Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Steps For Starting A Professional Learning Community (Plc): A Literature Review, John T. Sutton

PROSPECT S-STEM

There are a number of steps that can influence and inform the creation, development, and growth of a professional learning community (PLC). It isn’t necessary to use a lock-step approach, rather it is cyclical and evolving. The steps take into consideration and accommodates the context of the institution and the need to improve for a variety of reasons. The steps allow for quick wins and changes that require significant time, research, and resolution. Always with a plan that reflects member and institutional priorities. It is hoped that by identifying what has been consistently identified as important steps to the success …

Positioning Undergraduate Learning Assistants In Instruction: A Case Study Of The La Role In Active Learning Mathematics Classrooms At The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Rachel Funk

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Research suggests learning assistant (LA) programs can be a change lever to support the institutionalization of active learning in postsecondary education. Some research suggests LAs offer unique benefits for STEM courses, independent from other change levers, but more research needs to be done to understand how LAs support active learning classrooms, specifically in mathematics. Research on mathematics instruction and the use of reform resources suggests that the successful implementation of reforms is impacted by perceptions individuals hold about that resource, such as the LA role. Yet, there is little research about the LA role in mathematics, particularly where the instructor …

Math Education Project And Rso Creation, Keegan Oldani

Honors Theses

Reflection on Math Education Senior Honors Project and RSO Creation

Undergraduate Students’ Accuracy & Confidence In Detecting Errors In Biological Models Related To Gpa, Mckenna Elliott, Joseph Dauer, Carrie Clark, Mei Grace Behrendt

UNL Student Research Days Posters, Undergraduate

Research Questions 1. Does students’ abilities to Accurately detect errors relate to their GPA? 2. Which concepts affect student ability to Accurately and Confidently detect errors?

GPA was positively related to accuracy but was unrelated to confidence (Fig. 1)

Subject areas affected students’ accuracy and confidence § Students were more accurate on ecology & evolution models (Fig. 2) § Students were more confident in ecology models and less confident in physiology models (Fig. 2)

Variation in student ability and subject area competency can provide teachers with places to focus and improve science understanding.

Similar to the work of Clark et …

Remotely Close: An Investigation Of The Student Experience In First-Year Mathematics Courses During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sawyer Smith

Honors Theses

The realm of education was shaken by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It had drastic effects on the way that courses were delivered to students, and the way that students were getting their education at the collegiate level. At the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, the pandemic dramatically changed the way that first-year mathematics courses looked for students. By Spring 2021, students had the opportunity to take their first-year math courses either in-person or virtually. This project sought to identify differences between the two methods of course delivery during the Spring 2021 semester, regarding interaction with peers …

Tiny Earth, Tinier Microbes: An Experiential Learning Approach To Antibiotic Discovery, Emily Kassing

Honors Theses

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest global health challenges of the 21^st century as antibiotic discovery has slowed even as scientific knowledge about AMR has progressed. At the same time, science education has turned to active learning approaches like CUREs, or course-based undergraduate research experiences, to achieve educational objectives while engaging students in real-life research. The Tiny Earth Project is a global research initiative that seeks to crowdsource antibiotic discovery by recruiting undergraduate students to screen soil samples for antibiotic producers. The goal of this study was to determine the viability of translating the Tiny Earth programming to …

Integrating Tropical Research Into Biology Education Is Urgently Needed, Ann E. Russell, T. Mitchell Aide, Elizabeth Braker, Carissa N. Ganong, Rebecca D. Hardin, Karen D. Holl, Sara C. Hotchkiss, Jeffrey A. Klemens, Erin K. Kuprewicz, Deedra Mcclearn, George Middendorf, Rebecca Ostertag, Jennifer S. Powers, Sabrina E. Russo, Jennifer L. Stynoski, Ursula Valdez, Charles G. Willis

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Understanding tropical biology is important for solving complex problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and zoonotic pandemics, but biology curricula view research mostly via a temperatezone lens. Integrating tropical research into biology education is urgently needed to tackle these issues.

The tropics are engines of Earth systems that regulate global cycles of carbon and water, and are thus critical for management of greenhouse gases. Compared with higher-latitude areas, tropical regions contain a greater diversity of biomes, organisms, and complexity of biological interactions. The tropics house the majority of the world’s human population and provide important global commodities from species …

2021 Inaugural X-Dber Conference: Announcement & Plenary Speakers

2021 Inaugural X-DBER Conference

The discipline-based education research (DBER) community at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) hosted an online conference to discuss how theories, methods, and application of education research cross disciplinary boundaries. The X-DBER 2021 conference was held March 1-3, 2021. More than 550 people registered to attend the X-DBER 2021 conference; participants came from 11 countries and 41 states in the U.S.

