Science Education Initiative Papers
Go to the SEI Research Tab to see papers resulting from CWSEI and CU-SEI research.
Course Transformation:
Many of our resources are included in our Course Transformation Guide, a guide for instructors interested in transforming a course, and their instruction, to use research-based principles and improve student learning. Included are reviews of key principles in teaching and learning, and research-based recommendations on instructional techniques.
Crusader for Science Teaching Finds Colleges Slow to Change
Carl Wieman, Chronicle of Higher Education, June 2013.
Transformation is Possible if a University Really Cares
Jeffrey Mervis, Science, Vol. 340, no. 6130, pp. 292-296.
Change article - Transforming Science Education at Large Research Universities: A Case Study in Progress
Carl Wieman, Katherine Perkins and Sarah Gilbert, Change, pp. 7-14 (March/April 2010).
A Thoughtful Approach to Instruction: Course transformation for the rest of us
Stephanie Chasteen, Katherine Perkins, Paul Beale, Steven Pollock, & Carl Wieman, Journal of College Science Teaching, Vol. 40, pp. 24-30 (2011).
Science Education Initiative Suggested Indicators for Full Implementation
Guidance to Departments, Faculty members, and Science Teaching & Learning Fellows on the activities and accomplishments that maximize the chances that the efforts on a particular course meet the science education initiative goals.
Course Transformation Expectations
A checklist for course transformation and sustainability developed by the UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences Department Science Education Initiative program (EOS-SEI).
STLF-Faculty Interaction Model
A general model for Science Teaching & Learning Fellow (STLF)-Faculty member interactions.
Course transformation case study
A case study example of a transformation of University of Colorado Physics 2130 "Introduction to modern physics". This transformation was carried out by Carl Wieman, Kathy Perkins, and Sam McKagan.
Recomended Books (Many Available For Loan to CU Community)
General
How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching
Susan Ambrose, Michael Bridges, Michele DiPietro, Marsha Lovett, and Marie Norman
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School
Ann Brown, Rodney Cocking, and John Bransford
What the Best College Teachers Do
Ken Bain
Peer Instruction: A User's Manual
Eric Mazur
Peer Instruction Interactive Teaching (DVD) featuring Harvard Physics Professor Eric Mazur
Scientific Teaching
Jo Handelsman, Sarah Miller, and Christine Pfund
How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom
M. Suzanne Donovan and John D. Bransford
How Students Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom
M. Suzanne Donovan and John D. Bransford
Just in Time Teaching
Gregor Novak, Andrew Gavrin, Wolfgang Christian, Evelyn Patterson
Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite CD - Edward F. Redish (*this book outlines a variety of tools for learning and effective pedagogy, many of which can be broadly applied to disciplines other than physics)
Technical
Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (this is pretty technical)
Keith Sawyer
Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance (this is pretty technical) - K. Anders Ericsson, Neil Charness, Paul Feltovich, and Robert Hoffman
Discovering Statistics Using SPSS
Andy Field
Handbook of Educational Psychology (this is very technical)
Patricia A. Alexander and Philip H. Winne
Handbook of Metacognition in Education
Douglas J. Hacker, John Dunlosky, and Arthur C. Graesser
Knowing what Students Know (this is pretty technical)
James W. Pellegrino, Naomi Chudowsky, and Robert Glaser
Learning and Instruction
Richard E. Mayer
Statistical Modeling: A Fresh Approach
Daniel T. Kaplan
Invention Activies:
The following materials have been designed and written by Jared L. Taylor and George B. Spiegelman in Life Sciences.
ZIP Folder of Materials
- Invention Activities for University Cell Biology - A Guide for Instructors
- Cell Biology Invention Activity Handouts
- Cell Biology Invention Activity Follow-Up Homework
- Cell Biology Invention Activity Slides
Teaching Assistant Training:
The following TA training materials have been developed by Mya Warren, Sandy Martinuk and Joss Ives in the UBC Physics and Astronomy Department and are good models to follow.
