Bioengineering Experience for High School Science Teachers

Sam Dreyer; Miiri Kotche; Jennifer Olson; Andria Shyjka

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Conference: 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Publication Date: June 24, 2017
Start Date: June 24, 2017
End Date: June 28, 2017
Conference Session: K-12 and Graduate Experiences in BME
Tagged Division: Biomedical
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 18
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--27660
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/27660
Download Count: 802

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Paper Authors

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Sam Dreyer University of Illinois at Chicago

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Sam Dreyer is a Masters student researching ocular therapeutic hypothermia and Brain-Computer Interfaces. He is also passionate about engineering education, teaching high school students and teachers about bioengineering concepts and methods.

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Miiri Kotche University of Illinois at Chicago

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Miiri Kotche is a Clinical Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and currently serves as Director of the Medical Accelerator for Devices Laboratory (MAD Lab) at the UIC Innovation Center. Prior to joining the faculty at UIC, she worked in new product development for medical devices, telecommunications and consumer products. She co-teaches both bioengineering capstone design courses, including the longstanding core senior design sequence and the recently launched interdisciplinary medical product development course. She also serves as co-Director of the Freshman Engineering Success Program, and is actively involved in engineering outreach for global health. Miiri received her Ph.D. in Bioengineering and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a B.S. in General Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

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Jennifer Olson University of Illinois at Chicago

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Jennifer Olson is a clinical assistant professor in the College of Education at University of Illinois at Chicago. She coordinates the Secondary Education program and teaches curriculum, instruction, & assessment courses to undergraduate and graduate secondary education students. Jennifer’s research focus on urban high school reform is informed by nine years of teaching in Chicago Public Schools, giving her an informed perspective of how policy moves from theory to practice. Dr. Olson’s current research interests include urban teacher preparation, teacher professional development and student voice. Her most recent publication in Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching and Research Becoming A Culturally Responsive Teacher: The Impact Of Clinical Experiences In Urban Schools focuses on elementary and secondary teacher candidates’ perspectives of how their clinical experiences influence their preparedness in becoming effective culturally responsive educators.

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Andria Shyjka University of Illinois at Chicago

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Andria Shyjka is a doctoral candidate in Policy Studies in Urban Education - Educational Organization and Leadership who focuses on organizational change and the impact of competition on schools.

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Abstract

A meaningful Summer Research Experience in a bioengineering laboratory at a major research university can enhance the knowledge of a high school pre-engineering or science teacher, making it possible to more effectively convey the nature of the scientific process in bioengineering to his or her students. In combination with guided instruction in Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards-aligned curricula design, the laboratory research is more effectively translated and applied in high school science classrooms. The Bioengineering Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is ideally positioned to implement such a combined experience for Chicago high school teachers, which in turn will have a dramatic impact on one of the most diverse group of young learners in the country, who are the next generation of bioengineers. This program includes a six-week intensive on-campus summer research experience in a bioengineering laboratory under the guidance of one of seven research-active core bioengineering faculty mentors. In partnership with faculty from the UIC College of Education, recognized leaders in curriculum design and teaching in secondary education, and in particular, teaching of secondary science in urban schools, this program also provides guided instruction to help the teacher-participants incorporate their research experience and learning into their classroom. Illinois adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in 2010 and the Next Generation Science Standards in 2014, which outline the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn throughout their K-12 education. Because of the rapid introduction, adoption, and implementation of the CCSS, many districts and teachers have found themselves searching for quality curriculum aligned to the CCSS; this presents a golden opportunity to make a major impact. But, as summer research experience programs aim to build long-term collaborative partnerships with STEM teachers by involving them in research and introducing them to the most current developments in engineering and science, it is also critical to provide them guidance on how to translate their experience to their own classrooms. Thus, in addition to bioengineering laboratory research opportunities in diverse areas including biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering, bionanomaterials and biomedical imaging, the first year of the Bioengineering Experience for Science Teachers (BEST) Program provided in-depth participant-tailored curricular mentoring via weekly workshops that focused on principles of effective planning, instruction, and assessment which will be directly connected to teachers’ classroom curriculum. In addition to exposure to research in bioengineering labs, Chicago Public High School teachers from diverse schools across the district also translated their experience into curriculum unit lesson plans to be implemented in the upcoming academic year. Results from the first year of the BEST program implementation will be discussed.

Citation
Format

Dreyer, S., & Kotche, M., & Olson, J., & Shyjka, A. (2017, June), Bioengineering Experience for High School Science Teachers Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--27660

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - A meaningful Summer Research Experience in a bioengineering laboratory at a major research university can enhance the knowledge of a high school pre-engineering or science teacher, making it possible to more effectively convey the nature of the scientific process in bioengineering to his or her students.  In combination with guided instruction in Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards-aligned curricula design, the laboratory research is more effectively translated and applied in high school science classrooms.  The Bioengineering Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is ideally positioned to implement such a combined experience for Chicago high school teachers, which in turn will have a dramatic impact on one of the most diverse group of young learners in the country, who are the next generation of bioengineers. This program includes a six-week intensive on-campus summer research experience in a bioengineering laboratory under the guidance of one of seven research-active core bioengineering faculty mentors. In partnership with faculty from the UIC College of Education, recognized leaders in curriculum design and teaching in secondary education, and in particular, teaching of secondary science in urban schools, this program also provides guided instruction to help the teacher-participants incorporate their research experience and learning into their classroom. Illinois adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in 2010 and the Next Generation Science Standards in 2014, which outline the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn throughout their K-12 education. Because of the rapid introduction, adoption, and implementation of the CCSS, many districts and teachers have found themselves searching for quality curriculum aligned to the CCSS; this presents a golden opportunity to make a major impact. But, as summer research experience programs aim to build long-term collaborative partnerships with STEM teachers by involving them in research and introducing them to the most current developments in engineering and science, it is also critical to provide them guidance on how to translate their experience to their own classrooms. Thus, in addition to bioengineering laboratory research opportunities in diverse areas including biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering, bionanomaterials and biomedical imaging, the first year of the Bioengineering Experience for Science Teachers (BEST) Program provided in-depth participant-tailored curricular mentoring via weekly workshops that focused on principles of effective planning, instruction, and assessment which will be directly connected to teachers’ classroom curriculum.  In addition to exposure to research in bioengineering labs, Chicago Public High School teachers from diverse schools across the district also translated their experience into curriculum unit lesson plans to be implemented in the upcoming academic year.  Results from the first year of the BEST program implementation will be discussed.
AU  - Sam Dreyer
AU  - Miiri Kotche
AU  - Jennifer Olson
AU  - Andria Shyjka
CY  - Columbus, Ohio
DA  - 2017/06/24
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Bioengineering Experience for High School Science Teachers
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/27660
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--27660
ER  -