Transcript Selection of Covariates
Course Redesign: The redesign of an introductory biology course
Dr. Donald P. French Professor of Zoology Coordinator, University Faculty Preparation Program O klahoma S tate U niversity Workshop on Academic Transformation and Collaboration: Reimagining Higher Education in Missouri 26 October 2010
Funding for various portions of this work was provided in part by the National Science Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and OSU
Disclaimer
• • Ph.D. in Ethology @ Indiana University studied behavior and ecology of fish @ U. Maryland studied behavior and ecology of crabs @ OSU study behavior and ecology of students Learned education like science – From literature – – From colleagues From experimenting
Setting
• • • • • • Land Grant Institution Research Primary Focus Introductory Biology for Majors and Non-majors Six – Seven Faculty teach 6-7 lecture sections Approximately 1600 students/yr Admission Requirements – ACT 21 is minimum score for regular admission (officially) OR – Top 1/3 of graduating classes (officially) • Graduating class could be 500 or 7!!
SCST Position Statement
• • The major goals of introductory college science courses are “to contribute to the scientific literacy and critical thinking capability of all college students and… to provide a conceptual base for subsequent courses taken in the disciplines.” www.scst.org
Why do we teach the way we do?
• • • • • It is the way we were taught.
We find that style most comfortable.
We think it is the most efficient.
We are constrained by time, space, money.
It’s easy for us.
But are those good reasons?
What is good for the students is not always what is good for the professors.
-- Bob Tallitsch, Augustana College
Why do instructors think lectures work?
If we throw “bricks” of knowledge at the heads of students, why are we surprised when the students duck?
--Jeff Weld, University of Northern Iowa
How People Learn
• People are not blank slates or empty vessels to be filled
They don’t retain isolated information They must organized it
But how does this organization arise?
Concept
Organization reflects connections
Concept Fact Concept fact fact
Experts…
• • • • • notice features and meaningful patterns of information have considerable content knowledge organized to reflect a deep understanding of the concepts. (Big Ideas) treat knowledge NOT as set of isolated facts, but as sets of information relevant to particular circumstances or problems that experts know when to use can quickly retrieve relevant knowledge with little attention.
have varying levels of flexibility in their approach to new situations.
Students
• should develop competence when they: – have deep foundation of factual knowledge – understand those facts in a conceptual framework – organize knowledge to allow retrieval and application
Students
• • arrive with preconceptions of how things work. may not grasp new concepts and information, especially for the long term, if their initial understanding of each concept is not engaged.
Students
• are more successful if they learn to identify their own learning goals and monitor their progress (metacognition; reflection).
What should a class look like?
We didn’t always teach like this!
• • • Biology 1114 general education (non-majors) covering Ecology, Genetics(Mendelian), Evolution; 4 sections of 140 students (approx.) per semester, common 2hr lab (Zoology/Botany) Biology 1214-general-education (non-majors) covering Chemistry, Cells, Genetics(Molecular), Plants & Animal systems; 1-2 sections of 100 students (approx.) per semester; common 2hr lab (Microbiology/Botany/Zoology) Biology 1304-general education (majors) covering, Cells, Chemistry, Ecology, Genetics (Mendelian & Molecular), Evolution; 3 Sections of 100 (approx.) per semester; common 2hr lab (Zoology/Botany/Microbiology)
Traditional Course Pedagogy
• • • • Expository format - in textbook order chalkboard/overheads; multimedia overheads in one non-majors course Emphasis on recall (facts/min) Lecture assessment – 3 quarterly exam; cumulative final
Motivation for change?
• Faculty Thought – Students lack reasoning skills – Students perform poorly – Students have poor attitude • Students Thought – – – – Course lacks relevance Faculty can't teach Only memorization boring.....
Impact of courses
• • • • • Surveyed students “attitude toward biology” before and after each semester Russell and Hollander (1975) 14 questions 5 point Likert scale Sum scores and subtract pre- from post-course
-3 -4 0 non-majors -1 -2 Course majors
We looked elswhere
• • Non-majors courses – Gogolin and Swartz (1992) – Sundberg & Dini (1992) – Ebert-May et. al. (1997) – Rogers & Ford (1997) All found that non-majors were less negatively affected by their courses.
Reform begins when
Skeptics Shared vision True-believers
How did we proceed?
• • First step – Form a committee!
First step for the committee – Argue about content!
Not Surprising
•
Starting Point
(typical)
For a course – Individual professor selects topics either • based on the textbook • or on personal preferences – Make up some tests • For a Program – Either • Committee, which then – Argues about content • Leave it to individual professors (specialty/retirement)
Starting Point
(as it should be)
• • • • Identify Learning Outcomes – What should a student know (content) – What should a student be able to do (process, skills) – What should be a student’s habits of mind?
