Biological Inquiry: A Model Course and Assessment Program

生物科学(61)这个项目正在开发、实施和进行一门新的基础课程--生物探究的研究性评估，这门课程招收了学院近一半的一年级学生，是生物学专业的核心要求。本课程采用交互式、跨学科和基于探究的方法，并围绕三个连续的、为期数周的模块进行组织，在这些模块中，学生像生物学家一样使用科学方法，探索跨学科联系，建立量化技能，并发展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、评估和新的教学方法方面的专业知识，机构内外的教员正在参加一系列的研讨会。生物学家正在相互协作，与本科生导师以及其他部门的同事合作，开发、练习和修改课程模块。外部专家正在指导开发学生批判性思维和分析推理技能的课堂评估工具(仿照经过审查的工具)，并将其结果与其他直接衡量学生学习结果的指标进行比较。对学生对学习的看法和对科学的态度以及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。该项目被认为是一种潜在的模式，可以有效地将最佳教学做法纳入STEM课程中以改进学习，以及研究性评估如何能够启发这种改革努力。其传播计划旨在确保全国各地的不同群体(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。

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.