Writing for Assessment and Learning in the Natural and Mathematical Sciences

写作评估和学习在自然和数学科学（WALS）项目适应校准同行评审（CPR），开发和广泛传播的化学。该项目为生物学，数学和物理学的学生创建和实施写作作业。作业评估学生的理解，提高学生的学习，并促进教师调查学生如何学习。WALS项目涉及精心制作的写作作业，促进和评估学生的概念学习和教师指导的同行评议，促进批判性思维和学生自我评估。通过研讨会和写作活动，教师参与者增加自己的理解如何和学生理解什么。综合多个课堂研究项目提供了重要的洞察学生学习的性质在科学和数学。教师参与者参与由一个团队领导的活动，该团队代表了规定内容领域的专业知识，教师发展，CPR协议，写作作业开发和技术介导的教学。WALS项目的更广泛的影响是通过教师和学生之间的合作来实现的。其中，三个是西班牙裔服务，一个是历史上的黑人大学，另外90%是女性。与CPR的实施有关的多样性问题进行了调查。该项目影响了大约5000名学生在项目期间参加受影响的课程，其中一些是由未来的科学和数学教师参加的。因此，该项目的范围扩大到这些职前教师的学生。

The Writing for Assessment and Learning in the Natural and Mathematical Sciences (WALS) project adapts the Calibrated Peer Review (CPR), developed and widely disseminated in Chemistry. The project creates and implements writing assignments for students in Biology, Mathematics and Physics. The assignments assess student understanding, enhances student learning, and promotes faculty inquiry into how students learn. The WALS project involves carefully crafted writing assignments that promote and assess student conceptual learning and faculty-guided peer review that promote both critical thinking and student self-assessment. Through the workshops and writing activities, faculty participants increase their own understanding of how and what students understand. Synthesizing multiple classroom research projects provides significant insight into the nature of student learning in the science and mathematics. The faculty participants engage in activities lead by a team that represents expertise in the prescribed content areas, faculty development, the CPR protocol, writing assignments development, and technology-mediated instruction.The broader impacts of the WALS project are realized through the collaboration between faculty and students from the Texas Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation partner institutions. Of these, three are Hispanic serving, one a historically black university, and another 90% female. Diversity issues relating to the implementation of CPR are investigated. The project impacts approximately 5000 students taking the affected courses over the project term several of which are taken by future science and mathematics teachers. The reach of the project therefore extends to the students of these pre-service teachers.