Best Practices in Science Education: Retaining Science

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Best Practices in Science EducationRetaining
Science Engineering Undergraduates,Sustaining
the Science Engineering Workforce

• Breakout 2
• Building Research into the Curriculum
• Effective Introductory Lab Courses

...there is no single solution...
Jeffrey N. Johnston Professor of
Chemistry Vanderbilt University
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Framing the Question An Endless Variety of
Context

• Vanderbilt University
• State of Tennessee
• downtown Nashville (capitol)
• private Research I
• 6500 undergraduates
• highly selective

Indiana University State of Indiana Bloomington
(1 hour from Indianapolis) public Research
I 39000 undergraduates serves state of
Indiana (medical school in Indianapolis)
the student... public schools often receive
diverse freshman undergraduates entitlement tax
dollars degree any degree, any state
institution private schools often receive
privileged freshman undergraduates entitlement
rank in high school must translate to rank in
college ...at the same time we push students
closer to research, they may not yet have
transitioned from structured learning to
evolutionary learning
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Unifying Definitions of Research Between
Students, Teachers, Administrators, and Industry

• How is research defined by undergraduates?
• curing disease, making new products
• Their identification of the researcher reflects
  this understanding
• medical scientists/doctors, laboratories,
  practitioners of science
• ...and is related directly to their influences
• teachers, educational opportunities (museums),
  doctors, media/television
• view research as the process of skill application

What is a research-active professors (my)
definition of researcher? someone who seeks an
answer to a question that has not yet been
answered it is, by definition, discovery, so
even formulation of the first questions is not
typically straightforward discovery research
elucidating or refining the fundamental
principles of a scientific discipline versus appli
ed (translational) research using a discovery in
a new context view research as the inquiry
What is industrys definition of a
researcher? someone who can produce an
innovative, marketable product by problem-solving
better, or simply faster than a competitor
Motivations are different for each! student
career, land a job to support self and
family professor train, share knowledge and
skills with like-minded, curious, impressionable
young scientists company make money
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Introductory Labs en route to Research

• Essential Questions
• Who are the students?
• -Why are they taking introductory labs?
• -What do they expect to learn?
• -What do they already know?
• Why mix introductory laboratories and research?

Possible Answers ... decided/undecided,
science/nonscience ...requirements, exploration,
genuine interest ...skills, the doing of
science ...varies based on high school ...to
serve the best future researchers, retain the
curious

• what works...
• retain focus on skill and technique development
  reveal that experimental data isnt nearly as
  clean as textbooks depict
• can stimulate awareness and discussion why
  theory and experiment dont match perfectly
• the role of assumptions in hypothesis driven
  research
• here, the role of the teacher/research mentor
  becomes paramount need quality

what doesnt... unstructured, open ended
experiments, especially those typical of actual
research experiments that lack a sense of
discovery -include use of extra techniques as
part of the evolution introduce notion of
redundancy
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Making the Change Timing and Financing

• When? How often?
• When students complete their studies/courses, but
  define research inadequately
• When instrumentation can no longer be repaired
• Reading tea leaves Before a skill set becomes
  noncompetitive
• -discipline specific, but tracks economy and
  industry trends

• How?
• Start parallel, low credit hour courses designed
  to address transition issues elated to learning
  while offering an immersive aspect that
  accelerates students along the research path
• dont forget that these students are easily
  distracted constantly distract them toward your
  goal
• dont forget that students over-commit, so goals
  and expectations must be realistic
• dont forget that not all students are good for
  science careers, much less research good courses
  catalyze the rate at which they can find their
  way
• dont forget the importance of flexibility
  important for success, but expensive to execute

• Financing/Incentives
• - intramural ranges from 0 to hundreds of
  thousands per year (endowment)
• - extramural
• HHMI, Beckman Scholars Program, industry
• ...industry has long benefited from the US
  educational system
• Who will do it?
• Lecturers, Researchers (faculty, postdocs, grad
  students, peer undergrads), or Specialists