Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Open Educational Resources: A Catalyst For Innovation, Dominic Orr, Michele Rimini, Dirk Van Damme

Concepts in Animal Parasitology Textbook

Foreword:

Open educational resources (OER) are rapidly becoming a major phenomenon in education across OECD countries and beyond. Initiated largely at the level of institutions by pioneers and technology advocates, the OER community has grown considerably over the past ten years and the impact of OER on educational systems has become an issue of public policy. The open education community is increasingly well organised and enjoys support from various institutions and foundations. National governments have developed, or are in the process of developing, open policies to support access to and use of OER.

It is the task of the OECD …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 27, No. 5, December 2015

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Welcome - Congratulations - Student News - Faculty News - Grants - Publications

Research‐Driven Facilitation Of Systems Thinking With Computational Models In Life Sciences Education, Heather E. Bergan-Roller, Nicholas Galt, Tomáš Helikar, Joseph T. Dauer

DBER Speaker Series

Systems thinking, computational modeling, and simulating systems are examples of important skills stressed in life sciences education by Vision and Change. In response to these calls, we have designed a computational modeling and simulation‐driven intervention to supplement current instruction in the life sciences curriculum. As part of our pre‐intervention assessment we evaluated students on their systems thinking in the context of cellular respiration. For this assessment, we had students create conceptual models. We found that students with lecture instruction are able to recall more components associated with the cellular respiration process but are not better able to integrate these components …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 27, No. 4, October 2015

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Content: Welcome - Congratulations - Publications - Faculty Changes, Part II - Faculty News -- Grants - Citizen Science Buzz - Student News - Meet an Off Campus Student - BUGFEST Success

Nebraskamath: Sharing Findings From A Statewide Partnership, Wendy M. Smith

DBER Speaker Series

I will share findings from the NebraskaMATH statewide partnership, which was funded by the NSF for $9.2million, 2009-2014. This large Math Science Partnership project included professional development and research components that targeted K-3 (Primarily Math), algebra (Nebraska Algebra) and novice secondary teachers (New Teacher Network). The Primarily Math program was the main focus of the research, and I will share findings of teacher change and the associated student achievement gains. Overall, teachers who participated in Primarily Math gained in their mathematical knowledge for teaching, their attitudes toward mathematics, and their student-centered beliefs, while seeing decreases in their mathematical anxiety. Students …

Integrating Computational Creativity Exercises Into Classes, Leen-Kiat Soh, Duane F. Shell

DBER Speaker Series

Introduction | Creative Thinking, Computational Thinking

Exercises | Overall Design & Examples

Results | Brief Overview

Logistics | Tips, Support & Feedback

Aim to improve the learning of computational thinking by blending it with creative thinking Creative thinking? • Patterned in a way that tends to lead to creative results • Not limited to the arts • An integral component of human intelligence that can be practiced, encouraged and developed within any context

CREATIVITY THINKING Epstein’s Generativity Theory breaks creative thinking down to four core competencies • Capturing novelty • Challenging established thinking and behavior patterns • Broadening one’s knowledge …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 27, No. 3, July 2015

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Content: Welcome - Faculty Changes - Meeting News - Grants - Publications - Student News - Calendar of Events - Meet an Off-Campus Student - Bee Blitz - Fond Farewells - Travel - Congratulations - Blast from the Past - AEM (Agriculture Hall, Entomology Hall, and Miller Hall) Business Center Changes

Ensc 110 (Energy In Perspective) Bibliography, Supplementary Reading, Adam Liska

Adam Liska Papers

Energy, Thermodynamics, Complexity, Evolution, & Astronomy
Energy & Technology
Energy: Petroleum & Coal
Bioenergy, Animals, & Food
Energy & Environment
Energy & Climate Change
Energy, Oil Security, & War
Energy & Societal Collapse

Bibliography of 47 monographs

Ensc 300 (Energy Seminar) Annotated Bibliography, Supplementary Reading, Adam Liska

Adam Liska Papers

Innovation
Sociology of Innovation, Business, & Work
Sustainable Business Strategy
Leadership
Science, Engineering, & Business History
Economics
Energy, Business, & Environmental Policy
Climate Change & Insurance
Education
Ethics

62 monographic resources

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 27, No. 2, May 2015

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Content: Welcome - Congratulations - Student News - Publications - Travel - Meet an Off-Campus Student - Faculty News - First Ever Alumni Dinner

