Creative Scientific Inquiry Experience (CSIE): Developing an Integrated Science Curriculum Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti MI USA Ellene Tratras Contis Joanne Caniglia and Kathleen Stacey ICIE 2006 Athens Greece
1 Outline n Why leave STEM*? n Success in STEM n University Profile n Developing the Experiences n CSIE Outcomes for Sustainability n Early Project Activities n Contact Information/website n Questions/Comments… *STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
2 Why do UGs leave (STEM*)? Three­year comprehensive study found: n Lack or loss of interest in science; n Belief that non­STEM majors hold more interest; n Poor teaching by STEM faculty; n Feeling overwhelmed by pace and workload of curriculum demands. *STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
3 Why do UGs leave STEM? STEM education has moved beyond the discipline­based model to outcomes­based instruction that enables students to: n n n n Construct their own understanding of concepts; Internalize relationships between concept/processes; Develop critical thinking skills; Integrate concepts with everyday experiences.
4 Defining Success… Programs that attract/sustain student interest feature learning that is: n Experiential (hands­on); n Investigative; n Personally significant to students/faculty; n Connected to other inquiries; n Suggestive of practical application to students’ lives.
5 Defining Success… Learning flourishes in a community in which faculty are committed equally to: n Teaching; n Maintaining their own intellectual vitality; n Partnering with students in learning; n Existing institutional support.
6 University Profile Eastern Michigan University (EMU) is a comprehensive, public, metropolitan university located in the culturally diverse, technology, research, and manufacturing corridor of southeast Michigan. n Institution of opportunity; n Matriculates 19,000 undergraduate and 5600 graduate students; n Accepts about 2500 traditional first­year students yearly; n Commuter campus ­ approximately 70% of the total student enrollment within a 70­75 km radius.
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University Profile n n n Supports 34 STEM major degree programs; 117 full­time STEM faculty in six academic departments within the College of Arts and Sciences; CSIE Program n is administered within the Office of Undergraduate Studies and Curriculum (UGS&C); n collaborates with established academic support programs and services in the divisions of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Enrollment Services.
9 Goals to Increase STEM Graduates Focused on innovative pedagogical design and course delivery including: n Academic Service­Learning; n Customized academic support; n Career exploration and mentorship; n Interdisciplinary theme­based experiences developed by faculty.
10 CSIE Experiences n CSIEs are interdisciplinary, theme­based clusters of three courses: n Two courses are gateway requirements in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Mathematics, or Physics; n Third course is a CSIE seminar anchoring the specific theme.
11 Course Development Faculty Development Student Development
Development 12 Courses… n Develop 7 STEM Gateway courses; n Develop 3 Next­In­Progression courses; n Develop and integrate courses based on common theme.
13 STEM Gateway Courses n Are first or second course required in a STEM major; n Satisfy a general education requirement or prerequisite; n Complete program requirements in other STEM departments; n Require a skill­prerequisite, such as, high school biology, chemistry, and/or mathematics;
14 STEM Gateway Courses in CSIE Computer Science ­ Introduction to Programming ­ Programming Data Structures Physics ­ Mechanics Sound & Heat ­ Electricity & Light Mathematics Biology ­ College Algebra ­ Introductory Biology I ­ Plane Trigonometry ­ Introductory Biology II ­ Pre­Calculus Chemistry ­ Calculus I Geology ­ General Chemistry I ­ Calculus II ­ Dynamic Earth ­ General Chemistry II Systems
15 CSIE Faculty Fellows… n Earn released­assignment time to develop integrated course; n Train in Academic­Service Learning pedagogy; n Participate in Summer Institute for creative linkages; n Develop team approach to research­ oriented community­based research.
16 CSIE Student­Scholars… n Learn to partner with others on community­based research projects; n Experience career exploration with local practitioners in their fields; n Experience smaller class size and book/supplies subsidies; n Have access to academic support services.
17 Practical Problem Solving n College Algebra n Introduction to Computer Programming n CSIE Seminar: “When will we ever use this?” Faculty continue to refine this CSIE and will use algebraic methods, graphical analysis, and computer programming to answer the practical use question in support of the local chapter of Meals on Wheels regarding operations and logistics.
18 Issues in Biology and Chemistry n Introductory Biology I n General Chemistry I n CSIE Seminar: “Super­sized how?” Faculty are currently developing this CSIE and will explore shared themes in biology and chemistry such as macromolecules. The tentative theme is to examine how this and other concepts relate to nutritional quality.
19 2010 Project Outcomes n n n n n Increase persistence rate from 40­65% in traditional course progressions to 85% in CSIE; Enroll 250 CSIE students per semester; Train a critical mass of 25% STEM faculty in CSIE; Double number STEM graduates from underrepresented groups; By the end of this project, CSIE will progress 50% more majors into upper division STEM courses. Following chart shows degrees awarded to STEM majors.
20 STEM Graduates by Department 100 50 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 6 yr 2005 avg
Biology 45 51 64 40 42 64 51 Chemistry 45 28 26 23 30 27 30 Computer Science 42 57 49 56 40 36 47 Mathematics 83 79 77 69 81 72 77 Physics & Astronomy 25 15 25 27 24 25 24 21 Early Project Activities n Increasing awareness of CSIE Program ; n Collaborating with academic advising and admissions, department heads and faculty, science clubs and feeder courses to recruit students; n Selecting and scheduling course sequences for STEM Faculty Fellows; n Designing CSIE Faculty Fellows Institute; n Scheduling two pilot CSIEs for Fall 2006;
22 Early Project Activities (cont.) n n n n n Developing integrated activities for the CSIEs; Communicating with Meals on Wheels for academic service­learning projects; Coordinating with existing EMU support services such as supplemental instruction leaders, tutoring, and peer mentorship programs; Partnering with university information systems for effective collecting and processing of data; Developing research instruments, defining and collecting benchmark data.
23 Acknowledgements ­ Project Team n Ellene Tratras Contis, PhD ­ Principal Investigator Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies Professor of Chemistry n Joanne Caniglia, PhD ­ Co­Investigator Professor of Mathematics n Kathleen Stacey, PhD ­ Co­Investigator Director of Academic Service­Learning Professor of Communication n n Anne Seaman, MED, MSHROD ­ Program Director Graduate Assistants: n n n Annie Heintz (English) Kishore Kumar Chidarapu (Computer Science) Eleni Tharouniati (Mathematics)
24 Contact Information For more information visit our website: www.emich.edu/csie
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