Collaborative Research: Advancing Scientific Reasoning in Online and In-Person Introductory Physics Labs

本项目旨在通过分析和提高大学生的科学推理能力，服务于国家利益。该合作项目涉及辛辛那提大学（奖励DUE-2110334）和俄亥俄州立大学（奖励DUE-2110343）的研究人员。“科学推理”通常被用来描述支持批判性思维、创造力和解决问题的一系列技能。现代教育的目标已经转向培养那些高端技能，这是21世纪劳动力所必需的，但大学理科课程往往对学生在这些领域没有显著影响。在导论物理实验课程的背景下，研究者计划开发围绕特定科学推理技能设计的实验模块和评估，并研究这些模块如何影响大学生目标技能的发展。该项目旨在重点关注在本科STEM教育中支持批判性思维、解决问题和系统思维的认知技能。目标技能包括变量控制（COV）推理、数据分析和因果决策，所有这些对于协调理论和证据的过程至关重要，而这又是科学探究不可或缺的一部分。在先前工作的基础上，研究人员计划开发和完善第一学期物理实验室课程，用于面对面或在线授课，评估工具用于测量目标科学推理技能，以及为教师提供一套相关资源。他们打算研究课程的某些部分对学生目标技能发展的影响；不同学生群体（包括女性和未被充分代表的种族和少数民族）在技能发展方面的差异（如果有的话）；在线教学与面对面教学在技能发展方面的差异（如果有的话）；以及在不同环境中（包括在线环境）传播和实施课程的最佳做法，以优化学习和促进使用。该课程将在大学、文理学院和两年制大学等多所大学进行测试。NSF IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by analyzing and improving undergraduate students' skills in scientific reasoning. This collaborative project involves investigators at the University of Cincinnati (Award DUE-2110334) and Ohio State University (Award DUE-2110343). "Scientific reasoning" is often used a label for the set of skills that support critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. Goals in modern education have shifted toward fostering those high-end skills, which are necessary for the 21st century workforce, but college science courses often do not significantly impact students in those areas. In the context of an introductory physics lab course, the investigators plan to develop lab modules and assessments designed around specific scientific reasoning skills and to study how the modules impact college students' development of the targeted skills.The project intends to focus on the cognitive strand of skills that support critical thinking, problem-solving, and systems thinking in undergraduate STEM education. The targeted skills include Control of Variables (COV) reasoning, data analytics, and causal decision-making, all of which are essential to the process of coordinating theory and evidence, which in turn is integral to scientific inquiry. Building on their prior work, the investigators plan to develop and refine a first-semester physics lab curriculum for in-person or online delivery, assessment tools for measuring targeted scientific reasoning skills, and a suite of associated resources for instructors. They intend to study the impact of certain pieces of the curriculum on students' development of the targeted skills; differences, if any, in skill development by different populations of students (including women and underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities); differences, if any, in skill development in online versus in-person instructional settings; and best practices for disseminating and implementing the curriculum in different settings, including online, to optimize learning and promote use. The curriculum will be tested at a variety of institutions, including universities, a liberal arts college, and two-year colleges. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.