INFORMING A LEARNING PROGRESSION IN GENETICS: WHICH SHOULD BE TAUGHT FIRST,MENDELIAN INHERITANCE OR THE CENTRAL DOGMA OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY?

The Framework for Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards in the USA emphasize learning progressions (LPs) that support conceptual coherence and the gradual building of knowledge over time. In the domain of genetics there are two independently developed alternative LPs. In essence, the difference between the two progressions hinges on conjectures regarding the accessibility of Mendelian versus molecular genetics, the conceptual dependencies between them, and the order in which they should be taught. The discrepancies between the two progressions stem, in part, from gaps in the current research base. To address the question of whether learning one aspect of genetics, Mendelian or molecular, supports the learning of the other, we analyzed correlations between students’ test scores on item subsets for Mendelian and molecular genetics on written pre-post assessments. Students were seventh graders who received intensive instruction in Mendelian and molecular genetics. We found that students’ pretest scores on the molecular items were moderately correlated with their posttest scores on the Mendelian genetics item set (but not the other way around). This suggests that molecular genetics understandings may bootstrap the learning of Mendelian genetics. Implying that, in contrast to prevalent practice, molecular genetics should be taught before Mendelian genetics.     

The influence of school type and perceived teaching style on students’ creativity

School is an excellent place to foster young learners’ creative thinking skills. However, the emphasis on creativity varies among schools. In two studies the putative influence of school education on the development of students’ creativity was examined by means of a retrospective approach. We investigated whether two influential factors within school education (1) school type (i.e., traditional vs. alternative vs. religious) and (2) perceived teaching style (i.e., independence, judgment, flexibility, integration) associate with students’ creativity at university entrance level. The difference was examined at the primary and secondary school level, respectively. Study 1a found that students who attended alternative schools at the secondary school level performed better on divergent thinking tasks as compared to students who attended traditional or religious schools. Relationship between students’ creative performance and the perceived teaching styles were inconclusive. Finally, teaching styles in alternative schools during secondary education were perceived as high in independence and flexibility. Study 1b replicated the finding that university students who attended alternative schools during secondary education have an advantage in divergent thinking. Taken together, our results highlight the positive influence of alternative school education on students’ creative performance at the university entrance level.     

应用型本科院校理论基础课程的网络教学方式探索

以"工程材料与机械制造基础"为例,讨论和分析了应用型本科院校理论基础课程的网络教学方式。针对"理论抽象、知识面广、实践性强"的工科理论基础课的网络教学质量问题,提出了从思想、内容和手段多角度强化设计的教学方法,强调网络教学应在树立学生积极主动学习态度的基础上,结合课程内容、学生学情及网络教学特点,注重教学设计,改进教学手段,增强师生互动,确保学生课堂听讲的有效时间和知识吸收率,改革考核方式,全面提高学生的学习质量。同时,在一定程度上激发了学生自主学习的积极性,有助于学生课外知识的拓展,以及良好学习习惯的养成。     

Emphasizing the History of Genetics in an Explicit and Reflective Approach to Teaching the Nature of Science

Science education researchers have long advocated the central role of the nature of science (NOS) for our understanding of scientific literacy. NOS is often interpreted narrowly to refer to a host of epistemological issues associated with the process of science and the limitations of scientific knowledge. Despite its importance, practitioners and researchers alike acknowledge that students have difficulty learning NOS and that this in part reflects how difficult it is to teach. One particularly promising method for teaching NOS involves an explicit and reflective approach using the history of science. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of a historically based genetics unit on undergraduates’ understanding of NOS. The three-class unit developed for this study introduces students to Mendelian genetics using the story of Gregor Mendel’s work. NOS learning objectives were emphasized through discussion questions and investigations. The unit was administered to undergraduates in an introductory biology course for pre-service elementary teachers. The influence of the unit was determined by students’ responses to the SUSSI instrument, which was administered pre- and post-intervention. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted that focused on changes in students’ responses from pre- to post-test. Data collected indicated that students showed improved NOS understanding related to observations, inferences, and the influence of culture on science.     

