Extending CREATE Demographically and Geographically, to Test its Efficacy on Diverse Populations of Learners at 2 Year and 4 Year Institutions

这项提案的目标是改变本科生学习生物学的方式，并通过在全国范围内推广一种名为CREATE（考虑、阅读、阐明假设、分析和解释数据、思考下一个实验）的教学方法来打击学生对科学的脱节。这种方法大大提高了学生对生物学研究的理解和兴趣。CREATE方法通过对单个实验室连续发表的论文进行深入分析，实时显示研究项目的演变。通过这种方法，学生学习如何将论文分解为单独的实验，从而通过使用渐进式教学工具揭开阅读科学文献（期刊文章）的过程的神秘面纱。通过专注于数据分析、实验设计和学生资助小组活动，CREATE以一种易于理解且对学生学习有意义的方式模拟了真实的科学研究过程。此外，CREATE学生对选定论文的作者进行非正式（电子邮件）采访，从而获得“幕后”信息，这些信息往往使学生对科学和科学家更加人性化。在这个项目中，来自社区学院和四年制大学的同等数量的教师正在被招募参加CREATE强化讲习班。经过培训的教师随后将在这两种类型的机构实施CREATE策略。这些学院的学生将使用各种评估工具进行跟踪。这些研讨会促进了来自不同教育背景的教师之间的对话，从而在社区和高级学院之间建立了“管道”关系。这个项目正在促进协作互动，最终使高等教育的多个层次的教师和学生受益。该项目由生物科学理事会共同资助。

The goals of this proposal are to transform how undergraduates learn biology, and to combat student disengagement from science by extending the use nationally of a pedagogical method known as CREATE (Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret data, and Think of the next Experiment). This method brings about significant increases in both student understanding of, and student interest in biological research. The CREATE approach uses intensive analysis of papers published sequentially from single labs to show the evolution of research projects in real time. Through this method, students are taught how to dissect the papers into individual experiments, thus demystifying the process of reading scientific literature (journal articles) through the use of progressive pedagogical tools. By focusing on data analysis, experimental design and student grant panel activities, CREATE models the process of real science research in a way that is accessible and meaningful for student learning. In addition, CREATE students conduct informal (email) interviews with the authors of selected papers, thereby acquiring "behind the scenes" information that often humanizes the science as well as the scientists for the students. In this project, equal numbers of faculty from community colleges and four-year institutions are being recruited for CREATE Intensive Workshops. Trained faculty will subsequently implement CREATE strategies at both types of institutions. Students of these faculty will be tracked using a variety of assessment tools. The workshops facilitate dialogue among faculty from these diverse educational settings, thus establishing "pipeline" relationships between community and senior colleges. This project is promoting collaborative interactions that ultimately benefit faculty and students at multiple levels of higher education.This project is being co-funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences.