Science Education Online (SEO)

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

Contributing to the national agenda to improve science education and science literacy, this project will investigate distance learning and specifically web-based instruction as a means to prepare and enhance middle level science teachers. The project starts with one cohort group of 30 teachers from districts known to have severely under-performing eighth grade students. Subsequent cohorts are added in each year as the project courses and materials come on-line, drawing on teachers who might not otherwise pursue science-specific liscensure. As the significant development and implmentation work is completed the project should be self sustaining and institutionalized, attracting additional tuition-based cohorts to sustain the courses and degree program. A strength of this project is its commitment to including school-based practitioners, scientists and science educators in all phases of the development and delivery of this program. Consequently, this project holds great potential to also impact the partner institutions by grounding science teacher preparation and certification programs in the real world of the practitioner, enhancing science faculty in their instructional practices and educators in their breadth and depth of content knowledge and fostering collaboration between K12 and higher education. Specifically, this project builds on a unique partnership between the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and Lowell Schools of Education and the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Institute to develop, deliver and evaluate a web-based middle level science teacher certification program leading to a Master of Science Education degree. Aligned with both national and state standards, this program has the potential to reach both urban and rural middle level teachers concurrently by offering the program at a distance so that teachers can study from their own location on their own schedule. Incorporating both face-to-face and web-based instruction, the project design facilitates teacher learning of both content and appropriate pedagogy while they are in teaching positions and can implement what they are learning and to reflect on the experiences of doing so. The project evaluation includes formative and summative components to investigate the development and implementation of the teacher certification program as well as to understand the distance learning technologies used to deliver the program. This project may serve as a model research, development and dissemination process for teacher professional development and to meet requirements for SMT certification.