Rules of engagement: Transforming the teaching of college-level science

June 2, 2015 Archives, News, People

Michelle Smith gives a talk at the University of Adelaide, Australia, about the benefits of interactive teaching to student learning, and the data collected from STEM classroom observations at the University of Maine. Smith's talks involve asking the audience to vote on clicker questions and discuss findings with their colleagues. Credit: Robert Williams Photography — Michelle Smith gives a talk at the University of Adelaide, Australia, about the benefits of interactive teaching to student learning, and the data collected from STEM classroom observations at the University of Maine. Smith’s talks involve asking the audience to vote on clicker questions and discuss findings with their colleagues. Credit: Robert Williams Photography

Rules of engagement: Transforming the teaching of college-level science – December 18, 2014, NSF.gov, Discovery page
A science education advocate (Michelle K. Smith) who trained as a molecular biologist uses her analytical background to create teaching strategies that energize both students and faculty.

Remember BIO 101? The professor lectured uninterrupted while some students scrawled pages of notes and others zoned out. Tests usually meant memorizing life cycles, cell parts and classification schemes. For many college freshmen, the introductory course still involves memorization, note-taking and a few energy drinks.

For students at the University of Maine (UM), however, each introductory biology lecture requires active participation. Armed with electronic clickers, the 800 students enrolled in the course’s three sections power through questions about DNA, genetics and other life science topics. Their professor, Farahad Dastoor, tallies their answers and asks them to discuss with those sitting nearby how they arrived at their responses. The entire class then discusses conclusions reached by the small groups.

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