Title: "Is biology education evolving?: Critiquing three cases of high school and undergraduate biology education reform." Abstract: Questions are at the heart of biological inquiry. The discipline is shaped by an endless variety of avenues for investigation and an equally diverse and creative set of methods that help justify claims about the living world. Yet,… Read More »
Topic: That’s Beautiful! Aesthetics and Science Education. One of the central roles of science education is to cause students to fall in love, and therefore become interested and engaged in science. Gallagher (1997) wrote “We become what we love. Our destiny is in our desires, yet what we seek to possess soon comes to possess… Read More »
Title: "Systems, Transfer, and Fields: Evaluating a new Approach to Energy Instruction". Abstract: Energy is a central concept in science in every discipline and also an essential player in many of the issues facing people everywhere on the globe. However, studies have shown that by the end of K-12 schooling, most students do not reach… Read More »
Title: Revolution in Engineering Education: Creating a more inclusive and meaningful environment for students and faculty Abstract: With an NSF Revolutionizing Engineering and Computer Science Departments (RED) grant, the School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University seeks to create (1) a culture where everyone in the CBEE community feels valued and… Read More »
Title: Health in Our Hands: A community-based approach to teaching and learning science Presenters: Idit Adler, Ph.D., Consuelo Morales, MPH, Ph.D., Renee Bayer, MHSA Abstract: Research shows that students’ interest, motivation and excitement of learning science declines over the course of their education. This decline corresponds with a poor understanding of core scientific ideas, low… Read More »
Title: STEM Fever - Is STEM Education Good for All? Abstract: STEM refers to the four specific disciplines–Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM education was meant to develop interests and competence for K-12 and college students to be able to work in STEM fields either as scientists or experienced workers after they graduate. However, people… Read More »
Title: Creating Collaborations across Communities: A central role for curriculum Abstract: In this talk, I will share preliminary project findings that show the emergence of overlapping communities of practice during the first three years of an NIH Science Education Partnership Award project. This project, PAGES (Progressing through the Ages: Global change, Evolution, and Societal well-being)… Read More »
Title: "Stuck in the middle with you!" Abstract: Universities frequently prioritize two groups of students for recruitment and student-success initiatives. High-achieving students are rewarded for their accomplishments through merit-based scholarships, awards, and fast-track programs that enable acceleration. Lower-achieving students are offered academic interventions such as bridge programs and supplemental instruction that aim to increase engagement… Read More »
Title: “Theory and Practice of models and modeling in science education” Abstract: Research on understanding of nature of models and modeling processes in science education have received a lot of attention in science education over the past two decades. Various perspectives and issues were raised by researchers and educators in this field. In my presentation,… Read More »
Title: Capturing student reasoning about molecular structure and behavior Abstract: Chemistry is often presented as a disconnected set of ideas. Our group investigates how students make associations and connections between these ideas to describe chemical phenomena and to solve complex chemical problems. Using a variety of methods including eye-tracking, semi-structured and think-aloud interviews, and textual… Read More »
