Catalysts for Change: Foundation Courses and Instructional Innovation

在大学科学和工程教育中，强调算法解决问题和死记硬背抽象概念是传统的。 这种方法并没有使大多数学生为技术社会中生活的真实的挑战做好充分的准备。 学生往往被赋予被动的角色，这扼杀了他们的兴趣和主动性;这就很少有机会发展具有持久价值的技能，例如有效的沟通、掌握分析性思维、富有成效的团队合作以及负责任的独立学习和资源利用。 针对大一和大二学生，正在进行全学院范围的科学教育系统性变革;他们增强的学习技能和探究精神将促使高级课程进一步改革，改变整个校园对科学教学的期望。 对学生表现和态度的纵向研究将评估这一变化的有效性。 科学和工程基础课程的核心开发，帮助学生在大学毕业后和课堂外学习所需的技能和思维习惯的早期获得。 基础课程由跨学科的教师团队开发，由年度教学创新研究所提供适当的学习策略和计算机技术培训。 研究所将继续推动跨学科和整个大学的改革。 该项目建立在以前的NSF支持的项目在特拉华州的大学：“基于问题的学习在跨学科的入门科学”和特拉华州的创新科学/数学合作本科生的成功”。 作为这个项目的结果，我们希望发现我们的学生毕业时学习和解决问题的能力得到提高，对科学的欣赏和态度得到加强，以及在课堂外学习的能力得到提高。 我们期望在教学和提高教学效率方面重新引起人们的兴趣，特别是积极让学生参与学习的热情。 最后，我们希望我们的政府将高度重视我们在向日益多样化的学生群体教授科学方面所做的努力。 我们寻求催化额外的机构资源转移到科学和工程部门，以促进主动学习和教学创新。

In university science and engineering education, an emphasis on algorithmic problem-solving and rote memorization of abstract concepts has been traditional. This approach does not adequately prepare the majority of students for the real challenges of life in a technological society. The passive role often relegated to students stifles their interest and initiative; this provides scant opportunity for the development of skills with lasting value, such as effective communication, mastery in analytical thinking, productive teamwork, and responsible, independent learning and resource utilization. Institution-wide, systemic change in science education is being made by targeting freshmen and sophomores; their enhanced learning skills and spirit of inquiry will instigate further reform in upper-level courses, changing campus-wide expectations for science is taught and learned. Longitudinal studies of student performance and attitudes will assess the effectiveness of the change. A core of science and engineering Foundation Courses are developed that aid students in the early acquisition of the skills and habits of mind required for learning after college and outside of the classroom. The Foundation Courses are developed by interdisciplinary teams of faculty, supported by an annual Instructional Innovation Institute that provides training in appropriate learning strategies and computer technology. The Institute will sustain this drive for reform across disciplines and throughout the university. The project builds on prior NSF-supported projects at the University of Delaware: "Problem-Based Learning in Introductory Science Across Disciplines" and Delaware's Innovative Science/Mathematics Collaborative for Undergraduate Success". As a result of this project, we expect to find that our students graduate with improved learning and problem-solving skills an enhanced appreciation of and attitude regarding science, and an improved ability to learn outside the classroom. We expect to imbue in fac ulty a renewed interest in teaching and improving their effectiveness, specifically an enthusiasm for actively engaging their students in learning. Finally, we expect that our administration will hold in high esteem our efforts in teaching science to and increasingly diverse student body. We seek to catalyze a shift of additional institutional resources to science and engineering departments for facilitating active learning and instructional innovation.