Fact factory is not science

Studying science at a tertiary level should enhance learners' abilities to think, act and engage with science as a scientist.

But international research suggests tertiary level science courses and programmes are not achieving this goal. Nobel laureate, professor Carl Wieman says many science courses encourage learners to see science as a set of ‘facts’ unrelated to the natural world, with learners memorizing these ‘facts’ rather than learning to solve problems scientifically. In essence, Wieman’s research suggests studying science at tertiary level could be reducing learners’ expertise in science, rather than increasing it.

In response, a $12 million initiative – the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) – has been established at the University of British Columbia to identify ways science education can be enhanced.

The CWESI works at a departmental level and draws upon evidence from educational research, neuropsychology and cognitive psychology to enhance learner outcomes. Courses involved in the initiative work through three steps: first, the department agrees on what science learners should learn in their courses; second, robust measurements establish what is actually being learnt; and third, teaching approaches and curriculum content are adapted, based on evidence of effective teaching and learning approaches.

Research has not yet been conducted to examine this issue in New Zealand, but Ako Aotearoa, the national centre of tertiary teaching excellence, is funding a large scale project: ‘Transforming Tertiary Science Education’ to trial and evaluate the CWSEI approach in New Zealand.

The project will be co-led by Dr Ben Kennedy, University of Canterbury and Dr Zoe Jordens, Massey University. Kennedy is a previous postdoctoral fellow of professor Wieman and has worked as a science education specialist within the CWSEI. The project team will be collaborating closely with the CWSEI group at the University of British Columbia.

‘Transforming Tertiary Science Education’ involves over 1,000 learners from geology and biology courses at the two universities. It will measure what is actually being learnt in class, as well as learners’ attitudes towards science. A series of initiatives, including the effective use of clickers in large-sized classes and pushing peer learning, will enhance learners’ engagement and maximise learning.

Wieman says there are almost no authentic assessments of what students actually learn, so it is impossible to broadly measure that learning and impossible to connect it to resources and incentives. While the necessary tools are available for assessing student learning in a practical, widespread way at the university level, carrying this out means significant investment. Introducing effective research-based teaching in all college science courses – by, for instance, developing and testing pedagogically effective materials, supporting technology, and providing for faculty development – would also require resources. But the budget for R&D and the implementation of improved educational methods at most universities is essentially zero.

Members of the ‘Transforming Tertiary Science Education’ project team, from left: Annie Horton, Simon Bloomberg, Lauren Foote and Ben Kennedy

Kennedy’s project goal is to enhance the learning outcomes of science students, but the findings and general approach could be readily transferred to other contexts and disciplines. All disciplines aim to enhance the expertise of their learners in their field, and each discipline could benefit from collectively identifying what students should be learning within a discipline, measuring what is actually learnt and then implementing initiatives to promote expert thinking and understanding.

The project starts this year with an expected completion date of early 2012. Further information about the project and the CWSEI is available here.