Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities

跨学科(99)美国学院和大学协会(AAC&Amp；U)在国家科学基金会的部分支持下，在1999-2000年间为这一项目制定了框架--新公民参与和责任的科学教育(SENCER)。该框架是两个研讨会的产物，以及数百名大学教职员工和学术领袖的建议。到目前为止，来自250多所高等教育机构的团队已经要求加入森瑟的工作。Sencer正在帮助教职员工和管理人员实现三个重要目标：(1)改善非专业学生的科学教育；(2)将科学教育改革与改善普通教育联系起来；(3)促进公民参与。Sencer的方法是通过研究复杂的公共问题来教授科学，从而将科学教育与公民参与联系起来。例如，Sencer模型通过研究艾滋病毒疾病或人类基因组计划教授生物学；通过研究核裁军的挑战或关于宇宙起源的假设教授物理学；通过研究空气污染、水质或犯罪教授化学；通过检查统计的可靠性、研究风险/收益分析或决策教授数学。对学生来说，结果是互联学习。Sencer寻求通过密集的教师专业发展、对当地系统性变化的强烈关注以及使用改进的评估实践来推动本科SMET教育的大规模改革。Sencer的教职员工正在学习使用一种评估工具，该工具是在NSF的几项倡议的部分支持下开发的，以改善本科教育。这个工具被称为学生学习收获评估(SALG)，公众可以在WWW.WCER.WISC.edu/NISE/CL1上免费获得。Sencer项目有四个关键部分。Sencer学院是核心活动。这些是以团队为基础的寄宿学院，面向计划启动Sencer方法的教师、管理人员和高级研究生。Sencer集群既是纪律小组，也是面向问题的教职员工和管理人员小组，其运作是提供持续的支持，并支持因参与学院而产生的改革努力。Sencer虚拟社区将创新者联系在一起，并支持传播资源以支持改革。Sencer领导倡议将全国的注意力和认可集中在模范倡议上，以便为这一方法争取更多的支持。

Interdisciplinary (99)The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) developed the framework for this project, Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER), during 1999-2000 with partial support from the NSF. The framework is the product of two workshops and advice from hundreds of college faculty and academic leaders. To date, teams from more than 250 institutions of higher education have asked to be included in SENCER's work. SENCER is helping faculty and administrators achieve three important goals: (1) improve science education for non-majors, (2) connect science education reform to improved general education, and (3) stimulate civic engagement. The SENCER approach is to connect science education with civic engagement by teaching science through the study of complex public issues. SENCER models are teaching, for example, biology through the study of HIV disease or the Human Genome Project; physics through the study of the challenges of nuclear disarmament or hypotheses about the origins of the universe; chemistry through the study of air pollution, water quality, or crime; and mathematics by examining the reliability of statistics, studying risk/benefit analysis, or decision-making. The outcome for students is connected learning. SENCER seeks to promote large-scale reform in undergraduate SMET education through intensive faculty professional development, a strong focus on local systemic change, and the use of improved assessment practices. SENCER faculty are learning to use an assessment instrument developed with partial support from several NSF initiatives to improve undergraduate education. This instrument is known as Student Assessment of Their Learning Gains (SALG) and is freely available for public use at WWW.WCER.WISC.edu/NISE/CL1. There are four key pieces of the SENCER project. SENCER Institutes are the core activity. These are team-based residential institutes for faculty, administrators, and advanced graduate students planning to initiate SENCER approaches. SENCER Clusters are both disciplinary and issue-oriented groups of faculty and administrators that operate to provide ongoing support and sustain reform efforts arising from participation in the Institutes. The SENCER Virtual Community links innovators together and supports dissemination of resources to support reform. The SENCER Leadership Initiatives are focusing national attention and recognition on exemplary initiatives in order to build additional support for this approach.