The Development and implementation of industry informed inquiry-based units for chemistry teachers (ESTABLISH project)

El projecte ESTABLISH (7PM) té com a objectiu incrementar l'ús de metodologies d'ensenyament de les ciències basades en la indagació (ECBI) a les aules d'Europa. Mitjançant el subministrament de material didàctic (unitats ESTABLISH), reforçat per experiències reals proporcionades per la indústria, i el corresponent suport de formació educativa, tant per a professorat actiu com per a professorat en formació (Programes de Formació del Professorat ESTABLISH), els professors tenen a l'abast una àmplia gamma de recursos adequats per desenvolupar un ensenyament propi. En aquest treball s'analitza una de les unitats ESTABLISH i s'emfatitza el desenvolupament de vincles industrials. Es discuteix una sèrie d'enfocaments diferents dels vincles industrials per proporcionar un context als reptes actuals del disseny de materials didàctics.ESTABLISH (FP7 project) aims to increase the use of inquiry-based science education (IBSE) methodologies in classrooms across Europe. Through the provision of teaching and learning materials (ESTABLISH units), enhanced by authentic experiences provided by industry, and educational supports for both in-service and preservice teachers (ESTABLISH Teacher Education Programmes), teachers have a range of suitable material to develop their own teaching. This paper discusses one of the ESTABLISH units and emphasises the development of the industri· al links. A number of different approaches to industrial links are discussed, from providing context to actual design challenges

Easing the transition from secondary school to higher education through recognition of the skills of our students

This short communication discusses research, which has investigated students‟ self-perception of their skills. This was to identify which skills they felt most and least confident in upon starting university. General and scientific and practical skills as well as skills related to improving learning were explored. The results suggested that students felt most confident in working in groups, interacting with people to obtain the necessary information and assistance, and observing chemical events and changes among others. In contrast students felt least confident in planning and presenting an oral presentation, analysing and evaluating experimental data, and using the internet and other resources to gain information. Details of how the findings were used to make effective changes to an existing module will be discussed. Furthermore, the relevance of this in terms of supporting our first year students in their transition to university-level work and subsequently planning appropriate modules will be discussed in relation to the recently published results from the UK Physical Sciences Centre Review of the Student Learning Experience in Chemistry and in light of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills Higher Ambitions and Skills for Growth papers

Inquiry and its assessment: lessons learnt from research and practice

L’educació científica basada en la indagació ha estat el centre d’atenció de molts programes nacionals i internacionals a Europa en els últims anys com a forma de desenvolupar els coneixements i les habilitats dels estudiants, ampliar-ne els coneixements científics i desenvolupar habilitats d’ocupabilitat. Aquest article explora la interrelació entre objectius d’aprenentatge, estratègies d’ensenyament i pràctiques d’avaluació en el context d’un marc d’indagació. Tot i que els objectius d’aprenentatge i les estratègies d’ensenyament sovint es consideren un tàndem, les estratègies per a l’avaluació continuada de l’aprenentatge de l’estudiant només es consideren al final del procés.paraules clau: Avaluació, educació científica basada en la indagació, habilitats d’ocupabilitat.Inquiry-based science education has been the focus of many national and international programs in Europe in recent years as a way to develop students’ knowledge and skills, extend their science learning and develop employability skills. This paper explores the interrelation between learning aims, teaching strategies and assessment practices within the context of an inquiry framework. While learning aims and teaching strategies are often considered in tandem, the strategies for on-going evaluation of the student learning are often only considered at the end of the process.keywords: Assessment, inquiry-based science education, employability skills

Interdisciplinary group work in higher education: a student perspective

This research intends to provide understanding of the impact that a module consisting entirely of collaborative interdisciplinary science tasks had on students’ group work behaviour, attitude and motivation. It was hypothesised that implementing a module based entirely of group tasks would develop positive attitudes and increase student accountability. Previous research indicates that large introductory modules in higher education fail to nurture student motivation to engage with course work. In this study 303 students completed surveys and focus groups that examined the level and nature of group work, student feelings towards group work, and student motivation to complete tasks and attend timetabled class sessions. The findings suggest that in order to complete the science tasks, students typically completed sections individually and consolidated their individual parts to form a complete solution. Collaboration occurred when students completed numerical aspects of the task as students felt these sections demanded group members to share ideas. Collaborative work can promote positive student attitudes, increase students efforts to work on tasks and attend timetabled class sessions. These findings imply that collaborative work may act as a means of promoting attendance and facilitating student engagement in module activities throughout the semester. This study highlights the need for educators to assess learning outcomes achieved in higher education and to distinguish between tasks that promote working collaboratively and collaborative learning

Inquiry based learning and responsible reserach and innovation : examples of interdisciplinary approaches at different schooling levels

It is today well acknowledged that pedagogical approaches based on Inquiry methods and Research and Innovation (RRI) topic and processes can improve the interest of students in studying scientific topics. Such approaches can give students the opportunity to interact with cutting edge topics, research results and work with researchers to better align research processes and their outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of today’s society. However, current science education is mainly discipline-based, and even Inquiry/RRI approaches are very often developed from the perspective of a single subject. This paper presents some examples of Inquiry-Based and RRI based approaches to Science Education from a vertical and interdisciplinary curriculum perspective, and discusses some evidences of effectiveness of these approaches in students at different schooling levels and in teacher professional development programmes

Crossing Disciplinary Knowledge Boundaries and Bridging the Gap Between Science Education Research, Educational Practices, Society and Citizens: Inquiry Based Learning and Responsible Research and Innovation

It is widely acknowledged today that an Inquiry-Based approach to Research and Innovation processes can improve the interest of students in studying scientific topics. Such approaches can enable students to have the opportunity to interact with cutting edge topics, research results and work with researchers and other societal actors to better align research processes and their outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of today's society. However, there is still no clear consensus between researchers about the impact that inquiry-based approaches have on the student scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding at different ages and cultural levels. This paper discusses these aspects from a vertical and interdisciplinary curriculum perspective. Firstly, the impact of a series of inquiry-based learning activities on the acquisition of scientific knowledge and in the development of pupils' positive attitudes toward science in pupils aged 10–13 is discussed. Secondly, a discussion on important preconditions needed for an introduction of cutting-edge topics to the classroom, and the role of the inquiry that has to be offered to students to effectively construct knowledge is considered at the pre-university level. Following this, an approach adopted by three large scale European projects (ESTABLISH, SAILS and OSOS) that focus on enhancing science education curricula, pedagogy and assessment practices and supporting science educators in embedding Inquiry-Based Education or Responsible Research and Innovation principles in science education is presented. Finally, an innovative Doctoral Degree in Sustainability Science, which seeks transformative education that challenges the attitudes of both professors and students is presented and some of its most relevant aspects are discussed