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3 Strengthening Undergraduate Education in Science and Engineering
Pages 15-22

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From page 15...
... Shepard, dean of education at the University of Colorado, Boulder, described some of the cognitive science that supports successful reforms in STEM education. Bruce Alberts: "If you watch American television today, or listen to our political debates, you have to worry about what's happening to our sci entific temper." THE ROLE OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN TRANSFORMING MATH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION Scientists need to achieve a much higher degree of influence throughout their own nations and the world, Bruce Alberts said.
From page 16...
... As Ray Marshall and Marc Tucker pointed out in their 1993 book Thinking for a Living, the workplace skills needed for success in the modern world economy include: • A high capacity for abstract, conceptual thinking; • The ability to apply that capacity for abstract thought to complex real-world problems -- including problems that involve the use of scientific and technical knowledge -- that are nonstandard, full of ambiguities, and have more than one right answer; and • The capacity to function effectively in an environment in which communication skills are vital and in groups.2 As president of the National Academy of Sciences, Alberts took on the challenge of education reform that would produce these kinds of skills. 1 Bronowski, Jacob.
From page 17...
... "I know from my time at UCSF that there are many talented science graduate students and postdocs who would be interested in such a career if a productive new pathway for entry could be developed and promoted." Efforts to improve science education are going on around the world, Alberts concluded. As noted by the Gathering Storm report, the United States needs to take bold steps to meet the competition.
From page 18...
... • Challenge us. • Help us develop critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills.
From page 19...
... If you ever get depressed about all the work ahead of us, all you have to do is think about your students. I'm optimistic about the future." THE COGNITIVE SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE BASE Cognitive science research helps to explain why the classes described by Wright work so well, said Lorrie A
From page 20...
... "Scaling up or making these things understood to be common practice is the most difficult task." Changes in assessments are one of the most effective ways to change teaching, she said. In its 1993 report Measuring Up: Prototypes for Mathematics Assessment, the Mathematical Sciences Education Board of the National Research Council listed some of the qualities of mathematical tasks that should be embedded in assessments: • Promote higher order thinking.
From page 21...
... The Colorado Learning Assistant Model Shepard described the Colorado Learning Assistant Model, which embodies the principles she discussed.5 In this model, outstanding undergraduate students are hired as learning assistants and are given an education course on learning research. The professor lectures twice per week and meets with graduate students and the learning assistants once a week.


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