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CREATE Mini Conference

Melanie M CooperMichigan State UniversityMay 2013Todays studentsWill have on average > 8 jobsMay have jobs that have not been invented yet(~ 65% of them according to NYT)Need skills that are not necessarily emphasized in college

The time is rightThey could drive significant improvements in STEM education.Proposed changes to both K-12 and college STEM education are upon us

BUT, K-12 and higher educationhave a chicken and egg problemThere is a huge need for STEM disciplinary departments to engage in education research and practice

PCAST agrees!PCAST RecommendationsCatalyze widespread adoption of empirically validated teaching practices.Advocate and provide support for replacing standard laboratory courses with discovery based research courses. Launch a national experiment in postsecondary mathematics education to address the math preparation gap.Encourage partnerships among stakeholders to diversify pathways to STEM careers.Create a Presidential Council on STEM Education http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast-engage-to-excel-final_feb.pdfPCAST RecommendationsCatalyze widespread adoption of empirically validated teaching practices.Advocate and provide support for replacing standard laboratory courses with discovery based research courses. Launch a national experiment in postsecondary mathematics education to address the math preparation gap.Encourage partnerships among stakeholders to diversify pathways to STEM careers.Create a Presidential Council on STEM Education http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast-engage-to-excel-final_feb.pdfPCAST Recommendation 11.1Establish discipline-focused programs funded by Federal research agencies, academic institutions, disciplinary societies, and foundations to train current and future faculty in evidence-based teaching practices.

1.2Create a STEM Institutional Transformation Awards competitive grants program at NSF

1.3Request that the National Academies develop metrics to evaluate STEM education

1.1 Evidence-Based Teaching Practices?Discipline Based Education ResearchDBER combines knowledge of teaching and learning with deep knowledge of discipline based STEM content. It describes the specific difficulties learners face and the specialized intellectual and instructional resources that can facilitate student understanding

www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13362DBERBut really these categories are fuzzy lots of overlapHow is DBER different than other areas of research in teaching and learning?The NRC report will provide focus and future directions for the growing field of DBERTo meet the challenges involved in improving STEM education, collaboration is the KEY

1.2Create a STEM Institutional Transformation Awards competitive grants program at NSF

1.3Request that the National Academies develop metrics to evaluate STEM education

This is where the rubber hits the road!to educate and improve student performance, not merely to audit itAssessment:Wiggins, G. (1998). Educative assessment: Designing assessments to inform and improve student performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass if you dont assess whats important, whats assessed becomes importantOur ultimate goal: to allow students to learn the knowledge and skills that can be applied to new situationsEducation for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century, NRC 2012How to assess/evaluate what we say we value is a major issueA cautionary taleYear%DFWACS %ile# students# DFW200123611200270200230721199362200335721314453200444751429625200523721265290200619721260240200711761306150200818791300230200915751570236ReformsWeekly meetings to negotiate big ideas and learning outcomes and assessments (backward design)Reduce class size (to about 100 from 180)Remove content (~30%)Add active learning (group work, clickers etc)Each faculty member uses their own notes/class management stylethere were typically no difference in grade distribution regardless of amount of active learningSuccess!Year%DFWACS %ile# students# DFW200123611200270200230721199362200335721314453200444751429625200523721265290200619721260240200711761306150200818791300230200915751570236We can go homeNot so fastWhat happens to the potential energy when you bring two hydrogen atoms together?The potential energy goes up when you break a bond it releases energy

Energy changes and bonding% Students by type with bond energy misconceptionsChemistry level (#)%General Chemistry (77)50Inorganic (13)54Organic (172)65Analytical (35)51Physical (16)56Graduate Students (21)68Post docs (80)68In our studies we found that good students (hard working, conscientious, bright A students) had significant problems understanding core disciplinary ideas, and were unable to apply their knowledge to new situationsNRC Report: Assessing 21st century skills

21st Century SkillsCognitive skills: nonroutine problem solving, critical thinking, systems thinkingInterpersonal skills: complex communication, social skills, teamwork, cultural sensitivity, dealing with diversityIntrapersonal skills: self-management, time management, self development, self-regulation, adaptability, executive functioningNRC report: Assessing 21st Century Skills (2011)

Economy-wide measures of routine and nonroutine task input: 1969-1998 (1969 = 0).SOURCE: Levi and Murnane (2004). The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide us with a potential model to drive development of new assessmentsScientific and Engineering Practices1. Asking questions and defining problems2. Developing and using models3. Planning and carrying out investigations and design solutions4. Analyzing and interpreting data5. Using mathematics and computational thinking6. Developing explanations and designing solutions7. Engaging in argument from evidence8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating informationThe multiple ways of knowing and doing that scientists and engineers use to study the natural world and design world.3232NGSS Performance Expectations drive assesmentHS-PS1-4 Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends upon the changes in total bond energy. Performance ExpectationsHS-PS-1c.

Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the bulk scale to infer the electrical forces within and between atoms. How many molecules are in 1.00 kg of hydrazine, N2H4?

9.40 1021 B.1.88 1025C.1.88 1022 D.1.13 1026E.1.13 1023

Not this36

But This37Use technology to design, administer, grade, model and evaluate student performances

Problem Solving Strategies -captured during student performanceStevens, R., Soller, A., Cooper, M., Sprang, M., (2004) Computer Science Editorial III, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg Germany

Cooper, M. M.; Sandi-Urena, S., Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2008, 9, 18-24Across method and time.

beSocraticAllows, recognizes and responds to free form input graphs, chemical structures, diagrams, gestures, and some textProvides tiered, contextual, Socratic feedbackbeSocratic.chemistry.msu.edu

SummaryThe time is right to implement evidence based practices in STEM educationAppropriate assessments are crucialWe are all in this together collaboration is key