Reading to Reason in Science (RtRiS): Teaching scientific processes through reading-to-learn in undergraduate biology lecture-based courses

该项目旨在通过改进本科生物学课程中的循证教学实践来服务于国家利益。这个IUSE参与的学生学习：第一级项目将考察积极的学习策略如何支持学生理解初级科学文献的能力。本科生需要有意义的教学策略，旨在提高对科学文献的理解。这项技能对未来的科学家和一般的理科学生来说都很重要。因此，需要对有效的阅读教学策略进行研究。因此，这个项目意义重大，因为它将为三个机构的1000名学生设计和测试四项阅读-学习活动：一所公立研究型大学(科罗拉多州立大学)、一所私立本科学院(科罗拉多学院)和一所两年制学院(哈钦森社区学院，KS)。这个项目很重要，因为它旨在提高学生的科学阅读技能，以及增加他们在其他科学课程中使用这些新技能的信心。阅读和写作是科学家职业活动的中心，但学生们仍然很难理解主要的科学文献。此外，学生倾向于认为他们的科学阅读能力比评估显示的要高。拟议的项目将通过阅读提示来解决在生物课堂上教授科学推理方面的研究空白，阅读提示旨在关注部分科学论点。我们建议在三种类型的机构中测试我们的本科生物学(即生物学、生态学和进化论入门)课程的教学模式：一所公立研究型大学(科罗拉多州立大学)、一所私立本科生学院(科罗拉多学院)和一所两年制学院(哈钦森社区学院，KS)。阅读到科学中的推理(RtRiS)干预以四种类型的提示为中心，旨在突出科学过程和论证：(I)理论/实例；(Ii)假设/主张；(Iii)归纳/演绎推理；以及(Iv)图形或视觉证据。拟议的项目围绕3个目标组织。首先，项目团队计划开发、修改和测试生物课程中的RtRiS干预措施。其次，项目团队将确定参与RtRiS任务如何影响学生的表现，以及他们对哪些任务提高了他们在每门课程中的表现和信心的看法。第三，项目团队将考察学生如何将他们的RtRiS技能转移到一项写作任务中，该任务旨在评估他们对构建科学论点的理解。数据收集和分析包括(1)关于学生阅读和解释科学文献的感知和信心的调查前和调查后的数据，以及(2)在每门课程结束前对科学论点的书面总结进行主题分析。至少1000名本科生(500人/年)将从RtRiS的干预中受益。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving evidence-based teaching practices in undergraduate biology courses. This IUSE Engaged Student Learning: Level I project will examine how active learning strategies can support students’ abilities to interpret primary scientific literature. Undergraduate students need meaningful teaching strategies aimed at improving understanding scientific literature. This skill is important for future scientists and science students in general. Thus, research on effective reading teaching strategies is needed. Hence, this project is significant because it will design and test four reading-to-learn activities for 1,000 students at three institutions: a public research university (Colorado State University), a private undergraduate college (Colorado College), and a two-year college (Hutchinson Community College, KS). This project is important because it is intended to improve students’ scientific reading skills, as well as increase their confidence in using these new skills across other science courses. Reading and writing are at the center of scientists’ professional activities, yet students still struggle to interpret primary scientific literature. In addition, students tend to believe that their science reading abilities are higher than what assessments indicate. The proposed project will address the gap in the research on teaching scientific reasoning in biology classes through reading prompts designed to focus on parts of scientific arguments. We propose to test our instructional model in undergraduate biology (i.e., introductory biology, ecology, and evolution) courses at three types of institutions: a public research university (Colorado State University), a private undergraduate college (Colorado College), and a two-year college (Hutchinson Community College, KS). Reading-to-Reason-in-Science (RtRiS) interventions center on four types of prompts designed to highlight scientific processes and argumentation: (i) theory/ examples; (ii) hypotheses/ claims; (iii) inductive/ deductive reasoning; and (iv) graphical or visual evidence. The proposed project is organized around 3 objectives. First, the project team plans to develop, modify, and test RtRiS interventions in biology courses. Second, the project team will determine how engaging in RtRiS tasks affects student performance and their perceptions of which tasks increased their performance and confidence in each course. Third, the project team will examine how students transfer their RtRiS skills to a writing task designed to evaluate their understanding of constructing scientific arguments. Data collection and analysis include (1) pre and post survey data on student perceptions and confidence in reading and interpreting scientific literature and (2) thematic analysis of written summaries of scientific arguments by the end of each course. At least 1,000 undergraduates (500/year) will benefit from the RtRiS intervention. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.