Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Tabletop Wind Tunnel Capstone Project For K-12 Stem Education, Madison Bowersox, Creighton Mcintyre, Prathmesh Anantwar, Kyle Clark, Abhee Singh, Ruth May

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Utilizing Learning Walks To Notice And Discuss Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices, Morgan Blair

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Academic Achievement And Participation In Out-Of-School Educational Robotics Competitions For High School Latino/A Students In Southern California, Jesus Ulloa-Higuera

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in academic performance in mathematics as measured by class grades between high school Latino/a students in Southern California who participated two consecutive years in robotics competitions and high school Latino/a students who did not participate. A secondary purpose was to examine the difference in mathematics academic performance between Latino and Latina students who participated in robotics competitions. A third and final purpose was to describe the experiences of Latino/a college students who participated in robotics competitions and how those experiences influenced their interest in pursuing a STEM college …

Stem Stories, March 2019, #2, Brooke Wiese

STEM Stories

Featured Event - Space Exploration Educators Conference

Using Drones For Precision Agriculture, Jiyul Chang, Madhav P. Nepal

iLEARN Teaching Resources

In this teaching module, students will learn what Precision Agriculture is and how to apply drone into Precision Agriculture practices. To use data (images) taken by drone, students will learn the basic theory of Remote Sensing. Using images, students learn how to make NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) maps and how to apply drone (remote sensing technique) in agriculture.

The Nature Of Teaching: An Engaged Approach To K12 Program Delivery, Rebecca Busse

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of District Curriculum Administrators Regarding K-12 Engineering Education, Derrick A. Nero

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The state of Nebraska recently adopted and implemented a set of Science standards that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards which include engineering practices such as engineering design and the use of technology. Curriculum administrators throughout the state are responsible for the implementation of these standards including training for engineering teaching and learning. This exploratory study investigated curriculum administrators’ (n = 43) perceptions of Engineering Education in four areas: Importance of Engineering Education, District Familiarity with Engineering Education, Characteristics of Engineering, and Barriers to Integrating Engineering Education. This exploratory study used one instrument to collect data: a modified Design, …

Developing Stem Interest And Genre Knowledge Through Science Fiction Prototyping, Justin Nicholes

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Upward Bound Math and Science, a federally funded initiative, aims to persuade U.S. high schoolers to become college STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) majors. The program attempts this persuasion by developing students’ content and procedural knowledge so that students may succeed in high school and college STEM courses. Primary focus on knowledge acquisition, however, may cause missed opportunities to engage the imaginative dimensions of students’ science identities and students’ senses of wonder for science. In this reflective essay, I describe a science fiction prototyping assignment that meets the knowledge-based objectives of the Writing Skills course in a five-week Upward Bound …

The Science Project Portfolio, Joan Hedman, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

The phrase science fair project likely conjures up images of students working independently on smoldering model volcanoes, catapults, and Rube Goldberg contraptions. To create their projects, students and teachers blindly follow a set of seemingly incomprehensible steps, assembling various pieces. This process continues until the due date arrives, when all the pieces are packaged up for the science fair. Teachers are then expected to assess all the projects in a timely manner while somehow continuing to deliver their curriculum. Eventually, the student receives feedback and, often, a semester-making grade. By that time, everyone is exhausted and relieved it’s over.

Stem Stories, March 2019, #1, Brooke Wiese

STEM Stories

Student Profile - Taylor Harris

Stem Stories, March 2019, #1, Brooke Wiese

STEM Stories

Student Profile - Taylor Harris

Context Is Critical: K-5th Grade Three-Act Math Tasks, Lindsey Herlehy

Publications & Research

Mathematicians view mathematics within interesting and natural contexts. In this session, participants will engage and explore Three-Act Math Tasks; a story-telling pedagogical strategy that elicits student curiosity, collaboration, and questioning while redefining the term “real-world context” and the role that students play in the learning process. Resources will be provided

Teaching With A Full Deck: Card Sorts, Lindsey Herlehy

Publications & Research

Card sorts tend to make students do the “thing” we value most: talk. Beyond making matches, card sorts provide opportunities for students to classify, rank, sequence, and mind map while setting a natural context for argumentation and use of the claim-evidence-reasoning framework. Join me for a series of card sorts to explore how this easy-to-prep tool will encourage your students to reason and think critically. Math and science resources will be shared.

Resources available below for download include all cards used in the training.

