Undergraduate Science Course Innovations and Their Impact on Student Learning

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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 They will conduct a document analysis of course innovations in science courses as discovered in published papers and unpublished documents such as the NSF website.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.