Transforming Tertiary Science Education

Ben Kennedy, Zoe Jordens, Rosie Bradshaw, Erik Brogt, Ewen Cameron, Billy O’Steen

Update on the joint project between the University of Canterbury

&Massey University

Goals for this talk

After this talk, participants will:

• Know what the project is about• Explain what we are doing• Evaluate how it is going• Infer what will be done next• Debate and critique the project and its results

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What is the project about?

• Adapt the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative to the Kiwi context

• Rigorous, evidence-based approach to reform– Observations and measurement– Learning goals, concept test and formative

assessment development– Implementation of reforms and measurement of its

effectiveness

• Six courses: 2 biology at Massey, 4 geology at Canterbury

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What are we doing

• Two iterations: baseline and intervention• Administer knowledge (concept) test pre-post• Administer attitude survey pre-post• Classroom observations to

– Infer learning goals– Monitor student engagement

• Develop interventions in consultation with CWSEI and course instructors

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First results

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What do you think?

Which instructor behaviour generates the most student engagement?

A.Use of humour in class

B.Linking lecture to learning goals

C.Use of examples

D.Voice modulation

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Attitude results: Geol 113

• Generally some shifts to more expert thinking, but strong novice thinking persists

• When I look at a landscape, I have an idea of how long it took to form– Pre: 34, 34, 31 Post: 47, 50, 3

• It is important for the government to approve new science ideas before they can be widely accepted by the population– Pre: 57, 23, 20 Post: 55, 26, 19

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Shifts to expert-like thinking?

• Earth and Ocean Sciences have little relation to what I experience in the real world– Pre: 0, 28, 72 Post: 0, 3, 97

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Well… we did have the September earthquake during this period…

Concept test -baseline

• Concept tests for two geology courses developed

• Geol 336 post test result 52%• About 25 % of students in Geol 336 said “I

haven’t started studying yet” when asked what might inhibit them on test

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Interventions

• Clickers

• In class exercises

• Academic development for staff

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A. 30% quartz, 30 % k feldsapar, 30% plagioclase, 5% olivine, 5 % pyroxene, ROCK rhyolite

B. 10 % quartz, 20% olivine, 10 % pyroxene, 50% plagioclase, 10% biotite. ROCK dacite

C. 5 % quartz, 15% amphibole, 5 % k feldsapar, 70% plagioclase, 5% biotite. ROCK Andesite

D. 20% amphibole, 10 % pyroxene, 50% plagioclase, 10% biotite, 10 % olivine ROCK Dacite

From the image and what you know about intermediate rocks estimate the mineral proportions and name the rock

Example: clicker question

δ18O = -5δD = -32

δ18O = -4.6δD = -38

δ18O = -4.5

δD = -36

δ18O = -5.5

δD = -35δ18O = -6

δD = -37

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4

3

7

8

9

13

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δ18O = -5.2δD = -35.5

δ18O = -5.5δD = -36

δ18O = -5.8δD = -37

δ18O = -5.5δD = -28

δ18O = -5.2δD = -30

A

B

C

δ18O = -5.2δD = -31

In class exercise, this map shows relative resistivity, 3 is low 13 is high, and characteristic isotopic and geochemical

spring characteristics.

Where would you drill for geothermal energy? Why? And What fluid

characteristics would you expect to find ?

Academic development

• Interventions for Geology courses at Canterbury developed and implemented in consultation with teaching teams

• Revamping a course must have buy-in– Must be authentic for instructors– Must fit instructor’s teaching style– Partly academic, partly pastoral for students

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Academic development is done WITH, not TO instructors

Random anecdotes

• Canterbury: Students borrowing clickers for their own presentations

• Massey: Students were observed turning off Facebook to do in class exercises

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What’s next?

• Interventions for Geology courses for semester 2 are under development, in consultation with the teaching teams

• Massey already doing interventions in semester 1, 2011

• Several spin-off projects are starting up at Canterbury

• Development of ways to reliably interpret Canterbury data

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Spin offs

• Hazard education research

• Potential to supply data to triangulate post-earthquakes student resiliency surveys

• Linking up with Physics Ed. In Auckland

• UBC researcher Alison Jolley joining team

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Acknowledgements

• Our research assistants for doing an absolutely marvellous job

• Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative group at the University of British Columbia

• The audiovisual support units at Canterbury and Massey

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Questions or comments?

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