In-school Internships for Students and Teachers in Under-Served Schools

描述(由申请人提供)：这份来自沃尔特里德陆军研究所的SEPA申请旨在创建和实施20个新颖的动手、以探究为中心的活动，具体与课程指标保持一致，在高度贫困的高中的普通生物学课程中，从马里兰州乔治王子县的西北高中开始。生物模块将由近乎同行的导师授课，这些导师是训练有素的大学生，面向综合普通生物学学生，这些学生被认为在数学和科学方面没有做好大学准备，他们大多来自科学职业中代表性不足的群体。本申请中提出的计划旨在通过态度调查和具体的基于任务的评估，对这种课堂干预进行有效性评估。实践活动和近距离同行导师培训材料将在通过该项目进一步开发的维基上提供。此外，许多基于探究的活动将利用智能手机上可用的应用程序进行课堂实施。 这个假设是，近乎同行的导师--受过良好训练的、往往是少数族裔的学生--是当地学院和大学的生物学和生物医学项目的学生，或者是刚刚毕业的学生--可以改善马里兰州一门10年级普通生物学课程的学生的态度和概念学习。这项研究还将评估这群来自这所高中的学生的高中成绩，这些学生与乔治王子郡的一所人口统计匹配的高中配对。材料和计划的传播将在结对的学校完成，在那里没有发生干预，但在随后的一年10年级普通生物学学生。更多的学校将参与乔治王子郡公立学校的传播工作。 具体目标如下： *透过大学实习生提供的每周调查/辅导(称为近同行导师)，为普通生物学学生提供校内和课堂实习机会。 O将开发约20项原创探究调查，以反映真实的研究并为学生提供实际应用。 ？这些调查将强化马里兰州高中评估要求的六个生物学期望或概念。 O本提案的拟议课程：系列稀释、分子和正态；噬菌体；真细菌；真菌；四膜纲真核生物；生物医学中的机器人学 *在选定的乔治王子县高中为服务不足的学生提供机会，通过学习基本实验室技能和用科学方法进行调查，鼓励对数据进行深思熟虑的分析和批判性思考其意义，从而实践科学。 O对于平行学生来说，实验室技能变得越来越复杂，他们从调查中获得了越来越多的概念理解，技术能力也越来越强。 O在实验期间，将使用带有科学应用程序的智能手机和平板电脑。 *支持本科生和新近毕业的毕业生(近乎同行的导师)参加联合研究和教育实习。 O近乎同行的导师在技术技能、实验室管理能力和研究设计熟练程度方面成熟，同时指导中学生并提高他们自己的口头和书面沟通技能。 O将创建/扩充维基资源，作为这些活动的资源。 *让课堂教师有机会学习创新策略，将科学概念与实验室调查及其配套的过程和技能结合起来。 O在该项目下创建的包含所有可用活动的维基资源站点将向教师开放。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This SEPA application from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research seeks to create and implement 20 novel hands-on, inquiry-centered activities, specifically aligned with the curricular indicators, in a General Biology course in higly disadvantaged high schools, beginning with Northwestern High School, in Prince George's County, Maryland. The biology modules will be taught by near-peer mentors, well-trained college students, to comprehensive general biology students, those deemed unprepared in terms of college preparation in math and science, from mostly under-represented groups in scientific professions. The proposed program outlined in this application seeks to perform efficacy evaluations through attitude surveys and specific task- based assessments, of this in-classroom intervention. The hands-on activities and near-peer mentor training materials will be available on a Wiki further developed through this project. Moreover, many of these inquiry-based activities will utilize available apps on smart phones for their classroom implementation. The hypothesis is that near-peer mentors - well-trained, often minority college students in biology and biomedical programs at area colleges and universities or recently graduated from them - can improve the attitudes and concept learning of students in a 10th grade general biology course in Maryland. This study will also evaluate high school assessments from this cohort of students from this high school with a paired, demographically matched high school in Prince George's County. Dissemination of the materials and program will be accomplished in the paired school where intervention did not occur, but in a subsequent year of 10th grade General Biology students. Additional schools will be involved in dissemination in Prince George's County Public Schools. The Specific Aims are as follows: * To provide in-school, in-classroom internships for general biology students through weekly investigations/mentoring provided by college interns (termed near-peer mentors). o Approximately 20 original inquiry investigations will be developed to reflect authentic research and provide students with practical applications. ? The investigations will reinforce the six expectations or concepts of biology required by Maryland's High School Assessments. o Proposed Curriculum for this Proposal: Serial Dilutions, Molarity and Normality; Bacteriophages; Eubacteria; Fungi; Tetrahymena - Eukaryotes; Robotics in Biomedicine * To provide underserved students in selected Prince George's County high schools with opportunities to practice science through learning fundamental laboratory skills and doing investigations with scientific methodology that encourage thoughtful analysis of their data and critical reflection on its meaning. o The laboratory skills become increasingly complex to parallel students growing conceptual understanding from the investigations with growing technical abilities. o Smart phones and tablets with scientific apps will be used during experimentation. * To support undergraduates and recent post-baccalaureates (near-peer mentors) in a joint research and education internship. o Near-peer mentors mature in technical skills, laboratory management abilities, and research design proficiencies while simultaneously mentoring secondary students and improving their own oral and written communication skills. o A Wiki resource will be created/augmented as a resource for these activities. * To give classroom teachers the opportunity to learn innovative strategies for uniting scientific concepts with laboratory investigations and their accompanying process and skills. o The Wiki resource site with all available activities created under this project will be available to teachers.