Collaborative Research: The Molecules of Life -- A Partnership to Enhance Undergraduate Science Education for Non-Majors

来自纽约大学（NYU）和南佛罗里达大学（USF）的合作者，以及来自七个不同合作机构的教师团队，正在为一门名为“生命分子”的非专业科学课程改编和进一步开发创新的教育材料。这个新课程通过研究生物分子科学的基础主题和前沿发展，探索化学和生物学之间的界面，这种方法允许非科学专业的学生体验科学进步并评估其对社会的影响。课程整合了互动教学法、基于网络的分子建模练习和基于探究的实验室实验。智力优势：来自七个不同合作机构的教师团队（根据他们的地理差异、不同的学生群体和机构对改革非专业本科科学教育的承诺而被选中）正在纽约大学参加一个夏季研讨会，在他们在本国机构教授这门课程之前，了解当前的“分子”课程。随后的研讨会允许教师根据他们的课堂经验修改和改进教材。每个教师团队都贡献了一份“教师资源指南”，并开发了一个顶点案例研究。由于“分子”课程在每所学校至少教授两次，因此在资助期间至少有1500名学生受到影响。更广泛的影响：该项目覆盖了合作机构的大量少数民族学生（非裔美国人、西班牙裔和太平洋岛民），并作为合作课程设计、生产性教师发展和有效传播创新的典范。usf领导的该项目的评估考察了传播和学生学习。通过与麦格劳-希尔高等教育公司已经签订的教科书合同，计划将课程材料广泛地提供给教育界，出版日期为2008年1月。该项目最后在佐治亚州亚特兰大举行了全国传播会议，可容纳100名对实施“分子”课程材料和教学方法感兴趣的教育工作者。这次活动大大扩大了项目的范围，超出了七所合作学校。本摘要涉及纽约大学（#0443014,PI: Kallenbach; coPI: Jordan）和南佛罗里达大学（#0443026,PI: Lewis）的合作项目。其他参与该项目的机构包括查米纳德大学、芝加哥州立大学、费尔菲尔德大学、拿骚县社区学院、斯佩尔曼学院、波多黎各大学和泽维尔大学。

Collaborators from New York University (NYU) and the University of South Florida (USF), and faculty teams from seven diverse partner institutions, are adapting and further developing innovative educational materials for a non-majors science course called "The Molecules of Life." This new curriculum explores the interface between chemistry and biology by examining foundational topics and cutting-edge developments in biomolecular science, an approach that allows non-science majors to experience scientific advances and to evaluate their impact on society. The curriculum integrates interactive pedagogies, web-based molecular modeling exercises and inquiry-based laboratory experiments.Intellectual Merit: Teams of faculty members from seven diverse partner institutions (selected for their geographical variation, diverse student populations, and institutional commitment to reforming undergraduate science education for non-majors) are participating in a summer workshop at NYU to learn about the current "Molecules" course prior to teaching it at their home institutions. Later workshops allow faculty to revise and improve the materials based on their classroom experience. Each faculty team contributes to an "Instructor's Resource Guide" and develops a capstone case study. Since the "Molecules" course is taught at least twice at each school, at least 1500 students during the funding period are impacted.Broader Impacts: This project reaches a large number of minority students (African-American, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander) at the partner institutions, and serves as a model for collaborative curriculum design, productive faculty development, and effective dissemination of innovations. The USF-led evaluation of the project examines both dissemination and student learning. The course materials are planned to be widely accessible to the educational community through an already-established textbook contract with McGraw-Hill Higher Education, with a publication date of January 2008. The project concludes with a national Dissemination Conference in Atlanta, GA, that can accommodate 100 educators who are interested in implementing the "Molecules" course materials and pedagogical approaches. This event significantly broadens the scope of the project beyond the seven partner schools. This Abstract addresses a collaborative project involving New York University (#0443014, PI: Kallenbach; coPI: Jordan) and the University of South Florida (#0443026, PI: Lewis). Other institutions substantively involved in the project as the seven diverse partner institutions are Chaminade University, Chicago State University, Fairfield University, Nassau County Community College, Spelman College, the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras and Xavier University.