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Exploring Cyberlearning in Biology Education NIMBioS Computational Biology Curriculum Tutorial UT - Knoxville July, 2010 Slide 2 Teaching the Natural Sciences Challenges we are all faced with today Explosive growth of information Expanding role of technology Changes in the nature of the discipline Growing schism between learning and schooling Slide 3 Teaching the Natural Sciences Challenges we are all faced with today Explosive growth of information Expanding role of technology Changes in the nature of the discipline Growing schism between learning and schooling Slide 4 Information Overload or Filter Failure Clay Shirky http://web2expo.blip.tv/file/1277460/ Slide 5 Teaching the Natural Sciences Challenges we are all faced with today Explosive growth of information Expanding role of technology Changes in the nature of the discipline Growing schism between learning and schooling Slide 6 Fall 2009 Student Survey: 30,616 respondents 104 colleges and universities 12 two-year institutions 81.7% under 25 years old 87.4% enrolled full time The Educause Center for Applied Research Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009. http://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheECARStudyofUndergraduateSt u/187215 Slide 7 Fall 2009 Student Survey: 98% own computers 79% of freshman own computers less than one year old ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009. http://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheECARStudyofUndergraduateSt u/187215 Slide 8 ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009. http://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheECARStudyofUndergraduateSt u/187215 Slide 9 Teaching the Natural Sciences Challenges we are all faced with today Explosive growth of information Expanding role of technology Changes in the nature of the discipline Growing schism between learning and schooling Slide 10 In contrast to biological research, undergraduate biology education has changed relatively little during the past two decades. The ways in which most future research biologists are educated are geared to the biology of the past, rather than to the biology of the present or future. National Research Council (2003). Bio2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists, Washington, DC, National Academies Press. http://www.nap.edu/books/0309085357/html/. Slide 11 Our web-savvy students see their curricula as old-fashioned - an arbitrary set of hoops to jump rather than a carefully considered set of courses. Undergraduate curricula looks like Yahoo circa 1996 (i.e. knowledge organized in pre-selected categories). http://contexts.org/thickculture/2009/04/30/ graduate-school-fail/ Slide 12 Teaching the Natural Sciences Challenges we are all faced with today Explosive growth of information Expanding role of technology Changes in the nature of the discipline Growing schism between learning and schooling Slide 13 Learning - In and Out of School Collins & Halverson, 2009. Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schools. Slide 14 Is Cyberlearning Part of the Solution? Borgman, C. (2008), Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge. Report of the NSF Taskforce on Cyberlearning. NSF, Arlington, VA. Slide 15 What is Cyberlearning? Slide 16 C3 Cyberlearning is focused on distance education focused on replacing labs or field experiences focused on classroom or learning management systems... focused on teaching about technology focused on integrating information and disciplinary literacy to support authentic science learning. C3 Cyberlearning is not Slide 17 Nature of science in policy documents undergraduates need to understand the process of science, the interdisciplinary nature of the new biology, and how science is closely integrated within society. Students also should be competent in communication and collaboration, as well as have a certain level of quantitative competency, and a basic ability to understand and interpret data. Vision and Change: A Call to Action (2009) Slide 18 Cyberlearning impacts funding opportunities: Projects that explore cyberlearning, specifically learning with cyberinfrastructure tools such as networked computing and communications technologies, are of special interest. National Science Foundation. 2010. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (TUES). Slide 19 from Learning, Working & Playing in the Digital Age by John Seely Brown http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/seelybrown/seelybrown4.html Slide 20 4 interrelated notions of authenticity Materials and activities aligned with the world outside the classroom. Assessment aligned with what students should learn from instruction. Topics of study aligned with what learners want to know. Methods of inquiry aligned with practices in a discipline. from Thick authenticity: New media and authentic learning. Schaffer & Resnick (1999). Slide 21 BioQUEST & 3Ps Problem Posing Problem Solving Peer Persuasion Slide 22 http://undsci.berkeley.edu/ Slide 23 Slide 24 Visual Literacy and Animations http://www.johnkyrk.com/photosynthesis.html http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/ http://highered.mcgraw- hill.com/http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/forestbiology/photosynthes is.swf Slide 25 Collecting Data from Images Slide 26 Visualizing Data http://www.swivel.com/http://man yeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/many eyes/http://www.gapminder.org/ Slide 27 RSS Feeds: Staying Current Slide 28 Slide 29 How do you promote cyberlearning? Image: Panther Slide 30 Kristin Jenkins Ethel Stanley Stephen Everse John Jungck Spring 2010 C3 Group Justin Pruneski Bob Charland Hedy Choi Elia Crisucci Keith Garmire Neha Gupta Ab Mittal Grace Nobel Kelly Perini Jessica Steiner Tori Wytiaz Slide 31 C3 Partners