The goal of this conference was to bring together DBER researchers from across disciplines (e.g., biology, chemistry, engineering, geoscience, math, physics) to learn about ongoing research and develop future directions. The conference opened with a welcome address from Chancellor Ronnie …

What Help Do Faculty Perceive Is Needed To Improve Their Community Engagement Through Outreach?, Kiyomi D. Deards, Saundra Wever Frerichs, Patricia Wonch Hill, Julia Mcquillan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

• A survey-based needs assessment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a research-intensive land grant university, explored ways to meet the goal of increasing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach
• 40% of surveyed faculty reported barriers to doing STEM outreach
• Over 50% of faculty reported an inability to individually resolve barriers to STEM outreach in ways that ensure broader community engagement in their research through outreach
• Using a sociological lens, the current study examined institutional-level barriers and enablers to faculty engaging in outreach
• Results suggest several institutional approaches to STEM outreach, including creating infrastructure with experts in science communication; providing science …

Periodic Table Club, Makayla Gill, Kailynn Jensen

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

This club is dedicated to teaching the generation of future scientists the periodic table. This is designed to be a unique take on a STEM club that uses the periodic table as a backbone for a solid foundation in chemistry.

Obituary: Thomas Henry Kunz (1938–2020), Allen Kurta, Winifred F. Frick, M. Brock Fenton, Polly Campbell, Gary F. Mccracken, Robert M. Timm, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Dr. Thomas Henry Kunz, an internationally recognized expert on the ecology and behavior of bats and Professor at Boston University, passed away on April 13, 2020 in Dedham, Massachusetts, at the age of 81 as the result of complications from COVID-19. “Tom,” to his many friends and colleagues, was born on June 11, 1938 in Independence, Missouri, to William H. and Edna F. (Dornfeld) Kunz. He married Margaret Louise Brown on December 27, 1962 in Faucett, Missouri, Margaret’s hometown. Two children were born to Margaret and Tom—Pamela Kunz (Jeffrey Kwan) and David Kunz (Nicole, née D’Angelo), and five grandchildren.

As …

A Scientometric Appreciation Of Robert J. Baker's Contributions To Science And Mammalogy, David J. Schmidly, Robert D. Bradley, Emma K. Roberts, Lisa C. Bradley, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

This article describes Robert James Baker’s academic pedigree and genealogy, his scientific productivity (number of publications), his citations, his students, his contributions to his university and scientific societies, his personality in relation to his scientific achievements, his legacy, and a personal note of appreciation by individuals who worked with him and knew him well. His accomplishments are compared with other dominant personalities in the field of mammalogy, both historical and contemporary. The paper builds on the 2018 obituary authored by Hugh Genoways and others that was published in the Journal of Mammalogy, but includes a much more quantitative and …

Overture [From Field To Laboratory: A Memorial Volume In Honor Of Robert J. Baker], Robert D. Bradley, David J. Schmidly, Hugh H. Genoways, Lisa C. Bradley

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Introduction to the memorial volume of Special Publications / Museum of Texas Tech University in honor of Robert J. Baker.

First paragraph:

Herein, we use the word “Overture” not in its first meaning, but rather in its second—“An introduction to something more substantial” ([Def. 2], Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press 2018). In our current case, this is the overture to a memorial volume in honor of our friend and colleague Robert J. Baker. Here, his former students and colleagues have taken time and effort to write 43 essays and scientific articles and 54 personal encomia in demonstration of their …

Documenting Undocumented Motives Influencing The Career Choice Of The First-Year Science And Math Student Teachers In Indonesia, Amirul Mukminin, Masbirorotni Masbirorotni, Lenny Marzulina, Dian Erlina, Akhmad Habibi, Fridiyanto Fridiyanto, Mia Aina, Nunung Fajaryani, Nurulanningsih Nurulanningsih

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The aim of this study was to investigate the motives that were instrumental in driving the first-year science and math student teachers to be a teacher at one public university in Sumatra, Indonesia. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. 378 participants completed questionnaires consisting of 318 females and 60 males while the interview data were collected from voluntary participants. The data of the fulfilled questionnaires were calculated as percentage of their whole results while the data of the interviews were carefully analysed by looking at the responses from all interviewees. Our results indicated that there …

