Janet Hodder

What We Say Is Not What We Do: Effective Evaluation of Faculty Professional Development Programs

Professional development (PD) workshops designed to help faculty move from teacher- to learner-centered science courses for undergraduates are typically evaluated with self-reported surveys that address facultys satisfaction with a workshop, what they learned, and what they applied in the classroom. Professional development outcomes are seldom evaluated through analysis of observed teaching practices. We analyzed videotapes of biology faculty teaching following PD to address three questions: (1) How learner centered was their teaching? (2) Did self-reported data about faculty teaching differ from the data from independent observers? (3) What variables predict teaching practices by faculty? Following PD, 89% of the respondents stated that they made changes in their courses that included active, learner-centered instruction. In contrast, observational data showed that participation in PD did not result in learner-centered teaching. The majority of faculty (75%) used lecture-based, teacher-centered pedagogy, showing a clear disconnect between facultys perceptions of their teaching and their actual practices.

Reproduction and survival of seabirds in Oregon during the 1982-1983 El Niño

Etude portant sur Uria aalge, Phalacrocorax penicillatus, Phalacrocorax pelagicus et Cepphus columba

Marine pathology: revealing the ocean's etiology to earthbound students

Harvell et al. (see pages 375-382) provide an excellent resource to help students bridge familiar topics in science with the unfamiliar. This review points out how little we know about diseases in the ocean and exemplifies the nature of science by discussing the process of investigating complex questions and showing that a lot of information is uncertain and awaits further exploration. Here we pre? sent a way to use this reading for a single class meeting, but this segment of instruction does not stand alone. It would fit well after a section on disease, viruses, immunology, or biogeochemical cycles.

Analyzing results: the tip of the iceberg

A s faculty dive deeper into educational research, accountability, reliability, and validation will push them to analyze their classroom data in more objective ways. In the May issue of Frontiers, we described two research designs appropriate for classroom research – multiple group and split-group comparisons. We used an example to analyze how students approach an ill-structured problem (Ebert-May et al. 2006). Here, in the final article in this series, we use assessment data from a single course in which we conducted a pilot study to illustrate an approach to research design and analysis. We begin by describing the human subject approval for research and then show the initial analysis of results from the study that led to further investigation. As a final note, we offer ideas about the needs and directions of future ecological education research. Human subject approval of research Reasons for pursuing research into undergraduate learning depend on faculty goals, time, energy, and support (Batzli et al. 2006). Regardless of the reason, faculty are responsible for becoming knowledgeable about conducting research on human subjects and abiding by federal regulations and policies , as implemented by their institutions. At universities and colleges, institutional review boards protect the rights, welfare, and privacy of human subjects who participate in research conducted by students and/or faculty.) we used concept maps to show how students can visualize their thinking by building models that enable them to arrange concepts hierarchically and connect new concepts to those based on prior knowledge (Novak 1998). Concept maps are useful tools that enhance meaningful learning and retention by allowing students to practice making connections among concepts (Ausubel 2000). We designed this pilot study to test whether students who practiced using concept maps performed better on assessments designed to detect their ability to make connections than students who used another instructional tool. We implemented the use of these tools in units on evolution, inva-sive species/ecosystem services. We chose the split-group design, randomly dividing the class into two groups (A and B). For treatments, we asked students to perform multiple representations (MRs) of concepts, a task similar to concept maps. In MRs, students define each concept and then provide an example, an analogy, and a drawing or equation illustrating the concept. Students are not asked to make connections among concepts in MRs, whereas students that constructed concept maps specifically focused on making such connections. We believe that both concept maps …