Develop Assessments Develop Activities and Exercises This is referred to as
Backwards Design
Understanding by Design
by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
Characteristics of Curricula
• • • sufficient rigor – (demanding concepts), focus – (concentration on a few topics to be covered in depth), coherence – (organization of the topics and identifiable connections among the topics and processes)
Consider: How People Learn
• • Students arrive with knowledge and misconceptions • Students need deep factual knowledge and a means of organizing that knowledge Students need to develop metacognitive practices
Consider Cognitive Development
• • • Even in college 15-25% Concrete Thinkers 50-60% are in transition between Concrete and Formal (abstract) thinking 25% are Formal Thinkers
Disconnect in Overall Goals
• Faculty set them as – Concept Mastery – Critical Thinking • But test – Knowledge Acquisition (Basic) – Communication Skills • Students set them as – Job Preparedness
Promote critical thinking, higher order cognitive skills, and a capacity for problem solving and decision making.
work collaboratively on meaningful tasks, requires intellectual rigor based on an in depth understanding of essential content and its relevant contextual framework.
diagnose and attend to student's learning styles…, prior knowledge and alternative conceptions. foster the nature of the thinking required to acquire and integrate both procedural and declarative knowledge.
•
Use the language & concepts of science appropriately, and effectively
•
Guidelines
science to select, define, solve & evaluate problems in dependently & collaboratively.
•
Design, conduct, communicate, and evaluate.… meaningful experiments.
•
Make scientifically based decisions and solve problems Evaluate critically evidence, interpretations, results and solutions in a real life context.
•
Explain scientifically related knowledge
•
Ask meaningful questions
Selecting Content
• • • Biology may be a set of disciplines – – Fragmented fields and departments Nature of the discipline results in few guiding principles – Could it be Evolution?
– Emergent Properties?
Much of biology might still be considered descriptive in nature
Our simple approach
• • • • • • Provide Stories or Situations for Context About topics to which students can relate using concepts faculty used in their research introduced on a Need-to-Know Basis to solve problems that indicated that Science is Fun!
More Recent & Sophisticated
• • • – Hierarchical Framework ( Khodor, Halme & Walker 2004 ) 1. Enduring Understanding – – 2-3. Important 4. Familiar – Learning-Goals-Driven Design ( Krajcik, Mcneil Reiser 2008 ) Unpack components from standards – – Develop Learning Performances (Content X Practice) Align Goals, Activities, Assessment Attention to Sequence ( Crow & Harless 2006 )
Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ORGANIZED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE WITH SUPPORT FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION July 2009 http://visionandchange.org/
Vision and Change: Core Concepts
• • • • • General agreement: Evolution Pathways and transformations of energy and matter Information flow, exchange, and storage Structure and function Systems http://visionandchange.org/files/2010/03/VC_report.pdf
Vision and Change: Beyond Content
• Nature of Science – the process of science – – the interdisciplinary nature of biology how science is closely integrated within society • Interpersonal Skills – communication – collaboration • Analytical Skills – a certain level of quantitative competency – – a basic ability to understand and interpret data experience with modeling, simulation , and computational and systems-level approaches to biological discovery and analysis, as well as with using large databases .
http://visionandchange.org/files/2010/03/VC_report.pdf
• New BIOL 1114: A single, one semester, general education class suitable for majors – (that doesn't scare the non-majors)
New Course
• • • • • Introductory Biology – For any major (science or non-science) 4-7 Sections of 60-220 students – 1900 students/year 50 or 75 minute periods 4-7 Lecture Professors 24 Teaching Assistants
BIOL 1114
Provide context for learning
• 10 Scenarios – Stories or Situations – – Provide meaningful context for concepts Emphasize application Facts/Concepts on a need to know basis • • Integrated topics • • Discuss topics at multiple levels: Biochemical…cellular…sub-cellular …community…organismal….ecosystem
Concepts applied in various situations
• Surface Area – to – Volume Ratio – – – – – Thermoregulation Osmoregulation Cell size and structure Photosynthesis Transpiration
Integrate-Connect Information
Tundra (Biome) Thermoregulation Respiration Cellular Respiration from different levels
Promote Teacher-Student & Peer Interactions
• • • Students collaborate in groups of 3-4 35-63 groups/lecture section Same groups throughout semester in lecture and lab • Students regularly given opportunity to discuss materials during lecture • Students perform in-class group exercises
Active learning and formative evaluation
• • • Intersperse lectures and in-class exercises Duration: – – – 5 Minutes 30 seconds Longer periods Media – – Cards Clickers
If the vacationing slug family's internal fluid salt concentration was 0.9% and that of the great salt lake was 5%, what affect would swimming have on their cells?
A.
They would shrink B.
They would expand C.
