Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Peer Oral Exams: A Learner-Centered Authentic Assessment Approach Scalable To Large Classes, Marko V. Lubarda, Alex M. Phan, Maziar Ghazinejad, Nathan Delson, Saharnaz Baghdadchi, Curt Schurgers, Minju Kim, Josephine Relaford-Doyle, Carolyn L. Sandoval, Huihui Qi

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Peer oral exams, a cross between oral exams and peer assessment, were designed and implemented in a high-enrollment undergraduate computer programming course for engineers. The intention was to leverage the educational and implementational advantages of both evidence-based approaches simultaneously. Oral exams, for instance, have been argued to promote conceptual understanding, self-reflection, communication competency, and professional identity formation in students – but their deployment in large classes is resource-demanding and nontrivial, stifling their broader adoption. Peer assessment, on the other hand, is highly scalable and affords students many potential educational benefits of its own, including the benefits of peer-enhanced learning, more …

Reading Primary Scientific Literature: Approaches For Teaching Students In The Undergraduate Stem Classroom, Lara K. Goudsouzian, Jeremy L. Hsu

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Teaching undergraduate students to read primary scientific literature (PSL) is cited as an important goal for many science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classes, given a range of cognitive and affective benefits for students who read PSL. Consequently, there are a number of approaches and curricular interventions published in the STEM education literature on how to teach students to read PSL. These approaches vary widely in their instructional methods, target student demographic, required class time, and level of assessment demonstrating the method's efficacy. In this Essay, we conduct a systematic search to compile these approaches in an easily accessible …

Community-Derived Core Concepts For Neuroscience Higher Education, Audrey Chen, Kimberley A. Phillips, Jennifer E. Schaefer, Patrick M. Sonner

Biology Faculty Publications

Core concepts provide a framework for organizing facts and understanding in neuroscience higher education curricula. Core concepts are overarching principles that identify patterns in neuroscience processes and phenomena and can be used as a foundational scaffold for neuroscience knowledge. The need for community-derived core concepts is pressing, because both the pace of research and number of neuroscience programs are rapidly expanding. While general biology and many subdisciplines within biology have identified core concepts, neuroscience has yet to establish a community-derived set of core concepts for neuroscience higher education. We used an empirical approach involving more than 100 neuroscience educators to …

Evaluating Assessment Score Validity And Characterizing Undergraduate Biology Exam Content, Crystal Uminski

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The landscape of undergraduate biology education has been shaped by decades of reform efforts calling for instruction to integrate core concepts and scientific skills as a means of helping students become proficient in the discipline. Assessments can be used to make inferences about how these reform efforts have translated into changes in department curriculum and course practices. Such changes can be measured using student scores on researcher-developed programmatic and concept assessments. Scores on these assessments are often assumed to be accurate representations of student biology content knowledge, but my work indicates that the validity of these interpretations may be threatened …

Enacting Inclusive Mathematics Teaching And Learning Using Biography Driven Instruction, Jessie C. Store

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

As schools become increasingly diverse, there is an increasing need for examples of classroom practices that create inclusive teaching and learning environments. Many research studies found that gaining knowledge of student home life and using it to bridge learning and home supports access and equity. Many scholars have called for exemplars of activities that connect students’ in-school and out-of-school cultural activities. This paper provides an example that may be used in teacher education and K–12 classrooms to bridge out-of-school and in-school activities. In this paper, we discuss the enactment of biography-driven instruction, specifically how cultural biographies can be used to …

Overview Of The Proceedings Of The 2022 Inclusion In Science, Learning A New Direction, Conference On Disability (Island), Cary A. Supalo, Jasodhara Bhattacharya, Daniel Steinberg

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The 13th annual Inclusion in Science, Learning a New Direction, Conference on Disability was hosted by the Princeton Center for Complex Materials (PCCM), a National Science Foundation funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), and Princeton University on September 16-17, 2022 at Bowen Hall. This annual conference included presentations that featured innovative research done by science educators in formal and informal education contexts, ranging from pre-K-12 to higher education, and science education researchers, access technology developers, and others interested in the full inclusion of persons with disabilities into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. The 2022 ISLAND …

From The Editors..., Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Disrupting Cisheteronormativity In Stem Through Humanism, Meg C. Jones, Desiree Forsythe, Rachel Friedensen, Annemarie Vaccaro, Ryan A. Miller, Ezekiel Kimball, Rachael Forester

