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Flipping the Microbiology Laboratory. Dave Westenberg Missouri S&T March 14, 2014. Presentation Outline. The microbiology lab course Challenges Why “flip” the course? Learning to flip Judging the flip. Please Ask Questions. Microbiology Lab at Missouri S&T. 2 Days per week
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Flipping the Microbiology Laboratory Dave Westenberg Missouri S&T March 14, 2014
Presentation Outline • The microbiology lab course • Challenges • Why “flip” the course? • Learning to flip • Judging the flip
Microbiology Lab at Missouri S&T • 2 Days per week • 2 Hours per day • 2 Sections in Fall • 3 Sections in Spring
Microbiology Lab Learning Objectives • Lab safety • Aseptic technique • Microbiology techniques • Written and oral communication
Challenges • Shorter lab period (3 -> 2 hours) • Multiple sections • Demonstrating techniques • Students preparation • Student attention
Why “Flip” the course? • Everything I know about teaching I learned from K-12 teachers. • Save precious lab time • Consistent content delivery • Better student preparation • Better student learning?
Expected Project Outcomes • Effective student preparation • Extensive student-student and student-instructor interaction • Appropriate student application of laboratory techniques
Microbiology Lab 1.1 • Recorded lectures • Recorded demonstrations • Quizzes • Same lab exercises
Lessons learned • Better preparation but … • More student interaction but … • i.e. Cool tool but … • Need to re-think the entire course.
Microbiology Lab 2.0 • Projects vs. Activities • Incorporate experimental design • Recorded “lectures” • Recorded demonstrations • Quizzes
Biology Scholars Program • Goal: Develop faculty expertise in evidenced-based science education reform • Three components • Research – practices SoTL • Writing - publishing science education research • Leadership - undergraduate reform • Applications required; multiyear residency • 7 life sciences professional societies and Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching www.biologyscholars.org
Outcomes: Research Residency • Locate and use science education and science research literature • Frame appropriate questions regarding student learning in the biological sciences • Design projects to determine outcomes in terms of student learning • Design methods for collecting data concerned with student learning and other outcomes • Analyze and interpret student surveys and learning data • Understand the importance of and necessary steps required for IRB approval • Identify appropriate venues for publishing studies
Expected Project Outcomes • Effective student preparation • Extensive student-student and student-instructor interaction • Appropriate student application of laboratory techniques
Acknowledgements American Society for Microbiology Biology Scholars Program April Rocha and Daniel Roush CERTI Mini-Grant Program eFellows Program EdTech – Amy Skyles, Julie Phelps
Program Features • Three themes • Science education research • Science education publishing • Educational leadership • Applications & institutional support required • Intensive, multi-day kick-off institute • 1 year virtual residency w. 5 year tracking • Follow-up meetings • E-discussions • E-mentoring • Personal benchmarks
Satisfaction (3 Cohorts) The outcomes have all been positive. I have gained new tools with which to pursue my research and have a network of scholars with whom I can share and learn from in this pursuit. The ASM Scholars experience gave me the confidence to take an initial attempt at SoTL and turn it into a part of my research program.
Learning (3 Cohorts) Describe your practice of SoTL: I think about what I want to know about my students and their learning and apply methods to answer those questions. I develop assessment instruments to use in my classroom in an attempt to determine how changes I make in my teaching style affect student learning.
Application(3 Cohorts) I used a mixed methods approach to assess student learning in an advanced molecular biology course; one tool was a written grant proposal to assess higher order thinking skills. I have asked students to write reflective journals weekly. I have scored these to see how their thinking about the lab becomes more or less scientific over the course of a semester.
Application(3 Cohorts) Completing one 4-year study on active learning; working on one study involving high school teachers and students; and starting a project to revise the curriculum and assess learning in an intro biology course. I have revised my course to include active learning experiences and online discussions of scientific readings.
Overall Impact (3 Cohorts) If anything, I am a more fierce advocate of SoTL and feel strongly that SoTL must be seen on par with traditional, disciplinary, discovery-based scholarship, especially for tenure and promotion. I am so centered on student learning that I rarely take time to administer the teaching evaluations!