Working with Science Teachers to Transform the Opportunity Landscape for Regional and Rural Youth: A Qualitative Evaluation of the Science in Schools Program

This article reports on a qualitative evaluation of the Science in Schools program; a suite of science based activities delivered by staff of a regional university campus and designed to provide professional development for science teachers working in non-metropolitan schools in a socioeconomically disadvantaged region of Australia. The research identified a range of issues including: the influence of socioeconomic disadvantage and rurality on teachers’ professional learning needs, and the importance of subject specific discourse communities and content knowledge for new and out-of-field teachers. Implications for the design and implementation of school-university partnerships are discussed

Working with science teachers to transform the opportunity landscape for regional and rural youth: a qualitative evaluation of the science in schools program

This article reports on a qualitative evaluation of the Science in Schools program; a suite of science based activities delivered by staff of a regional university campus and designed to provide professional development for science teachers working in non-metropolitan schools in a socioeconomically disadvantaged region of Australia. The research identified a range of issues including: the influence of socioeconomic disadvantage and rurality on teachers’ professional learning needs, and the importance of subject specific discourse communities and content knowledge for new and out-of-field teachers. Implications for the design and implementation of school-university partnerships are discussed

Evaluation of a program designed to build science teaching capacity in rural Australia

This article reports on a qualitative evaluation of the Science in Schools program; a suite of science based activities delivered by staff of a regional university campus and designed to provide professional development for science teachers working in non-metropolitan schools in a socioeconomically disadvantaged region of Australia. The research identified a range of issues including: the influence of socioeconomic disadvantage and rurality on teachers' professional learning needs, and the importance of subject specific discourse communities and content knowledge for new and out-of-field teachers. Implications for the design and implementation of school-university partnerships are discussed

Off-campus learning: what do students want?

As universities attempt to increase enrolments of ‘time-poor’ students, effective teaching strategies that minimise attendance requirements are required. The increasing use of technology to record face-to-face lectures provides a useful alternative for students unable to attend. However, this study indicates that recorded lectures, alone, are inadequate for distant students, who make extensive use of a wide range of materials. Study guides remain the most highly valued and highly used items in the suite of materials available to off-campus students. The importance of contact between off-campus students, their lecturers and their peers is highlighted

Recorded lectures don't replace the 'real thing': what the students say

Many face-to-face lecture programs are supplemented by recorded lectures. In this study on-campus students were surveyed regarding their experiences of face-to-face and recorded lectures. The majority of students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, due to the ability to rewind, pause and review

Is the evolution of biochemistry texts decreasing fitness? A case study of pedagogical error in bioenergetics

The initial impetus for this research was the discovery by the authors of a variety of common and consistent errors and misconceptions in pedagogical literature on the topic of thermodynamics in Biochemistry. A systematic survey was undertaken of material on thermodynamics in Biochemistry textbooks commonly used in Australian Universities over the period from the 1920s up to 2010. Four common areas of error and misconception were identified, and a number of factors associated with the initiation and propagation of troublesome pedagogical material through successive editions of Biochemistry textbooks were recognised. These factors included the introduction of multiple authors and also often the departure of the original author of a particular textbook. The very nature of Biochemistry as a rapidly expanding discipline leads to the constant introduction of new material in textbooks and the contraction of older material such as thermodynamics. Material is also often fragmented into a number of smaller sections in modern textbooks. Moreover, less development is likely to be applied to this older material, with considerable reuse of material from previous editions. The lessons learned from charting these particular errors in thermodynamics in Biochemistry textbooks may provide insight into how troublesome pedagogical material evolves in other disciplines

The probability isotherm: An intuitive non-equilibrium thermodynamic framework for biochemical kinetics

