S cience & Mathematics network of Australian university educators ( SaMnet )

1. Science & Mathematics network of Australian universityeducators (SaMnet) Science student skills inventory: Zoology students The University of Melbourne, Zoology PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Our aims are to a) document the knowledge and capabilities that we expect our students to acquire, b) identify skills that Zoology students perceive they have acquired during their undergraduate program, and c) compare our expectations with the students' perceptions. This study will allow us to evaluate program-level learning outcomes against Threshold Learning and Teaching Academic Standards (LTAS) for Science Graduates and and will provide valuable information to influence future curriculum development. THE TEAM: Kristine Elliottis Senior Lecturer, Medical Education Unit, University of Melbourne and Coordinator of the Educational Technology Team. She completed a PhD in Plant Bacteriology before pursuing an interest in biomedical education, and has 20 years of experience in educational technology research and development in the health sciences. Mary Familariis leading this project and has been lecturing in the Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne since 2002. Currently, she is an OLT Project Leader and co-ordinates first-year Biomolecules and Cells, and several third-year subjects around the theme of developmental biology. Michelle Livettis Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) in the Faculty of Science, and Director of the Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne. She teaches in the School of Physics, with a focus on teaching students whose primary interests are in the life sciences, to foster student interest and understanding of the relevance of physics. Deborah Kingis Director of the Mathematics and Statistics Learning Centre, Senior lecturer in the Dept of Mathematics and Statistics, and Assistant Dean (Undergraduate Programs). Her research interests include combinatorial dynamics, network assignment problems and mathematics education. Kelly Matthewsis Lecturer in Higher Education, Teaching and Educational Development Institute, University of Queensland. Kelly’s research involves practical applications into contemporary higher education issues, including undergraduate curriculum reform and evaluation of teaching and learning initiatives. • PROJECT UPDATE: • The project addresses the following questions: What do we want our students to know and be capable of, and how do we as educators know that students have acquired the skills our subjects purport to teach? The project will begin to dissect these processes from both the students’ and educators’ perspectives for undergraduates enrolled in the Bachelor of Science who are taking Zoology Majors. This is an important initial study that will have broad implications for evaluation of Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) in various courses across the University of Melbourne. While the project is beginning with Zoology, the aim is to build on this work in other study areas. • PROGRESS TO DATE: • The University of Queensland Science Student Skills Inventory has been adapted for use in the University of Melbourne zoology context (see Matthews & Hodgson, 2012). • Subject co-ordinators have been contacted and informed about the project. • Protocols for interviews have been developed, and interviews will be conducted during October. • The student survey questions will be tested with a group of students on Thurs, 13th Sept, and refined before the survey is open to all third year Zoology students. • The survey will run in the first two weeks of October. Announcements will be made on subject websites, and students will be contacted by email • We expect to analyse our data during Nov and Dec. • Reference: Matthews and Hodgson (2012). International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 20(1), 24-43. Available at: http://ojs-prod.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/view/5816/6509 YOUR INPUT HERE: This could include output (i.e., papers, presentations), photos, or any other information about your Action Learning Project that you’d like to share! SaMnet: A project funded by the Office for Learning and Teaching; Australian Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. Partners: The University of Sydney, Queensland University of Technology, Monash University, La Trobe University, University of Tasmania, Curtin University, Charles Sturt University