asking a scientific research question, designing an experiment, and implementing their research design. This course utilized the researchers as TA instructors, undergraduate students as TAs and research mentors, and high school students as mentees of the undergraduate students. This qualitative study describes the course objectives and design as well as the self-reported science content, teaching, and mentoring gains of the CBRE TAs. These findings support that TAs being trained as research mentors may increase learning gains in both the mentor and mentee populations.
As undergraduate institutions rely more heavily on teaching assistants (TAs) they are simultaneously encouraging implementation of course-based research experiences (CBREs). Due to the dynamic nature of CBREs, it is challenging to assign novice TAs to instruct these types of classes. A 10-week CBRE was designed to guide both TAs and their students through a tiered mentored course.
As undergraduate institutions rely more heavily on teaching assistants (TAs) they are simultaneously encouraging implementation of course-based research experiences (CBREs). Due to the dynamic nature of CBREs, it is challenging to assign novice TAs to instruct these types of classes. A 10-week CBRE was designed to guide both TAs and their students through a tiered mentored course.
Research & Teaching
Building Bridges
An Active Learning Lesson in Evolution and Collaboration
Journal of College Science Teaching—May/June 2019 (Volume 48, Issue 5)
By Kelly A. Carscadden, Molly T. McDermott, Sheela P. Turbek, Silas B. Tittes and Andrew P. Martin
We describe a hands-on, collaborative activity designed to illustrate general properties of evolution, provide practice for quantitative skills, promote creativity and collaboration, and enable student self-assessment of learning. During the activity, teams construct bridges using common office supplies. The best-performing bridge becomes the template for a second generation of bridges. After students have tested two generations of bridges, they manipulate, visualize, and analyze their data. Using these analyses, students make evidence-based claims about key evolutionary concepts: adaptation, trade-offs between traits, and complexity. Our study included multiple lab sections (analogous to populations), so students see that evolution can proceed differently across populations. Student responses indicated the activity fostered community and teamwork, helped students understand evolution, and improved their quantitative skills. To assess how well this activity illustrated predictions of evolutionary theory, we analyzed the full dataset across lab sections. This activity incorporates science teaching best practices and could be readily adapted for learning goals beyond evolution.
We describe a hands-on, collaborative activity designed to illustrate general properties of evolution, provide practice for quantitative skills, promote creativity and collaboration, and enable student self-assessment of learning. During the activity, teams construct bridges using common office supplies. The best-performing bridge becomes the template for a second generation of bridges. After students have tested two generations of bridges, they manipulate, visualize, and analyze their data.
We describe a hands-on, collaborative activity designed to illustrate general properties of evolution, provide practice for quantitative skills, promote creativity and collaboration, and enable student self-assessment of learning. During the activity, teams construct bridges using common office supplies. The best-performing bridge becomes the template for a second generation of bridges. After students have tested two generations of bridges, they manipulate, visualize, and analyze their data.
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Learning Researchers
Promoting Formative Assessment in STEM Courses
Journal of College Science Teaching—May/June 2019 (Volume 48, Issue 5)
By Young Ae Kim, Jonathan Cox, Katelyn M. Southard, Lisa Elfring, Paul Blowers and Vicente Talanquer
Formative assessment has been shown to be a critical activity for promoting meaningful understanding in the classroom. Systematic engagement in formative assessment helps instructors to develop a clearer picture of where students stand in relation to the learning objectives of the course. However, college instructors teaching large-enrollment STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses face diverse challenges when trying to engage in formative assessment of student understanding. This article describes how the participation in the classroom of an undergraduate student acting as a learning researcher (LR) can help instructors focus their attention on formative assessment and productively use it to support and advance student learning. LRs in our project provide real-time formative feedback to instructors through daily reports based on classroom observations. They enable systematic formative assessment by providing quality descriptions and interpretations of student thinking, and productive suggestions for improving instruction. The work of LRs has positively affected instructional practice in a variety of courses across diverse STEM disciplines in our institution.
Formative assessment has been shown to be a critical activity for promoting meaningful understanding in the classroom. Systematic engagement in formative assessment helps instructors to develop a clearer picture of where students stand in relation to the learning objectives of the course. However, college instructors teaching large-enrollment STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses face diverse challenges when trying to engage in formative assessment of student understanding.
Formative assessment has been shown to be a critical activity for promoting meaningful understanding in the classroom. Systematic engagement in formative assessment helps instructors to develop a clearer picture of where students stand in relation to the learning objectives of the course. However, college instructors teaching large-enrollment STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses face diverse challenges when trying to engage in formative assessment of student understanding.
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Modifying Traditional Labs to Target Scientific Reasoning
Journal of College Science Teaching—May/June 2019 (Volume 48, Issue 5)
By Kathleen Koenig, Krista E. Wood, Larry J. Bortner and Lei Bao
This article showcases how a physics lab course was successfully redesigned to promote important reasoning abilities not explicitly addressed in the typical college setting. Student development of such abilities is essential for sound decision making, particularly when living in an information age. Essential features of our guiding curricular framework are presented. These include operationally defined scientific reasoning subskills around which all prelab and in-class activities and assessments are designed to provide repeated, deliberate practice. Details are provided for how the curriculum was developed to promote students’ abilities in one reasoning domain, namely, the identification and control of variables. Results indicate that students improve on subskills in the lower and intermediate ranges for reasoning involving controlling variables but do not improve on the higher end subskills. Suggestions for bridging students into these advanced reasoning skill sectors are discussed. Because the targeted skills are transferrable across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), we expect that others can use features of our curricular framework to redesign their own courses and promote similar abilities in their students.