Widespread error exists in the ‘thermodynamics’ and/or ‘bioenergetics’ sections of most biochemical textbooks. Three typical examples are drawn from a premier pedagogical source and shown to encapsulate (1) confusion about entropy and reversibility, (2) confounding of coupled reactions with sequential reactions in misguided attempts to show how exergonic reactions might drive endergonic reactions, and (3) confusion about the proximity to equilibrium of living processes. A fresh approach is developed, based on the Second Law imperative that free energy be dissipated (identical to the requirement that entropy be created). This approach identifies a Probability Isotherm, being a probabilistic expression of the Second Law, relating molar free energy dissipation to the overall ratio of probability of forward reaction to backward reaction. By equating the Probability Isotherm to the Van’t Hoff Isotherm, the overall probability ratio may be decomposed into an intrinsic probability ratio (the equilibrium constant) and an extrinsic probability ratio (dependent on composition). The Probability Isotherm is manifest kinetically as the Rate Isotherm, also thermodynamically determined even for kinetically complex reactions. The concept of ‘bound energy’ is introduced to complement ‘free energy’ in reconciling the Second Law imperative for free energy dissipation with the First Law requirement for total energy conservation

Factors affecting student motivation for STEM study

Background The decrease in student participation in STEM at a tertiary level has been acknowledged across Australia and is most marked in rural and regional areas. One way to attempt to understand this trend is to explore the motivations of students who have chosen to study science and engineering at a tertiary level. Aims This project aims to determine what factors influenced student choice to undertake science or engineering in a small regional university. The outcomes from this study will help regional universities to design targeted outreach activities and to identify who to target in these interventions (students/parents/teachers). Design and methods Students enrolled in science and engineering courses at the Gippsland campus of Federation University Australia took part in a study to explore what influenced their choice to study science or engineering. 80 undergraduate and post-graduate students were surveyed during semester 2, 2014 about the importance of specific experiences and people in influencing their choice of study STEM, both within the school environment, at home and cultural factors. Student experiences in school and how they impacted on their perceptions of science and likelihood to continue studying in a STEM discipline were further explored in focus groups. Results Students identified a number of key factors which influenced their choice to study science or engineering at FedUni Gippsland campus, including the geographic location, their interest in science, success in science subjects at school, and influence of others including teachers and parents. Parents had the greatest influence on students’ choices, and interest in science and future employment were also very important factors in their choice to continue studying STEM disciplines. Students identified factors such as inspirational teachers, university open days, outreach activities and work experience as positive influences on their choice to study STEM at university. Conclusions This presentation will give an overview of the results of this study and highlight the role of school, family and cultural factors in students choices to study STEM at university. Recommendations will be made regarding the focus of university outreach

Recorded lectures don’t replace the ‘real thing’: What the students say

Many face-to-face lecture programs are supplemented by recorded lectures. In this study on-campus students were surveyed regarding their experiences of face-to-face and recorded lectures. The majority of students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, due to the ability to rewind, pause and review

Validating the use of non-invasively sourced DNA for population genetic studies using pedigree data

Non-invasive genetic sampling has provided valuable ecological data for many species - data which may have been unobtainable using invasive sampling methods. However, DNA obtained non-invasively may be prone to increased levels of amplification failure and genotyping error. Utilizing genotype data from 32 pedigreed koalas, this study aimed to validate the reliability of final consensus genotypes obtained using DNA isolated from koala scats. Pedigree analysis, duplicate genotyping, analysis of mismatched loci and tests for null alleles were used to look for evidence of errors. All genetically confirmed parent-offspring relationships were found to follow Mendelian rules of inheritance. Duplicate genotypes matched in all cases and there was no evidence of null alleles. Related individuals always had different 12-marker genotypes having a minimum of three unique loci (in one full sibling pair), a mode of seven unique loci and a maximum of 11 unique loci. This study demonstrates the capacity of DNA recovered from koala scats to provide reliable genotypes that can unequivocally discriminate individuals and infer parentage, provided data are missing from no more than two loci. Validating data obtained using non-invasive sampling is an important step, allowing potential problems to be identified at an early stage. © Author(s) 2017. CC Attribution 3.0 License