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Helping Struggling Students in Introductory Biology: A Peer-Tutoring Approach That Improves Performance, Perception, and Retention

Helping Struggling Students in Introductory Biology: A Peer-Tutoring Approach That Improves Performance, Perception, and Retention The high attrition rate among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors has long been an area of concern for institutions and educational researchers. The transition from introductory to advanced courses has been identified as a particularly “leaky” point along […]

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

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 […]

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Thesis Defense – June 12, 2015 – Joshua Case

ORAL THESIS DEFENSE MST Student Joshua Case Thesis Advisor: Dr. Natasha Speer An Abstract of the Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Teaching August 2015  Calculus Students’ Understanding of Logical Implication and its Relationship to their Understanding of Calculus Theorems In a typical calculus course, students are often presented with definitions, lemmas, propositions, and theorems. These statements are conditional, that is, they […]

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RiSE Center Education Conference – January 24, 2015

The Maine Physical Science Partnership (MainePSP) and the Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center) at the University of Maine, in collaboration with the Penobscot River Education Partnership and the Southern Maine Partnership, will host an effective education conference on January 24, 2015, 12:00pm – 3:00pm at the University of Maine in Orono […]

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Monday, April 6 – Marilyne Stains

Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center) Colloquia & Seminar Series  Presents  Marilyne Stains Assistant Professor of Chemistry University of Nebraska – Lincoln  How do university science faculty really teach? There is growing interest in transforming the instructional practices of faculty teaching science courses at the university level. As faculty development efforts expand, […]

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Friday, February 6 – Mila Kryjevskaia

Joint Colloquium Sponsored by Department of Physics & Astronomy and the RiSE Center University of Maine, Orono Mila Kryjevskaia Assistant Professor of Physics North Dakota State University will speak on The role of Dual Process Theory in probing student reasoning in physics   Abstract: It is a common expectation that, after instruction, students will consciously […]

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Thesis Defense – Sundance Campbell – Nov. 17, 2014

ORAL THESIS DEFENSE MST Candidate Sundance Campbell Thesis Advisor: Natasha Speer Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Teaching May, 2015 College student difficulties with applied optimization problems in introductory calculus College calculus is an early gateway course for many college majors, especially those in science, technology, […]

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November 3 Colloquium – Grant Williams, School of Education, St. Thomas University

Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center) Colloquia & Seminar Series Grant Williams School of Education, St. Thomas University Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada Kinulations: Fostering K-12 Students’ Understanding of Science Concepts through Participation in Kinesthetic Simulations Research on the use of simulations in science education indicates that students can develop deep conceptual understanding […]

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RiSE Center Colloquium, Sept. 22 – Allison Dorko

RiSE Center Colloquium Monday, Sept. 22, 2014 3:00 pm 165 Arthur St. John Hill Auditorium Barrows Hall Speaker:  Allison Dorko, Ph.D. candidate at Oregon State University MST Alumni Some Ideas about How Calculus Students Generalize from Single- to Multivariable Contexts  Generalization is a critical goal of mathematical thought and thus a goal of instruction. However, […]

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