The Predictive Validity Of Mathematics Curriculum-Based Measurement On Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Mathematics Scores, Lauren J. Merkel

Doctor of Education (EdD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the predicative validity of computation curriculumbased measurement (CBM) on mathematics Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium scores (SBAC). This study looked at one cohort consisting of 2,741 participants in third, fourth, and fifth grade during the 2017-2018 school year in one school district in Oregon. This study used a hierarchical multiple regression to examine the relationship between CBM and mathematics SBAC. Additionally, this study looked at the extent to which gender, ethnicity, special education status (SPED) and English language learner (ELL) status interacted with CBM scores to predict end-of-year mathematics SBAC scores. The findings …

Fraught With Friction, Brittany Westman, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

In this activity, a question is posed to second-grade students and they are asked to make predictions to answer it: “How will different surfaces affect the distance a toy vehicle travels?” Students observe how different surfaces affect the distance traveled by a toy car and are able to amend their predictions. They are then asked to think of reasons why the vehicle was affected the way it was. During this stage of the lesson, students are led to contemplate their understandings of science concepts, and teachers are able to assess changes in student understanding as a result of discussions and …

Grade 5 Children’S Drawings For Integer Addition And Subtraction Open Number Sentences, Nicole Enzinger

Faculty Publications - College of Education

Three Grade 5 children participated in a microgenetic study embedded in 12-week teaching experiment on integer addition and subtraction. They solved open number sentences in four individual sessions across the 12-weeks and produced drawings. Through the lens of learner-generated drawings and qualitative analysis, these drawings provide perspective into the children’s thinking about integer addition and subtraction. The following categories are described: Single and Double Set of Objects, Number Sequences, Empty Number Lines, Number Lines, Number Sentences, Sign Emphasis, and Answer in Box Only. One student drew sets of objects frequently and the other students drew number lines more. Descriptions of …

Student Perceptions Of Reasons For Lecture And Active Learning, Calan Koch

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

With perceived student resistance to active learning in the classroom, instructors are hesitant to implement such methods into their classroom structure despite how effective they may be. This research seeks to understand student perceptions related to the transition to higher prevalence of active learning techniques. We aimed to find answers to how students perceive the ideal classroom to be structured, what reasons they perceive for lecture and active learning components, and possible explanations to concerns of groupwork during class time. We analyzed 64 interviews with undergraduate biology students at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, developed coding rubrics from commonly found …

Stephen Lory Williams (1948-2018), In Memoriam, Suzanne Boyer Mclaren, Catharine A, Hawks, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Obituary and biography of Stephen Lory Williams (1948-2018).

Excerpts:

His move in 1990 returned him to Texas Tech University, taking up positions as Collection Manager in the Museum, and Adjunct Professor in the Museum Science Program. His final professional move was made in 1995 to the Department of Museum Studies at the Strecker Museum now known as the Mayborn Museum Complex at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he took positions as Assistant Professor and Collections Manager. Steve retired from Baylor in 2007.

Steve was present at the birth of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, serving …

Bibliography Of The Published Works Of Stephen L. Williams, Suzanne Boyer Mclaren, Catharine A. Hawks, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Bibliography of the published works of Stephen Lory Williams (1948-2018).

A Case Study Of A Stem Teacher’S Development Of Tpack In A Teacher Preparation Program, Mary C. Enderson, Ginger S. Watson

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This case study involved researching pre-service secondary STEM teachers’ development of TPACK by use of modeling & simulation applications. The main research question focused on how do self-reported TPACK measures align with demonstrated TPACK knowledge and skills. The study design was qualitative and included five secondary STEM pre-service teachers who were completing their program of study and teaching lessons in the field with secondary students. This particular brief paper reports on one of the pre-service STEM teachers in this study. Coding and analysis were carried out to search for characteristics of tasks that support development of TPACK in future teachers. …

Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Modeling As A Tool For Instruction, Ginger S. Watson, Mary Enderson

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

As the standards movement continues to gain momentum in U.S. schools, preservice and in-service teachers need greater knowledge in mathematical modeling to engage PK-12 students in such practices. This case-based research study investigated the perceptions and understandings of modeling for 76 entry-level, preservice elementary teachers enrolled in a mathematics methods course at a mid-Atlantic university. Participants were prompted to define modeling and its application to classroom instruction through open-response questions administered in an online survey. A case-based, phenomenological method was used to code and analyze responses. Most preservice teachers expressed a very limited definition or understanding of modeling or how …

