A Scientific Thinking Skill-Based Curricular Overlay for Introductory Psychology at 2-year and 4-year Colleges

该项目旨在通过改善大学一年级科学课程的教育来服务于国家利益。认识到重复的，脚手架的做法的重要性，该项目介绍和评估一种新的课程方法来训练科学技能，在这里应用到三个科学的学习成果具体到心理学导论。特别是，这个学生学习：一级项目将产生一套研究验证的材料，可以由具有一系列教学经验和教学的心理学导论教师在各种情况下，包括2年和4年的大学设置合并和改编。作为科学技能培训的一种创新方法，该项目设计的课程方法也可作为基于技能的培训的可复制框架，可应用于其他科学技能和/或学科。该项目的总体目标是开发，评估和传播基于技能的课程覆盖（SBCO），以加强2年制和4年制机构心理学导论课程的科学思维。这将满足美国心理学协会和其他STEM学科组织认可的需要，除了内容覆盖之外，还需要在入门课程中纳入更强的科学思维技能培训。SBCO使用反向设计，系统地识别关键科学思维学习成果的前体技能和子技能，并以脚手架，迭代的方式将其作为目标，包括对齐的课堂示例，家庭作业和与入门心理学主要内容领域相关的考试问题。一个即插即用的结构和附带的教师指南将允许教师轻松地嫁接SBCO到现有的课程结构与最小的课程修订或需要新的技术或特殊资源。为了确保材料是响应不同的教学环境和学生的需求，SBCO的开发和评估将发生在两个不同的设置：在2年制和4年制大学。在整个开发过程中，两个机构的学生和教师咨询委员会的意见将通过多样性、公平和包容性（DEI）的透镜进行考虑，以确保所有参加本科心理学入门课程的学生都能公平地获得材料。一个全面的评估计划将提供一个总结性评估的有效性SBCO在这两个机构之前，更广泛地传播到教学界。NSF IUSE：EDU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。该奖项反映了NSF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 through improved education in first-year college science courses. Recognizing the importance of repeated, scaffolded practice, the project introduces and assesses a novel curricular approach to training scientific skills, applied here to three scientific learning outcomes specific to Introductory Psychology. In particular, this Engaged Student Learning: Level I project will generate a set of research-validated materials that can be incorporated and adapted by Introductory Psychology instructors with a range of teaching experience and teaching in a variety of contexts including both 2- and 4-year college settings. As an innovative approach to scientific skill training, the curricular approach designed by the project also serves as a replicable framework for skill-based training that can be applied to other scientific skills and/or disciplines. The overarching goals of the project are to develop, evaluate, and disseminate a Skill-Based Curricular Overlay (SBCO) to bolster scientific thinking in Introductory Psychology courses at 2-year and 4-year institutions. This will meet the need, recognized by the American Psychological Association and other STEM disciplinary organizations, to incorporate stronger training of scientific thinking skills in introductory courses, in addition to content coverage. Using backward design, the SBCO systematically identifies precursor skills and subskills of key scientific thinking learning outcomes and targets them in a scaffolded, iterative way, including aligned class examples, homework assignments, and exam questions relevant to the main content domains of Introductory Psychology. A plug-and-play structure and accompanying instructor guides will allow an instructor to easily graft the SBCO onto existing course structures with minimal course revision or need for new technology or special resources. In order to ensure materials are responsive to different instructional contexts and student needs, development and evaluation of the SBCO will occur in two distinct settings: at a 2-year and 4-year college. Throughout development, input from student and faculty advisory boards at both institutions will be considered through a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lens to ensure fairness and accessibility of materials for all students who enroll in undergraduate Introductory Psychology courses. A comprehensive assessment plan will provide a summative assessment of theeffectiveness of the SBCO at both institutions prior to broader dissemination to the teaching community. The NSF IUSE: EDU 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.