Stem Opportunities - High School 2019, Huey-Xian Kelly Wong, Madeleine Rauhauser, Annie Morgan Nelson

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

This publication details the lesson plan for the “Opportunities in STEM” club for the summer of 2019. This club began out of a desire to educate high school students about the opportunities and careers available in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Often, students feel that the prospect of entering a STEM field is daunting and out of their grasp. What it means to be a scientist is often unclear, and students never consider opportunities out of the fear of the unknown, particularly when science is associated with complexity and difficulty. This lesson plan integrates experiments with a wealth …

Open Textbook Project [Poster], Sue Ann Gardner

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Conference Presentations and Speeches

Details of a porject undertaken to collaboratively write and produce an open access parasitology textbook for undergraduate and graduate students. The book will be published by Zea Books at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2020 and be available in English and Spanish both online and print-on-demand through lulu.com.

Co-Executive Editors: Sue Ann Gardner and Scott L. Gardner, University of nebraska-Lincoln. Copyeditor: Linnea Fredrickson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Spanish Translator: Yoanna Esquivel Greenwood, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Project Coordinator: Sue Ann Gardner.

Project website: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/parasittext/.

Establishing Enhanced Learning Outcomes In Science For First Generational Undergraduate College Students, Marianna Burks

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

First-generation students represent an increasing percentage of the demographic for college and university enrollment at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Since 2001, results from the National Center for Education Statistics Longitudinal Study, indicates ‘higher percentages of first-generations college students attended public postsecondary institutions-76 vs. 72%’ (Redford & Hoyer, 2017). There is insufficient research, however, concerning how first-generation students’ needs are different, even unique, from those students who are second- generation and beyond attending college (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2017). Since this increase of students enrolling in post-secondary education, ‘understanding the needs of first-generation students is imperative more now …

Robert James Baker (1942-2018), Obituary, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert D. Bradley, David J. Schmidly, Lisa C. Bradley, James J. Bull, Karen Mcbee, Meredith J. Hamilton, Peter A. Larsen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

First paragraph:

On 30 March 2018, the science of mammalogy and the American Society of Mammalogists lost one of the most influential figures of the last half-century. Robert James Baker died quietly at his home in Lubbock, Texas (Fig. 1). He was born on 8 April 1942 to James Simeon Baker and Laura Cooper in Warren, Arkansas. His father was killed during World War II and his mother remarried, resulting in his growing up with six half-siblings. According to Robert’s autobiography in Going afield (330—number refers to specific publication in “Bibliography”), he spent a good deal of his youth with …

Safe Use Of Hydrogen Peroxide In The Organic Lab, Patrick Dussault

Organic Peroxides: Safety Issues

The article describes good practices for use of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in an organic lab setting. Major headings include:

Leading references; Toxicity; Physical properties; Chemical properties; Stability and incompatibilities; Confinement/pressure; and, References to accidents involving H₂O₂.

High Cognitive Demand Examples In Precalculus: Examining The Work And Knowledge Entailed In Enactment, Erica R. Miller

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Historically, pass rates in undergraduate precalculus courses have been dismally low and the teaching practices and knowledge of university instructors have been understudied. To help improve teaching effectiveness and student outcomes in undergraduate precalculus courses, I have studied the cognitive demand of enacted examples. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the pedagogical work and mathematical knowledge entailed in the enactment of high cognitive demand examples in a three-part study. To answer my research questions, I conducted classroom observations as well as pre- and post-observation interviews with seven graduate student instructors at a large public R1 university in the …

The Impact Of Mentoring On Life Science Undergraduate Mentors, Kari Nelson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Universities are increasingly encouraging their undergraduates to become mentors to others, yet relatively little research has been done to empirically understand the impact of this work on the mentors themselves. Therefore, the overall goals of this work were: (1) To evaluate the types of studies that have been conducted on the impacts of serving as an undergraduate mentor; (2) To examine the methodological rigor of recent studies and make recommendations for improvement; and (3) To asses if serving as an undergraduate mentor impacted the critical thinking of the mentors, using a valid and reliable instrument, the California Critical Thinking Skills …

Diagnostic Effects Of An Early Mastery Activity In College Algebra And Precalculus, Nathan Wakefield, Joe Champion, Jessalyn Bolkema, Douglas Dailey