Students’ attitudes towards interdisciplinary education: a course on interdisciplinary aspects of science and engineering education

A course entitled ‘Science and Engineering Education: Interdisciplinary Aspects’ was designed to expose undergraduate students of science and engineering education to the attributes of interdisciplinary education which integrates science and engineering. The core of the course is an interdisciplinary lesson, which each student is supposed to teach his/her peers. Sixteen students at advanced stages of their studies attended the course. The research presented here used qualitative instruments to characterise students’ attitudes towards interdisciplinary learning and teaching of science and engineering. According to the findings, despite the significant challenge which characterises interdisciplinary teaching, a notable improvement was evident throughout the course in the percentage of students who expressed willingness to teach interdisciplinary classes in future.     

Stepping into other people’s shoes proves to be a difficult task for high school students: assessing historical empathy through simulation exercise

In 2011, the Finnish National Board of Education assessed the learning outcomes of history with a study whose results raised doubts about the fulfilment of the goals of history education. This article seeks to expand awareness about Finnish adolescents’ understanding of historical empathy. The study assessed twenty-two 16–17-year-old high school students’ ability to understand predecessors’ actions in particular historical situations. The study also examined how well a simulation exercise works as a tool of empathy teaching and evaluation. Students participated in the simulation and afterwards the students were interviewed. They also participated in a survey that measured their attitudes before and after the exercise, and wrote an essay at the end of the course. The results of the study show that most of the high school students did not reach the goals set for history teaching. The weak performance of students is explained by the strong tradition of history teaching which has been continuing in Finnish schools despite the curriculum reform. Teaching still concentrates on passing a meta-narrative on to students who have not yet enough experience of explaining historical events from a multiperspective point of view.     

Teaching Genetics in Secondary Classrooms: a Linguistic Analysis of Teachers’ Talk About Proteins

This study investigates Swedish biology teachers’ inclusion of proteins when teaching genetics in grade nine (students 15–16 years old). For some years, there has been a call to give attention to proteins when teaching genetics as a means of linking the concepts ‘gene’ and ‘trait’. Students are known to have problems with this relation because the concepts belong to different organizational levels. However, we know little about how the topic is taught and therefore this case study focuses on how teachers talk about proteins while teaching genetics and if they use proteins as a link between the micro and macro level. Four teachers were recorded during entire genetics teaching sequences, 45 lessons in total. The teachers’ verbal communication was then analyzed using thematic pattern analysis, which is based in systemic functional linguistics. The linguistic analysis of teachers’ talk in action revealed great variations in both the extent to which they used proteins in explanations of genetics and the ways they included proteins in linking genes and traits. Two of the teachers used protein as a link between gene and trait, while two did not. Three of the four teachers included instruction about protein synthesis. The common message from all teachers was that proteins are built, but none of the teachers talked about genes as exclusively encoding proteins. Our results suggest that students’ common lack of understanding of proteins as an intermediate link between gene and trait could be explained by limitations in the way the subject is taught.     

What academic language and learning advisers bring to the scholarship of teaching and learning: problems and possibilities for dialogue with the disciplines

Higher education policy is seeking, in the interest of ‘quality assurance’, to reward teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). Academic language and learning (ALL) advisers, who work closely with students to improve their performance in their courses of study, have much to contribute to SoTL. ALL advisers who adopt an ‘academic literacies’ approach share with lecturers in the disciplines an engagement with issues of ‘‐ography’ (i.e. writing in and for a discourse community)—including the relationships between epistemology, form, and language—yet, misconceptions about ALL advisers’ work can prevent discipline lecturers from consulting them when thinking about questions of teaching and learning in their own field. This paper discusses ALL advisers’ access to insights into students’ experiences of learning and of being taught, with relevance both for particular disciplines and for academic culture across the disciplines; their contributions to SoTL; the difficulties they encounter in trying to communicate across the borders of the disciplines; and ways of improving this situation in the context of the new emphasis on encouraging improvement in the quality of teaching.     

Assessing the Quality of University Teaching in Croatia

Abstract

Although there has been a growing literature which explores the thinking of teachers at the school level, no such parallel literature exists for university teachers. In this paper, interviews with four academics who received awards for ‘excellent teaching’ are used to explore the way these university teachers view their teaching. The themes which emerged include: a clear sense of what they were on about at teachers and a willingness to manipulate the learning environment accordingly; an emphasis on student learning and the importance of students learning the subject matter; an enjoyment of teaching; and a lack of perceived constraints to change their teaching and experiment with new ideas.     

