These workshops are targeted for college instructors of 100-level astronomy classes and high school instructors who presently teach astronomy or may be interested in developing an astronomy course. They have three goals: 1) to acquaint educators with the new innovative usages of instructional technology in astronomy education, 2) to introduce new developments in the UNL Department of Physics and Astronomy, and 3) to bring together members of the astronomy and physics teaching community to share ideas and identify potential collaborators.
This event is open to local high school and college astronomy and physics instructors who register in advance. You may register by email or by phone at 402-472-3686. There is no cost for the workshop and coupons for parking garage fees and all instructional materials will be provided. Ferguson Hall and the Stadium Drive Parking Garage can be found on the following set of campus maps which allow one to magnify a region by clicking on it.
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Abstract: Astrobiology can be defined as the study of the origin, evolution,
distribution, and destiny of life in the universe. It defines itself
as an interdisciplinary science existing at the intersection of astronomy,
biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. Discoveries from this field
have dramatically changed our view of the potential for life in the
universe. As a result of its truly interdisciplinary nature, teachers
are actively considering the inclusion of astrobiology in their courses.
Consequently, there exists a rapidly growing need to create classroom-ready
astrobiology instructional materials. However, the development of meaningful
activities requires a robust research base that identifies specific
difficulties and pre-instructional beliefs students have concerning
astrobiology related concepts. For our investigation of astrobiology,
we focused our research around two main goals. First is the documentation
of conceptual and reasoning difficulties students experience when learning
about astrobiology. The second is to design innovative instructional
materials that are sensitive to these identified student difficulties
and that are aligned with the content and instructional goals of the
National Science Education Standards. Our investigation was focused
on four key astrobiology related topics: sunlight, water, temperature,
and limiting environments. Through careful analysis of student responses
we found that the majority of students correctly identified that liquid
water is necessary for life and that life forms can exist without sunlight.
However, many students incorrectly stated that life cannot survive without
oxygen. Furthermore, when students were asked to reason about life in
extreme environments, they most often cited complex organisms (such
as plants, animals and humans) rather than microorganisms. These misconceptions
are well poised to interfere with instructional goals. |
A longer, more complete abstract can be found here. Background information on Tim can be found here.
This workshop is sponsored by the UNL Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education and the UNL Department of Physics and Astronomy. Educational materials have been provided by Prentice Hall Publishing, and Brooks/Cole Publishing.
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