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Cisheteronormativity is prevalent throughout college STEM discourses and classrooms. In this paper, we present findings from a U.S. based study focused on the experiences of collegiate STEM students with minoritized identities of sexuality and gender (MIoSG) as the backdrop for discussing how current harmful ideologies in STEM perpetuate cisheteronormativity through discursive practice. We propose that humanistic classrooms and pedagogy can work to dismantle cisheteronormative D/discourses in STEM and create MIoSG inclusive STEM classrooms and programs. Our findings highlight the ways participants experienced cisheteronormative D/discourses in their collegiate STEM contexts. We discuss how these experiences might be mitigated through humanistic educational …

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Caitlyn Aldersea, Justin Bravo, Sam Allen, Anna Block, Connor Block, Emma Buechler, Maria De Los Angeles Bustillos, Arianna Carlson, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Noah Craver, Kate Dillon, Muskan Fatima, Angel Fernandes, Emma Finch, Colleen Cassidy, Amy Fishman, Andrea Francis, Stacia Fritz, Simran Gill, Emma Gries, Rylie Hansen, Shannon Powers, Jacqueline Martinez, Zachary Harker, Ashley Hasty, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Kathleen Hopps, Adelaide Kerenick, Colin Kleckner, Ci Koehring, Elijah Kruger, Braden Krumholz, Maddie Leake, Lyneé Alves, Seraphina Loukas, Yatzari Lozano Vazquez, Haley Maki, Emily Martinez, Sierra Mckinney, Audrey Mitchell, Kipling Newman, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Andrew Nguyen, Stevie Ostman, Casandra Pearson, Alexandra Penney, Julia Gielczynski, Tyler Ball, Anna Rini, Christina Rorres, Simon Ruland, Helayna Schafer, Emma Sellers, Sarah Schuller, Claire Shaver, Kevin Summers, Isabella Shaw, Madison Sinar, Claudia Pena, Apshara Siwakoti, Carter Sorensen, Madi Sousa, Anna Sparling, Alexandra Revier, Brandon Thierry, Dylan Tyree, Maggie Williams, Lauren Wols

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works

Women In Science At Depauw University, Lauren Nguyen '23

Student Research

Women in Science at DePauw is a research project conducted in Spring 2023 to honor the women in science in the history of DePauw University. This project utilizes resources from the Archives, including the Archives and Special Collections and the Digital Library, to gather information about the lives and accomplishments of female faculty and alumni in science at DePauw. The final product of the project is 8 posters created in Adobe Photoshop, highlighting 10 female figures that studied and/or taught science at DePauw. By recognizing the presence and contributions of these women at DePauw, the project raises public awareness of …

Going All-In With Vector Representations Of Electric And Magnetic Fields In Introductory Calculus-Based Physics, Craig Looney

Physics Faculty Publications

While most introductory calculus-based textbooks introduce a fully-vectorized expression for the electric field due to a point charge, they rarely – if ever – introduce a fully-vectorized expression for the magnetic field due to an infinitely long current, and corresponding field superposition problems are normally solved by the method of components (find magnitudes, break magnitudes into components, sum the respective components). In this poster I will explain why I teach a fully-vectorized approach – starting with the fully-vectorized field expressions and summing the fields vector-algebraically – alongside the more traditional method of components in my introductory calculus-based physics course, and …

Examining Whether And How Instructional Coordination Occurs Within Introductory Undergraduate Stem Courses, Brian A. Couch, Luanna B. Prevost, Marilyne Stains, Blake Whitt, Ariel E. Marcy, Naneh Apkarian, Melissa H. Dancy, Charles Henderson, Estrella Johnson, Jeffrey R. Raker, Brandon J. Yik, Brittnee Earl, Susan E. Shadle, John Skvoretz, John P. Ziker

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Instructors’ interactions can foster knowledge sharing around teaching and the use of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS). Coordinated teaching presents an impetus for instructors’ interactions and creates opportunities for instructional improvement but also potentially limits an instructor’s autonomy. In this study, we sought to characterize the extent of coordination present in introductory undergraduate courses and to understand how departments and instructors implement and experience course coordination. We examined survey data from 3,641 chemistry, mathematics, and physics instructors at three institution types and conducted follow-up interviews with a subset of 24 survey respondents to determine what types of coordination existed, what factors …

Analysis Of Attitudinal Student Learning Benefits From A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (Cure) Adapted For Online Format, Ambika Kapil, Luis C. Gonzalez Isoba, Niraj Pathak, Arthur Sikora, Santanu De

FDLA Journal

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are an increasingly utilized model for exposing students to research. The lack of robust assessments is a major hurdle to wider adoption of CUREs. The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic necessitated a drastic shift of in-person courses to the online format. Using the Participant Perception Indicator (PPI) survey, we measured students’ self-reported changes in learning from such a biochemistry course at a large university in south Florida based on the Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL) model. By doing this, we were able to better understand the student-benefits of CUREs and how these benefits …

The Influence Of In-School Time (Ist) And Out-Of-School Time (Ost) Learning Experiences On Aviation Career Entry, Andrew Koch

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Increased demand for aviation has created a skill and workforce gap. An understanding of how to increase this potential workforce is vital to ensure the ongoing success and sustainability of the commercial aviation industry. This research explores science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs as a potential avenue for increasing the available aviation workforce. Specifically, it explores how STEM programs and their associated learning experiences influence career entry.