A Study of Two Instructional Sequences Informed by Alternative Learning Progressions in Genetics

Learning progressions (LPs) are hypothetical models of how learning in a domain develops over time with appropriate instruction. In the domain of genetics, there are two independently developed alternative LPs. The main difference between the two progressions hinges on their assumptions regarding the accessibility of classical (Mendelian) versus molecular genetics and the order in which they should be taught. In order to determine the relative difficulty of the different genetic ideas included in the two progressions, and to test which one is a better fit with students’ actual learning, we developed two modules in classical and molecular genetics and alternated their sequence in an implementation study with 11th grade students studying biology. We developed a set of 56 ordered multiple-choice items that collectively assessed both molecular and classical genetic ideas. We found significant gains in students’ learning in both molecular and classical genetics, with the largest gain relating to understanding the informational content of genes and the smallest gain in understanding modes of inheritance. Using multidimensional item response modeling, we found no statistically significant differences between the two instructional sequences. However, there was a trend of slightly higher gains for the molecular-first sequence for all genetic ideas.     

Students’ course experience and engagement: an attempt to bridge two lines of research on the quality of undergraduate education

This study attempts to bridge two current lines of research on the quality of undergraduate education, i.e. students’ course experiences and engagement. Defining student engagement from a psychological perspective, this study explores the relationships between students’ course experiences and their motivation and engagement with a sample of 882 Chinese undergraduates who participated in a questionnaire survey. The results of structural equation modelling indicate that, although clear goals and standards, generic skills and appropriate workload positively relate to student engagement, appropriate assessment has a dual effect, while good teaching and emphasis on independence have undesirable, negative effects on students’ motivation and engagement. These findings reveal the potential of combining the two lines of research, and reflect some characteristics of teaching and learning in Chinese higher education institutions. The results have implications for enhancing the quality of undergraduate education in China.     

马克思与技术决定论研究述评

关于技术决定论的定义一直存在分歧,马克思的技术哲学思想与技术决定论的关系也倍受争论。本文回顾了关于技术决定论的种种定义,同时综述了国内学界关于“马克思是技术决定论者吗?”这个问题的三种观点,在此基础上对赞同派、反对派和折中派的论证逻辑加以总结。其中特别指出,“马克思的技术哲学观点”与“马克思主义的技术哲学观点”两个概念应该予以澄清。     

浅谈案例教学法在电工学教学中的应用

针对《电工学》教学内容多、理论性强、应用面广的特点,以提高学生学习热情为切入点,结合修读该课程学生的专业方向引入案例进行教学,达到增强教师课堂教学效果,提升学生综合运用理论知识解决实际问题能力的教育目的。     

A response to strategies and tactics through participatory action research in a developmental mathematics course

This paper explores the value of participatory action research in a community college developmental mathematics course. The authors used the framework of critical mathematics education in order to understand the critical conversations of students about their learning experiences, and also to help the instructor of the course develop the curriculum that attended to student experiences. The authors also draw on Michel de Certeau’s ideas about strategies and tactics to understand how students responded to their past learning experiences. Data results from the study show that students can gain a better understanding of their own learning and subsequently develop deeper content knowledge when they are more involved in the teaching and learning process. Lastly, the authors conclude that as adult learners grow in their understanding of the learning processes and of the content being presented, participatory action research can play an important role in the entire development of thinking and intellectual engagement.     

Improving Academic Performance of Sport and Exercise Science Undergraduate Students in Gross Anatomy Using a Near-Peer Teaching Program

Peer and near-peer teaching programs are common in medical undergraduate courses. However, there are no studies that have investigated the effectiveness of a near-peer teaching program on the academic performance of undergraduate students pursuing sport and exercise science coursework. This study was conducted to analyze the effectiveness of such a program for students who participated in a course on the functional anatomy of the locomotor apparatus. A total of 39 student participants were divided into two groups: students in one group voluntarily attended at least one session of a near-peer teaching program, and students in the other group attended no sessions. The final grade (range 0–100%) was recorded and used as an indicator of academic performance. The final grade of students who attended the near-peer teaching program (69.5 ± 16.0%) was 38.7% higher (P = 0.002, d = 1.06) than those who did not (50.1 ± 20.4%). When the academic performance of the same students was evaluated in another course (exercise physiology) that did not offer a near-peer teaching program, there were no significant differences between the groups (students who attended or did not attend the near-peer teaching program). A significant positive association was found between near-peer teaching program frequency and the number of students approved and not approved in the course (P = 0.041). A significant difference (P = 0.001) was found in the attendance at regular classes between the group who participated in the near-peer teaching program (median: 62 hours; IQR [interquartile ranges]: 4.0 hours) and those who did not (median: 58 hours; IQR: 4.0 hours). Gender was not a moderating factor on academic performance or near-peer teaching program attendance. These results highlight the effectiveness of a near-peer teaching program on the academic performance of students from a sport and exercise science degree program while enrolled in an anatomy course. Anat Sci Educ. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.     