Lyme disease: a case about ecosystem services

O ne way to help students develop critical thinking skills is to focus on problems or cases where they are challenged to deal with real data and experiences (Bransford et al. 2004). Both problem-based learning and case studies allow students to develop the intellectual capacity to deal with complex issues, build confidence and willingness to approach topics from multiple perspectives, and encourage communication with scientists and peers from other disciplines. Students often compartmentalize content and process knowledge by discipline, whereas an interdisciplinary approach allows them to draw from multiple resources in the life sciences, mathematics, social sciences, and other disciplines. The literature is rich with examples and methods for using case studies (see References) and the majority of authors agree that if a case study is to be useful pedagogically, it must serve a specific function for the course and students. Such focus provides students with a more efficient means of achieving specific learning goals as compared to the traditional lecture approach (Herreid 1994, 1998). Kremen and Ostfelds paper on ecosystem services (pp 540-48) contains two case studies that provide examples of how ecological data are not often collected or interpreted in isolation. We use the Lyme disease case study to demonstrate how real data can be used to teach complex topics, while enabling students to discover how a number of disciplines can inform ecological issues. This activity is designed for an ecology course but could also be used as part of an introductory biology course.

An Outbreak of Probable Leptospirosis in California Sea Lions along the Oregon Coast during Fall 1984

California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) experience periodic outbreaks of the bacterial disease leptospirosis causing death and debilitation. In fall 1984, an outbreak of presumed leptospirosis occurred during the northward migration of male California sea lions. The assumption that Leptospira bacterium was present was strengthened by positive serology and demonstration of organisms using silver staining techniques in the kidneys of three animals from Oregon. Systematic beach surveys and reports of dead and debilitated sea lions on beaches were used to estimate the mortality of Zalophus during their northward migration off Oregon. From August 1984 to February 1985, 252 male Zalophus ranging in age from 2 to 13 years were found dead on the beaches of Oregon. The number of animals found dead represent approximately 15% of the total animals seen on haul-out sites during peak northern migration off Oregon. California sea lions, Zalophus californianus, breed annually during June and July off Mexico and southern California (Odell 1981). After the breeding season, males migrate north along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (Mate 1975; Antonelis and Fiscus 1980; Bigg 1985). Off Oregon, peak numbers of male California sea lions occur in September, and decline throughout winter as animals move farther north (Mate 1975; Graybill 1981; Brown 1988). In fall 1984, unusually large numbers of dead and sick California sea lions were reported along the coasts of northern California, Oregon and Washington. A report from northern California indicated many California sea lions were dying of an infection of the bacterium Leptospira serovar pomona (Dierauf et al. 1985). A similar die-off of Z. californianus during the 1970 northern migration was attributed to Leptospira interrogans pomona (Vedros et al. 1971). Animals infected with Leptospira bacteria display clinical signs, including reluctance to use hind limbs and rear quarters due to pain from interstitial nephritis, and a tendency, because of thirst, to seek fresh water sources such as streams and sloughs (Vedros et al. 1971). This latter symptom causes animals to come ashore at pasturelands, upstream areas, and at stream outlets on sandy beach areas where they are not normally seen. This paper confirms the presence of Leptospira-like bacteria in sick and dead Z. californianus collected in Oregon. We report the numbers of dead Z. californianus found in Oregon during fall-winter 1984-1985 and ages of 43 of these individuals.

Building a diverse geoscience workforce

Preparing Students in Two-Year Colleges for Geoscience Degrees and Careers; Tacoma, Washington, 18–21 July 2012 Building a strong and diverse geoscience workforce is a critical national challenge. An important role is played by 2-year colleges (2YCs) in increasing both the number and diversity of geoscience graduates. At the workshop, called Preparing Students in Two-Year Colleges for Geoscience Degrees and Careers, faculty from 2YCs and 4-year colleges and universities (4YCs), as well as representatives from professional organizations, discussed the successes and challenges of programs, strategies, and activities that support career preparation of 2YC students for geoscience careers, either as geotechnician graduates or geoscience majors at 4YCs. The workshop program, which includes links to presentations and specific examples of these strategies, can be found at http://serc.carleton.edu/sage2yc/workforce2012/program.html.