At the end of my physics course, a biology student should be able to….

Michelle SmithUniversity of Maine

School of Biology and EcologyMaine Center for Research in STEM Education

My Experience with PhysicsMe in college:-Biology major-Hoping to go to grad school in molecular biology-Good grades in high school science classes including

physics

Physics 100Preparation for Exam 1:-Reworked sample problems over and over-Memorized equations-Studied for HOURS!

C+

What Do I Remember about Physics 100?

battery

Bulb #1

Bulb #2

Bulb #3 Learned how to systematically

approach problems

Outcomes Should Drive Assessment & Instruction

Where are you going to?

Where are you at?

“Backwards design”

At the End of this Workshop

• You will be able to:-Explain the purpose of learning goals

and objectives to your colleagues

-Develop learning objectives for Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences

-Characterize learning goals using Bloom’s taxonomy

Learning Goals

Your goals should reflect what you value in student learning

• Definition: What students should be able to do after completing a course

• Requirement: Must be measurable assessment and goals tightly linked

Learning Goals are Different from a Syllabus

Learning goals: Outcome and student oriented:

• Identifies what students will be able to do as a result of

learning

• Defines what students are expected to learn

Syllabus/ Topic List• Material covered (and time spent)

Learning Goals (for a whole course) can be broad.At the topic or lecture level, the learning objectives should be

more specific

Example Learning Goal• General structure

At the end of this course students should be able to SPECIFIC VERB-avoid vague verbs such as “understand”

GeneticsAt the end of this course, students should be able to CALCULATE the probability that an individual in a pedigree has a particular genotype.

Introductory PhysicsAt the end of this course, students should be able to APPLY their knowledge of work and Newton's laws to common transportation systems (cars, bicycles etc.)

Brainstorm Ideas for Learning Goals for Introductory Physics for the Life

SciencesPrivate Universe http://www.learner.org/resources/series28.html

If a camera crew making a documentary on student misconceptions in physics were to question biology majors at graduation, what would you be most embarrassed to find out that they did not know?

-Work with the people at your table-Designate a recorder and get the Working Group I document from the USB key-Share your thoughts in a small group and select 2-3 ideas you feel are most important

Facilitators please pass out USB keys

How do we define learning goals?

1. At what level do we want students to know something?

2. What are the different types of things we want students to know?

Levels of KnowledgeBloom’s Taxonomy, 1956

Synthesis & Evaluation

Analysis

Application

Comprehension

Knowledge

Higher-level cognitive skills

Lower-level cognitive skills

Higher cognitive orders

Lower cognitive orders

What level of understanding do you want them to gain?

Bloom's Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain (Levels of Learning)

1. Factual Knowledge: remember and recall factual information

2. Comprehension: demonstrate understanding of ideas, concepts

3. Application: apply comprehension to unfamiliar situations

4. Analysis: break down concepts into parts

5. Evaluation: think critically about and defend a position

6. Synthesis: transform, combine ideas to create something new

Define, List, State, Label, Name, Describe

Describe, Explain, Summarize, Interpret, Illustrate

Apply, Demonstrate, Use, Compute, Solve, Predict, Construct, Modify

Compare, Contrast, Categorize, Distinguish, Identify, Infer

Develop, Create, Propose, Formulate, Design, Invent

Judge, Appraise, Recommend, Justify, Defend, Criticize, Evaluate

Higher level: Require deeper conceptual understanding

Lists of verbs in the USB document

Check-list for creating learning goals: • Is goal expressed in terms of what the student will achieve or be able to

do? • Is the Bloom’s level of the goal aligned with your actual expectations? • Is the goal well-defined? Is it clear how you would measure

achievement? • Do chosen verbs have a clear meaning? • Is terminology familiar/common? If not, is the terminology a goal? • Is it relevant and useful to students? (e.g. connected to their everyday

life OR does it represent a useful application of the ideas)

Writing Learning Goals Based on the Brainstorm Ideas

At the end of my physics course, a biology student should be able to….Work with your group to write 1-2 learning goals based on the

brainstorm ideas, file has sample verbs-Group recorders please record the group ideas

How do we define learning goals?

1. At what level do we want students to know something?

2. What are the different types of things we want students to know?

Different Types of Things we Want Students to Know

FACTS:Terminology,

information, details

CONCEPTSClassifications, categories,

principles, models, reasoning. Analyze, explain, and predict the world around you

PROCEDURES: Skills, techniques,

methods, problem-solving. Thinking like a scientist: Use alternative representations, compare

and contrast, strategize, justify, design an experiment, create a graph.

AFFECTIVE (attitudes & beliefs):

Appreciate, enjoy, value. Recognize that the behavior of the world around you is not magical and mysterious, but rather can be understood and

predicted using certain fundamental principles.

Learning Goals Focused on Problem Solving

Some sample ideas:

At the end of a physics course, biology students should be able to….

1. recognize which real-world problems are subject to mathematical reasoning

2. solve problems using general quantitative problem solving skills within the context of physics

3. solve problems using general qualitative logical reasoning within the context of physics

Henderson et al., 2001 Instructors’ Ideas about Problem Solving

In your small group, write at least one additional learning goal focused on problem solving

Thank You

Stephanie Chasteen

Jenny Knight

Workshop materials adapted from:

Carl Wieman

More learning goal resources at http://www.colorado.edu/sei/fac-resources/learning-goals.html

Please save the learning goals document on a USB key, appending your last name to the filename (do NOT overwrite any files on the USB key) or email to Bob Hilborn at rhilborn@aapt.org