Collaborative Research: Open Access Blended Learning Modules for Teaching Laboratory Methods: Developing Scientific Skills for Undergraduates

在本科生一级缺乏适当的实验室技术教学材料是增加学生在地球科学和其他STEM领域取得成功所必需的分析技能的机会和知识的重大障碍。该项目将创建和评估实验室方法和科学探究技能的五个开放获取在线学习模块。这些材料最初将在一所四年制大学(JMU)和一所为少数族裔服务的两年制学院(NOVA)的课程中进行评估。在不同类型的课堂上对这些模块进行基于社区的审查、评估、贡献和进一步测试，将为地球科学和STEM教职员工提供一个交流思想的论坛，他们希望使用强大的同行评议的在线教学资源将分析方法纳入课程。模块化的形式将为教师提供灵活性，可以根据特定课程或学生研究经验所需的数量或数量使用单元。将创建五个学习单元，代表联合监测和分析小组和新伙伴关系普遍可用的分析方法和技术。这些设备将包括天然气和水管道、岩相显微镜、薄片设备、能量色散光谱、扫描电子显微镜以及拉曼和红外光谱。科学探究技能将被嵌入到内容模块中，将包括创建和测试协议、评估数据质量和错误以及合成数据。为了使更大的地球科学和STEM社区受益，这些模块将在一个开放的教育资源(OER)课程网站上发布。模块结构和内容将与主动的、基于探究的学习理论保持一致，并将包括视频迷你讲座、个人和小组测验和作业、视频或动画格式的说明性材料、设备和实验室的视频参观以及教师资源。该项目将通过建立有效的做法，将开放式教育资源纳入地球科学和使用分析设备的STEM课程的研究型教学单元，从而改进地球科学和STEM的学习。评估计划将包括对JMU和Nova的地球科学和STEM必修课和选修课中学生的学习和态度进行形成性和总结性评价，以及这些机构以外的地球科学界成员进行的单元审查。评估将侧重于开放式教育资源和混合学习课程形式对学生保持分析方法和仪器技能、学生掌握科学探究技能以及学生使用分析设备进行研究的态度和能力的影响。这项研究建立的协议将被用来在未来创建关于其他分析技术的额外模块，并将成为STEM社区开发其他在线学习资源的模板。

The lack of appropriate instructional materials at the undergraduate level for laboratory techniques presents a significant barrier to increasing student access to and knowledge of analytical skills necessary to succeed in the geosciences and other STEM fields. This project will create and evaluate five open access online learning modules for laboratory methods and scientific inquiry skills. These materials will initially be evaluated in courses at a four-year university (JMU) and a minority-serving two-year college (NOVA). The community-based review, evaluation, contribution, and further testing of these modules in various types of classrooms will create a forum for sharing ideas among geoscience and STEM faculty who wish to incorporate analytical methods into courses using robust peer-reviewed online teaching resources. The modular format will provide flexibility for instructors to use as few or as many units as needed for a specific course or student research experience. Five learning modules will be created that represent commonly available analytical methods as well as techniques available at both JMU and NOVA. These units will include gas and water plumbing, petrographic microscopes, thin sectioning equipment, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman and infrared spectroscopies. Scientific inquiry skills will be embedded into the content modules, and will include creating and testing protocols, evaluating data quality and error, and synthesizing data. To benefit the larger geosciences and STEM community, the modules will be published on an open educational resource (OER) courseware site. Module structure and content will align with active, inquiry-based learning theories, and will include video mini-lectures, individual and group quizzes and assignments, expository materials in video or animation formats, video tours of equipment and laboratories, and instructor resources. This project will improve geosciences and STEM learning by establishing effective practices for integrating open educational resources into research-based instructional units in geoscience and STEM courses involving the use of analytical equipment. The assessment plan will include formative and summative evaluations of student learning and attitudes within required and elective courses in geosciences and STEM at JMU and NOVA, as well as module reviews by geoscience community members outside of these institutions. Evaluation will focus on the effects of open educational resources and a blended learning course format upon student retention of analytical methods and instrumentation skills, student mastery of scientific inquiry skills, and student attitude and competencies towards conducting research with analytical equipment. The protocol established by this study will be used to create additional modules on other analytical techniques in the future, and will be a template the STEM community may use to develop other online learning resources.