Utilizing a mixed methodology approach, this research retrospectively explored the self-reported effect of out-of-school time (OST) and in-school time (IST) STEM experiences on aviation career development. Through interviews, a survey instrument was …

Community In The Online Science Classroom, Emily Faulconer

Publications

As online course offerings rise, it is important to design and facilitate courses to promote community so students feel connected to each other and the instructor and feel a sense of belonging as a scientist. Online discussions are a common feature for building and nurturing community and combating isolation. Discussions stimulate active learning, a strategy to promote participation in knowledge construction. This sense of community and science identity is important for both persistence and performance. I will share efforts to promote community while reducing extraneous cognitive load through discussion design and targeted instructor professional development. I will share data on …

Alternative Techniques For Blind Low Vision Students Enrolled In Coding Courses, Robert Jaquiss

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

BLV (blind low vision) students face difficulties when taking coding classes. Individual Development Environments (IDE) can be inaccessible which make it difficult if not impossible for BLV students to complete coursework. Alternative techniques are described which will allow a BLV student to successfully complete coursework. The author has found the Command Line Interface (CLI) is often a recommended alternative to a Windows based IDE interface. Many blind computer programmers use the Windows and Linux command interfaces which are described as part of this discussion.

Math Education Project And Rso Creation, Keegan Oldani

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Reflection on Math Education Senior Honors Project and RSO Creation

Dual Vocations Of Science And Religion: A Historical Case Study Of Benedictine Women, Diana Fenton

Education Faculty Publications

This study examines Catholic Benedictine sisters who majored in sciences and taught science for over 100 years at the College of Saint Benedict in Saint Joseph, Minnesota, USA. In 1913, the College of Saint Benedict began as a women’s college, expanding Saint Benedict’s Academy, a boarding high school for women. This historical organizational case study analyzed archived data to understand the benefits and challenges of women who lived religious lives and studied science. Although women, in general, are still underrepresented in the sciences, the data collected provides information on how the sisters obtained advanced degrees as early as 1923, well …

Approach To Problem Solving And Use Of Intuition By Engineering Technology Students, Meher R. Taleyarkhan, Anne M. Lucietto, Natalie L. F. Hobson, Therese M. Azevedo

Journal of Global Education and Research

Engineering technology students often forgo a methodical approach of solving or answering questions on assignments or exams in favor of an intuition-based approach, emphasizing educated guessing (Broberg et al., 2008). Faculty observations have noted these student solutions often provide explanations, usually sans calculations, to support answers the students believe to be reasonable when in reality deviated from the correct answer. An extensive study was developed to assess several distinctions between student intuition and use of cognition in problem solving, as related to a generalized student population. The study was comprised of a survey and interview. The survey utilized two instruments, …

Introduction To A Universal Performance Improvement Method (Chigen-Iku), Yoshihiko Ariizumi

Learning, Teaching, & Researching Optimization

This brief article introduces a universal performance improvement method called Chigen-iku, which has been developed carefully and extensively over more than 25 years through more than 100 individual and group projects based on the principles that were selected through my doctorial study in the field of Instructional Psychology and Technology.

Mental Health And Coping Habits Of Young Black Men In Stem At An Hbcu, Chamberlain Newman

XULAneXUS

This study examines the mental health and coping habits of young Black men pursuing STEM degrees at a historically Black college and university (HBCU) in New Orleans. Drawing on survey data from 43 Black male STEM students ages 18 to 22, the study addresses four research questions concerning factors affecting mental well-being, the role of the HBCU environment, stress coping strategies, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicate that peer camaraderie, faculty engagement, and access to supportive social networks are central to students' mental wellness and academic persistence. Positive coping mechanisms identified by participants included listening to music, …

Artificial Intelligence, Basic Skills, And Quantitative Literacy, Gizem Karaali

Numeracy

The introduction in November 2022 of ChatGPT, a freely available language-based artificial intelligence, has led to concerns among some educators about the feasibility and benefits of teaching basic writing and critical thinking skills to students in the context of easily accessed, AI-based cheating mechanisms. As of now, ChatGPT can write pretty convincing student-level prose, but it is still not very good at answering quantitatively rich questions. Therefore, for the time being, the preceding concerns may not be shared by a large portion of the numeracy education community. However, as Google and WolframAlpha are definitely capable of answering standard and some …

