Open Inquiry-Based Science Learning in an International
Field-Course: Students as Research Scientists and Global
Citizens
Jacqueline S. McLaughlin, Ph.D.
Kathy Fadigan, Ed.D.
Dr. Jacqueline S. McLaughlin
Associate Professor of Biology
Penn 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 Education
Penn 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 Presentation
1) 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.
Why CHANCE?
The world’s ecosystems
are in trouble.
HIPPO + G
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Habitat Destruction
Invasive Species
Pollution
Human Population Explosion
Overharvesting
Global Warming
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-asresearcher approach through
student manipulation of a data set
contributed by scientists who are
currently investigating the topic.
Relationships
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 .
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Professors & Teachers
Researchers
College Graduates
High School Students
Universities
Educational Organizations
Government Organizations
Corporations
Non-Government Organizations
CHANCE Website
www.chance.psu.edu
Just the Facts? Introductory Undergraduate Biology
Courses Focus on Low-Level Cognitive Skills
Jennifer L. Momsen, Tammy M. Long, Sara A. Wyse, and Diane Ebert-May
Department of Plant Biology and Center for Integrative Studies in Biology, Michigan State University
CBE—Life Sciences Education
Vol. 9, 435– 440, Winter 2010
Article
Just the Facts? Introductory Undergraduate Biology
Courses Focus on Low-Level Cognitive Skills
Jennifer L. Momsen,*† Tammy M. Long,‡ Sara A. Wyse,*§ and Diane Ebert-May*
*Department of Plant Biology and ‡Center for Integrative Studies in Biology, Michigan State University, East
Lansing, MI 48824
Submitted January 4, 2010; Revised April 8, 2010; Accepted April 14, 2010
Monitoring Editor: Robert DeHaan
Introductory biology courses are widely criticized for overemphasizing details and rote memorization of facts. Data to support such claims, however, are surprisingly scarce. We sought to
determine whether this claim was evidence-based. To do so we quantified the cognitive level of
learning targeted by faculty in introductory-level biology courses. We used Bloom’s Taxonomy
of Educational Objectives to assign cognitive learning levels to course goals as articulated on
syllabi and individual items on high-stakes assessments (i.e., exams and quizzes). Our investigation revealed the following: 1) assessment items overwhelmingly targeted lower cognitive
levels, 2) the cognitive level of articulated course goals was not predictive of the cognitive level
of assessment items, and 3) there was no influence of course size or institution type on the
cognitive levels of assessments. These results support the claim that introductory biology courses
emphasize facts more than higher-order thinking.
INTRODUCTION
Contemporary biology has experienced a paradigm shift
away from linear, reductionist thinking toward a study of
complex, interconnected systems (Woese, 2004; Goldenfeld
and Woese, 2007). Research in the basic life sciences requires
quantitative methodologies and integration of knowledge
across scales of time and space. This changing landscape of
biology has amplified expectations for students majoring in
the life sciences. Practitioners in both academics and industry place a premium on students who not only know biology
but also are skilled in effective communication, critical
thinking, and problem-solving abilities in the field (National
DOI: 10.1187/ cbe.10 – 01– 0001
Address correspondence to: Jennifer L. Momsen (jennifer.momsen@
ndsu.edu).
†
Present address: Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University,
Fargo, ND 58108.
§
Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Bethel University, St. Paul, MN 55112.
© 2010 J. L. Momsen et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2010 The
American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by
The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the
author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–
Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons
License (http:/ / creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by-nc-sa/ 3.0).
Science Foundation [NSF], 1996; National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, 2007; American Association of Medical Colleges and
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 2009). In fact, the particular relevance of biological science in society merits attention to these skill sets for all students, regardless of discipline
(National Research Council [NRC], 2002, 2003).
Undergraduate biology courses are widely criticized for
overemphasizing details and rote memorization of facts,
especially at the introductory level (American Association
for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1989; Bransford et
al., 1999). “Large-enrollment, fact-oriented, instructor-centered, lecture-based biology courses” (Wood, 2009b) persist
at the expense of helping students develop higher-level cognitive skills. On what evidence do we base such claims?
Critics of undergraduate biology education often blame
standardized tests, like the Medical College Admission Test,
Graduate Record Examination, and Advanced Placement
(AP) exam, for promoting assessment of factual minutiae in
introductory courses (NRC, 2002; Wood, 2002; NRC, 2003).
Yet a recent analysis of the cognitive levels targeted by these
exams debunks this claim (Zheng et al., 2008), finding that
standardized exams routinely assess some higher cognitive
levels. Furthermore, revisions of the AP courses and associated assessments are expected to shift the emphasis in biology from memorization of facts to understanding big ideas
435
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 society
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
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 modules
 Field research activities with real scientists
 Ecosystem 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 & Resources
 Prior knowledge
 The 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 usage
 Waste reduction and recycling
 Education
 Internships and government conservation
programs
Richard Louv on the Sense of Wonder
http://youtu.be/Pv9LReWnmhw
Thank you!
Visit CHANCE online: www.chance.psu.edu