Scaffolding Scientific Inquiry Within a Natural Resources Bachelor of Science Degree Program: From Asking Testable Questions to Developing Ecosystem Models

生物科学(61)位于纽约州阿迪朗达克公园的保罗·史密斯学院(PSC)为学生提供攻读自然资源学士学位的机会。我们正在积极地重新评估我们的课程，为学生提供一套在整个课程序列中相互建立起来的科学经验和研究挑战。这个项目将开发一系列分层研究和建模活动，有效地为获得学位的一系列课程的科学研究过程奠定基础。在整个过程中，班级收集的数据将被添加到一个数据库中，并将被保罗·史密斯学院未来的学生访问。这些数据也将提供给阿迪朗达克社区的其他感兴趣的成员。为入门课程设计的几个活动将提高问题开发和假设检验技能。为二年级和三年级课程设计的活动将引入模拟模型，允许学生在更大的空间和更长的时间尺度上扩展他们的研究想法。最后，在第三阶段，学生将使用Stella和其他计算机模型来构建和参数化简单的生态模型，探索模型假设，并进行敏感性分析。在所有阶段，都将强调口头和书面陈述的技能和协作。在项目开始时，PSC的教职员工将参加一个为期两天的研讨会，以现场测试活动，与科学教育专家讨论项目实施，并使用新的计算机程序。

Biological Sciences (61)Paul Smith's College (PSC), located in the Adirondack Park of New York State, offers students the opportunity to pursue a baccalaureate degree in Natural Resources. We are actively re-evaluating our course curricula to provide students with a set of science experiences and research challenges that build upon one another across a course sequence. This project will develop a series of hierarchical research and modeling activities that effectively scaffold the process of scientific inquiry across the sequence of courses leading to a degree. Data collected by classes throughout this process will be added to a data repository and will be accessible to future Paul Smith's College students. These data will also be available to other interested members of the Adirondack community. Several activities designed for introductory courses will improve question development, and hypothesis testing skills. Activities designed for second and third year courses will introduce simulation models that allow students to expand their research ideas across larger spatial and longer temporal scales. Finally, in the third phase, students will work with STELLA, and other computer models to build and parameterize simple ecological models, explore model assumptions, and conduct sensitivity analyses. In all phases, oral and written presentation skills and collaboration will be emphasized. At the onset of the project, PSC faculty will be involved in a two-day workshop to field-test activities, discuss project implementation with science education experts, and work with new computer programs.