Writing/Analyzing Arguments for Science and the GRE

描述(申请人提供)：科学教育的一个关键要素是让学生学会理解和分析科学论文中的论点，并为他们的研究项目写论点。自2002年10月起，学生必须在研究生入学考试(GRE)中展示这两项综合技能的能力。然而，UOG的理科学生如果没有广泛而明确的培训，就不可能做到这一点，这些培训超出了内容课程所能完成的范围。因此，这个项目的目标是通过两个与内容课程相协调的讲习班，提高学生在为GRE撰写和分析科学论点和撰写论文方面的成功。这项补充活动通过降低GRE的门槛，支持了我们RISE计划的长期目标--通过降低GRE门槛，增加继续攻读博士学位并最终进入生物医学研究领域的学生数量。我们的项目特别有必要，因为关岛没有GRE预科课程，大学也没有本科理科写作课程。 我们的方法是开发两个计算机辅助教学(计算机辅助教学)工作坊，专注于撰写和分析科学论点的特殊技能，并将这些技能与内容课程作业结合使用。这种联系对理科学生来说将比ETS准备指南中提出的一般指导方针更有意义。成绩将通过对GRE评分标准进行修改，对课程作业进行三角评分，以包括内容准确性、考试前和考试后练习GRE以及实际GRE分数来衡量。目标是75%的学生提高至少1分，50%的学生提高至少2分，参考GRE评分标准6分。科学课程的经验表明，这些目标是合理的，但如果达不到这些目标，评估过程将指导变革，例如可能将讲习班延长更长的时间。该项目包括严格的评分员校准培训(评分员之间的一致性和与GRE评分的可比性)，并利用RISE科学信息技术课堂。这些研讨会将由Chris Lobban博士和Maria Schefter博士与生物学和心理学的生物学和心理学内容教员合作开发和试点。Lobban和Schefter在指导学生写作方面拥有丰富的经验。合作内容教职员工和学院行政部门都高度支持该项目。这些研讨会将在最初的试点和修订的试点中分别为30名学生提供服务，但将被制度化，以服务于所有生物医学和行为科学专业的学生，每年约60名学生。评价进程将指导讲习班的修订和制度化。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A critical element of science education is for students to learn to understand and analyze the arguments in scientific papers and to write arguments for their research projects. Since October 2002, students must demonstrate competency on these two complex skills on Graduate Record Examination (GRE). However, science students at UOG are not able to do this well without extensive explicit training that goes beyond what can be accomplished within a content course. The objective of this project, therefore, is to improve student success in writing and analyzing scientific arguments and in writing essays for the GRE through two workshops coordinated with content courses. This supplemental activity supports the long-term goal of our RISE program--to increase the numbers of students going on to doctoral degrees and ultimately to careers in biomedical research--by lowering the barrier to the GRE gateway. Our project is especially necessary because no GRE preparation course is available on Guam, and the university has no undergraduate science writing course. Our approach is to develop two computer-assisted instruction (CAI) workshops that focus on particular skills in writing and analyzing scientific arguments, and to use these in conjunction with content course assignments. This linking will be much more meaningful to science students than the general guidelines presented in the ETS preparation guides. Outcomes will be measured by triangulating course assignments graded with GRE scoring rubrics modified to include content accuracy, pre- and post-test practice GRE's, and actual GRE scores. The target increases are for 75% of the students to improve at least 1 point and 50% to increase by at least 2 points, with reference to the 6-point GRE scoring rubric. Experience in a science course suggests that these targets are reasonable but, if they are not met, the evaluation process will guide changes, such as perhaps extending the workshops over a longer period. The project includes rigorous rater training for calibration (inter-rater consistency and comparability with GRE scoring) and takes advantage of the RISE Science IT Classroom. The workshops will be developed and piloted by Dr. Chris Lobban and Dr. Maria Schefter, in collaboration with biology and psychology content faculty in biology and psychology. Lobban and Schefter have extensive experience in guiding students in writing. The collaborating content faculty and the college administration are highly supportive of the project. The workshops will serve 30 students each in an initial pilot and a revised pilot, but will be institutionalized to serve all the biomedical and behavioral sciences majors, about 60 students per year. The evaluation process will guide the revision and institutionalization of the workshops.