.

Archbold Biological StationProject FIRST

Evaluation of February workshop

• Questionnaire• How and Why walk• Oak Gall Project

Goals for May workshop• Review timetable• Clarify goals and objectives of workshops• More discussion of cooperative learning• More information on evaluation techniques

a. Use field stations as the foci to build and maintain coalitions of faculty who will implement and sustain reform in undergraduate biology education at the field station and in their colleges and universities.

b. Prepare teams at field stations to become regional professional developers of biology faculty, including new faculty and post-doctoral students.

c. Enable the field station teams and associated faculty to gain experience in inquiry-based science teaching and learning through workshops that model this kind of science teaching.

d. Enhance faculty's ability to provide all students opportunities to gain scientific understanding through direct experience with methods and processes of inquiry in the field, and in undergraduate science courses.

e. Facilitate collaboration and communication among faculty about their reforms in biology teaching using electronic media.

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~jhodder/The specific goals of the FIRST project are to:

Distribution of OBFS field stations in USA,and the 5 FIRST sites

Archbold Biological Station

San Diego State University Field

StationsSouthwestern Research

Station

St. Croix Watershed Research Station

Hancock Biological Station

Goals for Archbold Faculty Workshops Build a coalition of Florida institutions, in partnership with Archbold

Biological Station, to establish and support a regional network of faculty and staff committed to enhancing the teaching of undergraduates.

Use the facilities and field sites at Archbold, in conjunction with explorations of available teaching methods, to increase participant’s understanding of Florida ecosystems, and to enhance the ability of participants to convey complex concepts in field biology to undergraduate classes.

Develop a series of inquiry-based, field exercises that could be incorporated in a wide variety of undergraduate courses from introductory to upper-level.

Give participants the opportunity to pose interesting questions in the field, access scientific information at Archbold, seek instructional support, and develop teaching strategies to address these questions.

Encourage faculty and institutional interest to use field studies and field sites, such as Archbold, as teaching forums, and promote general interest in Florida ecosystems and species.

MAERC field project activities

• Background knowledge probe• Brief introduction to the MAERC field project (at Ranch)• Minute paper• Tour of MAERC site • Collection of field data at site• Brief project review• Concept mapping exercise• Minute paper

Background knowledge probe assessment technique

• Determine starting point for a given exercise (specific knowledge)• Not a test – we had no expectations that anyone should be familiar with

these facts – simply to help make effective instructional decisions• Anonymous • Give back the overall results • Responses affected which material presented in our introduction to the

field exercise at the Ranch

Groups. 5 minutes per group to discuss their project. 3 minute presentations to briefly outline hypotheses,

methodology, and exploratory data1.

Dr. Bradley Bennett

Dr. Cindy Bennington

Dr. Michael Binford

2.

Dr. Suzanne Koptur

Dr. Peter May

Dr. Stephen Mulkey

3.

Dr. Lyman O’Neal

Dr. Earl McCoy

Dr. Kaoru Kitajima

4.

Dr. Terence Farrell

Mr. James Beever

5.

Dr. Henry Mushinsky

Dr. Mark Brenner

Ranch field project assessment• Concept mapping - a large scale drawing or diagram (wheel, web, map, flow

chart) showing the mental connections the group makes between the major concept we focused on - the multiple effects of grazing in pastures - and other concepts you learned today, or are already familiar with

• You might think of this a bit like a food web - consider abiotic and biotic factors as well as economic, and socio-political factors. Think of direct and indirect associations.

• Post drawing on the wall for all groups to review.

2 Minute paper

• How have you changed your mind about the potential value of using such human modified landscapes for teaching?

