Integrating Research & Education: Using High-Speed Networking to Improve the Learning Environment

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The University of Oregon has been selected as one of ten recipients of the National Science Foundation's Recognition Awards for the Integration of Research and Education. The university has developed a campus-wide approach to using high-speed networks and advanced computer technology for a new generation of discovery-based classroom learning experiences. The university's initiative includes development of interactive courseware and on-line data libraries. The new Java-based interactive computer courseware provides students with -virtual experiments+ that allow them to manipulate variables and analyze the experimental data that emerges from a simulation model. The shared data libraries allow students to explore the data resulting from faculty research. Participation in these curriculum development efforts are now considered as part of tenure and promotion decisions. These learning tools -- simulations, interactive courseware, and access to data from faculty research -- provide discovery-based learning opportunities to non-science students in large introductory science survey courses. This approach represents a model for increasing the level of scientific literacy of the entire undergraduate student body. The university's efforts to integrate research and education were designed with specific outcomes in mind: improving student comprehension and performance on tests; increasing student participation in direct manipulation of data using analysis programs; increasing engagement and motivation of non-science majors enrolled in introductory science courses; and engaging faculty in the process of personalizing their courses by incorporating their research into classroom explorations. The university is being awarded $500,000 with the goal of expanding, documenting, and disseminating its exemplary practices over the coming three years. Plans for the use of the award funds include: regional workshops on the use of information technology to integrate research and education; continued development of Java-based interactive courseware; assessment of the effectiveness of learning using interactive simulations; and development and publication of CD-ROM materials.