Overview

NSEUS Goals:

• Investigate the impact of NOVA reformed undergraduate science courses on learning and teaching of K-6 science teachers
• Help advance the research and teaching of undergraduate science faculty
• Why Undergraduate Science?
• Influences pre-service teachers’ conceptions of science and how it should be taught

Learning environment

• Course Structure
• Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)

Common features that turn off students from taking additional science and/or considering science as a career option:

• Lack of relevance
• Memorization of factoids
• Emphasis on competition rather than collaboration
• Focus on algorithmic problem solving
• Passive student roles

NSEUS Research Questions:

• What are the effects of the NOVA professional development model on undergraduate science faculty members’ teaching practices?
• Differences among reformed and non-reformed courses?
• Differences among reformed courses?
• What are the effects of reformed undergraduate science courses on in-service K-6 teachers’ practices in their own science classrooms?