MAERC field project EvaluationEvaluate whether met goals of MAERC field projectEvaluation by concept mapping1.Develop ability to apply principles and generalizations already learned to new problems and situations (relevance of ecology to other disciplines and usefulness of human modified areas for study)2. Develop ability to draw reasonable inferences from observations 3. Develop ability to synthesize and integrate information and ideas across disciplines (interdisciplinary nature of project) 4.Develop ability to think holistically 5. Learn facts of this subject (also compare with background probe)Evaluation by Minute paper1. Improve listening skills2. Learn to appreciate important contributions to this subject3. Develop openness to new ideasEvaluation by group participation1. Ability to follow instructions directions and plans2. Ability to work productively with others.

Evaluation Tools

What are your goals for student learning?How do you know that you have achieved them?

Classroom assessment (also lab and fieldwork) involves students and faculty in continuous monitoring of student’s learning•Give faculty feedback about their effectiveness as teachers•Give students a measure of their progress as learners

Angelo and Cross 1993, Classroom Assessment Techniques - see handout.

Teaching goals

What are your goals for student learning?In a course, class, laboratory or field exercise 1. Higher order thinking skills2. Basic Academic success skills3. Discipline specific knowledge and Skills4. Liberal arts and academic values5. Work and Career preparation6. Personal development

Rank 1-5 scale from essential through not applicable. Angelo and Cross 1993, Classroom Assessment Techniques - see handout.

How will you know that your students have achieved these goals? (assessment tools)

1. concept mapping (Higher order thinking skills)2. minute paper (Basic Academic success skills)3. background knowledge probe (Discipline specific knowledge and Skills)4. pro and con list from different perspectives (Liberal arts and academic values)5. directed paraphrasing (Work and Career preparation)6. profiles of admirable individuals (Personal development)See cross tabulation of teaching goals versus assessment tools (N=50). Angelo and Cross 1993, Classroom Assessment Techniques - see handout.

Planning for team field project• This evening complete planning for the inquiry-based,

field-oriented exercise which your whole group will use individually, or as a group, in a course or program (identify which courses, explain how fits into the course), preferably tackling concept (s) that students find difficult to grasp.

• List goals for the exercise (these may vary among faculty)

• Plan for which cooperative learning techniques to employ

• Consider evaluation tools appropriate to show if met goals.

• Fill in template form provided, digital version available too May workshop TAB Team Field Projects. We will collect these at end of evening to share among groups.

• Let us know where you want to do this exercise, and any supplies you need, so we can be set for transport in the morning.

Review of team field project• Presentations

• List goals for the exercise (these may vary among faculty)

• Plan for which co-operative learning techniques to employ

• Consider evaluation tools appropriate to show if met goals.

• Complete template form provided, digital version available too.

• Let us know where you want to do this exercise, and any supplies you need, so we can be set for transport in the morning.

How could teams use this workshop to facilitate more students learning science better at their own institutions?

• How do you currently work with your other colleagues/ department members in terms of teaching? In what ways do you interact with peers in teaching? Do you co-plan courses or laboratories? Do you co-teach? Do you co-process or co-analyze what your students know and are able to do? Do you change your syllabi in response to interaction with colleagues. Are faculty teaching interactions individually promoted or institutionally driven?

• Do you have ideas for constructive changes in collaborating with colleagues over teaching? How does your team plan to function upon return to the university in terms of continuing to collaborate - including providing each other constructive feedback??

• Think about - how your faculty team might measure and assess your own and student progress? How to measure the impact of this professional experience on the classroom/ lab/field post-workshop?

How could individuals and teams use this workshop to facilitate more students learning science better at their own institutions?

• Neighbor introduction

• Observations of comments from “how you currently work with your other colleagues/ department members in terms of teaching?” (DEM - 5 minutes)

• Write down the ideas you have for constructive changes in your own teaching which you plan to try over the coming 7 months. 2 mins Individuals - each give one example 10 minutes

• Write down the ideas you have for your team to continue to collaborate with colleagues over teaching over the coming 7 months. In teams 20 minutes. Report 10 minutes ( 2 minutes each)

• How could you measure the impact (individually and as a team) of this workshop experiences on the classroom/ lab/field post-workshop? (DEM discuss)

• List two institutional changes would most help you achieve these goals (DEM to collate .