Biology Education Reform and the Community College

BRINGING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TO LIFE: A CASE-BASED MODEL FOR INTEGRATING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING INTO INTRODUCTORY

SCIENCE COURSES

Rationale: Research and Reports Converge

• How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school: Expanded edition

• Evaluating and Improving Undergraduate Teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

• BIO 2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education For Future Research Biologists. .

Defining the Problem11.6 million students48% of all U.S. undergraduates In 1999 and 2000, close to half of the

more than 740,000 S&E graduates with bachelor’s degrees attended a community college

In 2000, 38% of U.S. jobs requiring a PhD in science filled by people born abroad (24% in 1990)

By the time U.S. students reach their senior year of high school, they rank below their counterparts in 17 other countries in math and science literacy

examining how professional societies can stimulate, support, and disseminate information about undergraduate biological sciences education reform.

• What are the main goals and learning outcomes for the 21st century undergraduate biological sciences curriculum?

• What changes need to take place in undergraduate biological sciences teaching and learning, including laboratories, pedagogy, and learning technologies strategies?

• How do we best prepare faculty and structure departments and institutions for changes in undergraduate biological sciences education?

• How can foundations and professional societies support efforts for change in undergraduate biological sciences?

NSF Conversation in Undergraduate Biology May 15-16, 2008

Co-sponsored American Institute Biological Sciences and AAAS

• Content delivered through process thinking (students explore their own questions)

• Research experience as early as possible in the educational pathway (for all students)

• Science studies should be interdisciplinary with math fully integrated

• Content delivered with inquiry-based methods (ex. PBL) – learn through exploration

• Teach science in a collaborative setting - students explore their questions with others.

• Multiple levels of mentorship

What does the research say?Recommended Solutions - Reform

• Used Root Cause Analysis to identify primary barriers

• Built a model that INTEGRATED solutions

• Initiated a Pilot program to test the model (Phase I)

• Submitted a proposal to expand the model (Phase II)

Finger Lakes Community College

Pause for Discussion:Can we be part of the solution?

What are the barriers in place at community colleges that will prevent this type of reform?

How are community colleges uniquely positioned to take a lead in this kind of reform?

Lack of financial resourcesAn Incompatible faculty model (ex.

Teaching load)Lack of faculty preparation (research and

PBL)Lack of access to a community of CC

researchersLack of four-year school research

collaborationsSupport from administrators has been

tied to a lack of administrator education on science education Reform efforts

What emerged from our RCA?

What is needed?A complete reform of freshman science

courses (lecture and lab)Credit bearing sophomore courses for

undergraduate researchersA model for integrating undergraduate

research at a community collegeResources (human and financial) to test

and assess solutions to reform

Model ElementsEngage

students with contextual labs and case studies as freshman

PrepareFaculty with research skills and students with process thinking skills

Opportunity to exploreSophomore-level research course with interdisciplinary connections

ConnectTransfer of experience to four-year school and “back” to freshman level (PLTL)

• Peer-Led Team Learning - PLTL• Case studies delivered using Peers as leaders

of learning groups • Peers are graduates of the course and/or

graduates of the program (transfers)

In Search of Synergy

Faculty Preparation and Trainingproblem solving (teams). The delivery should create

opportunities for students to generate, explore, and solve their own problems (not just the ones we give them).”

• Support for faculty to attend NCCSTS workshops

• Local and regional field methods workshops

• Training in PLTL for both faculty and peer leaders

Annual reports demonstrate engagement in primary research. Integrated into the freshman biology curriculum Researcher instructs professional development to train faculty on

how to run case study and lab associated with research Demonstrates either an inter or intra-departmental collaboration Participates in sophomore research course as instructor and

student advisor Demonstrates project includes math and a writing component. Demonstrate assessment according to General Education Criteria

for the Natural Sciences.

Incompatible Faculty Model

* Five Contact Hours *

Experienced Case Study developers paired with active researchers Cases aligned with Syllabus and current research projects to

deliver content in freshman biology courses Laboratory activity designed to introduce methods Contextual Learning Engage students with projects (future exploration) Helps build “soft skills” required for research

◦ Communication skills◦ Working with teams◦ Critical Thinking◦ Experimental Design

Model Core: Case Studies

Core Deliverable 1 – freshman course modules

DNA-based methods for studying population dynamics of eastern Red-Tail Hawks

• Alignment of research projects with freshman biology course outline• Development of contextual case studies to deliver content in classroom• Development of associated lab activities to teach methods / data collection

CLASSROOM“DNA Is For The Birds”

LABORATORY• Purification of genomic DNA from whole blood• Polymerase Chain Reaction

Core Deliverable 2 – Opportunities for advanced exploration

BIO 291 – Research Methods in Biology

Natal Dispersal of the

Eastern Red-tailed Hawk

HOW MANY ARE THERE ? The use of non-invasive DNA-based mark-

recapture methods for studying Grizzly and Black Bear Populations in North

AmericaJames A. Hewlett

Department of Science and TechnologyFinger Lakes Community College

Research Networks - RIMES

Experimental Site

Control Site

Tompkins-Cortland Community CollegeMonroe Community CollegeGenesee Community CollegeJamestown Community CollegeDelaware Technical and Comm CollegeMass Bay Community CollegeNassau Community College

Project PartnersCUNY - Brooklyn CollegeAlabama A&M UniversityRochester Institute of TechnologyHarvard UniversityUniversity of California - LAUniversity of RichmondUMASS - Lowell

Council On Undergraduate Research (CUR)NYS Department of ConservationBraddock Bay Raptor ResearchUnder The Sea - NevisReef CheckRIMES

Population Genetics (RTH and Black Bear) - RIT Ecology of North American River Otters - RIT GIS-based habitat suitability models - reintroduction of captive bred

populations of spotted turtle - RIT Determining the distribution of nonpoint source loadings of nutrients

within the Allen Creek Watershed. – RIT Watershed Env. Chemistry – Delaware Tech and Comm Coll. Evolutionary ecology of sponges in temperate and tropical marine

systems – U. of Richmond A. tumefaciens transfer of virulence genes and proteins into host cells –

CUNY Brooklyn Evolutionary Ecology of Caribbean Anoles – Harvard Soil Microbiology and Chemistry – UCLA, Alabama A&M

Project Portfolio - Partners

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING INITIATIVES BEGAN IN 2001Cost to college $16,950(assuming grant funds not covering release time)

Realized economic impact $1,214,000.00

PROJECT WEBSITE

• Community colleges interested in reform • Four-year institutions interested in collaborating • Experienced case study writers to help develop

the curriculum materials

We are looking for partners