Open Inquiry-Based Science Learning in an International Field-Course: Students as Research Scientists and Global Citizens

Jacqueline S. McLaughlin, Ph.D.Jacqueline S. McLaughlin, Ph.D.Kathy Fadigan, Ed.D.Kathy Fadigan, Ed.D.

Dr. Jacqueline S. McLaughlin

Associate Professor of BiologyPenn State Lehigh Valley

Cell and Developmental Biologist – Ph.D. from Rutgers University/University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Founding Director of the international Connecting Humans And Nature through Conservation Experiences (CHANCE) environmental education and professional development program. whose

overarching goal is to educate K- 12 science teachers and students, and undergraduate and graduate students in conservation biology and global environmental sustainability through scientific inquiry.

Research interests:

International programming and assessment

Teaching and learning with technology

The use of open-ended inquiry in science education

Dr. Kathleen Fadigan

Assistant Professor of Science EducationPenn State University, Abington College

Program Coordinator – Childhood & Early Adolescent Education Degree - Ed.D. from Temple University, Curriculum, Instruction, & Technology in Education: Mathematics & Science.

Research Associate of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis.

Research interests:

Informal science education

Gender equity in STEM

Science fairs

Objectives for Presentation1) Present Penn State CHANCE Program - students

and teachers travel the world-either physically or virtually-to carry out real-world research on some of the world's most troubling environmental issues.

2) Overview Penn State CHANCE Panama program.3) Highlight pilot research data that supports the

use of field research (higher-end inquiry) and exploration as a means to enhance student understanding of, and engagement in, environmental science and global environmental sustainability.

The world’s ecosystems The world’s ecosystems are in trouble.are in trouble.

Why CHANCE?

• Habitat Destruction• Invasive Species• Pollution• Human Population Explosion• Overharvesting• Global Warming

HIPPO + G

Edward O. Wilson

What is CHANCE?CHANCE (Connecting Humans And Nature through Conservation Experiences) is an environmental education and professional development program whose overarching goal is educate K-12 science teachers and students, and undergraduate and graduate students, in conservation biology and global environmental sustainability through scientific inquiry (RESEARCH).

What is CHANCE?Through international field courses and on-line research modules participants engage in higher-level inquiry-based research opportunities and conservation efforts that allow them to better understand some of the world’s most troubling environmental issues.

Biology 497 Global Environmental Sustainability

A Field Study in China

(May14-31, 2011)

What are the CHANCE Modules?

The CHANCE modules are a set of on-line, environmentally themed, learning tools that utilize authentic research data. Targeted toward high school science students, each module features a student-as-researcher approach through student manipulation of a data set contributed by scientists who are currently investigating the topic.

CHANCE engages with the world, interacting with local, national, and global organizations, institutions, corporations and communities in productive relationships and research activities, all in the name of educational outreach and global environmental sustainability .

• Professors & Teachers• Researchers• College Graduates• High School Students• Universities• Educational Organizations• Government Organizations• Corporations• Non-Government Organizations

Relationships

CHANCE Website

www.chance.psu.edu

Just the Facts? Introductory Undergraduate BiologyCourses Focus on Low-Level Cognitive Skills

Jennifer L. Momsen, Tammy M. Long, Sara A. Wyse, and Diane Ebert-MayDepartment of Plant Biology and Center for Integrative Studies in Biology, Michigan State University

Figure 1. Assessment items and syllabi goals binned by cognitive (Bloom’s) level. Level 1: comprehension; 2: understanding; 3: application; 4: analysis; 5: synthesis; 6: evaluation. Frequencies show faculty set course goals that target higher cognitive processes and assess lower cognitive processes

http://www.lifescied.org/content/9/4/435.full.pdf+html

A Revolution is Underway!

Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education:

A Call to Action

This document was the culmination of three years of work by the AAAS and NSF, in conjunction with hundreds of biology educators,

administrators and students nationwide to gather information about how to bring biology education into the 21st century.

Vision and Change In Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action.

American Association for the Advancement of Science/National Science Foundation, 2009.

www.visionandchange.org

Vision and Change:Core Competencies

Students should have the ability to:

apply the process of science

employ quantitative reasoning

utilize modeling and simulation

tap into the interdisciplinary nature of science

communicate and collaborate with other disciplines

understand relationships between science and societyVision and Change In Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action.

American Association for the Advancement of Science/National Science Foundation, 2009.

www.visionandchange.org

How do we improve student learning of environmental science while mobilizing

students to think about societal and environmental challenges?

CHANCE Panama interventions:Pre-trip assignments: CHANCE research modulesField research activities with real scientistsEcosystem expoloration

Biology 297/497 Global Climate Change – Sustainability of Select Tropical and Aquatic Ecosystems with A Practicum in Panama

(July 6-22, 2012)

Student Research Presentations Foraging Behaviors of Ants

in the Disturbed Jungle Floor

The Effects of Temperature on Birds in Gamboa, Panama

A Comparison on Conductance and Transpiration between Tropical Evergreen Deciduous Trees

Leaf Stomata Density in Psychotria marginata in Relation to Varying CO2 Concentrations and Light Conditions in Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama

Aim To assess how an international field

course influenced participants’ understanding of, and engagement in, authentic science practices, as well as their understanding of and engagement in global environmental stewardship.

Question 1

In what ways do CHANCE participants see themselves as capable of conducting authentic science?Difference btw “real scientists” and students

Time & ResourcesPrior knowledgeThe value of critical review

Realization that “I could actually be a scientist”

Question 2

In what ways did participants increase their engagement in global environmental stewardship activities as a result of completing the CHANCE field course?

Energy usageWaste reduction and recyclingEducationInternships and government conservation

programs

Richard Louv on the Sense of Wonder

http://youtu.be/Pv9LReWnmhw

Thank you!

Visit CHANCE online: www.chance.psu.edu