This article showcases how a physics lab course was successfully redesigned to promote important reasoning abilities not explicitly addressed in the typical college setting. Student development of such abilities is essential for sound decision making, particularly when living in an information age. Essential features of our guiding curricular framework are presented. These include operationally defined scientific reasoning subskills around which all prelab and in-class activities and assessments are designed to provide repeated, deliberate practice.
This article showcases how a physics lab course was successfully redesigned to promote important reasoning abilities not explicitly addressed in the typical college setting. Student development of such abilities is essential for sound decision making, particularly when living in an information age. Essential features of our guiding curricular framework are presented. These include operationally defined scientific reasoning subskills around which all prelab and in-class activities and assessments are designed to provide repeated, deliberate practice.
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The Power of Practice
Adjusting Curriculum to Include Emphasis on Skills
Critical thinking skills are sought after in the workforce and are often included in course, departmental, and programmatic learning objectives. However, in the curriculum of many courses we tend to focus on content rather than on fostering the growth of the cognitive skills needed to improve critical thinking ability. Further, skills are difficult to teach simply by modeling and lecturing, limiting our ability to teach skills in larger courses. This study examines a large-lecture course that included skill-focused content-related practice and collected data on outcomes through exam performance. The data indicate that scaffolded in-class practice make a significant difference on student exam performance on questions involving data analysis and application. The skills of applying knowledge in a new situation and analysis of graphs and data are key components of the critical thinking skills that employers value and our students need for success.
Critical thinking skills are sought after in the workforce and are often included in course, departmental, and programmatic learning objectives. However, in the curriculum of many courses we tend to focus on content rather than on fostering the growth of the cognitive skills needed to improve critical thinking ability.
Critical thinking skills are sought after in the workforce and are often included in course, departmental, and programmatic learning objectives. However, in the curriculum of many courses we tend to focus on content rather than on fostering the growth of the cognitive skills needed to improve critical thinking ability.
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Modifying Scientific Research Into Introductory Science Course Lessons Using a 5E Lesson Format
An Active Learning Approach
Journal of College Science Teaching—May/June 2019 (Volume 48, Issue 5)
By Robert Idsardi, Daniel A. Hahn, Julie R. Bokor and Julie A. Luft
Science faculty are being asked to create active learning experiences that engage students in core concepts and science practices. This article describes an approach to developing active learning lessons from authentic science research projects using the 5E lesson format. Included is a description of the 5Es and a template for creating a 5E lesson. A description of the authors’ scientific research and the resulting 5E lesson for an introductory biology course are provided as an example of this approach. In the lesson described, students collected, analyzed, and interpreted data to construct explanations about the potential for evolution to occur in response to climate change. This approach supported students in learning core concepts and science practices and allowed the instructors to implement an active learning environment based on national science reforms. The results of this exploratory study and the rich descriptions of the lesson design should be used to raise awareness of one active-learning approach. Scientists can consider using this approach in their own teaching, and science education researchers can consider this approach in future comparative studies across various active-learning approaches.
Science faculty are being asked to create active learning experiences that engage students in core concepts and science practices. This article describes an approach to developing active learning lessons from authentic science research projects using the 5E lesson format. Included is a description of the 5Es and a template for creating a 5E lesson. A description of the authors’ scientific research and the resulting 5E lesson for an introductory biology course are provided as an example of this approach.
Science faculty are being asked to create active learning experiences that engage students in core concepts and science practices. This article describes an approach to developing active learning lessons from authentic science research projects using the 5E lesson format. Included is a description of the 5Es and a template for creating a 5E lesson. A description of the authors’ scientific research and the resulting 5E lesson for an introductory biology course are provided as an example of this approach.
Point of View
Focusing on Learning as a Marker of Success for Underrepresented Students
Journal of College Science Teaching—May/June 2019 (Volume 48, Issue 5)
By Heidi S. Fencl
Virtual Family Science Events
By Jim McDonald, Katie Demick, and Peyton Kopinski
Posted on 2020-12-18
Adapting Amid Adversity: Data About STEM Teachers Supporting Self-Direction and Classroom Community in Fall 2020
By Jessica Sickler and Michelle Lentzner
Posted on 2020-12-18
Research & Teaching
Developing and Implementing a Campus-Wide Professional Development Program: Successes and Challenges
Journal of College Science Teaching—November/December 2019 (Volume 49, Issue 2)
By Melissa Vosen Callens, Paul Kelter, Jill Motschenbacher, James Nyachwaya, Jared L. Ladbury and Anna M. Semanko
Gateways-ND is a 5-year, National Science Foundation–funded effort directed toward three goals: maximizing the instructional effectiveness of postsecondary STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) faculty by building expertise in learner-focused practice, positively impacting student success in STEM-based “gateway” courses, and developing student persistence in STEM learning. The program, which began in 2015, works with cohorts of 30 STEM faculty for 2 years per cohort and includes 10 days of workshops; faculty learning communities; and a research component that examines the who, what, when, why, and how of change in classroom teaching and curriculum development. To date, 12,547 students at North Dakota State University have been taught by at least one Gateways-ND–trained faculty member. The Gateways-ND leadership team is seeing positive change in teaching and in student attitudes toward learning. With administrative buy-in, minor internal funding, and commitment from pedagogical experts, we believe institutions can move from a lecture-based instructional “norm” to an active learning–based norm without external funding.