Wild Discoveries, Zooming into the Scientific Method

迫切需要为更多对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）感兴趣的本科生在他们的大学生涯早期开发和提供研究经验。与此同时，有必要确定最有效地促进STEM课程学习的教学方法。该项目将通过设计、开发和实施入门级研究课程，以及对三种不同教学方法的评估，重点关注这两种相互交织的需求。佛罗里达大学与圣达菲学院（都位于佛罗里达州盖恩斯维尔）合作，将开发一门新的研究方法论课程，为两所学校的一年级和二年级学生提供参与真实科学调查的机会。在实施本课程的同时，本项目将研究确定最优的课程交付平台，以刺激学生的学习和满意度。要考察的三种教学方法是：传统的讲座，在线授课，以及一种被称为翻转课堂的新兴教学法。在整个课程中，学生将参加讲座（通过这三种方法中的一种），然后通过研究佛罗里达大学饲养的家畜和圣达菲学院教学动物园饲养的外来动物的动物行为来应用他们所学到的知识。将推出一个基于网络的动物观察平台，以方便学生记录行为数据。将通过现有的机构项目大力招收代表性不足的学生（少数民族、女性、低收入者和第一代）参加该课程。因此，对三种教学方法的检验，即STEM一年级和二年级本科生参与科学研究，研究方法论课程的开发将有助于改善本科教学和学习的总体目标，如改善本科STEM教育（IUSE）计划所述。该项目建立在建构主义和体验式学习的理想基础上，以创建和交付一学期的研究性教育课程为中心。它将让学生了解研究的基本原理，要求他们开发、测试、分析和报告自我衍生的研究假设。为了提高学生收集数据的能力，学生将被随机分配亲自观察和记录动物行为，或者通过一个互动网站，学生可以远程控制摄像机。将对这两种数据收集方法进行比较，以检查它们是否能够吸引大量学生参与积极的研究，以及学生准确识别行为的能力。评估标准将包括学生的学习成果、批判性思维能力、理解和应用研究基本原理的能力，以及基于课堂和研究体验平台的科学认知。教育研究议程将包括在六个学期中随机分配学生到不同的教学方法，使用混合模型方差分析，使用SAS混合过程和事后Tukey的HSD，以及其他数据分析。该项目将进行严格的形成性和总结性评估，以评估这些努力对参加“野生发现”课程的学生的收益的总体影响，包括在参加该课程后继续学习或宣布主修STEM专业，以及它支持许多以STEM为重点的课程教学变革的潜力。最终，除了在招募和坚持科学方面对当地大约540名学生有利外，未来的学生也将受益。这些学生将在最初启动期间注册参加“野生发现”课程。此外，本课程开发的学习材料和网络平台将被转移到全国其他大学和K-12课程中。

There is a critical need to develop and deliver research experiences to a greater number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) interested undergraduates earlier in their collegiate careers. At the same time, there is a need to identify pedagogical approaches that are most efficacious at fostering learning in STEM focused courses. This project will focus on both of these entwined needs through the design, development, and implementation of an entry level research course, as well as the assessment of three different instructional approaches. The University of Florida in partnership with Santa Fe College (both located in Gainesville, Florida) will develop a new research methodology course that will provide first- and second-year college students from both schools the opportunity to participate in authentic scientific investigations. While implementing this course, the project will do research to determine the optimal course delivery platform for stimulating student learning and satisfaction. The three pedagogical approaches to be examined are: traditional lecture, online-only, and an emerging pedagogy known as the flipped classroom. Throughout the course, students will attend talks (through one of these three approaches) and then apply what they have learned by studying animal behavior of both domestic animals housed at the University of Florida, and exotic animals housed at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo. A web-based animal observation platform to facilitate the students' ability to record behavioral data will be launched. Significant effort will be made to recruit underrepresented (minorities, women, low-income and first-generation) students to partake in the course through existing institutional programs. Thus, the examination of three pedagogical approaches, the engagement of first and second year STEM undergraduates in scientific research, and the development of a research methodology course will contribute to the overarching goal of improving undergraduate teaching and learning as stated in the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program,This project is founded in constructivist and experiential learning ideals centered on the creation and delivery of a one-semester research education course. It will expose students to the basic tenants of research requiring them to develop, test, analyze and report on self-derived research hypotheses. To facilitate students' ability to collect data, learners will be randomly assigned to observe and record animal behaviors in person, or over an interactive web site where students can remotely control cameras. A comparison of the two data collection methods will occur in order to examine their facility to engage a large cohort of students in active research and for the students' ability to identify behaviors accurately. Evaluation criteria will include student learning outcomes, ability to think critically, ability to comprehend and apply the basic tenants of research, and perceptions of science based on classroom and research experience platforms. The educational research agenda will include the random assignment of students to the different instructional delivery approaches over the six semesters, use of mixed model ANOVA using SAS MIXED procedure with a post hoc Tukey's HSD, and other data analytics. The project will conduct a rigorous formative and summative evaluation to assess the total impact these efforts have on gains in students that participate in the Wild Discoveries course, as either remaining in, or declaring a STEM major after participating in this experience, as well as its potential to support instructional change in many STEM-focused courses. Ultimately, in addition to the local benefits in terms of recruitment and persistence in the sciences to the approximately 540 students who will be enrolled in the Wild Discoveries course during the initial launch, future students will benefit as well. Moreover, the learning materials and web-based platform developed with this course will be transferable to other collegiate and K-12 programs throughout the nation.