Molecular Science

加州大学洛杉矶分校-加州大学洛杉矶分校-社区大学联盟(24所合作超过15年的地区社区大学)提议对低级化学课程以及辅助学习和评估过程进行全面重组。在制定我们的新课程时，我们摒弃了科学教育的实证主义方法，转而支持强调解决问题和探究性学习的建构主义方法。我们做出这一改变是为了专注于发展学生的关键技能、特点和能力。我们的新课程，分子科学课程，跨越了院系和学科，涵盖了所有涉及原子和分子研究的活动。尤其是环境科学、材料科学和分子生命科学，在低级化学课程中占有重要地位。新的课程准确地反映了当前在研究和化学工业方面的实践，这些新领域的增长正在发生。今天，基于信息技术的学习为发现学习提供了一种实用的方法，这是教育理论家长期以来青睐的。学生可以通过做科学来学习科学。特别是，我们将制作以问题为基础的模块学习单元，用于定义分子科学课程；为探索性学习组织的数据集；预先打包的分子、数学和示意图模型，说明重要的原理和现象；以及管理教育的客户端/服务器系统。客户/服务器技术使个性化课程成为可能，并将学生从严格的时间限制中解放出来。这些学习单元将立即被几所社区大学用于技术项目，例如圣安东尼奥山CC的科学技术人员和危险材料技术人员。新的评估工具，包括小组和个人作业的累积电子档案袋，提供了对学生发展和潜力的新见解。该项目还通过让小学和中学科学教师积极参加分子科学课程的低级课程来帮助他们做好准备。在加州大学洛杉矶分校和加州大学洛杉矶分校，这些学生将获得有关模块、相关学习方法和电子交付系统的经验。这些经验应该使教师对科学教学有实际的看法，并有能力利用当前的技术来指导学习活动。电子交付系统将允许加州大学洛杉矶分校的学生与CSUF的科学教育学院合作获得认证。自1990年以来，两所高中(Aliso Niguel高中和十字路口高中)已成为该联盟的成员。这些学校拥有使学生、有经验的教师和未来的教师接触分子科学课程的内容和学习方法的设施。

The UCLA-CSUF-Community College Alliance (24 area community colleges that have worked together for more than 15 years) proposes a sweeping restructuring of the lower division chemistry curriculum and the auxiliary learning and assessment processes. In forming our new curriculum, we reject the positivist approach to science education in favor of a constructivist approach that emphasizes problem solving and exploratory learning. We make this change in order to focus on the developing key skills, traits, and abilities of our students. Our new curriculum, the Molecular Science Curriculum, cuts across departmental and disciplines to embrace all activities that involve the study of atoms and molecules. In particular, environmental science, materials science, and molecular life science, have important positions in the lower-division chemistry curriculum. The new curriculum reflects accurately current practice in research and the chemical industry where growth in occurring in these new fields. Today information-technology-based learning enables a practical approach to discovery learning, which educational theorists have long favored. Students can learn science by doing science. In particular, we will produce problem-based modular learning units that define the molecular science curriculum; data sets organized for exploratory learning; prepackaged molecular, mathematical, and schematic models illustrating important principles and phenomena; and a client/server system that manages education. Client/server technology enables individualized courses and frees students from rigid time constraints. The learning units will be used immediately by several of the community colleges in technology programs, such as those for science technicians and hazardous materials technicians at Mount San Antonio CC. New assessment vehicles including cumulative electronic portfolios of group and individual work provide new insight into student development and potential. The project also addresses the preparation of primary and secondary science teachers by involving them as active participants in the lower division courses of molecular science curriculum. At both UCLA and CSUF, these students will gain experience with the modules, associated learning methods, and electronic delivery system. These experiences should result in teachers with a practical perspective on science teaching as well as the ability to utilize current technology to direct learning activities. The electronic delivery system will allow students at UCLA to work with the science education faculty at CSUF to obtain certification. Since 1990 two high schools (Aliso Niguel and Crossroads) have become members of the Alliance. These schools have the facilities to expose students, experienced teachers, and future teachers to both the content and learning methods of the molecular science curriculum.