Students As Teachers:

1
Students As Teachers

• A competition to develop Problem Based Learning
  units for teaching ethics

2
Introduction

• At the 2003 Annual Meeting, the RDU Constituency
  Group announced that it would fund pilot programs
  for two or more chapters to work together.
• With this in mind, the University of Delaware and
  Thomas Jefferson University chapters decided to
  develop a proposal.

3
Objectives

• Involve members of both chapters without
  significant time involvement
• Highlight strengths of each institution
• Problem Based Learning expertise (UD)
• Experiences with successful Student Research Day
  (TJU)
• Existing relationships between the two schools
• Highlight topics important to the mission of
  Sigma Xi

4
The Idea

• Involve students at both institutions to write
  problem-based learning units on topics involving
  ethics in scientific research. These would be
  judged and awards given.
• UD has expertise in PBL they would provide
  training sessions at TJU to insure that UD
  students didnt have an unfair advantage.

5
What is Problem-Based Learning?
PBL is a learning approach that challenges
students to learn to learn, working
cooperatively in groups to seek solutions to
real world problems.

• PBL prepares students
• to think critically and analytically, and
• to find and use appropriate learning resources.

6

• The principal idea behind PBL is that the
  starting point for learning should be a problem,
  a query, or a puzzle that the learner wishes to
  solve.
• Boud (1985)

7
What are the CommonFeatures of PBL?

• Learning is initiated by a problem.
• Problems are based on complex, real-world
  situations.
• All information needed to solve problem is not
  initially given.
• Students identify, find, and use appropriate
  resources.
• Students work in permanent groups.

8
PBL The Process

• Students are presented with a problem. They
  organize ideas and previous knowledge.
• Students pose questions, defining what they know
  and do not know.
• Assign responsibility for questions, discuss
  resources.
• Investigate learning issues.
• Reconvene, explore newly learned information,
  refine questions.

9
Problem-Based Learning Cycle
Overview/Assessment
Problem, Project, or Assignment
Mini-lecture(only if needed!)
Group Discussion
Whole Class Discussion
Research
Preparation of Group Product
Group Discussion
10
Why use PBL to teach about ethics in science?

• Ethics can be more effectively taught with
  approaches that encourage interaction.
• By working as a group, students can explore the
  different opinions and conclusions of their peers
  in a non-threatening environment.
• As in society, complex issues are best considered
  by the community and not isolated individuals.

11
Timeline

• Dec-Jan Brainstorm/ draft proposal
• Feb Submit proposal
• Spring Finalize details for program Publicize
  to students at UD Put info on UD Sigma Xi
  webpage Plan summer workshops for TJU
• June Publicize to TJU students

• July Workshops at TJU
• Aug. 15 Deadline for submissions
• Fall Judging of submissions
• Aug Start arrangements for awards dinner
• Sept-Oct Publicize awards dinner
• Oct. 13 Awards Dinner

12
Category Awards

• Life Sciences Undergraduate
• Patent issues a look at the industrial-academic
  interface. Liang-I Kang, University of Delaware
• Life Sciences Graduate
• Ethical considerations on the use of vaccines.
  Lisa Ambrose and Josephine Fox, Thomas Jefferson
  University
• Physical Sciences Graduate
• Development of an optimum policy for regulating
  industrial-environmental interactions. Erik S.
  Welf, University of Delaware

13
Things that worked

• We were able to get some funds from each school
  in addition to the Sigma Xi funds.
• Almost as an afterthought, we publicized the PBL
  workshops to both faculty AND students. We had
  greater attendance from faculty!
• We had help from the TJU Faculty Development
  office for the workshop arrangements.
• The quality of submissions was high (although
  small in number).
• A new faculty member in Bioethics at UD agreed to
  give the talk at the Awards Dinner.

• We used our funds for awards to heavily
  subsidize the dinner. Officers and award winners
  were guests. Student tickets were 5 faculty or
  other tickets were 10.
• The TJU chapter decided to invite new student
  members as guests. We presented their
  certificates along with information about Sigma
  Xi. Several brought their spouses.
• The Why Sigma Xi brochures plus give-away
  calendars and pens from TJU were at each seat.

14
Plans for next year

• We would like to increase the number of student
  participants.
• If we had more submissions, we could involve
  Sigma Xi members in judging, possibly including
  those from industrial and government chapters in
  the region.
• With careful use of our funds, we have some funds
  to use as seed money for next year. After that,
  how can we continue to fund this program?

• Next year the awards dinner will be at the
  University of Delaware.
• We would like to identify a forum or course in
  which the winning PBL exercises could be road
  tested. We had planned to submit winning entries
  for the PBL database, but most entries in the
  database have been used in courses prior to
  submitting to the database.

15
Questions?

• Carol L. Beck, Thomas Jefferson University
• carol.beck_at_jefferson.edu
• George H. Watson, University of Delaware
• ghw_at_udel.edu
• The financial support of the RDU constituency
  group of Sigma Xi is gratefully acknowledged.
• For additional information, please see our
  chapter poster.