Development of an Integrated, Multidisciplinary Science Literacy Course for Comprehensive Universities

最近关于科学教育状况的报告指出，需要更多的过程导向的多学科科学课程;这些报告还呼吁将科学课程纳入一个连贯的通识教育计划。该项目将开发一个两个学期的实验室为基础的介绍性科学课程，由来自六个科学学科的十二名教师合作授课。被称为自然世界，这门课程将在本质上是模块化的，并围绕当前相关的多学科主题为中心。 自然世界将强调自然科学的基本基础，科学作为一种认识方式，科学的用途，科学发展的历史影响，以及科学与文化之间的相互关系。自然世界的一个独特的方面将是它在38小时的新核心课程整合，整合了一套全面和有凝聚力的跨学科课程的各个学科。自然世界将与学生同时学习的两门人文课程相联系。 将开发十个跨学科专题模块，供科学入门课程使用，每个模块都包括教员指南、学生指南、学生和教师阅读建议、写作作业和涉及协作和基于发现的学习的实验练习。

Recent reports on the state of science education have identified a need for more process-oriented, multidisciplinary science courses; these reports also call for science courses that are integrated within a coherent general education program. This project will develop a two semester laboratory-based introductory science course taught collaboratively by twelve faculty members from six science disciplines. Called The Natural World, this course will be modular in nature and centered around multidisciplinary topics of current relevance. The Natural World will emphasize the basic foundations of natural science, science as a way of knowing, the uses of science, historical influences on the development of science, and the interrelationships between science and culture. A unique aspect of the Natural World will be its integration within a new core curriculum of 38 hours that integrates the various academic disciplines within a set of comprehensive and cohesive interdisciplinary courses. The Natural World will be linked to two humanities courses students will be taking concurrently. Ten modules of interdisciplinary topics will be developed for use in introductory science courses, each to include an instructors guide, a student guide, suggestions for student and teacher readings, writing assignments and laboratory exercises that involve collaborative and discovery-based learning.