Biocomplexity: Transforming an Innovative High School Curriculum with UDI Scaffolds and Multimedia Resources

该项目改变了已经有用和创新的课程，以覆盖比预期更广泛的学生和教师群体。要有效转变的课程建立在核心科学和数学概念的基础上，将重要的当代科学带到高中，使用基于案例的方法，纳入真正的科学探究。生物复杂性和宜居星球课程让高中生参与自然和人类系统耦合的科学，在所有空间和时间尺度上探索人类与环境之间复杂的关系结构。该课程旨在为为期一年的生态和环境科学顶峰课程提供材料，或为为期一学期的选修课提供两个单独的模块。试点和实地测试提供了初步证据，表明这种材料已经产生了重要的学生学习。试点期间的外部评估产生了两个重要的结果：1)教师在顶层面临的学生人数比预期的多得多。这为扩大课程的潜在受众提供了机会。2)虽然之前的项目为教师和学生提供了支持，解决了创新的教学方法和新的课程内容，但这种出人意料的巨大异质性提供了一个令人兴奋的机会，可以进行设计研究，以开发有效的新课程支架和背景支持。TERC与CAST合作，确定了转换和扩展教材的战略，以创建一个融入通用学习设计(UDL)原则的强化电子课程。该项目将产生以下交付成果：1.基于两个最受欢迎的生物复杂性单元的电子文本，以提供以下UDL支架：a)为学生处理复杂的量化和视觉数据提供上下文支持，包括结构化数据集、智能图表、智能图像和其他支持数据分析的支架；以及b)阅读支持，包括突出显示工具、嵌入的词汇以及视觉和文本数据的仔细链接。2.为学生提供关于挑战核心科学思想和科学论证技巧的多媒体资源，以及为所有四个单元提供内容和教学支持的教师材料。3.所有四个单元的学习和评估材料，包括学习指南、测试项目和词汇。4.一篇关于情境支持对支撑学生理解复杂数据的有效性的研究文章。5.一份面向课程开发人员的白皮书，其中包括搭建学生使用复杂数据的脚手架的指南。

This project transforms an already-useful and innovative curriculum to reach a wider population of students and teachers than anticipated. The curriculum to be transformed effectively builds on a base of core science and math concepts to bring important current science to high school, using a case-based approach that incorporates authentic scientific inquiry. The Biocomplexity and the Habitable Planet curriculum engages high school students in the science of coupled natural and human systems, exploring the complex fabric of relationships between humans and the environment at all spatial and temporal scales. The curriculum is designed to provide material for a year-long capstone course in ecology and environmental science, or two individual modules for semester-long electives. Pilot and field tests provide preliminary evidence that this material has produced significant student learning. External evaluation during the pilot has yielded two important findings: 1) Teachers have confronted a much more heterogeneous student population than expected at the capstone level. This offers the opportunity to expand the potential audience for the curriculum. 2) Though the previous project has provided supports for teachers and students that address the innovative pedagogy and novel content of the curriculum, this unexpectedly large heterogeneity provides an exciting opportunity to conduct design research to develop effective new curricular scaffolding and contextual supports. In collaboration with CAST, TERC has identified strategies for a transformation and extension of the materials in order to create an enhanced electronic curriculum infused by the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The project will result in the following deliverables: 1. An e-text based on two of the most requested Biocomplexity units, to provide the following UDL scaffolds: a) Contextual supports for student work with complex quantitative and visual data that include structured data sets, smart graphs, smart images, and other scaffolds to support data analysis; and b) Reading supports, including highlighting tools, embedded glossary, and careful linking of visual and textual data. 2. Multimedia resources for students on challenging core science ideas and on techniques of scientific argumentation, and teacher materials that provide both content and pedagogical support, for all four units. 3. Study and assessment materials for all four units, including a study guide, test items, and glossary. 4. A research article on the effectiveness of contextual supports for scaffolding student understanding of complex data. 5. A white paper for curriculum developers including guidelines for scaffolding student work with complex data.