scholarly journals A Guide for Graduate Students Interested in Postdoctoral Positions in Biology Education Research

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. es10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa L. Aikens ◽  
Lisa A. Corwin ◽  
Tessa C. Andrews ◽  
Brian A. Couch ◽  
Sarah L. Eddy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Backward Design ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Faculty Mentors

Postdoctoral positions in biology education research (BER) are becoming increasingly common as the field grows. However, many life science graduate students are unaware of these positions or do not understand what these positions entail or the careers with which they align. In this essay, we use a backward-design approach to inform life science graduate students of postdoctoral opportunities in BER. Beginning with the end in mind, we first discuss the types of careers to which BER postdoctoral positions lead. We then discuss the different types of BER postdoctoral positions, drawing on our own experiences and those of faculty mentors. Finally, we discuss activities in which life science graduate students can engage that will help them gauge whether BER aligns with their research interests and develop skills to be competitive for BER postdoctoral positions.

scholarly journals Considering Grand Challenges in Biology Education: Rationales and Proposals for Future Investigations to Guide Instruction and Enhance Student Understanding in the Life Sciences

2018 ◽  
Vol 80 (7) ◽  
pp. 483-492
Author(s):  
William F. McComas ◽  
Michael J. Reiss ◽  
Edith Dempster ◽  
Yeung Chung Lee ◽  
Clas Olander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Student Understanding ◽  
Biology Teachers ◽  
Grand Challenges ◽  
International Group ◽  
Biology Instruction

An international group of biology education researchers offer their views on areas of scholarship that might positively impact our understanding of teaching and learning in biology and potentially inform practices in biology and life science instruction. This article contains a series of essays on topics that include a framework for biology education research, considerations in the preparation of biology teachers, increasing accessibility to biology for all learners, the role and challenges of language in biology teaching, sociocultural issues in biology instruction, and assisting students in coping with scientific innovations. These contributions are framed by a discussion of the value of defining several potential “grand challenges” in biology education.

scholarly journals Using Backward Design in Education Research: A Research Methods Essay †

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie L. Jensen ◽  
Elizabeth G. Bailey ◽  
Tyler A. Kummer ◽  
K. Scott Weber
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Backward Design

scholarly journals Teaching Evolution in Muslim Countries: Is Constructivism a Solution or a Threat?

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 561-578
Author(s):  
Özgür Taşkın
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Scientific Discourse ◽  
Scientific Argumentation ◽  
Democratic Values ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Teaching Evolution ◽  
Muslim Countries

Since the turn of this century, constructivism has dramatically influenced science education and, particularly in Muslim countries, the teaching of evolution. This influence came about gradually. After the 1980’s, Muslim graduate students studying Education in Western universities have been taught constructivism both as a theory of learning and a philosophy, more specifically, as an epistemological theory. This has impacted these students’ views of the nature of science, scientific argumentation, multiculturalism, and the function of democratic values and practices in education. The scope of this influence raises a number of serious questions: Has constructivism introduced a mode of reasoning into science and science education that is foreign to, and even anathema to, scientific discourse? Why does almost every science education research paper suggest or imply negotiation with clergy and religious NGOs? Such questions are discussed in the present paper. To answer these questions, this paper examines in the context of Enlightenment and secularism theoretical frameworks, the methodologies, and suggestions regarding the teaching of evolution in Muslim countries.

scholarly journals Embedding Formative Assessment and Promoting Active Learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Swinbank ◽  
Mary Whitehouse ◽  
Robin Millar
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Teaching Science ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Backward Design ◽  
Assessment Tasks ◽  
Approach To Teaching

In this contribution we outline how the York Science project is using a ‘backward design’ approach to teaching science to students aged 11–14. We then present some examples of formative assessment tasks and show how simple selected-response questions can be modified to provide teachers with detailed information about students’ ideas. Finally we indicate how such tasks can help promote active learning.

scholarly journals Professional Development Tutoring: Comparing Italian and International Models

2018 ◽  
pp. 249-263
Author(s):  
Alessandra Romano
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Green Paper ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Organizational Action ◽  
University Classrooms

The paper presents the first outcomes of a comparative research of the incoming, on-going and outgoing practices of tutorship. The purposeful sample of universities extracted consisted of 18 Italian universities and 18 US universities. A tutorship concept in line with the transversal cross-curricular skills required for undergraduate and graduate students (Green Paper 2016, Dublin descriptors 2004) exceeds the vision of assistential tutorship and student tutoring practices, exercised by teachers and/or offered by services devoted to different types of intervention. The tutorship can be conceived as systemic and organizational action coherent in all phases with professionalising approach, starting from the earliest initiatives between school and university classrooms

scholarly journals Microscope Illumination: LEDs are the Future

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 18-21
Author(s):  
James Beacher
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescence Microscopy ◽  
Light Source ◽  
Phase Contrast ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Bright Field ◽  
Clinical Screening ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Differential Phase Contrast

Light microscopes in laboratories and hospitals are used for examining many different types of samples—from industrial research to life-science research and clinical screening. These procedures use conventional bright-field, differential phase contrast (DIC), and fluorescence microscopy among other techniques. In all cases, the light source on the microscope has a crucial influence on the quality of images viewed and the conclusions reached.

scholarly journals Prevailing Questions and Methodologies in Biology Education Research: A Longitudinal Analysis of Research in CBE—Life Sciences Education and at the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. ar9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley M. Lo ◽  
Grant E. Gardner ◽  
Joshua Reid ◽  
Velta Napoleon-Fanis ◽  
Penny Carroll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Research Trends ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Study Context

Biology education research (BER) is a growing field, as evidenced by the increasing number of publications in CBE—Life Sciences Education ( LSE) and expanding participation at the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) annual meetings. To facilitate an introspective and reflective discussion on how research within LSE and at SABER has matured, we conducted a content analysis of LSE research articles ( n = 339, from 2002 to 2015) and SABER abstracts ( n = 652, from 2011 to 2015) to examine three related intraresearch parameters: research questions, study contexts, and methodologies. Qualitative data analysis took a combination of deductive and inductive approaches, followed by statistical analyses to determine the correlations among different parameters. We identified existing research questions, study contexts, and methodologies in LSE articles and SABER abstracts and then compared and contrasted these parameters between the two data sources. LSE articles were most commonly guided by descriptive research questions, whereas SABER abstracts were most commonly guided by causal research questions. Research published in LSE and presented at SABER both prioritize undergraduate classrooms as the study context and quantitative methodologies. In this paper, we examine these research trends longitudinally and discuss implications for the future of BER as a scholarly field.

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