Teaching in the Sciences Learner-Centered Approaches

• About the Editors
  
• Contributors
  
• Foreword (Stephen Dinham)
  
• Introduction. Learner-Centered Approaches in the Sciences (Catherine McLoughlin and Acram Taji)
  
• Chapter 1. Student-Centered Ecology: Authentic Contexts and Sustainable Science (Susan Barker)
  
• Introduction
  
• Challenges in Teaching Ecology
  
• Experiential and Constructivist Approaches
  
• Learner-Centered Teaching Materials: Promoting Sustainability
  
• Fieldwork Teaching: Are Learner-Centered Approaches Possible?
  
• Learning Indicators
  
• Conclusion
  
• Chapter 2. The Use of ICT in Molecular Science Student-Centered Learning: A Developmental Approach (Philip L. R. Bonner)
  
• Introduction
  
• ICT and Student Learning
  
• CAL: A Learner-Centered Approach to Numeracy Problems
  
• Evolving Evaluation
  
• A Learner-Centered Approach to Laboratory Simulation
  
• Conclusion
  
• Chapter 3. The Undergraduate Life Sciences Laboratory: Student Expectations, Approaches to Learning, and Implications for Teaching (Janet Gorst and Susan Lee)
  
• Introduction
  
• A Review of the Literature
  
• A Laboratory Study
  
• Conclusion
  
• Chapter 4. Developing the Metacognitive and Problem-Solving Skills of Science Students in Higher Education (Rowan W. Hollingworth and Catherine McLoughlin)
  
• Introduction
  
• Linking Problem-Solving and Metacognitive Skills
  
• Teaching Problem Solving
  
• The Need for Ill-Defined Problem Types
  
• Design of Technology-Supported Metacognitive Training
  
• METAHEAD: An Online Tutorial to Support Metacognitive
  
• Conclusion
  
• Chapter 5. The Use of Distributed Problem-Based Learning and Threaded Discourse (Lisa Lobry de Bruyn)
  
• Introduction
  
• Background and Literature Review
  
• Description of Learning Activity
  
• Assignment Structure and Learner Support
  
• Evaluation of Learning Activity and Student/Instructor Experiences
  
• Conclusion
  
• Appendix
  
• Chapter 6. Problem Solving in the Sciences: Sharing Expertise with Students (Catherine McLoughlin and Rowan W. Hollingworth)
  
• Introduction
  
• Background
  
• Novices and Experts
  
• Developing Self-Knowledge
  
• The Need for Open-Ended Tasks
  
• Recommendations for Teaching Problem Solving
  
• Conclusion
  
• Chapter 7. Student-Centered Learning Support in the Sciences (Robyn Muldoon)
  
• Introduction
  
• Supportive Pedagogies for Students in the Sciences
  
• The Faculty Mentor Program at UNE
  
• Conclusion
  
• Chapter 8. “Drowning by Numbers”: The Effectiveness of Learner-Centered Approaches to Teaching Biostatistics in the Environmental Life Sciences (Debra L. Panizzon and Andrew J. Boulton)
  
• Introduction
  
• The Constructivist Framework: Two Common Threads
  
• Challenging Alternative Conceptions in Biostatistics
  
• Encouraging a Deep Approach to Learning
  
• Conclusion
  
• Chapter 9. Application of ICT to Provide Feedback to Support Learning in First-Year Science (Mary Peat, Sue Franklin, and Charlotte Taylor)
  
• Introduction
  
• Diversity of Australian First-Year Science Students
  
• Supporting First-Year Science Students with Relevant Feedback
  
• Provision of Online Feedback to First-Year Biology Students at the University of Sydney
  
• Use of Feedback in the Development of Scientific Writing Skills
  
• Use of Computer-Based Self-Assessment Modules Providing Feedback
  
• Conclusion
  
• Chapter 10. Assessing for Learning in the Crucial First Year of University Study in the Sciences (Frances Quinn)
  
• Introduction
  
• Dimensions of Assessment
  
• Assessment Strategies for First-Year Science
  
• Specific Assessment Techniques for Large First-Year Science Classes
  
• Conclusion
  
• Chapter 11. Exploring the Usefulness of Broadband Videoconferencing for Student-Centered Distance Learning in Tertiary Science (Robyn Smyth)
  
• Introduction
  
• A Conceptual Framework: Pedagogy, Philosophy, and Transitions
  
• Teaching for Student Engagement in Science
  
• Exploring the Usefulness of Broadband Videoconferencing
  
• Developing a Conceptual Framework to Plan Potential Student Engagement
  
• Conclusion
  
• Index
  
• Reference Notes Included
  

Biography

Taji, Acram