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The Boathouse Murder. Mixing Student Learning, Fun, and Detective Work Jay Wildt ACA Summit - Asheville. About Me…. RRT, RPFT The University of Charleston Business Leadership Ethics Natural Science Politically Incorrect Biology Love to play! I AM a student!. Research Interests.
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The Boathouse Murder Mixing Student Learning, Fun, and Detective Work Jay Wildt ACA Summit - Asheville
About Me… • RRT, RPFT • The University of Charleston • Business • Leadership • Ethics • Natural Science • Politically Incorrect Biology • Love to play! • I AM a student!
Research Interests • First Year Experience • Engagement • Persistence • Learning • Student satisfaction • Humor in Pedagogy • Application to FY students and outcome attainment regarding Science • A few other findings…
University of Charleston • Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees • Diverse • Modern • Technologically Supportive • Pedagogically Innovative • A Great Place to Work!
UC’s First Year Experience Mentoring Groups Peer Educators First year Co-Curricullar Activities FYE Courses Humanities Social Science Natural Science Portfolio Building LLO’s Embedded Outcome Attainment
UC’s Liberal Learning Outcomesand Natural Science • Student centered learning • Roundtable Process • Assessment • Rubrics • Primary Trait Analyses • Portfolios • The ePortfolio • Chalk and Wire
The Course – Politically Incorrect Biology (NSCI 115) • Provides attainment of: • Science (Biology) outcome for non-science majors • Communication outcomes • COMM 101 or COMM 102 • COMM 103 (partial) • Critical Thinking outcome
NSCI 115 Learning Strategies • Writing as Assessment • Autosomal Recessive Disorders • Environmental Issues • Henrietta Lacks (ethical issues in science) • Lab Experiences • Film • MERL • The Boathouse Murder
The Boathouse Murder • Similar to many other HS and college exercises • Make it unique & fun! • Hands on • Gain experience in • Problem solving • Group work • Speaking • Crime Scene Analysis
The Assignment • Decide on team name • Perform Analysis in Groups • Determine Perpetrator • Develop Introduction • Build PP to help • Describe suspects • Explain processes • Announce results • Show motive
The ScenarioIt Was a Dark and Stormy Night… • The Overview • Suspects are named • Two days of in-class investigation (Blood type, fingerprint analysis, DNA mapping) • One week of presentation development • One day of in-class presentation preparation and practice • Presentation day
Crime Scene Analysis • Blood Typing • Fingerprint Analysis • DNA Electrophoresis Mapping
The Presentations • The Introduction • Process Description • Culprit • My Assessment • Rubrics • Communication • Assignment specific rubric • The winner is…
A few examples… • Team Introduction • Team Free Eric • UC CSI • PowerPoint Presentation • Team NIU B
Group Process Rubric Working toward goals Effective interpersonal communication Group maintenance
UC Holistic Speaking Rubric Speaking Rubric Idea development Non-verbal and verbal message consistency Audience awareness (organization of ideas; language, etc. appropriate for setting) Use of feedback
Student Reactions to Experience • “Didn’t seem like schoolwork” • “Great fun” • “How does this apply to Science?” • “Will this be on the test?” • “But I’m not going in to criminal science” • “One of my group members did not contribute”
Final Analysis • Experiences like this are a work in progress • Be aware of the school climate and individual student reaction to “murder” • Be flexible • Be generous with praise • Be open to failure – it too is a learning experience • Assess in a transparent, consistent manner • Be willing to be taught by your students • For example
New Words – New Ideas • Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time • Intaxicaton: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. • Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you. • Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
Old Words – New Ideas • Coffee, n. The person upon whom one coughs • Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained • Frisbeetarianism, n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there • Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach
Thank You! Questions?