法语专业《国际贸易》课程教学点滴

从高校法语专业开设《国际贸易》课程的目的和学生毕业后在工作中所遇到的问题为出发点,分析法语专业《国际贸易》课程的教学现状,具体表现为缺少明确的教学目标和灵活多变的教学方法,致使学生缺少实践技能;以"介绍背景知识"、"案例分析"、"情景教学"、"课程实践"等方法同时结合法语专业的自身特点为例,论述了如何使法语学生在较短的时间内、在缺少国际贸易常识的情况下尽可能的的掌握国际贸易实务。提出了重实践轻理论、加强案例分析与情景教学、重视英语在课程教授中的作用的建议。     

Unmasking the teaching quality of higher education: students’ course experience and approaches to learning in China

The quality of teaching in higher education is a topic which has generated heated debate in China, though there has been a remarkable paucity of empirical research into the characteristics of teaching and learning in Chinese universities. This study examined Chinese university students’ course experience and its influence on their approaches to learning. A sample of 2529 students from 15 full-time regular universities responded to the questionnaire. Results indicated that the Course Experience Questionnaire could be a promising instrument for assessing the teaching quality in Chinese universities. Chinese undergraduate teaching was characterised by the dominance of developing students’ generic skills, but a lack of emphasis on students’ independence. The study revealed some desirable influences of university teaching on students’ approaches to learning, but an increase in instructors’ effort and commitment to teaching was found to facilitate a surface rather than a deep approach to learning. These findings highlighted the need to reflect on the teacher-centred nature of undergraduate teaching in China.     

Teaching for genetics literacy in the post-genomic era

Research in genetics and genomics is advancing at a fast pace, and thus keeping up with the most recent findings and conclusions can be very challenging. At the same time these recent findings and conclusions have made necessary a reconceptualization of genes and heredity, both in science and in science education, beyond the mostly gene-centred view of the twentieth century. The teaching of genetics at schools should have a key role in helping students achieve genetics literacy. However, the literature on research in genetics education reports persistent difficulties and misunderstandings. We first consider the public understanding of and the attitudes towards genetics. Then, we review the most recent literature and present the most typical conceptions found among secondary students in various countries, ages and backgrounds. We argue that particular factors such as intuitive thinking, teachers, textbooks, and the media affect students’ development of erroneous or outdated ideas related to genetics. Finally, we suggest how these problems might be addressed in order for genetics teaching at the secondary level to fulfil the aim of contributing to students’ genetics literacy in the current post-genomic era.     

Setting Sail or Missing the Boat: Comparing the Beliefs of Preservice Elementary Teachers With and Without an Inquiry-Based Physics Course

We examined the beliefs about science teaching and learning held by elementary preservice teachers in a science methods course, comparing students who had experienced an inquiry-based physics course with those who had not. Students who had taken the physics course prior to the methods semester were better equipped to recognize and learn from inquiry and better able to apply an inquiry approach to their lesson planning. Students who were concurrently enrolled in the physics course began to revise their incoming beliefs about what it means for students to be active learners in science. The students with no experience in the inquiry-based physics course maintained their limited view that science teaching should be fun, with the teacher as teller and fun-maker.     

Some reflections upon teaching Sociology at a distance

This article reviews an introductory sociology course taught at a distance. After an outline of the course structure, the major teaching strategies adopted are discussed with an emphasis upon those which seek to foster sociological understanding by requiring students to explore links between their own social experience and the sociological concepts, theories and methods to which they are being introduced. Results from an evaluation study of students’ responses to these teaching strategies are also discussed.