Exploring Cyberlearning in Biology Education

1. Exploring Cyberlearningin Biology Education NIMBioS Computational Biology Curriculum Tutorial UT - Knoxville July, 2010

2. Teaching the Natural Sciences Challenges we are all faced with today • Explosive growth of information • Expanding role of technology • Changes in the nature of the discipline • Growing schism between learning and schooling

3. Teaching the Natural Sciences Challenges we are all faced with today • Explosive growth of information • Expanding role of technology • Changes in the nature of the discipline • Growing schism between learning and schooling

4. Information Overloador Filter Failure Clay Shirky http://web2expo.blip.tv/file/1277460/

5. Teaching the Natural Sciences Challenges we are all faced with today • Explosive growth of information • Expanding role of technology • Changes in the nature of the discipline • Growing schism between learning and schooling

6. Fall 2009 Student Survey: • 30,616 respondents • 104 colleges and universities • 12 two-year institutions • 81.7% under 25 years old • 87.4% enrolled full time • The Educause Center for Applied Research Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009. • http://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheECARStudyofUndergraduateStu/187215

7. Fall 2009 Student Survey: • 98% own computers • 79% of freshman own computers less than one year old • ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009. • http://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheECARStudyofUndergraduateStu/187215

8. ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009. http://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheECARStudyofUndergraduateStu/187215

9. Teaching the Natural Sciences Challenges we are all faced with today • Explosive growth of information • Expanding role of technology • Changes in the nature of the discipline • Growing schism between learning and schooling

10. “In contrast to biological research, undergraduate biology education has changed relatively little during the past two decades. The ways in which most future research biologists are educated are geared to the biology of the past, rather than to the biology of the present or future.” National Research Council (2003). Bio2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists, Washington, DC, National Academies Press. http://www.nap.edu/books/0309085357/html/.

11. Our web-savvy students see their curricula as old-fashioned - “an arbitrary set of hoops to jump rather than a carefully considered set of courses.” Undergraduate curricula “looks like Yahoo circa 1996 (i.e. knowledge organized in pre-selected categories).” http://contexts.org/thickculture/2009/04/30/ graduate-school-fail/

12. Teaching the Natural Sciences Challenges we are all faced with today • Explosive growth of information • Expanding role of technology • Changes in the nature of the discipline • Growing schism between learning and schooling

13. Learning -In and Out of School Collins & Halverson, 2009. Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schools.

14. Is Cyberlearning Part of the Solution? Borgman, C. (2008), Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge. Report of the NSF Taskforce on Cyberlearning. NSF, Arlington, VA.

15. What is Cyberlearning?

16. C3 Cyberlearning is … focused on integrating information and disciplinary literacy to support authentic science learning. … focused on distance education … focused on replacing labs or field experiences … focused on classroom or learning management systems ... focused on teaching about technology C3 Cyberlearning is not

17. Nature of science in policy documents • … undergraduates need to understand the process of science, the interdisciplinary nature of the new biology, and how science is closely integrated within society. Students also should be competent in communication and collaboration, as well as have a certain level of quantitative competency, and a basic ability to understand and interpret data. • Vision and Change: • A Call to Action (2009)

18. Cyberlearning impacts funding opportunities: “Projects that explore cyberlearning, specifically learning with cyberinfrastructure tools such as networked computing and communications technologies, are of special interest.” National Science Foundation. 2010. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (TUES).

19. from Learning, Working & Playing in the Digital Age by John Seely Brown http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/seelybrown/seelybrown4.html

20. 4 interrelated notions of authenticity Materials and activities aligned with the world outside the classroom. Assessment aligned with what students should learn from instruction. Topics of study aligned with what learners want to know. Methods of inquiry aligned with practices in a discipline. from Thick authenticity: New media and authentic learning. Schaffer & Resnick (1999).

21. BioQUEST & 3P’s • Problem Posing • Problem Solving • Peer Persuasion

22. http://undsci.berkeley.edu/

24. Visual Literacy and Animations http://www.johnkyrk.com/photosynthesis.html http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/ http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/forestbiology/photosynthesis.swf

25. Collecting Data from Images

26. Visualizing Data http://www.swivel.com/http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/http://www.gapminder.org/

27. RSS Feeds: Staying Current

29. How do you promote cyberlearning? Image: Panther

30. Kristin Jenkins Ethel Stanley Stephen Everse John Jungck • Spring 2010C3 Group • Justin Pruneski • Bob Charland • Hedy Choi • Elia Crisucci • Keith Garmire • Neha Gupta • Ab Mittal • Grace Nobel • Kelly Perini • Jessica Steiner • Tori Wytiaz

31. C3 Partners