EAGER: Maker: BioFabLab: Making as an Entryway to the Life Sciences for Early Undergraduates

EAGER：创客：BioFabLab：将制造作为早期本科生进入生命科学的入门途径

• 批准号: 1723653
• 负责人: Andrew Mead
• 金额: $ 29.97万
• 依托单位: University of Vermont & State Agricultural College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-07-15 至 2020-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1723653&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Maker; BioFabLab; Making; Entryway

This project explores the potential for elements of Making to improve attraction to and retention in life science disciplines among undergraduate students. BioFabLab is a one-semester class in which first time-first year undergraduate students, who start college with no declared major, work in teams to address a biological research question through the design, iterative fabrication, testing and description of a novel experimental apparatus. The class harnesses the rich collaborative and innovative space created by the Maker movement, and builds on the growing Maker culture in Vermont. This study places particular emphasis on those students who may possess an aptitude for creative thinking and an enjoyment of "tinkering" and innovation, but might for other reasons pass over opportunities to major in the life sciences. BioFabLab makes use of local Maker resources, but also aims to echo the Maker ethos of encouraging creativity, collaboration and lifelong learning. To achieve this, the project is built on the concepts of guided, student-centered group learning and design thinking, and explores Making as a conduit for self-directed learning of fundamental biological principles.Active learning educational strategies outperform traditional lecture approaches in student engagement, retention, and performance. Making incorporates many elements of active learning such as Problem-Based Learning, but studies do not show how such learning processes work, particularly when incorporated into formal STEM education. Furthermore, the Maker Movement attracts followers with diverse interests and backgrounds, but it is unknown how or whether this success translates to increased interest and persistence in undergraduate STEM coursework. BioFabLab is a problem-based course that challenges undeclared first-year students to address real scientific research questions within the setting of a thriving local Maker community. Using both quantitative and qualitative educational research approaches, we will study a) how scientific learning happens in such an environment, and b) its effects on student persistence and retention. This project has the potential to introduce and engage a wide range of learners, including meritorious students, from low income, rural communities in Vermont to Making specifically, and to STEM more broadly. This in-context engagement/introduction to Making will present a pathway for learners to pursue STEM degrees. This project is a part of NSF's Maker Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) portfolio (NSF 15-086), a collaborative investment of Directorates for Education and Human Resources (EHR), Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE), and Engineering (ENG).

这个项目探讨了制作元素的潜力，以提高本科生对生命科学学科的吸引力和保留力。BioFabLab是一个为期一个学期的课程，其中第一次一年级的本科生，谁开始大学没有宣布的专业，在团队中工作，通过设计，迭代制造，测试和描述一种新的实验装置来解决生物研究问题。该课程利用创客运动创造的丰富的协作和创新空间，并建立在佛蒙特州不断发展的创客文化基础上。这项研究特别强调那些可能具有创造性思维能力和享受“修修补补”和创新的学生，但可能由于其他原因放弃主修生命科学的机会。BioFabLab利用当地的创客资源，但也旨在呼应鼓励创造力，协作和终身学习的创客精神。为了实现这一目标，该项目建立在指导，以学生为中心的小组学习和设计思维的概念，并探讨了使作为一个管道的自我导向学习的基本生物学原理。主动学习教育策略优于传统的讲座方法，在学生的参与，保留，和性能。制作包含了许多主动学习的元素，如基于问题的学习，但研究并没有显示这种学习过程是如何工作的，特别是当纳入正式的STEM教育时。此外，创客运动吸引了不同兴趣和背景的追随者，但目前尚不清楚这种成功如何或是否会转化为对本科STEM课程的兴趣和坚持。BioFabLab是一门以问题为基础的课程，挑战未申报的一年级学生在蓬勃发展的本地创客社区中解决真实的科学研究问题。使用定量和定性的教育研究方法，我们将研究a）科学学习如何在这样的环境中发生，以及B）它对学生坚持和保留的影响。该项目有可能引入和吸引广泛的学习者，包括优秀的学生，从佛蒙特州的低收入农村社区到具体的制作，以及更广泛的STEM。这种背景下的参与/介绍制作将为学习者提供一条攻读STEM学位的途径。 该项目是NSF的Maker Dear Colleague Letter（DCL）组合（NSF 15-086）的一部分，该组合是教育和人力资源（EHR），计算机信息科学工程（CISE）和工程（ENG）董事会的合作投资。