Relations Between Placement Criteria And Students' Emporium-Based Developmental Math Final Grades, George Sherman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With computer-based math emporiums serving many post-secondary students who are assigned developmental coursework, the need to evaluate the predictive value of math placement criteria for math emporium courses presented an opportunity for research. This quantitative, predictive, correlational study explored how accurately the predictor variables of students’ ACT/SAT math component scores, local math assessment results, and unweighted high school GPAs foretold the criterion variable of students’ final math grades in MATH 100, an entry-level, residential, developmental math course taught through a private university’s math emporium. The research relied on archival data pulled from the university’s system of records, and the samples …

An Examination Of The Correlation Of Exploring Computer Science Course Performance And The Development Of Programming Expertise, Steven Mcgee, Ronald I. Greenberg, Randi Mcgee-Tekula, Jennifer Duck, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Lucia Dettori, Dale F. Reed

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study investigated patterns in the development of computational thinking and programming expertise in the context of the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) program, a high school introductory CS course and professional development program designed to foster deep engagement through equitable inquiry around CS concepts. Prior research on programming expertise has identified three general areas of development --- program comprehension, program planning, and program generation. The pedagogical practices in ECS are consistent with problem solving approaches that support the development of programming expertise. The study took place in a large urban district during the 2016--17 school year with 28 ECS teachers …

Stem Stories, February 2019, #4, Brooke Wiese

STEM Stories

Student Profile - Marnie Hoefler

Investing Under Uncertainty: Mathematical Models And Computer Simulations, Alfinio Flores

Colorado Mathematics Teacher

Students do probabilistic models for investment strategies and bankroll management. Students develop a better understanding for the Kelly criterion as a function of paying odds using an interactive graph. Then students conduct computer simulations to compare two investment strategies, first investing a fixed amount, and then using the Kelly criterion.

Using Publicly Available Genbank Data To Teach Plant Phylogeny In High School Classrooms, Madhav P. Nepal, Ethan J. Andersen

iLEARN Teaching Resources

In this teaching module, students will learn about NCBI GenBank, search for DNA/protein sequences from multiple plant species of a gene that encodes Rubisco enzyme, construct and interpret a phylogenetic tree, and discuss traits that allowed plants to adapt their life on land.

Interest-Enhancing Approaches To Mathematics Curriculum Design: Illustrations And Personalization, Virginia Clinton, Candace Walkington

Educational Foundations and Research Faculty Publications

Two common interest-enhancement approaches in mathematics curriculum design are illustrations and personalization of problems to students’ interests. The objective of these experiments is to test a variety of illustrations and personalization approaches. In the illustrations experiment, students (n = 265) were randomly assigned to lessons with story problems containing decorative illustrations, contextual illustrations, diagrammatic illustrations, misleading illustrations, or no illustrations (only text [control condition]). Students’ problem-solving performance and attitudes were not affected by illustration condition, but learning was better in the control compared with contextual illustrations. In the personalization experiment, students (n = 223) were randomly assigned to …

Teaching Stem For The Public Good, Rita Basuray

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Stem Faculty Experience Teaching Students With Autism, Solvegi Shmulsky, Ken Gobbo, Michelle W. Bower

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

College students who have an autism spectrum condition study in STEM fields at a higher rate than their neurotypical peers, and they face documented challenges in postsecondary education. Given the proportionally higher representation of autism in STEM majors, it is important to study what works best, from an educational standpoint, for this diverse group of students. The purpose of this qualitative study is to document the experience and insight of college faculty about unique learner qualities related to autism and the qualities most needed in STEM fields. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 STEM faculty members about their experience teaching …

Elementary Education In-Service Teachers’ Familiarity, Interest, Conceptual Knowledge And Performance On Science Process Skills, Frackson Mumba, Erin Miles, Vivien Chabalengula

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

Although studies have examined teachers’ science process skills, little is known about the extent to which in-service elementary teachers are familiar with science process skills and are interested in learning more about science process skills. Therefore, the purposes of this research study were to determine (a) in-service elementary teachers’ familiarity with, interest in, conceptual knowledge of, and performance on science process skills and (b) how in-service elementary teachers’ familiarity with, interest in, conceptual knowledge of, and performance on science process skills relate to each other. Forty-eight elementary teachers in 21 schools in the United States participated in this study. Data …