Collaborative Research: Reacting to the Past Pedagogy for Science Education

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This project adapts the successful Reacting to the Past (RTTP) pedagogy to science courses (STEM). RTTP consists of simulation games in which students adopt roles in seminal scientific debates. RTTP increases student engagement, shifts attitudes, and improves critical thinking and communication skills in STEM courses. RTTP necessitates a multidisciplinary approach that bridges gaps existing between different disciplines. This project develops STEM curricular materials to meet the needs of both non-science majors as well as science majors. By engaging non-science majors in scientific debates, the project improves the understanding and perception of science. This approach leads to well informed citizens and competent decision-makers. Course materials are disseminated through a web site at www.barnard.edu/reacting and publication by Pearson Education. The project trains a cohort of new RTTP faculty through summer RTTP Institutes and workshops at regional and national professional conferences. Special efforts are underway to recruit educators from two-year colleges, those serving large minority populations and ESL populations. Faculty learn to bring the advantages of RTTP to their traditional science courses. The project is conducting formative and summative assessment of RTTP for the acquisition of content knowledge and on the understanding of and attitudes toward science. The results of the assessment are being published and presented to science educators to encourage the widespread adoption of RTTP science games. The evaluation process developed by this project is being shared with developers of other RTTP games.