There would be no change
Exercises to promote higher order thinking
• • • • • Solve problem – Sample test questions Offer Opinions Observe - Generalize Observe and Propose Hypotheses Design Experiment
• • • Provide Question & Background in story form Students propose hypotheses before lab Students work in groups to design and conduct experiment
Laboratory
Provide Support
Enzymes Organization Out of the Rainforest (Day 5) (2/5 ) some are Proteins serve as "sorters" ("Gatekeep ers") have serve as help with Membranes Channels reviewed discus sed "sugar splitting" literally means Glycolysis 1s t Step in Cellular Respiration splits produces ATP into Pyruvid Acid (Pyruvate) Glucose completes breakdown of Goes to H+ have Mitochondrion found in Respiratory Chain (Electron Transport Chain) Electrons (e-) carried away by carried away by Goes to NAD & FAD as NADH+H and FADH2 pro duces Krebs Cycle releases CO2 2 compartments inner site of production(sy nthes is) of po we red b y e- carried by Matrix outer Double-folded membrane called Cristae Universal Energy Currency Enzymes is innermembrane of ATP Concentration Gradient produces through a ATPase enzyme down it's powered by e- carried by Active Transport requires Concentration Gradient
Concepts:
Membranes Glycolysis Pyruvic Acid Cellular Respiration Chemiosmosis Transport Carriers Electron Transport Chain Mitochondria Matrix Cristae Active Transport ATP Synthesis Concentration Gradient with a if ruptured stops sy nthes is of Intermembrane Space Provid es e nergy for synthesi s of H+ is pumped across the membrane agains t it's • LRC •WWW •Tutorials •Facilitators •Organizers •Self-analysis
Assessment of Students
• • • “should be matched … to anticipated student outcomes ” “ cognitive and process gains, particularly those associated with higher order cognitive skills should be appropriately appraised” “ Alternative … assessment should be … used for … outcomes that cannot be evaluated by traditional means.”
Assessment – Levels of thinking
• Recall – Define term or concept • Comprehension – Explain term or concept • • Application – Solve problem; use concept in another context • Analyze & Interpret – Compare/contrast; see implication; induction; identify cause and effect • Synthesize – Combine ideas to form explanation Evaluate – Judge value of information Bloom’s Taxonomy, 1956
Summative Evaluation of Students
• • • Common All exams exams for all sections cumulative Heavy emphasis on application+ – Require students to propose hypotheses, make predictions, interpret data • Provide preview of material (scenarios)
At a crime scene, a detective gathers evidence to support her hypothesis that a man poisoned his wife with an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Which of the following reports from the medical examiner would best support her hypothesis?
a) The woman died from paralysis and gradual loss of hear/lung function.
b) The woman died because her neurons could no longer secrete neurotransmitters.
c) The woman died because the inhibitor made mitochondrial membranes permeable to protons.
d) The woman died from seizures and rapid contraction of both heart and breathing muscles.
e) None of the above would support her hypothesis.
Assessment: Instruments
• Compared Attitude and Content Knowledge – Beginning (pre-test) and End-of-Semester (post-test) surveys (does not enter into course grade) • Selected 40 of the 80 question NABT/NSTA High School Biology Exit Exam • Attitude toward Biology Survey (Russell and Hollander, 1975) – Demographic Data • • • • Sex Class Standing (1 st year, 2 nd year, …) Major ACT Composite Scores
Conclusions of Reform Assessment
• Student-centered pedagogy improves attitudes toward biology – Significantly for all but a few groups – Improvement ranged from less negative to more positive – Did not decline – Degree of improvement affected by ACT, sex, class standing, major
Conclusions
• Student –centered pedagogy can be equally effective at conveying basic content knowledge – At the same level for majors – Declined for some non-majors – Effect of ACT, sex, class standing, & major interact with course effect
Conclusions
• Trade-off seems positive – Majors will still “get what they need” – Students are not turned off by science; may even like it – Students perform acceptably on application oriented & process skills assessments
C
Grade Distributions
40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% A B
33% v. 20%
C Grade D F W Pre-Reform Post-Reform
Opinions of Course Components
• • 48 question End of Semester Survey 5 point Likert Scale – Strongly Agree – Agree – Neither Agree nor Disagree – Disagree – Strongly Disagree
90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
This class kept me more involved & attentive than if it were just lecture.
Agree Disagree
I like the idea of introducing concepts through scenarios
90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Agree Disagree
I liked seeing how biological concepts and facts are related rather than just following the book.
90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Agree Disagree
Inquiry in two-year college
Nick Roster, Northwestern Michigan College
Treatments
• • • Traditional Lecture and Lab (TT) Traditional Lecture – Inquiry Lab (TI) Inquiry Lecture and Lab (II)
Attitude Self-Efficacy Science
Summary
TT TI II
Behavior in Laboratories
Connie Russell Angelo State University
Conclusions
Gender differences in participation in both hands-on activities and time spent talking on task that were found in traditional labs were not seen in inquiry labs This suggests that the inquiry-based teaching style may be more equitable for females than the "cookbook" style without being detrimental to participation, attitude or achievement by males.
How to reform…..
• • • • • • • Create a shared vision Decide on the outcomes Design the assessments Design Engagements/Activities Use scholarship to shape practice Consider need for support (technology) Don’t be afraid to have fun biol1114 .
okstate.edu