ngss beyond k-12: freshman college biology “gets real” at gonzaga university julie beckstead...
TRANSCRIPT
NGSS beyond K-12: Freshman College Biology “Gets Real” at Gonzaga
University
Julie Beckstead Amanda Braley
Helen Smith
Transition From Breadth to Depth
Are you concerned whether your students will be prepared for college-level science?
•Gonzaga’s new integrative curriculum
•Authentic research laboratory experience
•Student responses to the experience
Gonzaga’s curriculum transformation
Old Curriculum
•Designed 1990•Courses – content & discipline focused•Labs – scientific method, techniques, & exposure to diversity
New Curriculum
•Designed 2012•Admitted “content” limits•Courses – Key concepts & Integrative •Labs – scientific method, techniques PLUS authentic research experience
Shift from discipline-content focus to an integrative approach immersing students in doing science
Gonzaga’s curriculum transformation
Old Biology Core New Biology Core
Year 1 Fall Biol 101 Diversity of Life Biol 105 Information Flow in Biol Systems
Biol 101L Diversity of Life Lab Biol 105L Phage Discovery Lab
Chem 101 General Chemistry Chem 101 General Chemistry
Year 1 Spring Biol 102 Ecology Biol 106 Energy Flow in Biol Systems (No lab)
Biol 102L Ecology Lab No lab
Chem 230 Organic Chemistry I Chem 230 Organic Chemistry I
Year 2 Fall Biol 201 Cell Biology Biol 205 Physiology and Biodiversity
Biol 201L Cell Biology Lab Biol 205L Physiology Lab
Chem 331 Organic Chemistry II Chem 331 Organic Chemistry II
Year 2 Spring Biol 202 Genetics & Evolution Biol 206 Ecology
Biol 202L Genetics Lab Biol 206L Ecology Lab
Chem 240 Bioanalytical Chemistry Chem 240 Bioanalytical Chemistry
Year 3 Upper division Biol electives Biol 207 Genetics & Lab
Additional Chem Upper division Biol electives
Additional Physics Additional Chem
Additional Physics
Gonzaga’s new integrative curriculum
Energy Flow in Biological Systems
1.How do you get energy?
2.What is energy?
3.How does energy transfer between organisms?
4.How do humans impact energy transfer in biological
systems?
NGSS – and the University scene
Next Generation Science Standards (2013) focus on deeper understanding of overarching themes and crosscutting concepts similar to Gonzaga’s new curriculum and College level Vision and Change
College Vision and Change Gonzaga's new curriculum NGSS High School
Core concept: evolution Biol 105, 106, 205, 206, 207Disciplinary core: evolution and natural selection
Core concept: structure and function Biol 105, 106, 205, 207Disciplinary core: structure and function AND cross cutting concept
Core concept: information flow Biol 105, 106, 207 Disciplinary core: information processing
Core concept: tranformations of energy and matter Biol 106, 206Disciplinary core: cycles of matter and energy transfer AND cross cutting concept
Core concept: systems Biol 106, 206 Cross cutting concept: system models
Core competencies: apply process of science Biol 105L, and all courses Practices of science and engineering
Core competencies: use quantitative reasoning Biol 105L, and all courses Practices of science and engineering
Core competencies: use modeling and simulation Area still under development Understanding the nature of science
Core competencies: interdisciplinary nature of science Biol 105L, 105, 106 Understanding the nature of science
Core competencies: communicate science Biol 105L, and all courses Understanding the nature of science
Core competencies: relationship between science and society Biol 106, 205, 206, 207 Understanding the nature of science
Transition From Breadth to Depth
Are you concerned whether your students will be prepared for college-level science?
•Gonzaga’s new integrative curriculum
•Authentic research laboratory experience
•Student responses to this experience
Gonzaga’s Authentic Research Experience
Transforming the Undergraduate Biology Laboratory Experience:
•What is an Authentic Research Experience?
•What do we study at Gonzaga?
•What do students need to know to succeed?
Gonzaga’s Authentic Research Experience
What is an Authentic Research Experience?
•Engaged in real science problems1, 2
•The problems have no known solution1,2
•Students interact with peers and other scientists1,2
•Experienced mentors model problem solving1,2
•The tools, skills, and practices are current and real1,2
•High potential for presentation and/or publication21. Laursen, S; A Hunter; E Seymour; H Thiry; G Melton. 2010. Undergraduate Research in the
Sciences: Engaging Students in Real Science. San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons.
2. Brownell, Sara E., Matthew J. Kloser, Tadishi Fukami, and Rich Shavelson. 2012. Undergraduate Biology Lab Courses: Comparing the Impact of Traditionally Based “Cookbook” and Authentic Research-Based Courses on Student Lab Experiences. Journal of College Science Teaching 41(4): 36-45
Gonzaga’s Authentic Research Experience
Gonzaga students study bateriophages. Bacteriophages (aka “phages”) are viruses that infect bacteria.
Phage Arthur, 2014
All Introductory Biology Students (freshmen) are immersed in a real research program that continues for those in the major.