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate implementation of an early intervention mastery activity during the first two weeks of college algebra and precalculus courses at a large U.S. public university. Statistical modeling of (N = 935) students’ performance in the courses, including a logistic regression model of pass/fail course achievement with students’ high school rank, ACT Mathematics scores, and performance on the intervention as explanatory variables, suggested significant independent differences in course performance across performance levels on the early mastery activity. An evaluation of diagnostic validity for the model yielded a 19% false negative rate (predicted to …

The Influence Of Previous Subject Experience On Interactions During Peer Instruction In An Introductory Physics Course: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Judy A. Vondruska

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over the past decade, peer instruction and the introduction of student response systems has provided a means of improving student engagement and achievement in large-lecture settings. While the nature of the student discourse occurring during peer instruction is less understood, existing studies have shown student ideas about the subject, extraneous cues, and confidence level appear to matter in the student-student discourse. Using a mixed methods research design, this study examined the influence of previous subject experience on peer instruction in an introductory, one-semester Survey of Physics course. Quantitative results indicated students in discussion pairs where both had previous subject experience …

The Academic Research Library And Science Education: A Roadmap For The Journey, Sue Ann Gardner

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Conference Presentations and Speeches

Science libraries are integral to the process of science inquiry.

Science education is facilitated within science libraries.

The future of science libraries is predicated on librarians maintaining a meaningful relationship with those engaging in scholarship.

Science libraries need to combine traditional and emerging service models, provide access to a wide array of materials, incorporate appropriate technology, and offer ergonomic work spaces to promote effective learning.

The science commons includes varied work spaces which encourage innovation and creativity, facilitate situated and active learning, and promote communities of practice.

The National Science Education Standards definition of science inquiry includes the diverse ways …

A Dber Approach To Writing To Learn, Brian M. Waters

DBER Speaker Series

Goals for today’s talk

My research shift into DBER

Pilot studies in Scientific Writing and Communication

Research interests

Scientific Writing Help Desk

Conclusions: • Student knowledge and skill in scientific writing improved after taking “Scientific Writing and Communication” • “Writing my drafts” and “Revising my drafts…” were ranked as the most effective activities. This feedback suggests that a full-semester course with multiple drafts, peer review, and revisions is more effective than a workshop or short course without writing practice • Student confidence in the ability to write scientific manuscripts increased after taking this course. This improvement could lead to increased …

Creating And Managing Successful Groups, John Sangster

DBER Speaker Series

• Why is group work an essential component of our classes?

• What are the standard practices in forming groups, and what are the outcomes from this practice?

• What does the research say about forming successful groups?

• Case Study: group work in senior-level road design course

Assessing Evolutionary Reasoning Of Introductory Biology Students, Sarah Spier

DBER Speaker Series

Question: Does proficiency in natural selection knowledge predict the quality of student reasoning of reproductive potential as a component of fitness?

Hypothesis: Students with higher scores on the Concept Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS) will have more accurate descriptions of reproductive potential as a part of fitness.

Goals: Assess student ability to reason about fitness and selection in a variety of contexts. Assess student reasoning of evolutionary implications of an ecological scenario

Social And Behavioral Science Research Support At Unl, Mindy Anderson-Knott

DBER Speaker Series

Mindy Anderson-Knott provides an overview of the various research support offerings at UNL related to the social and behavior sciences. The presentation will explain how the Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Consortium can help researchers with their social and behavior science needs, and will navigate participants through many of the support structures that exist on campus.

Knowing What Students Know: How Question Formats Differ In Their Abilities To Reveal Student Thinking, Brian Couch

DBER Speaker Series

Instructors use assessment ubiquitously throughout undergraduate STEM courses to gauge student understanding of important concepts. The utility of an assessment can be partly judged by the degree to which it can detect the presence of correct and incorrect understandings. We will discuss a series of within-subjects controlled experiments to determine how student responses differ for questions posed in multiple-choice, multiple-true-false, or free-response formats as well as implications of this research for instructional practice.

A Case Study Of The Variables For Women’S Success In Engineering And Computing, Arefeh Mohammadi

DBER Speaker Series

There is a huge shortage of skilled workforce in the engineering and computing related industries. According to the BLS data women have consistently constituted less than 10% of the workforce in the construction industry, which exemplifies the under representation of women in this field. This qualitative research aims at helping women sustain in engineering workforce, empower them in the choices they make to enter and success in the industry, and look at ways to create a safe and encouraging environment for women to survive and thrive in the workforce. This is believed to be possible through creating platform to educate …