The Boathouse Murder

Mixing Student Learning, Fun, and Detective WorkJay Wildt

ACA Summit - Asheville

About Me…

• RRT, RPFT• The University of

Charleston– Business– Leadership– Ethics– Natural Science

• Politically Incorrect Biology

• Love to play!• I AM a student!

Research Interests• First Year Experience

– Engagement– Persistence– Learning– Student satisfaction– Humor in Pedagogy

• Application to FY students and outcome attainment regarding Science

• A few other findings…

Things I have found to be true…

Other truths…

Mores findings…

University of Charleston

• Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees

• Diverse• Modern• Technologically

Supportive• Pedagogically

Innovative• A Great Place to Work!

UC’s First Year Experience

• Mentoring Groups• Peer Educators• First year Co-Curricullar

Activities• FYE Courses

• Humanities• Social Science• Natural Science

• Portfolio Building• LLO’s• Embedded Outcome

Attainment

UC’s Liberal Learning Outcomesand Natural Science

Citizenship

Communication• Writing Portfolios

(COMM 101 & COMM 102)

Creativity

Critical Thinking

Ethical Practice

Science(Biology)

• Student centered learning

• Roundtable Process• Assessment

– Rubrics– Primary Trait Analyses– Portfolios– The ePortfolio

• Chalk and Wire

The Course – Politically Incorrect Biology (NSCI 115)

• Provides attainment of:– Science (Biology)

outcome for non-science majors

– Communication outcomes

• COMM 101 or COMM 102• COMM 103 (partial)

– Critical Thinking outcome

NSCI 115 Learning Strategies

• Writing as Assessment– Autosomal Recessive

Disorders– Environmental Issues– Henrietta Lacks (ethical

issues in science)• Lab Experiences• Film • MERL• The Boathouse Murder

The Boathouse Murder

• Similar to many other HS and college exercises

• Make it unique & fun!• Hands on• Gain experience in

– Problem solving– Group work– Speaking– Crime Scene Analysis

The Assignment

• Decide on team name• Perform Analysis in

Groups• Determine Perpetrator• Develop Introduction• Build PP to help

– Describe suspects– Explain processes– Announce results– Show motive

The ScenarioIt Was a Dark and Stormy Night…

• The Overview• Suspects are named• Two days of in-class

investigation (Blood type, fingerprint analysis, DNA mapping)

• One week of presentation development

• One day of in-class presentation preparation and practice

• Presentation day

Crime Scene Analysis

• Blood Typing• Fingerprint Analysis• DNA Electrophoresis

Mapping

The Presentations

• The Introduction• Process Description• Culprit• My Assessment

– Rubrics• Communication• Assignment specific rubric

• The winner is…

A few examples…

• Team Introduction– Team Free Eric– UC CSI

• PowerPoint Presentation– Team NIU B

Group Process Rubric

  Working Toward Group Goals Effective Interpersonal Skills Group Maintenance 4 

Communicates commitment to group goals and works hard to carry out assigned roles. Actively helps identify group goals.

Actively promotes effective group interaction and participates in group interaction without prompting. Expresses ideas and opinions in a way that is sensitive to the feelings and knowledge base of others.

Takes initiative to identify changes or modifications necessary in the group process and works toward carrying out those changes.

 3

Communicates commitment to group goals and effectively carries out assigned roles.

Participates in group interaction without prompting. Expresses ideas and opinions in a way that is sensitive to the feelings and knowledge base of others.

Helps identify changes or modifications necessary in the group process and works toward carrying out those changes.

 2

Communicates a commitment to group goals but does not carry out assigned roles.

Participates in group interaction with prompting or expresses ideas and opinions without considering the feelings and knowledge base of others.

When prompted, helps identify changes or modifications necessary in group process, or is only minimally involved in carrying out those changes.

 1

Does not communicate commitment to group goals and does not carry out assigned roles.

Does not participate in group interaction, even with prompting, or expresses ideas and opinions in a way that is insensitive to the feelings or knowledge base of others.

Does not attempt to identify changes or modifications necessary in the group process, even when prompted, or refuses to work toward carrying out those changes.

• Working toward goals• Effective interpersonal communication• Group maintenance

UC Holistic Speaking RubricSpeaking Rubric

• Idea development• Non-verbal and verbal message consistency• Audience awareness (organization of ideas; language, etc. appropriate for setting)• Use of feedback

Student Reactions to Experience

• “Didn’t seem like schoolwork”• “Great fun”• “How does this apply to Science?”• “Will this be on the test?”• “But I’m not going in to criminal science”• “One of my group members did not

contribute”

Final Analysis

• Experiences like this are a work in progress• Be aware of the school climate and individual

student reaction to “murder”• Be flexible• Be generous with praise• Be open to failure – it too is a learning experience• Assess in a transparent, consistent manner• Be willing to be taught by your students

– For example

New Words – New Ideas

• Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time

• Intaxicaton : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

• Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

• Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

Old Words – New Ideas

• Coffee, n. The person upon whom one coughs• Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering

how much weight one has gained• Frisbeetarianism, n. The belief that, after

death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there

• Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach

Thank You!

Questions?