Biological Inquiry: A Model Course and Assessment Program

生物学探究：示范课程和评估计划

• 批准号: 0836851
• 负责人: Ellen Goldey
• 金额: $ 14.98万
• 依托单位: Wofford College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-02-01 至 2012-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0836851&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Biological; Inquiry; Model; Course; Assessment

Biological Sciences (61)This project is developing, implementing, and conducting research-based assessment of a new foundational course, Biological Inquiry, which enrolls nearly half of the institution's first year students and is a core requirement for biology majors. The course employs interactive, interdisciplinary, and inquiry-based approaches, and is organized around three sequential, multi-week modules in which students use the scientific method as biologists do, explore interdisciplinary connections, build quantitative skills, and develop the content knowledge needed to successfully advance to upper-level biology courses. To develop their expertise in curriculum development, assessment, and new pedagogical approaches, faculty from within and outside the institution are participating in a series of workshops. Biologists are collaborating with each other, with undergraduate preceptors, and with colleagues from other departments to develop, practice, and revise the course modules. External experts are guiding development of classroom assessment instruments of students' critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills (modeled after vetted tools), the results from which are being compared with other direct measures of student learning outcomes. Surveys of students' perceptions of learning and attitudes about science and levels of engagement are also being used to determine if student perceptions correlate with direct measures of their learning. The project is being offered as a potential model for effective ways to incorporate best pedagogical practices to improve learning in STEM courses, and for how research-based assessment can enlighten such reform efforts. Its dissemination plan is aimed at ensuring that various constituencies (including professors of STEM disciplines, assessment experts, and administrators) throughout the country learn from its findings.

生物科学（61）本项目正在开发、实施并对一门新的基础课程《生物探究》进行基于研究的评估，这门课程招收了近一半的大学一年级学生，是生物学专业的核心必修课。本课程采用互动、跨学科和基于探究的方法，并围绕三个连续的、多周的模块进行组织，在这些模块中，学生将像生物学家一样使用科学方法，探索跨学科的联系，建立定量分析技能，并开发成功进入高级生物学课程所需的内容知识。为了发展他们在课程开发、评估和新教学方法方面的专业知识，学院内外的教师参加了一系列讲习班。生物学家相互合作，与本科生导师合作，与其他部门的同事合作，开发、实践和修改课程模块。外部专家正在指导学生批判性思维和分析推理技能的课堂评估工具的开发（以经过审查的工具为模型），其结果将与学生学习成果的其他直接衡量标准进行比较。学生对学习的看法、对科学的态度和参与程度的调查也被用来确定学生的看法是否与他们学习的直接衡量标准相关。该项目是一个潜在的模式，可以有效地结合最佳教学实践来改善STEM课程的学习，以及如何以研究为基础的评估可以启发这种改革努力。其传播计划的目的是确保全国各方面（包括STEM学科的教授、评估专家和管理人员）从其调查结果中学习。