Schedule
Handbook
Slides for all sections: Introduction, Learning to Teaching, Problem Solving, TAing by Questioning, Working with Groups, Marking, Formative Evaluation and Running the Big Show.
Visit the UBC Department of Physics & Astronomy TA Training Course Website.
Notes from TA Training CWSEI End-of-Year Event afternoon discussion session - April 28, 2008
Talks & Interviews:
Transforming STEM Education: A Scientific Approach to Teaching & Learning Carl Wieman, White House OSTP; Optical Society of America Leadership Conference Address, Feb. 10, 2012, Washington, DC.
Transforming Science Education at a Large Research University: progress report from the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) at UBC Plenary talk by Sarah Gilbert at The Western Conference on Science Education, University of Western Ontario (July 2011).
Carl Wieman Science Education talk — 2009
Video - April 2009 (Courtesy of Harvard University)
Poster on the UBC Science Education Initiative — 2009 for the President’s Campus Town Hall, September 2009.
Poster on the UBC and CU Science Education Initiatives — for the Facilitating Change in Undergraduate STEM Symposium, Western Michigan University, June 16-19, 2008.
Poster on Department-based Science Education Specialists (STF/STLFs) as agents of change in university education — for the Facilitating Change in Undergraduate STEM Symposium, Western Michigan University, June 16-19, 2008.
Carl Wieman UBC talk on What All Instructors Should Know About Learning - 2008
[PowerPoint version] [Audio]
MIT World: Science Education in the 21st Century: Using the Tools of Science to Teach Science with Dr. Carl Wieman — March 2008
Kathy Perkins talk (Associate Director, CU-SEI) — Studying Student Beliefs About Science: their importance and what affects them — July 2007
e-Strategy Update » Blog Archive » Q&A with Dr. Carl Wieman — April 2007
UBC Podcasts: An Evening With a Nobel Laureate — March 2007
Articles By Cark Wieman
A Thoughtful Approach to Instruction: Course transformation for the rest of us
Stephanie Chasteen, Katherine Perkins, Paul Beale, Steven Pollock, & Carl Wieman
Change article - Transforming Science Education at Large Research Universities: A Case Study in Progress
Carl Wieman, Katherine Perkins and Sarah Gilbert
Quality of UBC students relative to other BC and major US Universities
Change article - Why not try a scientific approach to science education?
Course transformation case study
A new model for post-secondary education, the Optimized University
Others Resources on The Web:
Classroom Response System ("Clickers") Bibliography (Vanderbilt Center for Teaching)
A very extensive bibliography on clicker use and research (with links to digitally available papers).
Colorado Physics Education Research Papers
Colorado Physics Education Technology (PhET) Interactive Simulations
Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS)
Critical and Integrative Thinking Rubric (WSU)
An excellent guide developed at Washington State University for rating critical and integrative thinking.
Learning About Teaching Physics podcasts
A series of podcasts by Stephanie Chasteen and Michael Fuchs with participation by Eric Mazur, Catherine Crouch, Jenny Knight, Ed Prather, and others.
Physics Education Research (PER) User's Guide
A web resource for physics educators (and others) to learn how to teach more effectively by applying the results of physics education research and teaching methods based on these results.
SEI Course Materials System
A repository for UBC and CU Science Education Initiative course materials
SERC: The Science Education Resource Center
Teaching methods and activities repository for a variety of disciplines, and additional resources for geoscience educators.
Test preparation guidance, BYU Testing Center
Several guides for the creation of good tests, including the excellent "How to Prepare Better Multiple-Choice Test Items: Guidelines for University Faculty"
University of Illinois Introductory Physics Course Revisions
University of Washington Physics Education Group
Wendy Adams' Ph.D. Thesis - Covers research on design and effectiveness of interactive simulations, CLASS learning attitudes about science survey, and research on measuring specific components of scientific problem solving.