Diffusion Of A Math Intervention Program Within A Secondary Setting: A Mixed Methods Study, Stuart Lenz

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this convergent mixed methods study was to understand the stages of concern and levels of use for teachers as they integrate a new math intervention program. Teachers within three high schools in a large Mid-western school district all implemented the program at the same time, and were used as the sample during the three-year study. The study searched to discover (a) what or who influences the teachers in their use of the program, (b) how the teachers change in their levels of use and stages of concern, and (c) if the success of the program changes as …

Transforming Precalculus Instruction: Evidence-Based Course Design, Wendy M. Smith

DBER Speaker Series

The UNL Mathematics Department has been focused on transforming precalculus instruction since 2012, with a goal of greater levels of student success. A short-term measure of student success is the passing rate (C or better), which has jumped from an average of 62% (2007-2011) to 80% for the past two falls. A longer-term measure of student success is recruiting and retaining undergraduates to STEM disciplines and careers. In this talk I will share specifics of the reform efforts (the who-what-when-where-why-and-how), and also share preliminary results from the research we have simultaneously been conducting into the reform efforts.

The Effects Of An Early Intervention Mastery Activity In The Mathematics Department, Nathan Wakefield, Joe Champion, Doug Dailey, Jessalyn Bolkema

DBER Speaker Series

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, nearly 1000 students sign up for one of College Algebra, or College Algebra and Trigonometry every fall. Of these students, more than 75% are first time freshman. Finding ways to motivate and encourage these students together with early identification strategy for struggling students is critical to success not just in the math course, but also in a student’s university career. This presentation will discuss the design and outcomes an early intervention mastery activity with the broad goals of helping students recall previously learned mathematics, and identifying students who are at risk for failure, all within …

Climate Change Skeptics Teach Climate Literacy? A Content Analysis Of Children’S Books, Julie Thomas

DBER Speaker Series

This research focused on skeptical climate change literature designed for children and parents. The purpose of the research was to explore how these pseudo‐educational materials convey a logic of nonproblematicity about climate change (McCright & Dunlap, 2000). Using rhetorical analyses procedures developed from previous excavations in skeptical discourses, this study identified: (a) common forms of climate skepticism, (b) frames for climate change policy making, (c) areas of contested scientific knowledge, and (d) appeals for managing the uncertainty of climate change. The results suggest that the logic of non‐problematicity about environmental problems is bolstered by contradictory forms of climate change skepticism …

Engaging Teenagers With Science Through Comics, Judy Diamond

DBER Speaker Series

Graphic novels or comics are powerful tools to motivate youth to become interested in science. Embedding science concepts into a story with graphics that appeal to teen culture makes abstract content approachable, stimulates youth interest, and promotes learning. This presentation will discuss the goals of the NIH‐funded World of Viruses and Biology of Human comic series and the research results that support using these approaches.

Is It Still Science If You Don’T Call It ‘Science’? Discovery Orientation And Science Identity Among Middle School Youth., Patricia Wonch Hill, Julia Mcquillan

DBER Speaker Series

To investigate the role of friendships in science identity formation, we are conducting a longitudinal survey of 441 students in an ethnically diverse Title I Middle School. This research-based approach, framed within a sociological conceptual model, will provide depth in our understanding of how to motivate and engage youth from groups underrepresented in biomedical science, and will contribute to the sociological literature on identity formation. Science educators assume most youth have a natural propensity toward science and inquiry, and will engage with science activities and ideas if they are presented in fun and appealing ways. We call this natural propensity …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 27, No. 1, February 2015

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Content: Welcome - Congratulations - Publications - Alumni Invitation to First Ever Entomology Department Alumni Dinner - Grants - Meet an Off-Campus Student - Faculty News - This 'n That - Meeting News - Calendar of Events - Department Holiday Party

Vehicles On The Road To Reform, Julie Thomas, Sandra B. Cooper

DBER Speaker Series

Though elementary teacher educators introduce new, reform‐based strategies in science and mathematics methods courses, researchers wondered how novices negotiate reform strategies once they enter the elementary school culture. Given that the extent of parents’ and veteran teachers’ influence on novice teachers is largely unknown, this grounded theory study explored parents’ and teachers’ expectations of children’s optimal science and mathematics learning in the current era of reform. Data consisted of semi‐structured, open‐ended interviews with novice teachers (n=20), veteran teachers (n=9), and parents (n=28). Researchers followed three stages of coding procedures to develop a logic model connecting participants’ discrete designations of the …

Sci Pop Talks! Presenter Guidelines, Kiyomi D. Deards, Raychelle Burks

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Presenter guidelines for the nUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Sci Pop! Talks series.