Interaction Between Students With And Without Disabilities In An Inclusive Schools From Their Teachers Perspective., Dr. Basmah Alshahrani

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The success of the inclusion of students with disabilities substantially depends on the collaboration of various social agents, including non-disabled peers, who play a substantial role in the lives of students with disabilities. Peers, as social agent, are responsible for the creation of a favourable social environment, in which one of the key factors is a positive acceptance. This research examined the reality of interactions between non-disabled students and their acceptance to peers with disabilities. A qualitative research approach was employed using interviews with Nine special education teachers. An overall positive attitudes were reported with non-disabled peers being reported as …

Adjusting/Modifying Assignments To Support Students With Learning Disabilities While Engaging In Ngss Science And Engineering Practices And Inquiry-Based Learning, Shannon Morago Dr.

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Effective science instruction involves opportunities for all students to do science, including engaging in the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices through inquiry-based learning. Many students with learning disabilities have the accommodation of shortened or reduced assignments in their Individualized Educational Programs to allow them equal access to science learning. Science teachers struggle to provide this accommodation. This practice brief provides examples of supports and strategies for implementing this accommodation during an inquiry-based investigation. A vignette is used to follow a science teacher and her students through an investigation; it details how she provides equal access to the learning objectives as …

Insight From Biology Program Learning Outcomes: Implications For Teaching, Learning, And Assessment, Noelle Clark, Jeremy L. Hsu

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Learning goals and objectives are a key part of instruction, informing curricular design, assessment, and learning. These goals and objectives are also applied at the programmatic level, with program learning outcomes (PLOs) providing insight into the skills that undergraduate biology programs intend for their students to master. PLOs are mandated by all major higher education accreditation agencies and play integral roles in programmatic assessment. Despite their importance, however, there have not been any prior attempts to characterize PLOs across undergraduate biology programs in the United States. Our study reveals that many programs may not be using PLOs to communicate learning …

Still A Private Universe? Community College Students’ Understanding Of Evolution, Meredith A. Dorner, Philip Sadler, Brian Alters

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Measuring what students know and retain about evolution is essential to improving our understanding of how students learn evolution. The literature shows that college students appear to have a poor understanding of evolution, answering questions on various instruments correctly only about half of the time. There is little research regarding evolution understanding among community college students and so this study examines if those students who are enrolled in life science classes, who are assessed using questions based on grade eight standards, show a better understanding of evolutionary principles than younger students and if there are differences in knowledge based …

Undergraduates’ Preparedness For College-Level Work In Stem: The Importance Of Reading And Understanding Scientific Theories, Arguments, And Data, Ewa M. Burchard

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This study focuses on undergraduates’ preparation for college level courses. In recent international PISA results United States students fall behind seventeen countries on the computer-based reading proficiency test. They have scored low for over a decade, in spite of spending more than one hundred-thousand dollars per student on education. This US score is similar to, or lower than, the scores of other countries where spending is lower. Considering reading performance statistics from the international PISA assessment and the inconclusive results from reading comprehension studies across media, the concern arose whether today’s high school students are well prepared for college level …

Strengthening Undergraduates’ Appreciation Of Engineering Ethics Through A Simulated Stakeholder Meeting On Offshore Wind Energy Development, Maija A. Benitz

Engineering, Computing & Construction Management Faculty Publications

The need for deepening students’ appreciation for the importance of engineering ethics remains ever present. However, accomplishing this learning outcome can be challenging, as the principles often come across as abstract and distant to many undergraduates. To combat these challenges, a group-based assignment and corresponding in-class role-playing activity were developed for an upper-level ocean engineering elective course, based on a local case study about offshore wind energy development. The new pedagogical approach aims to present engineering ethics in a more tangible and relatable way by requiring students to role-play a real-world scenario from their own university’s backyard. Students worked on …

H-Stem Infusions In Lower-Level General Education Courses, Emily Faulconer

Publications

This session presents the justification for infusing humanities into lower-level STEM general education courses, pointing to co

Technology-Enabled Active Learning In Gen Ed Courses, Emily Faulconer

Publications

Technology tools can achieve active learning in asynchronous online courses. The H5P platform promotes self-paced, self-directed active learning through activities including branching scenarios, crosswords, flashcards, and interactive videos. This tool can provide formative feedback through features that allow provision of automatic feedback for a variety of question types (e.g.; fill in the blank, multiple choice, image hotspot, and drag and drop). H5P activities were embedded in the learning management system of two introductory general education courses. Learning analytics data and student perspectives were collected. This data will be used to guide future use of this technology tool in online courses.