Exploring Drug Abuse Through the Science of Epidemiology

描述（由申请人提供）： 我们将开发，评估和传播一个课程，将探讨通过流行病学的科学与高中学生有关的药物滥用问题。该课程名为“通过流行病学科学探索药物滥用”，将帮助学生对药物滥用做出个人和集体的循证决策。药物滥用问题的探索将根据流行病学学科的概念图和国家科学教育标准在科学探究方面的基本能力来构建。 这些课程将与由高中科学教师、药物教育工作者和顾问、流行病学家和大学教授组成的咨询委员会合作创建和完善。作为课程开发的一部分，首席调查员和咨询委员会成员的高中教师将在他们的高中班级中试用原型课程。将根据这方面的经验和咨询委员会的意见完善原型。 然后，由来自新泽西教育更新网络的20所高中成员的科学教师组成的实地测试小组将对原型课程进行实地测试。这20所学校将被随机分配为实验学校或对照学校。来自实地测试小组的十所实验学校的教师将接受培训，教授这些课程，并将在他们的课堂上实施。 将通过评估学生对药物滥用和流行病学的知识以及他们在科学即探究和科学素养方面的基本能力来检验课程的影响。一些评价将使用受控的测试前/测试后比较。原型课程将根据实地测试小组的经验和学生的评估和反馈进一步完善。 经疾病控制和预防中心批准，通过流行病学科学探索药物滥用网站将与CDC EXCITE网站（通过流行病学教学整合课程的卓越性）链接。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We will develop, evaluate, and disseminate a curriculum that will explore drug abuse issues relevant to high school students through the science of epidemiology. The curriculum, called Exploring Drug Abuse Through the Science of Epidemiology, will prepare students to make personal and collective, evidence-based decisions about drug abuse. This exploration of drug abuse issues will be structured according to a concept map for the discipline of epidemiology and the National Science Education Standards' fundamental abilities in Science as Inquiry. The lessons will be created and refined in partnership with an Advisory Board consisting of high school science teachers, drug educators and counselors, epidemiologists, and college professors. As part of lesson development, the Principal Investigator and high school teachers who are members of the Advisory Board will pilot-test the prototype lessons in their high school classes. The prototypes will be refined based on this experience and the advice of the Advisory Board. The prototype lessons will then be field-tested by a Field Testing Team consisting of science teachers from twenty high school members of the New Jersey Network for Educational Renewal. These twenty schools will be randomly assigned to be either experimental or control schools. Teachers from the Field Testing Team's ten experimental schools will be trained to teach the lessons and will implement them in their classes. The impact of the curriculum will be tested by assessing students' knowledge of drug abuse and epidemiology, as well as, their fundamental abilities in Science as Inquiry and scientific literacy. Several evaluations will use controlled, pre-test/post-test comparisons. The prototype lessons will be refined further based on the Field- Testing Team's experiences and on students' assessments and feedback. With Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approval, the Exploring Drug Abuse Through the science of Epidemiology web site will be linked with the CDC EXCITE web site (Excellence in Curriculum Integration through Teaching Epidemiology).