Undergraduate Science Course Innovations and Their Impact on Student Learning

这个项目考察了已发表和未发表的关于教学创新和本科理科教学替代方法的教育研究研究，并将使用统计方法综合结果。这项研究将对本科理科课程创新进行系统的审查，以确定：(1)在本科理科课程中实施的课程创新的范围；(2)创新的特征如何与认知科学学习理论和有效教学原则相一致；(3)课程创新方法如何与每个特定学科内学生学习成果的差异相关联；以及(4)哪些方法被发现是有效实施课程创新的关键。研究人员将在认知科学研究和本科理科课程有效学习环境的基础上，从具有教学策略、参考课堂并已报告结果的项目中开发一个理论框架。他们将对已发表的论文和未发表的文件(如NSF网站)中发现的科学课程中的课程创新进行文件分析。将根据确定的适当研究数量，对每篇论文中提供的统计数据进行荟萃分析。这项研究的更广泛的影响在于它对研究人员的贡献，他们将受益于对本科教学实践的现有研究的系统分析，以及希望就如何应用新的教学方法提出建议的教育工作者。这项研究将产生两份文件：(1)确定和评估本科理科课程创新的框架，(2)实地观察到的课程转型类型、其有效性以及与其有效性相关的设计和实施特点的统计综合。该项目将发表论文，提交给各学科领域的期刊，并在专业学会会议上发表。

This project examines published and non-published education research studies of instructional innovations and alternative approaches to teaching undergraduate science and will synthesize the results using statistical methods. The study would conduct a systematic examination of undergraduate science course innovations to determine: (1) The range of course innovations that are being implemented in undergraduate science courses; (2) How the features of innovations are aligned with cognitive science learning theory and principles of effective instruction; (3) How course innovation approaches are associated with differences in student learning gains within each specific discipline; and (4) what methods are found to be critical for the effective implementation of course innovations. The researchers will develop a theoretical framework on the basis of cognitive science research and effective learning environments of undergraduate science courses from projects that have an instructional strategy, refer to classrooms, and have reported results. They will conduct a document analysis of course innovations in science courses as discovered in published papers and unpublished documents such as the NSF website. A meta-analysis of the statistical data available in each paper would be conducted depending on the suitable number of studies identified. The broader impact of the study is in its contribution to researchers who would benefit from a systematic analysis of existing studies of undergraduate teaching practices and for educators who wish for advice on how to apply new methods of teaching. The study will produce two documents: (1) a framework for characterizing and evaluating innovations in undergraduate science courses, and (2) a statistical synthesis of the types of course transformations observed in the field, their effectiveness, and the design and implementation characteristics that are associated with their effectiveness. The project would produce published papers that will be submitted to journals in each disciplinary area and presented at professional society meetings.