Workforce Training for Stem Cell Research

干细胞研究的劳动力培训是斯坦福大学的一项努力，旨在开发一套关于干细胞生物学和研究的指导性和实验室基础材料，用于社区大学和四年制大学的本科课程。这项工作是为了满足以下需求：1)整合科学、实验室训练和人文学科的本科课程；2)传统生物学教学方法中不常见的教学法创新；3)独立灵活的模块，以适应生物学前沿领域的“及时”变化；4)一个可扩展的方法来解决国家缺乏受过技术培训的学士学位后干细胞研究劳动力的问题。这个项目借鉴了在世界上最活跃的干细胞研究中心创建多学科、团队授课课程的成功经验。此外，社区学院的教师作为这项工作的合作者，利用他们的生物技术专业知识，确保材料满足学生的需求。一支训练有素的干细胞研究队伍有可能推动发现和最终转化为人类使用的技术。这个干细胞课程——专门为劳动力而设计——就是为了实现这一目标。这一系列综合的教学模块涵盖了干细胞研究的科学、技术和社会维度。重要的是，要开发的材料包括以实验室为基础的培训。该课程将为教育工作者提供书写清晰、快速修订的核心材料和教学模块。对于每个模块，首先确定学生从事干细胞研究所需的知识，然后制定能够提供适当知识和技术能力的课程和教学法。该项目的产品包括一套基于教室和实验室的教学资源和评估材料，这些资源和材料可以单独使用，也可以结合起来创建新课程。该课程对从事干细胞研究技术职业的教师和学生具有广泛而直接的影响。这些材料也有利于本科生物学课程和技术重点证书课程，因为模块化方法允许四年制学校选择最适合他们教学需求的主题和材料。材料将通过网络和知名的国内和国际媒体渠道分发。此外，模块化方法可适用于远程学习和专题研讨会。对生命科学STEM专业人员的需求正在增加，其中一些人将管理数十名技术人员。总而言之，该项目旨在解决生物技术、商业化和开发链中的主要教育差距。

This Workforce Training for STEM Cell Research endeavor is a Stanford University effort to develop a suite of instructive and lab-based materials focusing on stem cell biology and research for use in undergraduate courses in community colleges and four-year schools. This work is responsive to the identified need for: 1) an undergraduate curriculum that integrates science, laboratory training, and the humanities; 2) innovations in pedagogy not commonly seen in traditional approaches to teaching biology; 3) independent and flexible modules to accommodate "just-in-time" changes to a frontier area of biology; and 4) a scalable approach to address the nation's dearth of a technically-trained post-baccalaureate workforce for stem cell research. This project draws from prior successes in creating multidisciplinary, team-taught courses in the most active stem cell research centers in the world. In addition, community college faculty serve as collaborators in this work, drawing upon their biotechnology expertise and ensuring the materials meet the needs of their students.A well-trained workforce in stem cell research has the potential to fuel discovery and the eventual translation of technologies for human use. This stem cell curriculum--purpose-built for the workforce--is being designed to accomplish this end. This integrated series of instructional modules spans scientific, technical, and social dimensions of stem cell research. Importantly, the materials to be developed include laboratory-based training. The curriculum will provide educators with clearly written, rapidly revised core material and instructional modules. For each module, what students need to know for careers involving stem cell research is first determined, then development of a curriculum and pedagogy that can deliver appropriate knowledge and technical competency occurs. The products of this project include a suite of classroom and laboratory-based teaching and learning resources and evaluative materials that can stand-alone or be joined to create new courses. The curriculum has the potential for broad and immediate impact on teachers and students working to launch technical careers in stem cell research. These materials are also of benefit to undergraduate biology curricula and certificate programs with technical foci, as the modular approach allows four-year schools to pick topics and materials that best suit their teaching needs. Materials will be distributed through the web and well-known national and international media channels. In addition, the modular approach can be adapted for distance learning and subject-based seminars. The demand for life science STEM professionals, some of whom will supervise dozens of technicians, is increasing. In sum, this project is designed to address a major educational gap in the biotechnology, commercialization and development chain.