In Memory Of Michael Watts (November 3, 1950–December 5, 2014), William Walstad, Sam Allgood, Tisha Emerson, Gail Hoyt, Kimmarie Mcgoldrick, Georg Schaur, William E. Becker

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

Michael Watts, Professor of Economics at Purdue University, died unexpectedly on December 5, 2014, at the age of 64 while on vacation in Antigua. His connection to the Journal of Economic Education is a long one. For 20 years, from 1988 through 2007, Mike served as the associate editor for JEE’s instruction section, which typically accounts for the largest number of articles published in a JEE issue. After 2007, he continued to serve on JEE’s editorial board. Mike was a remarkable academic and scholar who made significant and wide-ranging contributions to economic education beyond his valuable service to JEE.

Mike …

Teac 315: Teaching Science In The Elementary School—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Krista Adams

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Teaching Science in the Elementary School (TEAC 315) is an upper-division course taken by elementary education majors as a requirement for the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Education. The peer review of teaching project had me identify concerns for teaching the elementary methods course. The concerns I wanted to address focused on eliciting teacher candidate’s views and experiences with teaching science as well as my ability to identify evidence of growth. The first area focuses on my needing to understand if I need to develop more instructional strategies to support teacher candidate growth. This involves both in terms of specific …

Science Teaching Reform Through Professional Development: Teachers’ Use Of A Scientific Classroom Discourse Community Model, Elizabeth Lewis, Dale R. Baker, Brandon Helding

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This report outlines a two-year investigation into how secondary science teachers used professional development (PD) to build scientific classroom discourse communities (SCDCs). Observation data, teacher, student and school demographic information were used to build a hierarchical linear model. The length of time that teachers received PD was the exclusive predictor of change over time, while a schools’ percentage of low socioeconomic students predicted of how much PD was initially implemented. Prior to PD teachers expressed a desire to increase opportunities for students to engage in SCDCs, but found some aspects more challenging than others to implement. Generally, there were three …

Bringing Space Science Down To Earth For Preservice Elementary Teachers, Toni A. Ivey, Nicole M. Colston, Julie A. Thomas

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This article reports on a collaborative enterprise between Oklahoma State University’s (OSU) NASA Education Projects and OSU’s College of Education preservice elementary teachers (PSTs) to engage approximately 400 middle school students for a 20-minute live downlink with Commander Kevin Ford from the International Space Station (ISS). NASA supports this opportunity through a competitive proposal process (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2014). The project’s theme, Pioneers in Space: STEM Careers on the Space Frontier, engaged both PSTs and middle school students in discussing the benefits of space research, while drawing on themes relevant to students’ regional history. PSTs prepared Pioneers in …

Learning Biology Through Innovative Curricula: A Comparison Of Game- And Nongame-Based Approaches, Troy D. Sadler, William L. Romine, Deepika Menon, Richard E. Ferdig, Leonard Annetta

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study explored student learning in the context of innovative biotechnology curricula and the effects of gaming as a central element of the learning experience. The quasi-experimentally designed study compared learning outcomes between two curricular approaches: one built around a computer-based game and the other built around a narrative case. The research questions addressed student learning of basic biological principles, development of interest in learning science, and how a game-based approach compared to a nongame-based approach in terms of supporting learning. The study employed a pre-post design with 1,888 high school students nested within the classes of 36 biology teachers. …

What Is Equity? Ways Of Seeing, Christa Jackson, Cynthia Taylor, Kelley Buchheister

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Prospective teachers must be prepared for their role in providing equitable access for learning high quality mathematics. Therefore, it is imperative that mathematics teacher educators provide opportunities to develop an equity-centered orientation in teacher preparation courses. In this study, we begin to address this issue by identifying what prospective teachers attend to in a classroom vignette of an African American male student who is above grade level in mathematics and exhibits disruptive behavior during instruction. The results of the study indicate that while participants are beginning to attend to cultural influences, most responses are focused on classroom management strategies

Nebraska Summary: S1017 Massey Ferguson 7722, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S989a Massey Ferguson 8727, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2122: New Holland T8.320, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2118: Case Ih Magnum 180, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2109: John Deere 9470r, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …