Chancellor's Graduate and Faculty Awards for Excellence in STEM Education
2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017
2016-2017 Faculty Chancellor's Awardees:
Amy Palmer and Allie Hunter (not shown), Chemistry and Biochemistry
Transforming Chemistry through Collaboration and Community.
The goal of this project is to transform the culture and learning environment in an introductory general chemistry course in order to create a sense of community, help students develop an identity as a science major (and in particular as a chemistry and/or biochemistry major), and foster a sense of personal connection to the subject. To accomplish these goals, we propose to do the following: 1) generate a series of student-centered collaborative activities that will be implemented in the classroom, 2) develop a semester-long research project that culminates in student poster presentations, 3) explicitly emphasize diverse career paths of chemistry and biochemistry majors throughout the semester, and 4) create opportunities for building vertical relationships (e.g. first-year students with LAs, graduate students, Chem Club, postdocs and Professors).
Bilge Birsoy and Michael Klymkowsky, MCDB
Development of a New Discovery-based Research Course together with a Scientific and Experimental Literacy Assessment Instrument (SELA).
Discovery-based research courses are one of the five recommendations of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to improve retention in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and careers. It has also been suggested that such “authentic scientific experiences” can engage students and increase their understanding of the process of science. The goals of this Chancellor’s award project are to impact students’ research experiences in MCDB through: i) the development and testing of an upper division discovery-based research course (MCDB 4100: Experimental Design and Gene Manipulation in the vertebrate Xenopus), ii) to develop and begin the validation process for a scientific and experimental literacy assessment (SELA), iii) to gather data on MCDB 4100’s effectiveness and impact in terms of students’ understanding of the scientific and experimental process; and iv) to begin a discussion with other faculty (in particular Professors Ding Xue and Min Han – MCDB) on the feasibility of developing a freshman version of MCDB 4100, using as a model metazoan the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans and bacterially-delivered siRNAs to manipulate gene expression.
Seth Hornstein and Doug Duncan, APS
Developing a Research Base for Effective Teaching Using Fiske Planetarium.
We propose to investigate the effectiveness of different teaching methods on student learning gains, engagement, and attitudes in the digital planetarium environment. We have significant faculty support for doing these trials through a series of controlled experiments that gathers rigorous assessment data. If, as we hypothesize, more active and student-centered approaches produce higher learning when used in the planetarium, we will leverage those results to support increasing faculty involvement in active-engagement learning methods in both the planetarium and regular classrooms. Our goals with this study are as follows:
- To determine the effectiveness of different methods of teaching in the planetarium environment (including a method new to APS classes: case studies) in contrast with a classroom environment.
- To deepen expertise and promote the use of interactive teaching and effective teaching environments amongst APS faculty.
Katharine Semsar and Jennifer Knight, MCDB
Student thinking about core physiology concepts across a physiology major.
With this proposal, I am seeking continuation funding to analyze and extend data collected during the construction and validation of Phys-MAPS, a programmatic physiology assessment. The Phys-MAPS was developed as an assessment to align with nationally recognized core concepts in biology and physiology. Having these programmatic learning goals and assessment now in place, we can follow the principles of backward design to identify and develop instructional materials to help student meet these programmatic conceptual learning goals. Understanding both the prior knowledge students have coming into physiology programs and the misconceptions students continue to hold when graduating from physiology programs is essential to designing effective instructional approaches. Using data on student thinking from our national pilot of the Phys-MAPS assessment and previously-conducted student interviews, the goal of this proposal is to summarize student thinking on core physiology concepts across a physiology curriculum and provide suggestions for instruction to address persistent student misconceptions. Having these data on student thinking available will benefit physiology curricula development both nationally and here in CU’s Integrative Physiology department.
Lon Abbott and Jennifer Stempien, Geological Sciences
Creating a collaborative undergraduate geoscience research community.
We propose to pilot a unique ARO design within the Department of Geological Sciences that combines the benefits of the faculty-student mentoring and apprenticeship characteristics of an URE with the peer mentoring and guided literature discussion of a CURE. This project will create a collaborative multi-semester undergraduate research community. Undergraduate students participating in the ARO will: 1) conduct independent but interrelated research projects, each exploring one facet of the geologically recent evolution of the American Southwest; 2) participate in a 1-credit research seminar that will place each student’s project into a broader scientific context by exploring the scientific literature and that will promote each student’s role as a peer mentor and collaborator in answering a larger research question.
Sarah Banchefsky and Tiffany Ito, Psychology and Neuroscience
#iLookLikeAnEngineer: Improving Student Outcomes by Reducing STEM Stereotypes.
Although women obtain the majority of U.S. undergraduate degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), they earn less than 20% of undergraduate degrees in computer science and engineering (National Science Foundation, 2013). Stereotypes about these specific fields that uniquely conflict with stereotypes about women are one reason for this gap (Cheryan, Master, & Meltzoff, 2015): computer scientists and engineers are stereotyped as socially-awkward, isolated, geeky men with masculine interests (e.g., videogames; Mercier, Barron & O’Connor, 2006; Rommes, Overbeek, Scholte, Engals, & De Kemp, 2007). Additionally, the work itself is perceived as requiring innate brilliance (Leslie, Cimpian, Meyer & Freeland, 2015) and removed from communal values such as helping society and working with others, goals women endorse more than men (Diekman, Brown, Johnston, & Clark, 2010). Many of these stereotypes are formed from media depictions of scientists (Cheryan, Plaut, Handron, & Hudson, 2013; Steinke et al., 2007). The proposed research tests the efficacy of a popular, ongoing movement - the #iLookLikeAnEngineer campaign - to alter these harmful stereotypes. Specifically, we will use an intervention paradigm to examine the efficacy of the #iLookLikeAnEngineer campaign to minimize students’ stereotypes of engineers and thereby bolster their sense of belonging and intentions to persist in engineering. This project will also provide necessary data for a larger grant focusing on dissem ination of the intervention, and bring psychological perspectives to bear on STEM education, recruitment, and retention at CU-Boulder.
2016-2017 Graduate Chancellor's Awardees:
Abigale Stangl (not shown), ATLAS
3D Printed Tactile Picture Books as a Pathway into STEM.
As advisor, I am writing to you to express my full commitment to mentoring and supporting Abigale Stangl‘s proposed STEM research activities as outlined in her proposal for STEM Chancellor’s Fellowship. Abigale is proposing to design and develop the Tactile Picture Book (TPB) Intervention that aims to support students’ STEM competencies and dispositions.
Over the past three years, Abigale has been making significant contributions to our lab’s research on the question of how we can more effectively create 3D tactile picture books for children with visual impairments. This research question is rooted in a subfield of computer science called Human-centered Computing. We have been investigating how a range of computational tools can or can not adequately support the task of designing and printing 3D pictures. Abigale has published five papers on this topic and has traveled internationally to present her work.
Anna C. Curtis (not shown), Chemistry and Biochemistry
Implementation and Assessment of In-class Activities Designed to Improve Critical Thinking Skills in a First Semester General Chemistry.
It is my pleasure to provide this letter of support for Anna Curtis who is submitting a Chancellor's Graduate Award in STEM Education on "Implementation and Assessment of In-class Activities Designed to Improve Critical Thinking Skills in a First Semester General Chemistry Course for Majors". Anna is proposing to develop and investigate the impact of well-designed in-class group activities explicitly created to train students in essential elements of analysis, evaluation, synthesis and predication. Anna will test whether such activities improve overall critical thinking skills, as assessed by a validated content-independent instrument (the Critical thinking Assessment Test).
Rebecca Swanson, School of Education
Virtual Professional Development for Informal STEM Educators.
Typically, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) educators teaching in informal, out of school environments are provided with one time trainings largely designed only to address logistical matters around the safety and basic needs of the children enrolled in their programs, without significant time spent addressing how to support learning through research based science teaching practices. The purpose of the proposed study is to code sign and implement professional development for the summer instructors working for CU Science Discovery, and to examine the ways in which instructor participation in these camps in forms their workin helping children learn science. The proposed work builds on a pilot project currently funded through CU Out reach in collaboration with Brian Jernigan and Anjali Maus at CU Science Discovery. By building on an established professional development model and prior studies of how individuals learn and collaborate in virtual spaces, this project will examine how readily available Web 2.0 tools can help instructors separated by space and time. Workingin partnership with CU Science Discovery staff, I propose to co-design professional development to supportin formal educators in developing higher quality science teaching practices.
2015-2016 Faculty Chancellor's Awardees:
Rebecca Ciancanelli, Julia Willis, Student Academic & Services Center
Inclusive Biology Success Project.
The primary goal of our project is to improve first year outcomes for a freshman cohort of twenty five (25) underrepresented and underserved students who plan to enroll in EBIO 1210, General Biology in order to complete a MAPS requirement or to prepare for a STEM major. Our short-term goal is to improve our first gateway science course within the SASC department such that improved outcomes for freshmen are sustained throughout the general biology sequence.
At this pilot stage, we expect to demonstrate the impact of teaching a re-engineered EBIO 1210 with active learning POGIL activities and frequent low pressure assessment on improved first-term outcomes for a cohort of underrepresented and underserved SASC freshmen who plan to enroll in the General Biology sequence. After the completion of this pilot stage, we will seek continuing support for the Inclusive Biology Success Project from other relevant sources of competitive grant funding, such as the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education
John Falconer, Chemical & Biological Engineering
Interactive Simulations combined with Screencasts and Concept Tests.
We propose to prepare interactive Mathematica simulations that focus on important concepts for chemical engineering thermodynamics, a junior-level course that will have a total enrollment (2 sections) in fall 2015 of about 190 students. These simulations will be incorporated into ConcepTests that will be used in class with clickers and peer instruction. The simulations will also be posted on our web site, and short screencasts that describe the simulations and how to use them will be prepared so students can use the simulations on their own. We hypothesize that integrating interactive simulations into ConcepTests and providing screencasts to help students use the simulations will improve understanding of the important concepts in thermodynamics. Assessing the effectiveness of the combined ConcepTests/interactive simulations/screencasts will be done by comparing student performance on conceptual questions on the final exam. The objective will be to determine if student performance improves when interactive simulations and screencasts are added to ConcepTests.
Enrique Lopez, School of Education
Reframing Science Retention and Achievement: Using an Asset-Based Approach to Examine Why Students Succeed in Science.
This proposal seeks to reframe retention by exploring asset-based approaches to academic success and retention. For example rather than exploring the question "What academic experiences cause students to leave STEM fields?" I seek to explore the question "What academic experiences are associated with students’ decisions to remain in STEM fields?" Although there exist a few studies exploring these facets more work needs to be done. My proposal seeks to fill this gap by investigating the following research questions:
- 1. What pre-college socialization and preparation factors stimulate and sustain students’ interest in attaining degrees in STEM fields (e.g. family k-12 school forces and out-of-school college prep experiences)? How?
- 2. What college socialization and preparation factors compel students to persist in STEM fields (e.g. classroom interactions innovative pedagogies research experiences)? How?
Andrew Martin, Cynthia Buchenroth-Martin, S Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Experimental evaluation of a difficult to assess learning goal: effective communication and productive collaboration towards a common goal.
The proposed research is centered on an important learning goal for STEM majors identified by the Vision and Change document: communicate and collaborate with other disciplines. While this is an important overall goal we have re-interpreted this core competency. Instead of other disciplines we assume that it is first necessary for students to be able to effectively communicate and collaborate with people of varying knowledge and points of view towards common goals. Unlike most other learning goals articulated by the Vision and Change document (e.g. ability to use the process of science ability to use scientific reasoning ability to use modeling and simulation) this learning goal poses considerable challenges for assessment and for designing curriculum to achieve this goal.
A critical part of this experiment is developing an assessment approach that captures relevant data. We are interested in three axes of student learning: mastering the content demonstrating the science process skills and exhibit behavior consistent with effective communication and productive collaboration. Our prototype assessment includes a checklist of goals that will not be provided to students when the assessment is implemented but the checklist will be used multiple times in the semester as guidance for students. The prototype is designed as a puzzle for the experimental group and is not implemented as a puzzle for the control. This mirrors the experience of the students in the two treatments.
2015-2016 Graduate Chancellor's Awardees:
Sarah Grover, AT Psychology & Neuroscience
Examining the quality of cross-sex interactions in undergraduate STEM courses and how it effects women's belonging, confidence and self-efficacy.
The goal of this research is to examine environmental factors that increase women's intentions to persist in STEM fields. We intend to achieve this goal by addressing two important research questions, (1) what is the quality of interactions between male and female undergraduates (i.e., cross-sex contact) in male-dominated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields? And (2) how does the quality of women's cross-sex contact relate to their belonging, self-efficacy, and confidence in their abilities in STEM?
To assess the longitudinal impacts of cross-sex contact quality, we will collect questionnaire measures at three time points: the first week of classes (baseline), eight weeks into classes (intermediate measures) and the last week of classes (final outcomes). During the first and last week of classes we will collect measures of important psychological factors associated with academic success including belonging, self-efficacy, confidence in abilities, identification, and intentions to persist in their STEM major. Five weeks into classes we will collect measures of the quantity and quality of cross-sex contact. We implement this longitudinal design because it will allow us to examine changes in belonging, self-efficacy, etc. over the course of the semester (from the first week to the last week) and most importantly, the extent to which changes in these factors can be explained by the quality of women's cross-sex contact experiences.
Brittany Kos, ATLAS
Computer science is 'hard': Uncovering cultural identities within introductory computing courses.
The purpose of this study is to understand how cultural norms permeate introductory computing courses and recognize how students adopt or reject these identities in their academic careers. This study will focus on 2 introductory computing classes that serve three major degree programs: 1. B.S. in Technology, Arts, and Media (TAM-BS), 2. B.S. in Computer Science (CS-BS), and 3. B.A. in Computer Science (CS-BA). Each of these degree programs attracts a different type of student, but also have significant overlap in their degree requirements with one another. All three of these programs share similar first years, since all students are required to take CS1: Introductory Programming (CSCI 1300), CS2: Data Structures (CSCI 2270), and Calculus 1 and 2. Students are required to take these early in their academic careers, since they are often prerequisites in more difficult or upper-division courses. This study will focus on these two classes and the impact they have on student’s academic careers.
This study has three intersecting conceptual frameworks: Communities of Practice, Becoming an Engineer, and Mediated Discourse Analysis. These frameworks will be employed to gain a full understanding of a student’s trajectory through the introductory classes of the three degree programs.
Susan Miller, School of Education
Computational thinking for undergraduate students in the context of preservice teacher education.
The purpose of this project is to research undergraduate students’ conceptions of computational thinking before and after completing computational thinking activities. This research will be accomplished in three steps. First, I plan to develop and administer a survey to undergraduate students to help me understand the ways in which undergraduate students currently conceptualize computational thinking. Second, I plan to develop a set of computational thinking course activities designed for undergraduate students who are pursuing licensure in secondary science and mathematics. These students will use the computational thinking activities as a means to design and explore ways in which technology can be used to solve complex problems through modeling. Specifically, these activities will be designed to supplement existing methods activities through the addition of visual programming skills with the goal of increasing computational thinking skills. The goal of these activities will be to support undergraduate students pursuing licensure as a secondary math or science teacher in bringing computational thinking skills to their own classrooms in a variety of ways.
This project will enable me to answer these research questions:
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In what ways do undergraduate students currently conceptualize computational thinking?
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In what ways are undergraduate students’ conceptualizations of computational thinking malleable as a result of additional undergraduate activities?
Jane Barker, S Psychology & Neuroscience
Developing skills to persist and succeed in STEM: Comparing self-directedness, learning, curiosity, and persistence in more- and less-structured Science Discovery Camps.
The proposed research tests the effectiveness of an intervention designed to increase self-directedness in children in informal STEM learning environments. We have conducted an initial study at CU, which shows that the more time children spend in less-structured activities in their daily lives, the better their ability to set goals for themselves and reach them. Conversely, the more time children spend in adult-structured activities, the worse these self-directed abilities. These findings are promising, and they may have broad implications given that such abilities in childhood predict a range of important life outcomes, including performance in STEM education. However, an experimental study is needed to address causal questions, potential for intervention, and implications for informal STEM learning environments.
We will test the impact of manipulating the amount of time children spend in more- and lessstructured activities, in an ecologically-valid, rich setting that nonetheless affords excellent experimental control: the CU Science Discovery summer camps, which bridge STEM disciplines to connect K-12 students and teachers to hands-on science experiences, impacting more than 20,000 individuals each year. We will collaborate with Science Discovery to develop, teach, and assess intervention fidelity in four sessions of week-long camps. Children who enroll will be randomly assigned to a structured or less-structured version of one of two camps: a "Science of Toys" camp for 6-8 year olds (N = 32; 16 per condition), or a "Toy Engineering" camp for 8-10 year olds (N = 32; 16 per condition). In the more-structured camps, an adult will instruct and guide children on what and how to build, while in the less-structured camps, children will decide what and how to build. We will compare self-directedness, scientific learning, curiosity, and persistence between the two groups.
2014-2015 Faculty Chancellor's Awardees:
Nichole Barger, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Transforming graduate training in STEM education.
Sarah Seiter, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Transforming graduate training in STEM education.
Stephanie Chasteen, Science Education Initiative. Framing the active learning classroom: Materials and research to support STEM instructors in implementing student-centered instruction.
Utilize resources developed from Stephanie's Award.
Rebecca Ciancanelli, Student Academic Success Center Inclusive chemistry success project.
Julia Willis, Student Academic Success Center Inclusive chemistry success project.
Anne Gold, CIRES. Investigating the impact of spatial reasoning training on skill development, retention, and the gender gap in Geology
2014-2015 Graduate Chancellor's Awardees:
Katherine Goodman, ATLAS. Finding the essential elements: flow visualization
Alexandra, Mass, Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering. 'Cool science': Explaining Antarctic field work, polar science, and the experience of research through live multi-media communication, non-fiction children's literature and bilingual education.
Samuel Severance, Institute of Cognitive Science. Shifting teaching practice to the Next Generation Science Standards through professional development.
Michael Skirpan, School of Education. Empowered learners: using in-class hack-a-thons as a basis for teaching STEM technical skills in college and high school classroom
Enrique Suarez, School of Education. Leveraging the cultural practices of science for making classroom discourse accessible to emerging bilingual students.
Janet Tsai, Mechanical Engineering. Do I belong here? Uncovering power dynamics among students and teachers in sophomore engineering gateway courses.
2013-2014 Faculty Chancellor's Awardees:
Barbara Demmig-Adams, William Adams, and Sara Wise, College of Arts & Sciences - Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Comparing the Impact of Faculty-Provided and Online Review Materials
The objectives of this project are to develop and implement an individualized, early intervention for students who have failed one of the first exams in a large biology class, and compare the impact of faculty- versus online-implemented intervention on subsequent exam performance. The interventions will take the form of a supportive, metacognitively-oriented review of specific exam items, which aims to empower students to find patterns in their exam performance and in turn, generate insights into ways to alter their study strategies towards success. Proposal
Teresa Foley, Chris Link, and Molly Welsh, College of Arts & Sciences - Integrative Physiology
Transformation of the Cell Physiology Laboratories in Integrative Physiology
The purpose of the propose research project is to transform the existing Cell Physiology Laboratories in Integrative Physiology (IPHY) to an inquiry-based approach of instruction that better aligns with the lecture material. We are requesting summer salary support for Instructor Molly Welsh to help develop the Cell Physiology Laboratory materials, including learning goals, assessments, inquiry-based labs and surveys. Mrs. Welsh has been involved with the Cell Physiology course for the past 5 years and she has extensive expertise in the laboratory protocols, ordering new instruments, maintaining inventory, staff support, and quality control. Proposal
Katie Hinko, Graduate School - JILA
Characterizing the Development of University Students who Participate in Informal STEM Programming
We seek to investigate the impact on university students who participate in informal STEM programs. While University informal STEM programs geared toward K-12 children or community members often report outcomes in terms of these groups, our work will focus on the university educators (UEs) who participate in these informal programs, providing insight into the less-studied group. These findings will inform university support for and design of informal STEM programming, as well as have broad implications for all types of informal STEM environments. For this project, we will primarily study university physics students who participate in the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC) programs. PISEC is supported by the CU Boulder Department of Physics and the JILA Physics Frontier Center and whose main programming component consists of weekly, after school physics clubs for underrepresented populations in grades K-8. This program relies on physics undergraduate and graduate UEs to interact with children, teachers and community members as both scientists and educators. For this project, we will design assessments and implement pilot studies of the UEs by building on initial findings from our program that indicate the potential for improvement in the communication and pedagogical skills of UEs, as well as positive shifts in their affect and self-efficacy as scientific communicators and teachers. Proposal
Shaw Ketels, College of Arts & Sciences - Psychology
A New Approach to Teaching General Psychology at CU
This proposal describes a "flipped classroom" approach to teaching General Psychology, with the goal of promoting abstract and critical thinking, and laying the foundations for an evidence-based understanding of the world. Class time will be used for the guided completion of projects contributing to the construction of these cognitive skills. Projects will utilize various software packages that students will then use in many of their other classes in this and other departments, and will involve generating and testing hypotheses about cognition, emotion, and behavior. Students will gain skills in conducting literature reviews and questionnaire-based experiments, and get practice thinking systematically about their own hypotheses. The class will leverage the extensive expertise of faculty in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at CU, as well as professors from other departments who are affiliated with the Institute of Cognitive Science. Curriculum construction will involve creating digital video of these faculty lecturing on or discussing their domains of expertise. In this manner, students in the class will be exposed to a scientific approach to understanding the world from investigators at the forefront of their respective fields. Proposal
Ben Zwickl, College of Arts & Sciences - Physics
A comparative study of different forms of assessment in laboratory settings
Laboratory courses are unique learning environments. Compared to lecture courses, they typically involve more resources per student in terms of expense, equipment, space, contact hours with instructors, and low student/teacher ratios. They are also learning environments that emphasize a broad range of learning goals, going beyond content learning goals to include a range of scientific practices, including written and oral communication, experimental design, data analysis, and others. Despite the abundance of resources and goals that often closely align with scientific practice, laboratory courses often produce unsatisfying or uncertain outcomes of student learning. In addition, national calls have been made for lab courses that engage students in more disciplinary-relevant activities as a mans to improve recruitment and retention of students in STEM. For decades, efforts have been made to transform laboratory environments across the sciences, with "inquiry-based" being one of the more popular approaches. However, even now, it is difficult to compare the efficacy of these innovations, and it is equally difficult for instructors to implement meaningful assessments in their laboratory courses. In spite of the need, the STEM education community has few assessment tools for laboratory teaching environments. Doing robust assessment in these environments has remained a long-standing challenge in laboratory instruction and physics education research. Proposal
2013-2014 Graduate Chancellor's Awardees:
Susanna Kohler, College of Arts & Sciences - Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences
Advisor: Seth Hornstein
Can we train scientists to communicate effectively with the public? Proposal
Kyuhan Koh, College of Engineering & Applied Science - Computer Science
Advisor: Alex Repenning
Computing Computational Thinking: Towards the Automatic Recognition of Computational Thinking in Real Time Proposal
Jeffrey LaMarche, College of Engineering & Applied Science - Computer Science
Advisor: Tom Yeh
Developing User Interface and Peer Instruction: Assessing Results on Engagement, Retention, and Failure Rate for CSCI 1300 Introduction to Computer Programming Proposal
Ben Van Dusen, School of Education
Advisor: Valerie Otero
Boundary Objects that Mediate Students' Motivation and Identity Toward Physics Proposal
2012-2013 Faculty Chancellor's Awardees:
Brian Couch, College of Arts & Sciences - Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology
Development of an observation protocol to measure Scientific Teaching
Growing demands for skilled scientists and general science literacy have prompted scientists, educators, and policy leaders to issue several national calls for improving undergraduate science education. In 2003, the National Research Council’s report, BIO2010, recommended several changes to undergraduate biology education in light of the increasingly interdisciplinary and quantitative nature of biomedical research. This report inspired the founding of the National Academies Summer Institute for Undergraduate Education in Biology (SI) by Jo Handelsman (Yale) and Bill Wood (CU-Boulder) under the philosophy that science education ought to reflect the nature of scientific inquiry, incorporate our understanding of how people learn, and ensure equal learning opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds. Proposal
John Gunther, College of Music
Enhancing the Pedagogy of Science, Math, and Technology through Music: Exploring Informal Science Education through the Arts
This proposal seeks to develop methods that enhance the teaching of science, math and technology through music. With the aid of the Boulder Laptop Orchestra (BLOrk), an electronic music ensemble at CU, we hope to expand the possibilities available to pedagogy in math, science, and technology and develop ways to engage in informal science education with students and audiences through the arts. Funds are requested to aid in the development of: 1) Visual and sonic representation of scientific data serving as a means to connect scientific research to a wider audience. 2) Development of computer applications that allow the users to explore interactive simulations of physical phenomena while performing for or with audience members. We believe that informal science education can happen in a variety of settings and mediums and we hope to form a foundation on which future instruction and performance can integrate science as a central component. Proposal
Beth Stade, College of Arts & Sciences - Mathematics
STEM Talking: Aligning and Improving the Mathematical Education of Pre-Service Teachers
This proposal will fund the alignment with the Common Core Standards and redesign of MATH 1110: The Spirit and Uses of Mathematics, the University of Colorado mathematics content course for prospective elementary teachers, and develop an set of teaching assistant resources and professional development to assist systemic continuity and effectiveness in the course. Mathematics is the language of STEM, science, technology, and engineering. Without the fundamental understanding of mathematics, students will struggle to have success in STEM related disciplines. Unfortunately, many elementary teachers are not only ill-prepared in mathematics, but also pass on poor attitudes and math stereotypes to their students. In 2010, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, made newspaper headlines showing that female elementary teachers who share their anxiety about math pass on that anxiety to their students and lower test scores. (Los Angeles Times, Jan. 26, 2010; Beilock, 2010). The need for effective pre-service mathematic content is well documented in “The Impact of Content Courses on Pre-service Elementary Teachers’ Mathematical Content Knowledge” (Matthews, 2010). Proposal
Jane Stout, College of Arts & Sciences - Psychology
Connecting with others versus doing science: Exploring how communal goals might explain the gender gap in STEM participation
The proposed research aims to assess the degree to which students’ life goals affect their interest, success and retention in STEM. Although a host of factors contribute to students’ engagement in STEM, one understudied issue is whether and how congruency between students’ life goals and perceptions about their ability to meet those goals in STEM might affect their engagement therein. For example, students may select their academic major based on the belief that the major will lead to a career that facilitates their ability to meet their life goals. Moreover, students might continually evaluate whether their selected major is living up to their expectations of meeting their life goals. If they perceive that it is not, they may feel as though they do not “fit” in the major, fail to see the value of the major, have low expectations for success, and, ultimately, drop out of that major. We propose that this incongruence between life goals and perceptions about a major’s ability to meet those life goals occurs particularly among women in STEM, leading to (a) fewer women in some (but not all) disciplines within STEM and (b) women’s tendency to drop out of certain STEM career paths. We propose two field studies that would test these suppositions in order to glean a stronger understanding of when and why gender disparities occur in STEM disciplines. Importantly, this work would pave the way for the development of empirically-rooted intervention strategies to boost students’ engagement in STEM disciplines they might otherwise perceive to be inconsistent with their life goals (see Impact of Proposed Project section for more details on structuring interventions). Proposal, Final Report
2012-2013 Graduate Chancellor's Awardees:
Ian Her Many Horses, School of Education
Advisor: Valerie Otero
What types of curriculum support do elementary students need to successfully develop computational thinking practices within 2D and 3D environments? Proposal
Alexandra Mass, College of Engineering & Applied Science - Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering
Advisor: Diane McKnight
Enhancing Environmental Literacy and Interest in Polar Sciences for Primary School Children in the Boulder Valley School District and Beyond Proposal
Calvin Pohawpatchoko, College of Engineering & Applied Science - Computer Science
Advisor: Clayton Lewis
An Old Method New Again - Rethinking Nation Building in a Digital Age: Piloting Cognitive Apprenticeship in Indigenous Nation Building Proposal, Final Report
Ian Renga, School of Education
Advisors: Jennie Whitcomb & Erin Furtak
A Study of STEM Teacher Candidates' Learning in a Course Facilitating Collaborative Inquiry into Teaching Practice Proposal, Final Report
2011-2012 Faculty Chancellor's Awardees:
Heidi Bustamante, Janet Casagrand, and Teresa Foley, College of Arts & Sciences - Integrative Physiology
Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Success of Inquiry-Based Laboratories in IPHY
The purpose of this proposal is to request support to evaluate the effectiveness and success of the revised physiology laboratories in Integrative Physiology (IPHY). Under the direction of a formal Physiology Lab Revision Committee, the physiology laboratories in IPHY have been transformed from an expository (“cookbook”) style of instruction to a more inquiry-based approach. These laboratories serve about 500 majors and non-majors each year, and employ a combination of human and animal experimentation to explore basic physiological principles. Specifically, we are requesting support for Eric Homestead to help conduct student interviews, and to analyze pre-post assessment and student attitude data on the revised physiology laboratories. Eric is currently the lead graduate teacher in IPHY and has been a teaching assistant for the physiology laboratories for several semesters. proposal
John Falconer and Garrett Nicodemus, College of Engineering & Applied Science - Chemical and Biological Engineering
Biologically-Focused Screencasts and ConcepTests for Chemical and Biological Engineering Courses
The goal of this proposal is to increase the use of biological engineering topics in three core courses in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department: Material and Energy Balances, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, and Fluid Mechanics. We propose to prepare teaching materials that can be readily used by faculty who do not have backgrounds in biological topics. We propose to develop two types of teaching materials that incorporate biological concepts: 1) ConcepTests, which are multiple choice conceptual questions, used in class with clickers to emphasize the important concepts in the course, 2) Screencasts, which are short screen captures of writing and narration on a tablet PC, can be used to solve example problems and provide further explanations. Creating these teaching materials will allow students in these three courses to be exposed to biological concepts earlier in their majors. These courses are taken by both Chemical Engineering majors and Chemical and Biological Engineering majors, and were originally developed for Chemical Engineering majors and thus did not incorporate biological concepts or examples. Proposal and Summary Report
Kris Gutierrez, School of Education
When Scientific and Everyday Knowledge Grow into One Another: Designing for Robust Science Learning for Students from Non-dominant Communities
This project joins CU professors, PhD and undergraduate students, and a local school in an interdisciplinary effort to create and study an innovative technology-based after-school program called El Pueblo Mágico (EPM). Joining students from CU and Alicia Sanchez Elementary, a school with low-income and Emerging Bilingual student populations, EPM engages students collaboratively in computer, science, and health science based activities to engage students in multi modal forms of learning about science. In fall of 2010, we launched EPM, piloting new technology and science-oriented activities, supported by our CU collaborators in Computer Science: design software by Alex Repenning & Andri Ioannidou (AgentSheets); and a computer-mediated fabrication curriculum by Michael Eisenberg & Jane Meyers (Craftopolis). We aim to examine how multi-age groups learn together in technology-mediated activity as designers who will also gain valuable forms of multi modal expertise within a vibrant, technology-rich learning community. An overarching goal of this design experiment is to introduce undergraduates and children to high status knowledge about digital design, energy-use, science, and health in ways that helps them leverage their everyday understandings to develop robust science concepts, practices, and dispositions. pdf
Victoria Hand, School of Education
Examination of shifts in content understanding and imagined trajectories for underrepresented high school students serving as mentors for Science Explorers
The proposed grant will support a research study that investigates a mentoring opportunity for high school students from underrepresented backgrounds who excel in mathematics and science. The STEMsation mentoring program represents a collaboration between the School of Education, the CUTeach program, Science Explorers, and several STEM-focused high schools in Colorado. The program will train underrepresented high school students as mentors for the Science Explorers workshop in their district. We hypothesize that participation in STEMsation will provide the mentors with: (1) a deeper and more connected understanding of STEM domains; (2) an ability to distinguish between higher- and lower-level scientific and mathematical reasoning, and (3) an opportunity to reflect on and potentially overcome negative stereotypes and structural barriers faced by underrepresented groups of individuals in STEM fields. proposal
Tiffany Ito, College of Arts & Sciences - Psychology
A Classroom Intervention to Reduce the Gender Achievement Gap in College Science
The proposed research focuses on the effectiveness and dissemination of a classroom intervention designed to reduce the gender gap in the achievement of women in STEM disciplines. We have conducted an initial test at CU of the effectiveness of a writing exercise that affirms self-worth, finding that it raises the grades and conceptual mastery of women in introductory physics (Miyake et al., 2010). These initial findings are very promising, but we currently lack any funding to explore them further. Funds are requested to extend our findings through studies both at CU and elsewhere. This will allow us to (1) better understand the mechanisms through which women’s STEM performance can be improved, focusing specifically on the psychological changes that are produced by self-affirmation which in turn improve performance. Knowing this is important theoretically and can also be used to refine and sharpen our intervention. The proposed research will also (2) test the effectiveness of our intervention in other contexts (e.g., courses with different content, professors with different teaching styles, students of various demographics), (3) provide necessary data for a larger grant focusing on dissemination of the intervention, and (4) bring psychological perspectives more explicitly into CU’s work on STEM education. proposal and final report
2011-2012 Graduate Chancellor's Awardees:
Lindsay Anderson, College of Arts & Sciences - Psychology
Advisor: Alice Healy
Understanding the Components of the iClicker System that Promote Learning, Retention, and Generalization of Classroom Knowledge pdf
Nathan Canney, College of Engineering & Applied Science - Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor: Angela Bielefeldt
An assessment for teaching methodologies for instilling social responsibility in undergraduate civil engineering students proposal
Corrie Colvin Williams, College of Architecture & Planning
Advisor: Louise Chawla
Significant Life Experiences: Exploring the lifelong influence of environmental and science education in program participants proposal and Final Report
Krista Marshall, School of Education
Advisors: Alexander Repenning and David Webb
Targeting the Technology Gender Gap: Making Computer Science Engaging and Accessible for All Students proposal
Jane Meyers, College of Engineering & Applied Science - Computer Science
Advisor: Michael Eisenberg
Learning Computer Science the Craftopolis Way proposal
Michael Ross, School of Education
Advisor: Valerie Otero
Transforming the Classroom Power Structure to Impact Physics Learning pdf
Kim Trenbath, College of Arts & Sciences – Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Advisor: Linnea Avallone
Undergraduate Students’ Climate Change Conceptions pdf
Ben Van Dusen, School of Education
Advisor: Valerie Otero
Empowering Students through the Use of iPad Technology proposal and final report
2010-2011 Faculty Chancellor's Awardees:
John Basey, College of Arts & Sciences - Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Variation in Working Memory and the Optimal Design of STEM Labs
Our ultimate goal is to research how cognitive load imposed on students in the form of different designs of inquiry-oriented labs interacts with individual variations in working memory among students to influence learning. As a beginning step, I am re-designing the traditional and guided, diversity-survey-labs in biology (i.e. teacher-centered with guided procedures and a guided write-up) to mirror constructs advocated by science education reform (i.e. student-centered without guided procedures and an open-ended write-up). In addition, the new survey labs begin with “the learning cycle” and are more inquiry-oriented (hypothesis-driven). I will develop and finalize a working model of this new survey lab during summer 2010 and do a test-run in the classroom with an assessment in spring 2011. Proposal, Year-end Report
Virginia Ferguson, College of Engineering & Applied Sciences – Mechanical Engineering
Assessing YOU’RE@CU: A New Program to Promote Diversity in Engineering
This proposal seeks to improve training and academic preparation of engineering students, who are interested in the combined study of engineering and biology. The PI, along with the BOLD Center, will achieve this by developing a new program that targets women and minority students at the undergraduate and graduate levels: “Your Own Undergraduate Research Experience at the University of Colorado: YOU’RE@CU”. We seek to establish a vibrant and diverse research community that increases the accessibility of studying biological materials and medicine from an engineering perspective. Our educational vision is that merging bioengineering research with teaching and providing a range of research opportunities will enhance new student recruitment, improve retention of engineering lower classmen – and particularly target retention of underrepresented minorities and women, encourage undergraduates to seek graduate degrees, and provide mentoring training for graduate students.
Jenny Knight, College of Arts & Sciences – Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology
Development of a Capstone Concept Assessment to measure integrated content retention in biology
The intent of this proposal is to begin developing a Capstone Molecular Biology Concept Assessment (Capstone MBCA) to evaluate how well graduating seniors in Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology (MCDB) can integrate and apply concepts from all their coursework. Such an assessment tool will have widespread impact in supporting the transformation of undergraduate education and providing a resource to evaluate meaningful student learning. Some of the expected uses of this tool are: 1. To measure the level of conceptual learning in graduating biology majors, 2. To measure conceptual learning gains between beginning and end of final year of coursework, 3. To measure the level of content retention after graduation, 4. To help determine which different models of pedagogy can help to promote long-term content retention and integrative abilities. The Capstone MBCA can be used not only at CU, but at any college or university department that teaches genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology, across the nation and internationally. It may also be valuable to science educators in other disciples, as well as to science teachers at the secondary school level. Proposal, Year-End Report
Heather Lewandowski & Charles Rogers, College of Arts & Sciences – Physics
Learning Goals and Course Materials for Advanced Undergraduate Physics Laboratories
In Physics, we recognize and teach that experiment is an extraordinarily powerful method for judging and differentiating competing ideas. Although most physics majors are required to take an upper-level laboratory course, these courses are seldom effective at teaching students the necessary skills to carry out independent research beyond the classroom setting. We are requesting support for the development of learning goals, coordinated course materials, and a preliminary online evaluation survey for the upper-level “advanced laboratory” courses, PHYS3340, PHYS4430, and PHYS5430.
Year-end Report
2010-2011 Graduate Chancellor's Awardees:
Lindsay Anderson, College of Arts & Sciences - Psychology
Advisor: Alice Healy
Understanding the Components of the iClicker System that Promote Learning, Retention, and Generalization of Classroom Knowledge Proposal, Year-end Report
Heidi Iverson, School of Education
Advisor: Erin Furtak
What Works in Undergraduate Physics Education? A Research Synthesis pdf
Seyitriza Tigrek, College of Engineering & Applied Science - Electrical Engineering
Advisor: Frank Barnes and Melinda Piket-May
Developing an Adaptive Method for Teaching Mobile (Phones) Programming to Freshman Engineering Students pdf
Colin Wallace, College of Arts & Sciences – Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences
Advisor: Doug Duncan
Understanding Students' Difficulties with Cosmology pdf
2009-2010 Faculty Chancellor's Awardees:
Clayton H. Lewis, Computer Science with Profs. Dirk Grunwald and Ken Anderson
Video Resources for Lower Division Computer Science Curriculum
This project aims to improve the effectiveness of Computer Science pedagogy by developing, evaluating, and sharing the practice of providing short video modules that students can view before class and review after class. This two-year study will develop and evaluate materials for four lower division courses, and assess the costs of creating and using these materials. In the longer term, the project aims to extend this approach to the remaining curriculum, while at the same time providing a model for creating and sharing such materials that can be widely adopted elsewhere. Proposal, Year-end Report
Eric Frew, Aerospace Engineering
The Sky's the Limit: An Unmanned Aircraft Laboratory Model
The goal of the Sky’s the Limit project is to create, evaluate, and then disseminate new learning material that reflects advances both in unmanned aerospace systems and in what is known about the impact of active learning on engineering education. The centerpiece of the proposed effort is the creation of a complete unmanned aircraft laboratory module. This module will reflect the current state of the art in embedded systems, wireless communication, automatic control, and unmanned systems. Proposal, Year-end Report
Erin Furtak, School of Education
Teaching and Learning Biology at CU: Course Evaluation and Revision Project
The proposed research supports a collaboration between two CU STEM faculty members; fosters research into the design and evaluation of instructional strategies and novel course design, and promises to promote a uniquely effective type of course/instruction with great potential to positively impact STEM education, both at CU and nationally. The proposed research will support: a) the completion of the evaluation of the TALB course, its effectiveness as a teacher education and educational research recruitment tool; b) suggest revisions of the course to be implemented when it is offered again in the fall of 2010. Proposal, Year-end Report
Steven Pollock, Physics
Development of Pre-Post Tests for Upper Division Electricity and Magnetism Tutorials
This research study is part of a broader effort to move beyond research and development of curricular reforms at the introductory level, in order to better address the specialized needs of students in upper-division physics courses. Proposal, Year-end Report
2009-2010 Graduate Chancellor's Awardees:
Kim Trenbath, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Advisor: Linnea Avallone
AY appointment to support Undergraduate Climate Change Curriculum Development and Validation Proposal, Year-end Report, CCLI Poster
Sarah Roberts, School of Education
Advisor: Erin Furtak
Summer appointment to support Reforming Undergraduate Biology Teaching Through Formative Assessment Proposal, Year-end Report
Ryan Grover and Louisa Harris, School of Education
Advisors: David Webb and Victoria Hand
AY appointments to support a Longitudinal Study of the Implementation and Impact of LAs on Teaching in Undergraduate Mathematics Proposal, Year-end Report
David Cheeseman, Computer Science
Advisor: Michael Main
AY year appointment to support a Tablet Teaching Pilot Program Proposal, Year-end Report
Colin Wallace, Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences
Advisor: Doug Duncan
AY year appointment to support Student's Difficulties with Cosmology Proposal, Year-end Report
Lauren Kost, Physics
Advisor: Steven Pollock
AY year appointment to support Investigating the Gender Gap in Undergraduate Physics Courses Proposal, Year-end Report
Benjamin Spike, Physics
Advisor Noah Finkelstein
AY appointment to support An Examination of Conceptions of Teaching and Learning Physics in Graduate TAs and Undergraduate LAs Proposal