scholarly journals Slime Mold Quarantine: An Engineering-Design-Integrated Biology Unit

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (8) ◽  
pp. 570-576
Author(s):  
Taylor Holder ◽  
Laura Pottmeyer ◽  
Frackson Mumba

Students often find it challenging to learn about complex and abstract biological processes. Using the engineering design process, which involves designing, building, and testing prototypes, can help students visualize the processes and anchor ideas from lab activities. We describe an engineering-design-integrated biology unit designed for high school students in which they learn about the properties of slime molds, the difference between eukaryotes and prokaryotes, and the iterative nature of the engineering design process. Using the engineering design process, students were successful in quarantining the slime mold from the non-inoculated oats. A t-test revealed statistically significant differences in students' understanding of slime mold characteristics, the difference between eukaryotes and prokaryotes, and the engineering design process before and after the unit. Overall, students demonstrated sound understanding of the biology core ideas and engineering design skills inherent in this unit.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Rugh ◽  
Donald J. Beyette ◽  
Mary Margaret Capraro ◽  
Robert M. Capraro

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine a week-long science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) project-based learning (PBL) activity that integrates a new educational technology and the engineering design process to teach middle and high school students the concepts involved in rotational physics. The technology and teaching method described in this paper can be applied to a wide variety of STEM content areas. Design/methodology/approach As an educational technology, the dynamic and interactive mathematical expressions (DIME) map system automatically generates an interactive, connected concept map of mathematically based concepts extracted from a portable document format textbook chapter. Over five days, students used DIME maps to engage in meaningful self-guided learning within the engineering design process and STEM PBL. Findings Using DIME maps within a STEM PBL activity, students explored the physics behind spinning objects, proposed multiple creative designs and built a variety of spinners to meet specified criteria and constraints. Practical implications STEM teachers can use DIME maps and STEM PBL to support their students in making connections between what they learn in the classroom and real-world scenarios. Social implications For any classroom with computers, tablets or phones and an internet connection, DIME maps are an accessible educational technology that provides an alternative representation of knowledge for learners who are underserved by traditional methods of instruction. Originality/value For STEM teachers and education researchers, the activity described in this paper uses advances in technology (DIME maps and slow-motion video capture on cell phones) and pedagogy (STEM PBL and the engineering design process) to enable students to engage in meaningful learning.


2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-393
Author(s):  
Nyet Moi Siew

This research was conducted to evaluate the scientific imagination of Grade 10 students from one Malaysian rural secondary school that adopted the integration of the imagination process in an Engineering Design Process (EDPI) through an outreach program in STEM. Three stages of scientific imagination process were evaluated: initiation, dynamic adjustment, and virtual implementation. A total of 50 students aged 16 participated in a 10-hour program, which engaged them in designing and building two different prototypes. Data on students’ scientific imagination were captured through a pre-test and post-test, and teachers’ field notes based on focus group interviews and observations. The results of paired sample t-tests showed significant differences in all three stages of scientific imagination process, except in the brainstorming of the initiation stage. The findings reveal that students required both personal experience and social or environment interactions in order to progress from the initiation stage to the virtual implementation stage. The findings also suggested that the EDPI approach is able to create a supportive environment for fostering scientific imagination among rural secondary school students. Keywords: engineering design process, scientific imagination, STEM.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 477-493
Author(s):  
Nyet Moi Siew ◽  
Henry Goh ◽  
Fauziah Sulaiman

This research was conducted to evaluate the learning experience of Grade Ten students from two Malaysian rural secondary schools that adopted the integration of STEM in an Engineering Design Process (STEM-EDP) approach vis-á-vis an outreach challenge program. A total of 89 students undertook a ten hour program which engaged them in designing and building three different prototypes as well as answering higher order thinking questions. Data on students’ learning experience were captured through participants’ responses to a six-point Likert scale questionnaire, teachers’ field notes, and open-ended questions. The questionnaire result reveals statistically significant gains in knowledge or skills about, attitudes toward, and practices on STEM. The STEM-EDP outreach challenge program brought awareness to rural school students of their potential as problem solvers, thinkers, creators, and collaborators. Students were able to simultaneously broaden their boundaries in knowledge and competency even though they experienced difficulties in tackling challenges associated with STEM activities. Findings suggested that the STEM-EDP approach can be applied as a means for fostering creativity, problem solving skills, and thinking skills among rural secondary school students. Keywords: engineering design process, higher order thinking, outreach challenge program, rural schools, STEM.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Saparwati ◽  
Trimawati Trimawati ◽  
Fiki Wijayanti

The region of Indonesia is located between three tectonic plates namely Eurasian plate, the Pacific plate and Australia-Indies plate. These conditions lead to Indonesia to be proned of earthquakes, tsunamies, volcanic eruptions, and other types of geological disasters. Education for disaster is important to people's lives, to make disaster preparedness which is an absolute requirement for the development of disaster risk reduction. The purpose of this to study is to find out the difference between knowledge of disaster preparedness on high school students before and after given disaster learning.The design in this research method used pre-experimentaltype with pre test and post test in one group. The population on this research werestudents of SDN Candirejo 01 Ungaran as many as 125 students with research samples as many as 68 respondents taken by proportional random sampling technique. Instruments for disaster preparedness variable used questionnaire from LIPI. Univariate analysis test in the form of frequency distribution and percentage and used Wilcoxon bivariat test.The results showed student’s knowledge before the disaster learning is in less category as many as 31 students (51.1%) and after given disaster learning in good category as many as 37 students (55.5%). There is significant differences between knowledge of disaster preparedness before and after given disaster learning by using audio visual on students of SDN Candirejo 01 Ungaran (p = 0.000). 


Author(s):  
Weni Wiliya Budiarti ◽  
Achmad Sofyan Hanif ◽  
Samsudin Samsudin

This research was conducted to produce a volleyball smash learning model and test its effectiveness for junior high school children. The development method adopts the development steps of Borg and Gall. Small group trials involve 15 athletes and 60 for large group trials. The development of the model begins with small trials, large trials and effectiveness tests. The effectiveness test used pre-post test with the instrument of the volleyball smash skills of junior high school students. The exercise model that was applied was tested for the significance of the difference and it was obtained that the t-test = 31,614, db = 32 and p-value = 0.00 <0.05, meaning that there were significant differences in the ability of students before and after they were given the volleyball smash learning model. It was concluded that existing moddel could be developed and applied in volleyball smash learning and effectively improved volleyball smash learning outcomes for junior high school students.


Author(s):  
Nyet Moi Siew

This research was conducted to explore the STEM imagination of Grade 10 students from one Malaysian rural secondary school that adopted the integration of the imagination process in an Engineering Design Process (EDP) through an outreach program in STEM. Four stages of the STEM imagination process were examined: initiation, dynamic adjustment, virtual implementation and implementation. A total of 50 students aged 16 participated in a 10-hour program which engaged them in designing and building two different prototypes. Data on students’ STEM imagination were captured through teachers’ field notes based on focus group interviews and observations. The findings reveal that students needed to draw from their lived experiences to brainstorm problems and solutions around a given scenario, and to arrive at a workable solution in order to move from the initiation to the implementation stage. The findings also suggested that the EDP approach is able to create a supportive environment for nurturing STEM imagination among rural secondary school students.


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