Science Case Network

1. Science Case Network RCN-UBE Project #1062049 Gaps in Reaching Diverse Audiences Aditi Pai Networking Conference August 6-7, 2012

3. Q1. Who do YOU think of when you think of diversity in your classroom? http://www.si.edu/oeema/DivInitiatives.htm

4. Diversity • Race • Ethnicity • Gender • Sexual orientation • Age • Religious background • Cultural background

5. Q2. What challenges do your students have in your/traditional classes?

6. Challenges faced by students • Engagement • Social dynamics • Presence/absence

7. Q3. What is done to reach diverse students in your institution? Department? Classrooms?

8. My quick answer to those questions…

9. How things look from where I am..

10. Diversity : What is the problem?

11. Diversity : What is the problem?

12. Who? • Women of color • Challenges? • Disengagement • Retention • What am I/my department doing? • Wait for it……

13. Diversity : What is the solution? Customize Active learning Relevant Engaging

14. Customizing Wants to be a lawyer Wants to be a doctor http://www.psfk.com/2010/05/using-rfids-to-take-student-attendance.html

15. Activelearning

16. real life/relevant examples

17. Engaging?

18. In short.. • My favorite solution is CASE STUDY METHOD

19. Q4. How can we make it work for diverse audiences? • Create customized cases • Pick existing cases that are of special interest to your audience • Adapt existing cases by tweaking them

20. But…Aditi you may ask me..

21. Q5. Does it work?

22. And I know ready for the answer...

23. Case study method in an introductory Biology class • Three main questions: • 1) Did the case study method work? • what are the students’ responses to case study activities and assignments, • 2) Did the students learn Biology from this class? • what is the students’ gain in conceptual knowledge, and • 3) How does CBL Intro class compare to the previous introductory biology course? • how does student perception of their learning in this class compare to the previous introductory Biology class?

24. Did students like case study work? www2.warwick.ac.uk/.../students/edriab/teaching/ • Survey of student response to all elements of course (instructors, textbook, exams, case studies, labs, field trip) in 2006, 2007 • Score from 0-10, 0 worst, 10 best for whether something was interesting and/or useful • Overall: yes, • 2006: average 7.3 ± 0.85 • 2007: average 8.11 ± 1.88

25. Did students gain conceptual knowledge over the semester? • Pre-and post-class test • 20 questions, very basic concepts • Yes • Pre- class test 52.5% and post -class test 63%

26. How does CBL approach compare to traditional lecture approach? • College administered student evaluation • 22 questions on instructors, course quality and course management • Used scores of students evaluation of their learning experience for 8 questions on college administered survey for Bio 110 (new class) and 112 (old class) • Controls: • Same instructor • Same year (2006) • Student experience (freshmen)

27. Comparison of Bio 112 and Bio 110

28. Did it work? 1) Did the case study method work? • YES 2) Did the students learn Biology from this class? • YES 3) How does Bio 110 compare to the previous introductory biology course? • Students liked Bio 110 better

29. Yes..it works! • Introductory courses • Ecology, evolution, Biodiversity (Pai et al JCST 2010) • Advanced electives • Evolution (Pai 2009, JET) • Capstone • Wait for it..

30. So --what now? Q6.What the biggest opportunities for research on case study method and MSIs? Q7. What should the next steps be for maximizing impact of case study teaching in retention of minority students?

31. Thank You!