Ethel Stanley, BioQUEST Curriculum ConsortiumSam Donovan, University of Pittsburgh

Jackson State UniversityJackson, MS

April 25, 2013

Cyberlearning in Community Colleges (C3):Using Information and Communication

Technology to Engage Undergraduates in Biology

What is Cyberlearning?“Learning that is mediated by networked computing and communications technologies”

Borgman, C. (2008), Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge. Report of the NSF Taskforce on Cyberlearning. NSF, Arlington, VA.

21st Century Learners21st century learners must be able to navigate knowledge in a highly networked and global society.

Faculty members are currently facing a rapid shift in students’ expectations as these students increasingly engage in self-directed learning. We need to address the use of technology in the way these students ask questions, gather data, and make evidence-based decisions.

Why Cyberlearning?

To address the growing disconnect between schooling and learning (Collins, 2009).

The C3 Project

Professional development workshops and online collaborative activities for community college biology faculty.

http://c3cyberlearning.ning.com/

Exploring data, tools, social networking, disciplinary and multidisciplinary resources, and visualizations for use with adult learners.

The C3 Project

The C3 Project leverages digital library resources, networked computing and communications technologies, and E-science data and tools to engage faculty in cyberlearning strategies.

Our goals included:•help faculty build connections to professional communities withScientific & Teaching Society Partners•promote scholarly approaches to teaching and learning by working closely with Digital Library Partners

C3 Partners

Cyberlearning: 4 Themes

In the C3 Cyberlearning Project we are focusing on

Integrating media literacy and disciplinary literacy

Making teaching and learning processes visible

Leveraging existing tools and data to support rich learning experiences

Supporting student centered learning

Nature of science in policy documents

… undergraduates need to understand the process of science, the interdisciplinary nature of the new biology, and how science is closely integrated within society.

Students should be competent in communication and collaboration, as well as have a certain level of quantitative competency, and a basic ability to understand and interpret data.

Vision and Change: A Call to Action (2011)

Visual Literacy and Animations

http://www.johnkyrk.com/photosynthesis.htmlhttp://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/forestbiology/photosynthesis.swf

Collecting Data from Images

Visualizing Datahttp://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/http://www.gapminder.org/

Changing the Science Classroom

Coal Miner on 1918 Flu

Pollen Bots

WorldMapper

Staying Current

Connected Learning: an agenda for research and Design Digital Media and Learning Research Hub. Irvine, CA. January 2013http://dmlhub.net/sites/default/files/ConnectedLearning_report.pdf

Questions and comments?

American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2010). Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action. Washington, DC: AAAS (Accessed Mar 2012)http://visionandchange.org/viewfinalreport/

Collins, Allan, and Richard Halverson. 2009. Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America. New York: Teachers College Press

National Science Foundation. (2008). Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge. Washington, DC: NSF. (Accessed Mar 2012)http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08204/nsf08204.pdf National Research Council. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. (Accessed Mar 2012) http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9853 National Research Council. (2009). A New Biology for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. (Accessed Mar 2012) http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12764

Connected Learning: An Agenda for Research and Design. Digital Media and Learning Research Hub. Irvine, CA. January 2013http://dmlhub.net/sites/default/files/ConnectedLearning_report.pdf