| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 27, 2012 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 11, 2014 |
| Award Number: | 1204209 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Tom Higgins
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2012 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2016 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $897,212.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $897,212.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2013 = $298,959.00 FY 2014 = $298,392.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
525 FALCONER ST JAMESTOWN NY US 14701-1999 (716)338-1060 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
525 Falconer St Jamestown NY US 14702-0020 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
04001314DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04001415DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
This project is developing a regional biotechnology workforce pipeline by expanding and supporting biotechnology research experiences for Jamestown Community College (JCC) undergraduates and disseminating these research experiences and materials to area high school teachers and students.
Intellectual merit: To further develop the regional workforce pipeline, the program prepares a cohort of high school biotechnology instructors with authentic research experiences. These instructors teach a new interdisciplinary first semester sub-cellular biology course at their schools which is infused with these research experiences. High school students taking this course also have the opportunity to do summer research at JCC. The project also provides JCC biotech undergraduates with a greater array of biotechnology research experiences on site, thus expanding the scope and depth of their authentic learning. In addition to on site research, JCC biotechnology students also participate in summer research internships at regional universities.
Broader impacts:
This proposal impacts several hundred high school students by providing training opportunities for area high school teachers and the materials/instruments to develop a more contemporary and biotechnologically-based curriculum at their schools. The effort is also responsive to the recommendations for biology education reform called for in Vision and Change: A Call To Action (NSF/AAAS). The project includes economic impact metrics as a tool for evaluating the effect of the project and uses Tennessee Tech's CAT instrument to capture gains in critical thinking skills.
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project was conducted in the Jamestown Community College (JCC) Biotechnology Program to provide training and resources to area high school teachers for the dissemination of high impact practices in biotechnology education. The overarching goal was to prepare high school teachers as instructors for a novel dual enrollment course to be taught in area high schools called Biology: A Molecular Approach (BAMA). This course transfers as a college-level course that covers first year biology content in topics needed for future success in advanced courses, especially those that emphasize genetics, cell biology and molecular biology. One-third of area school districts in the JCC area of impact have received 135 hours of training in the use of undergraduate research, case-based learning and interdisciplinary teaching as pedagogies for the classroom, and for the implementation of a research project using modern biotechnology lab skills. Each high school received roughly $10,000 in new biotech equipment and $2000-$6000 in biotech supplies. To date 19 districts have been prepared and 297 students have taken this dual enrollment course.
The efforts of this project have improved teacher preparation and student learning with the following remarkable outcomes:
1) A statistically significant and reproducible increase in critical reasoning has been demonstrated among students who take BAMA and engage in a year-long research project. In fact, BAMA students attained levels of critical reasoning that far exceeded the average levels of students graduating with four year degrees. These results have been documented among first year biotech students who took BAMA while in the JCC Biotech Program and among the hundreds of students who took it as a dual enrollment course in high schools. Gains in critical reasoning was not noted among students who took standard first semester biology courses and engaged in a single semester of research while at JCC. As such the Center for Assessment and the Improvement of Learning has designated the JCC Biotech as a High Impact Program for the improvement of critical reasoning (https://www.tntech.edu/cat/links-to-successful-projects).
2) Among students who took BAMA while attending JCC, STEM retention was 68%, more than doubling the reported national average for STEM retention in community colleges (31%). Students who took BAMA were 8 times more likely to complete the JCC Biotechnology Program and 1.6 times more likely to complete any degree when compared to students who took a standard first semester biology course at JCC. Historically, failure rates in JCC Genetics course parallel those reported nationally for this important course in the biological sciences. BAMA preparation reduced failure rates in Genetics by one-half compared to preparation from the standard first semester biology course. Aggregate test scores indicated that students who took BAMA as a pre-requisite course for Genetics were better prepared for Genetics (BAMA 79% vs BIO 1570 69%; p value <0.10; n=45). Thus the content and methods used in BAMA prepared students better for Genetics than courses using traditional lecture and lab methods. BAMA preparation promoted STEM retention and general completion among community college students.
Last Modified: 11/30/2016
Modified by: Jacqueline M Crisman
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