Gonzaga’s Authentic Research Experience
Phage Discovery Lab
•Collect
•Purify
•Characterize
o Plaque formation
o Virus morphology
o Genome
Gonzaga’s Authentic Research Experience
Sophomore Genomics: Two Phage Modules
•Select phage genomes from the Phage Discovery Lab are sent
for sequencing
•Bacteriophage genome annotation, with students submitting
final annotation to GenBank
•Structural and evolutionary genome analysis
Phage Genomics
Genetic Analysis of Phage Diversity•Each student clones a fragment of his or her phage
•Cloned fragments are sent for sequencing
•Relationships with known phages determined from public
databases (BLASTn, PhagesDB.org)
Gonzaga’s Authentic Research Experience
Junior or Senior Advanced Phage Research
Phages of different subclusters are isolated at 37C and 25C
Figure 1. Subcluster distribution of phages. Phages were isolated from soil around the Gonzaga campus in Spokane, WA in September 2011/2012 and in January 2013. Of 18 phages isolated at 37 ºC, 6 were of subcluster A3; 1 of A10; 1 of C1; 2 of E; 6 of F1; 1 of G; 1 of K4. Of 23 phages isolated at room temperature, 3 were of subcluster A1; 1 of A2, 1 of A6; 1 of A8; 2 of A9; 1 of G; 14 of K1.
Subclusters of phages isolated at 37C Subclusters of phages isolated at 25C
Gonzaga’s Authentic Research Experience
What skills do we think help students succeed in college research?
•Motivation
•Quantitative skills
•Communication (written and verbal)
•Group work
Gonzaga’s Authentic Research Experience
What skills do we think help students succeed in college research?
Quantitative Skills
How big is my phage?
If Arthur’s tail measures 4.8 cm on my screen
and the100 nm scale bar measures 1.3 cm,
how long is Arthur’s tail in nanometers?
Phage Arthur, 2014
And see also:• High School math classes are the only cross-
discipline predictor of success in college science classes (Sadler and Tai, 2007).
Transition From Breadth to Depth
Are you concerned whether your students will be prepared for college-level science?
•Gonzaga’s new integrative curriculum
•Authentic research laboratory experience
•Student responses to this experience
Student Responses
What did students gain from the authentic research experience?
What are the important components that allow for these student gains?
What did our students gain?
Similar to previous observations (Seymour et al 2005)
Thinking and working like a scientist
Increased interest and/or decisions about career/major
Skills, basic knowledge (skip; not unique)
Increased confidence
What did our students gain?
Thinking and working like a scientist: Making connections
Question: What was your favorite ‘ah-ha’ moment?*
I didn't have just one ah-ha moment, but rather felt that I was understanding the process and why I was doing what I was doing as the weeks progressed. I started out not entirely understanding the reasoning behind the steps we were taking. After a couple weeks everything started coming together. From that point on, I was sometimes confused, but my overall understanding continued to grow, which made me much more interested in the material.-Spring2014 Quote #39
What did our students gain?
Thinking and working like a scientist: Repeating/dealing with failure
Question: What was your favorite ‘ah-ha’ moment?*
I found that after having to do the DNA extraction a second time, I became more familiar with the process that we were doing in the experiment and it made more sense as to why we were doing each step.
-Spring 2014 Quote #100
What did our students gain?
Thinking and working like a scientist: Ownership
Question: What was your favorite ‘ah-ha’ moment?*
For me, receiving the TEM images was extremely reassuring. That was the moment that I realized that I was actually producing tangible, real results.
-Fall 2013 Quote #57
What did our students gain?
Thinking and working like a scientist:Science as a process: How is knowledge
created in science?
Question: Give an example of how has this lab impacted your understanding of science?
… by giving me an insight into the amount of time it takes to get the information that we read in our science books. It helped me to really see that science is a process and that results do not occur over night. -Fall 2013 Quote#347
What did our students gain?
Increased interest in major or informing their decisions about career
Question: Give an example of how has this lab influenced your specific educational or career goals?
…because it has me excited to go out and do more research before i go into medical school. This class was a blast and now i know how much i enjoy research. -Fall2013 Quote#506
it made me realize how much i don't find research interesting-Spring2014 Quote#578
What did our students gain?
Increased confidence
…The culture of applying to med-school is highly competitive, and there is a lot of emphasis on not messing up. I think this is very unhealthy, and only promotes a false sense of self-confidence; but it's okay to make mistakes -- it's how we learn (or at least how I learn best). Because of this, I no longer have any fears of messing up, and I'm okay with that. -Spring2014 Quote#614
I definitely feel much more confident going into other labs now and I am not so afraid of learning how to use unfimiliar techonology in a lab setting.-Spring2014 Quote#617
What did students gain from our authentic research experience?
Thinking/working like a scientist Experience science as a processOwnership
Informs career/major, increase interest
Increased confidence
What are the important components for an authentic research experience?
Important Components
Multi-week project that allows time for:Student learningRepeating procedures Summative assignments (poster, presentation,
exam/midterm)
Authentic research skills that transfer to career:MicropipettingAseptic techniqueLab notebookGroup work
•Colleges - more integrative approach with less subject-specific material
•Successful students – strong quantitative, communication, and interpersonal skills
•Early authentic research experiences for undergraduates
•Students gain – understanding the nature of science, confidence, interest, ownership
Conclusions
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to: Dr. Marianne PoxleitnerDr. Kirk Anders
Phage lab funding:Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Sciences (SEA-PHAGES)National Science Foundation (NSF)
Funding for conference: Gonzaga University College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Engineering, and the Office of Admissions