Forging a New Path to Greater STEM Learning in General Education: Development and Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary, Problem-focused Core Curriculum on Earth Sustainability

跨学科（99）生活在21世纪的世纪综合研究替代核心课程（21世纪世纪）是一个新的和根本不同的模式，旨在提高学生的STEM知识，提高科学素养的本科通识教育。 该项目正在评估称为地球可持续性的第一个试验性主题系列课程在实现其既定学习目标方面的效果。多方法评估评估：1）ES学生和匹配对照组的学生学习收益，其中我们正在跟踪科学推理，掌握和应用STEM知识，解决问题的技能和批判性思维，2）学生发展的变化（认知，人际，自我）和学习的参与，3）ES课程，材料，和教学法在建设智力成熟，创造和维持一个协作学习环境，培养元认知技能，并加强对科学素养必不可少的概念，和4）的有效性ES教师团队在开发实践，以促进学习的理解，创造学习伙伴关系与学生，并在校园和全国范围内建立一个更大的学者社区。评估结果提供了证据，以确定地球可持续性试点课程系列以及最终的21世纪世纪核心模型：1）使学生能够在学生学习，发展和参与方面表现出与传统核心中的同龄人相比的显着收益，2）鼓励学生探索STEM课程，选择STEM相关专业，最终选择STEM相关职业。然而，最重要的是，这项研究为更大的问题提供了信息，“人们如何学习科学？”"

Interdisciplinary (99)The Living in the 21st Century Integrative Studies alternative core curriculum (21st Century) is a new and radically different model for introductory undergraduate general education designed to improve students' STEM-knowledge and increase scientific literacy. This project is assessing effectiveness of the first pilot thematic course series called Earth Sustainability (ES) in meeting its stated learning goals. The multi-method assessment is evaluating: 1) gains in student learning of ES students and matched controls in which we are tracking scientific reasoning, mastery and application of STEM knowledge, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking, 2) changes in student development (cognitive, interpersonal, intrapersonal) and engagement in learning, 3) the effectiveness of the ES curricula, materials, and pedagogy in building intellectual sophistication, creating and sustaining a collaborative learning environment, fostering meta-cognitive skills, and reinforcing concepts essential to scientific literacy, and 4) the effectiveness of the ES faculty team in developing practices to promote learning with understanding, to create learning partnerships with students, and to build a larger community of scholars, on campus and nationally.Results from the assessment are providing evidence to determine whether the Earth Sustainability pilot course series and ultimately the 21st Century core model: 1) enables students to demonstrate significant gains in student learning, development and engagement in comparison to their peers in a traditional core, and 2) encourages students to explore STEM courses, choose STEM-related majors, and ultimately STEM-related careers. Most importantly, however, this study is informing the larger question, "How do people learn science?"