bioprospects learning communities

BioProspects Learning BioProspects Learning CommunitiesCommunities

It’s about creating a careerIt’s about creating a career

BioProspects Learning CommunityBioProspects Learning Community

Vision – To enrich and broaden the opportunities Vision – To enrich and broaden the opportunities available to Life-Sciences graduatesavailable to Life-Sciences graduates

Mission- Structured around a composite-learning Mission- Structured around a composite-learning approach, the BioProspects Learning approach, the BioProspects Learning Community will promote early-stage career Community will promote early-stage career awareness and planning amongst life science awareness and planning amongst life science graduates by fostering an interactive, graduates by fostering an interactive, knowledge-exchange community atmosphere knowledge-exchange community atmosphere supported by students, professors and industry supported by students, professors and industry representatives. representatives.

What does all this mean?What does all this mean?

Am I outside my comfort zone?Am I outside my comfort zone?

YESYES

Is this empirical?Is this empirical?

NONO

Is this important for career development?Is this important for career development?

That is for you to decideThat is for you to decide

Analyses of Drosophila Pkc 53E via Novel Gene Targeting

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Medical School Curricula on the United States Medical Licensing Examinations, 1992-1999: A Multi-level, Multivariate

Study

Results- LVPA Analysis

0.15

0.28

-0.29

0.040.83

0.22

0.55

0.71

0.82 0.810.69

0.78

0.90

0.85

0.790.45

Academic Achievement

Aptitude for Medicine

Competence in Medicine

Step1

Step2

Step3

VR

BS

PS

AgeGPA y2 GPAy1GPAy3

GPAy4

Curricular Structure

Fit Indicies: 2 (49) = 3263.94, p< 0.001; CFI = 0.931; RMSEA = 0.084; SRMR = 0.038

John Seely BrownJohn Seely Brown

Visiting scholar at USCVisiting scholar at USCChief Scientist of Xerox Corporation and Chief Scientist of Xerox Corporation and the director of its Palo Alto Research the director of its Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)Center (PARC)

Focus on organizational learning and Focus on organizational learning and research into learningresearch into learning

Calls himself “Chief of Confusion”Calls himself “Chief of Confusion”

Social Life of InformationSocial Life of Information Ch1 – infopunditryCh1 – infopunditry Ch2 – challenges of software agentsCh2 – challenges of software agents Ch3-5 – the social character of work and Ch3-5 – the social character of work and

learninglearning Ch6 – resources for innovationCh6 – resources for innovation Ch7 – unnoticed aspects of the document and Ch7 – unnoticed aspects of the document and

their implication for design more generallytheir implication for design more generally Ch8- the future of institutions, namely Ch8- the future of institutions, namely

universitiesuniversities

Social Life of InformationSocial Life of Information

Is IT all it is cracked up to be?Is IT all it is cracked up to be? information acquires meaning only through information acquires meaning only through

social context social context place technology into the social context place technology into the social context

that helps people understand what that helps people understand what information means and why it matters information means and why it matters

Learning Theories Anyone?Learning Theories Anyone?

Cognitivist, Constructionist, Humanist etc.Cognitivist, Constructionist, Humanist etc. Social Learning theory –VygotskySocial Learning theory –Vygotsky

Zones of proximal developmentZones of proximal development

What are learning communities?What are learning communities?

““A variety of approaches that link or cluster A variety of approaches that link or cluster classes, during a given term, often around classes, during a given term, often around an interdisciplinary theme, and enroll a an interdisciplinary theme, and enroll a common cohort of students.” (common cohort of students.” (Gabelnick et al. Gabelnick et al.

20042004))

Communities of PracticeCommunities of Practice

“ “groups of people who share a concern or a groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.” E. Wengerdo it better as they interact regularly.” E. Wenger

Consists of:Consists of: Shared domain of interestShared domain of interest Community where members engage in joint activities Community where members engage in joint activities

and discussionsand discussions Practice through sustained time and interaction Practice through sustained time and interaction

(shared repositories of resources)(shared repositories of resources)

www.ewenger.com/theorywww.ewenger.com/theory

What are academic What are academic communities?communities?

Ziman- Some Pathologies of the Scientific LifeZiman- Some Pathologies of the Scientific Life ““By accident of specialized education they By accident of specialized education they

(students) are depressingly ignorant of the most (students) are depressingly ignorant of the most elementary facts concerning the most famous elementary facts concerning the most famous figures and episodes even within their chosen figures and episodes even within their chosen discipline.”discipline.”

““They have no idea of the way in which modern They have no idea of the way in which modern science is organized and financed, nor any science is organized and financed, nor any notion of the various forms of employment or notion of the various forms of employment or office that may be open to them.”office that may be open to them.”

Ziman cont’dZiman cont’d

““What are the guiding principles, the What are the guiding principles, the behavioural norms of the scientific behavioural norms of the scientific community?”community?”

What are the similarities/differences?What are the similarities/differences?

What are the guiding principles, the What are the guiding principles, the behavioural norms of:behavioural norms of: Communities of practiceCommunities of practice Academic communitiesAcademic communities

Compare and contrast them, are they Compare and contrast them, are they similar or contradictory?similar or contradictory?

What is your path?What is your path?