Enhancing the Scientific Awareness (Literacy) of Non-science Majors via an Interdisciplinary Physical Science Course

（99）化学、物理和教育教师参与设计、开发和试验物理科学课程，旨在提高非科学专业学生的科学意识。这是在三个周期的迭代过程中完成的，每个周期以导致后续改进的评估结束。目前，大学非理科专业的必修课程并没有提供科学方法和过程的直接体验。这门发展中的课程提供了一种以探究为基础的本科科学体验，内容与学生的个人经历相关。这是通过包括密歇根学生熟悉的背景和可能感兴趣的材料来实现的。参加这门新课程的学生正在学习解决问题的科学方法——这一过程需要将观点建立在事实和可观察到的证据之上。在主动学习的课堂活动和计算机实验室学习中使用同伴学习小组是课程设计的一部分。我们期望这种教学设计能够有效地提高批判性思维和沟通能力。这门课程也教授关于科学主题的信息定位方法以及理解和解释科学数据的方法。该课程围绕三个模块构建——日常生活科学、微观世界科学、地球及其他领域的科学。这些选择广泛使用了由两个NSF化学计划开发的模块，即模块化化学和ChemLinks。每个模块区域的开发都具有一定的灵活性。最终，每个模块领域将至少开发两个可选模块实现，为许多正在（或即将）教授该课程的教师提供灵活的选择。本项目还改编了J. Faughn， R. Chang和J. Turk （Fort Worth, Texas: Saunders College Publishing, 1995）的教科书“物理科学”中的材料，来自“Workshop Science：《通过积极学习探索自然》，作者：S. Franklin， D. Jackson和P. Laws， AAPT春季会议，林肯，NE(1998)，加州州立大学奇科分校的综合科学项目（R. Lederer，“综合科学教学中的问题解决、模拟和团队合作方法，1997年NSF资助下开发），以及加州大学洛杉矶分校的普通教育项目（www.college.ucla.edu/ge/）。政府将系统地从进入大学的学生中，特别是那些尚未确定职业的学生中，甄选和招聘未来的中学科学教师。项目产品将包括改进的ChemLinks/ ModularChem模块，测量科学意识水平的评估工具，以及一个培训教师和助教的研讨会，用于本课程中使用的教学和评估方法。

Interdisciplinary (99) Chemistry, physics, and education faculty are engaged in designing, developing, and pilot testing a physical science course that is designed to enhance the scientific awareness of nonscience majors. This is being done in a three cycle iterative process where each cycle ends with assessment leading to subsequent improvements. Currently the university required curriculum for non-science majors does not provide direct experiences with the methods and processes of science. This developing course is providing an undergraduate science experience that is inquiry-based and content-relevant to students' personal experiences. This is being accomplished by including materials that are contextually familiar and potentially interesting to Michigan students. Students taking the new course are learning the scientific approach to problem solving -- a process that requires basing opinions on facts and observable evidence. Use of peer learning groups in active-learning classroom activities and computer laboratory study are part of the course design. We expect this pedagogical design will prove effective in improving critical thinking and communication skills. The course is also teaching methods for locating information on scientific topics and for understanding and interpreting scientific data. The course is constructed around three modules -- the science of everyday life, science of the microscopic world, and the earth and beyond. These choices are making extensive use of modules developed by two NSF Chemistry Initiatives known as Modular Chemistry and ChemLinks. Each module area is being developed with some flexibility. Eventually there will be a minimum of two alternative module implementations developed in each module area to provide flexibility of choice for the many faculty who are (or soon will be) teaching it. This project is also adapting materials from the textbook "Physical Science" by J. Faughn, R. Chang, and J. Turk (Fort Worth, Texas: Saunders College Publishing, 1995), from "Workshop Science: Exploring Nature Through Active Learning," by S. Franklin, D. Jackson, and P. Laws, AAPT Spring Meeting, Lincoln, NE (1998), the Integrated Science Program at Cal State - Chico (R. Lederer, "A Problem Solving, Simulation, and Teamwork Approach to Teaching Integrated Science, being developed under a 1997 NSF grant), and the general education program at UCLA (www.college.ucla.edu/ge/). A systematic effort will be made to identify and recruit future secondary science teachers from students entering the university, particularly those who enter with an undecided career. Project products will include modified ChemLinks/ ModularChem modules, assessment tools to measuring levels of scientific awareness, and a workshop for training faculty and teaching assistants in the teaching and assessment methodologies used in this course.