A Tale of Two Scientists: Scientist-Educator Collaborations

1. A Tale of Two Scientists AGU Conference Janice McDonnell Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences Rutgers University

2. Presentation Outline • Educators and Scientists: Nature of collaboration • “The Best of times, the worst of times”….A tale of the COOL room scientists • “The age of wisdom, the age of foolishness”…A tale of the challenges and future of scientist –educator collaboration

3. Scientist – Educator Collaborations • Challenge by NSF Criterion II: How can you: • Advance discovery while promoting teaching, training, and learning • Broaden participation of underrepresented groups • Enhance infrastructure for research and education • Disseminate your science to benefit society

4. What do scientists think about their role in education and outreach? • Respondents (N= 80) stated the benefits to having scientists involved in public education are: • present the benefits and relevance of research (26%) • focus awareness on environmental issues (26%), • serve as models for teachers and motivators for children (25%) and • increase public understanding, awareness and appreciation of science (about 22%). Data Source: MACOSEE, C.Parsons 2004

5. Continuous Sampling on the New Jersey Shelf Case Study: Scientists in the COOLroom Phase 1 The Research: In 1993, Scientists at the Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences (IMCS) at Rutgers University set up a Coastal Observatory Concerns focused on distributing and archiving data

6. The Long-term Ecosystem Observatory (LEO) – Bird’s Eye View

7. On the Path… to Public Availability of Data Products Initial data distribution -- Monthly reports summarizing the data on an FTP site. A new approach to data distribution - Keith Bedford (Ohio State University) approached us with a concept known as the “World Wide Web”. - He claimed he could get 30 hits a month! Marine Remote Sensing Webpage : circa 1994 (We weren’t even “COOL” yet!)

8. LEO-15 Internet Activities http://marine.rutgers.edu/pt/activities/choices.htm Introduction to IMCS Introduction to LEO-15 Bottoms Up: Coastal Upwelling on the NJ Shore Gulf Stream and its Rings Phytoplankton Essential Fish Habitat Early Days: Education & Outreach Our first education Web page!!! $10K seed grant and 1 undergraduate student CIESEwww.k12science.org

9. Scientist – Educator Partnerships Assessment @ Phase 1 Grade C-

10. Phase II: Then…came funding and staff commitment to research & education Growth of technology utilization and collaboration among disciplines

11. 1997-1999 NOPP Funded Effort:To develop an integrated set of educational programs that capitalize on the research and technological assets of an underwater observatory. Field Research Experience Research at LEO-15 Classroom Applications

12. Professional Development Program • 1. Introduction to the Internet • Real time data in the classroom • Collaborative projects • 2. “Exploring the Ocean from the Bottom Up and Top Down” • Immersion in current research at LEO • Phytoplankton community dynamics

13. Summary Statistics – Year Two of our NOPP grant • 56 educators trained • 1,680 educators trained through extended workshops • 7 Pilot Learning Modules developed (Web based) • 30 Hands-on activities developed for the classroom • 300 students (5-12 grade) completed pilot of at least two LEO Internet modules

14. Evaluation Program • Goal = Measure the change in participant knowledge, perception • and behavior over the course of the program • Evaluation tools were designed by Word Craft • Pre-Institute and Post-Institute survey • Formative interviews • Teaching Unit Description • Follow-up phone interviews

15. 1998 Evaluation Results Successful in providing access to new and useful scientific information. Successful in improving confidence in using the Internet and demonstrating that the Internet is more than just a passive research tool. Less successful in significantly increasing the participant's confidence in using real-time data sets from the LEO.

16. 1999 Evaluation Results 91% of the participants indicated that their personal confidence in marine science content increased overall. 100% of the participants responded feeling confident to very confident in presenting the LEO modules 45% of the participants used the Internet in their classroom for student research, collaborative projects, posting and sharing student work and for science labs.

17. NOPP Funded Experiments Forged Scientist – Educator Partnerships “Meet the Scientists” Celebration Picnic at Richard Stockton College (see attached map) Thursday July 16, 1998 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Entertainment: Valerie Vaughn - Folk Singer Menu: Steamers, Hamburgers, Hot dogs, Chicken etc. Please R.S.V.P to Janice X521 or Cathy X519

18. Scientist – Educator Partnerships Assessment @ Phase 2 Grade B

19. …Phase III: Then came a second education grant from NOPP

23. 2003 National Evaluation of COOL Classroom in Middle and High School Classrooms Outcome: #10b. Did you gain a better understanding of what scientists do by using this website? Objective: Create virtual access (interface) for middle and high school teachers/students to COOL room scientists to improve understanding and awareness of coastal ocean science research.

24. 2003 National Evaluation of COOL Classroom in Middle and High School Classrooms Outcome: Objective: To develop a suite of 6-12 grade level appropriate on-line lesson plans that use real-time data from the COOL to enhance science learning (i.e., use inquiry based learning strategies). b. I found the website lessons easy to integrate into my curriculum.

25. COOL Informal Education Projects Rutgers Science Pages Series of 3 Observatory Related Full Page Science Articles 3rd Place Winner On Associated Press National Competition Public exhibits “Life on the Edge” Tuckerton, NJ

26. Where are we now? 3 Websites, each serving a different audience Run by: Observatory Technologies - 2 Faculty - 1 Operational Director - 6 Technical staff - 1 Program Coordinator Outreach Education - 1 Associate Director of Education & Outreach - 1 Education Coordinator - 1 Communication Specialist Supported through peer-reviewed grants from federal, private, and state agencies

27. Scientist – Educator Partnerships Assessment @ Phase 3 Grade A-

28. Phase IV. COSEE • Design and implement products and services that help establish productive collaborations between scientists and educators. • Develop opportunities for community college faculty, K-12 educators, and the public to use real-time data from coastal observing systems in ways that stimulate interest and understanding of the ocean.

29. Scientist Connections www.macosee.net Helps scientists produce worthwhile education projects to complement and enrich their research

30. Building Pathways: Productive Partnerships Between Scientists and Educators One-day workshop • Main objective: to bring scientists and educators together to discuss effective facilitation of productive scientist-educator partnerships • 22 scientists and educators from across the U.S. participated From the Preliminary Evaluation Results… • 95% stated they had gained a new understanding of science learning • 86% said they were leaving with more contacts and networking opportunities • 64% said they were leaving with concrete ideas on “building pathways”

31. Conclusions • Scientists in general, welcome involvement in E&O • Educators seek/support the collaboration of scientists in E&O • There are issues of time and $ that can be addressed with proper planning and attention • The COOL room scientists case study offers some insight on building productive partnerships • V. COSEE offers the opportunity to open a national dialogue among ocean scientists and educators on how to build productive partnerships.