Curriculum Alignment with <i>Vision and Change</i> Improves Student Scientific Literacy

Auerbach, Anna Jo; Schussler, Elisabeth E.

doi:10.1187/cbe.16-04-0160

Cited by 22 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…3). Although peer review was not directly assessed in this project, studies have shown that including a peer review component has increased student learning as well as quality of writing and scientific content (23, 24). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poster Development and Presentation to Improve Scientific Inquiry and Broaden Effective Scientific Communication Skills

Rauschenbach

Keddis

Davis

2018

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We have redesigned a tried-and-true laboratory exercise into an inquiry-based team activity exploring microbial growth control, and implemented this activity as the basis for preparing a scientific poster in a large, multi-section laboratory course. Spanning most of the semester, this project culminates in a poster presentation of data generated from a student-designed experiment. Students use and apply the scientific method and improve written and verbal communication skills. The guided inquiry format of this exercise provides the opportunity for student collaboration through cooperative learning. For each learning objective, a percentage score was tabulated (learning objective score = points awarded/total possible points). A score of 80% was our benchmark for achieving each objective. At least 76% of the student groups participating in this project over two semesters achieved each learning goal. Student perceptions of the project were evaluated using a survey. Nearly 90% of participating students felt they had learned a great deal in the areas of formulating a hypothesis, experimental design, and collecting and analyzing data; 72% of students felt this project had improved their scientific writing skills. In a separate survey, 84% of students who responded felt that peer review was valuable in improving their final poster submission. We designed this inquiry-based poster project to improve student scientific communication skills. This exercise is appropriate for any microbiology laboratory course whose learning outcomes include the development of scientific inquiry and literacy.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poster Development and Presentation to Improve Scientific Inquiry and Broaden Effective Scientific Communication Skills

Rauschenbach

Keddis

Davis

2018

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This same approach can be adopted for curriculum reform, identifying clear outcomes that students should be able to achieve by the time they graduate, aligning the curriculum to these outcomes, and developing assessments that can both measure and make inferences about student learning across a major (4,16). This approach to curriculum design can serve to help departments better understand how their curriculum is impacting students, which, in turn, can help improve student learning and critical thinking processes (2).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phys-MAPS: a programmatic physiology assessment for introductory and advanced undergraduates

Semsar

Brownell

Couch

et al. 2019

Advances in Physiology Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We describe the development of a new, freely available, online, programmatic-level assessment tool, Measuring Achievement and Progress in Science in Physiology, or Phys-MAPS ( http://cperl.lassp.cornell.edu/bio-maps ). Aligned with the conceptual frameworks of Core Principles of Physiology, and Vision and Change Core Concepts, Phys-MAPS can be used to evaluate student learning of core physiology concepts at multiple time points in an undergraduate physiology program, providing a valuable longitudinal tool to gain insight into student thinking and aid in the data-driven reform of physiology curricula. Phys-MAPS questions have a modified multiple true/false design and were developed using an iterative process, including student interviews and physiology expert review to verify scientific accuracy, appropriateness for physiology majors, and clarity. The final version of Phys-MAPS was tested with 2,600 students across 13 universities, has evidence of reliability, and has no significant statement biases. Over 90% of the physiology experts surveyed agreed that each Phys-MAPS statement was scientifically accurate and relevant to a physiology major. When testing each statement for bias, differential item functioning analysis demonstrated only a small effect size (<0.008) of any tested demographic variable. Regarding student performance, Phys-MAPS can also distinguish between lower and upper division students, both across different institutions (average overall scores increase with each level of class standing; two-way ANOVA, P < 0.001) and within each of three sample institutions (each ANOVA, P ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, at the level of individual concepts, only evolution and homeostasis do not demonstrate the typical increase across class standing, suggesting these concepts likely present consistent conceptual challenges for physiology students.

show abstract

“…Therefore, instructors were presumably not motivated by data showing increased student conceptual learning. We did have data showing increased student gains in scientific literacy ( Auerbach and Schussler, 2017 ), but these data were not completed until after year 3. We also do not believe that change was driven by discussions of enjoyment of teaching within the community or changes in student relationships.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

AVision and ChangeReform of Introductory Biology Shifts Faculty Perceptions and Use of Active Learning

Auerbach

Schussler

2017

LSE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Curriculum Alignment with Vision and Change Improves Student Scientific Literacy

Abstract: Students who experienced a reformed introductory curriculum designed to align with the Vision and Change report recommendations demonstrated higher gains in scientific literacy when compared with students who had experienced the previous curriculum.

Cited by 22 publications

References 21 publications

Poster Development and Presentation to Improve Scientific Inquiry and Broaden Effective Scientific Communication Skills

Poster Development and Presentation to Improve Scientific Inquiry and Broaden Effective Scientific Communication Skills

Phys-MAPS: a programmatic physiology assessment for introductory and advanced undergraduates

AVision and ChangeReform of Introductory Biology Shifts Faculty Perceptions and Use of Active Learning

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About