A five month course combining a thematic student-faculty
research project and global education, conducted with Dickinson
faculty members and collaborating faculty from one of our
partner institutions. The program trains students in the process
of interdisciplinary research, team-building, and effective crosscultural communication.
Thomas Arnold, Associate Professor of Biology
Ian Tibbetts, Associate Professor of Biology
Brian Brubaker, Interim Executive Director of Global Education
Carla Maranto-Arnold, Assistant Director of Global Study
Neil Weisman, Provost and Dean of the College
STEM for the
st
21
century
“to ensure that the undergraduate biology taught in classrooms reflects the biology
practiced by scientists in their labs and in the field.”
understand
the process of
science
integrated
within society
Communication,
collaboration,
language
active,
outcomeoriented,
inquiry-driven
and relevant
Student–faculty research experiences
VISION AND CHANGE IN UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY EDUCATION: A CALL TO ACTION. AAAS, NSF, HHMI (2009)
STEM and Global Education
Challenges and opportunities
• Less funding, more pressure to assess
outcomes. Rise of the MOOCs: 86% online
professors believe MOOCs will significantly reduce
the cost of a college degree but 81% felt they
diverted a large amount of time from traditional
teaching and mentoring.
• STEM fields lack diversity & a global
perspective. Few U.S. graduates “possess the
cross-cultural skills to interact with representatives
from other cultures, adapt products and services to
new markets, cooperate with international partners,
and work with a cross-cultural team”1.
• Integration: global education and student / faculty
research are expensive, and often “conflicting
opportunities”.
• Re-entry: students often have trouble making
connections between their experiences abroad and
academic coursework.
STEM and Global Education
Challenges and opportunities
• A balanced education. SFR and global
education provide place-based educations
and mentoring that low-cost MOOCs can
not.
• A natural fit. Study abroad opportunities
provide STEM fields with access to a
diverse audience.
• A junior “super semester” provides a
global perspective, satisfies STEM
graduation requirements, and provides a
logical re-entry program.
A Global STEM Pilot Program
Impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems
Global Scholars
Pilot Program
Dickinson College
Research
•
Foundation
Academic Content
2,341 students; 40
programs, 24 countries;
60% study abroad;
tradition of global
education and student
research; “creative”
funding.
SCIE3241 and BIOL560
Marine station
orientation; 10 weeks of
evening lecture; 5 guest
lecturers; 5 journal club
meetings; 5 writing
workshops;1 manuscript /
4 revisions;1
presentation; 1 press
release.
• 17 juniors, 88%
female, 75% science
majors
Research / Culture
Marine station: safety
briefings, introduction to
environments, species
lists, field and lab work;
aboriginal culture; site
assessment; collections;
bioassays; data analysis;
sample transport
Re-entry
• Collaboration with
NSF-TUES sponsored
course (+22 students)
• Conference
presentations and
career workshops
• Manuscript publication
Global Scholars
Pilot Program
Dickinson College
Front Row (from left)- Professor Tom Arnold, Ioni Kokondis, Courtney Cara, Emily Seklecki, Esmeralda Alverez, Laura Schorfheide. Back
Row (from left)- Josh Margolis, Antonia Johnson, Phoebe Oldach, Katie Daley, Nicole Davidson, Casey Reilly, Amanda Karampatsos,
Chris Mealey, Kaitlin Jurewicz, Professor Ian Tibbetts, Christine Talbot, Anna Ramthun, Stephanie Bernasconi. Not Pictured: Annie
Weichert
Global Scholars
Pilot Program
Dickinson College
Program Assessment
External
funding
Family
support
Capacity
to fail
Internal
funding
Mature
teachers
Motivated
students
Venues for
sharing
Healthy
Int’l
program
Tenured
faculty
Safety
training
Support for
SFR
College
support
Healthy
Research
programs
Studentfriendly
facilities
Plug-in to
research
Two
committed
groups with
adequate
funding
Faculty
commitment
to teaching
and subject
expertise
Field & lab
facilities and
student
commitment
Ability to
convert
study abroad
into studyat-home
Track to
graduation
Center for Global Studies & Engagement
Center for Sustainability Education
European
MedSeA
Program Assessment
External
funding
Family
support
Capacity
to fail
Internal
funding
Mature
teachers
Motivated
students
Venues for
sharing
Healthy
Int’l
program
Tenured
faculty
Safety
training
Curricular
integration
College
support
Healthy
Research
programs
Studentfriendly
facilities
Plug-in to
research
Two
committed
groups with
adequate
funding
Faculty
commitment
to teaching
and subject
expertise
Field & lab
facilities and
student
commitment
Ability to
convert
study abroad
into studyat-home
Track to
graduation
Center for Global Studies & Engagement
Center for Sustainability Education
European
MedSeA
2014
Global Scholars Program
A community based research project to bring together students
from our partner institution in Japan, Akita International
University, with Dickinson students for a eight month project to
study the delivery of health care in rural Japan and rural
Pennsylvania. The highly selective program is currently accepting
applications for five positions on the international research team.