RCN-UBE:The Neuroscience Case Network (NeuroCaseNet)

Emory University, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

This award will support the establishment of a new network (NeuroCaseNet) for current and future faculty that are developing, using, and evaluating case studies and Problem Based Learning (PBL) teaching methods in the neuroscience curricula. While there is strong support for neuroscience education within this large and diverse community, the adoption of case studies and PBL methods within neuroscience courses is far less developed. Finding appropriate teaching resources, in part due to the interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience and the rapid growth of neuroscience programs, is a strong challenge. This network will provide collaboration opportunities for educators with a strong interest in using these pedagogies in the classroom and create a platform for the discussion and dissemination of new teaching resources for the broader neuroscience education community. The increased faculty and future faculty collaboration on creating case studies stimulated by the network promises to enhance neuroscience education in all institutional contexts. The broad objectives of this network are twofold: to provide collaboration opportunities for educators with a strong interest in using these pedagogies in the classroom and to create a platform for the discussion and dissemination of new teaching resources for the broader neuroscience community. The network is organized into cohorts of case writers, each with 6-8 Fellows of whom are experienced in cases/PBL methodologies. These Fellows will work collaboratively to create publishable case studies via focused workshops. The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education will be a primary vehicle for dissemination of these pedagogical tools to the wider neuroscience education community. The network then provides support for Fellows to create their own peer-mentoring groups which is intended to both support the generation of a new rounds of case writers but more importantly to encourage and promote implementation of case studies and PBL in the classroom. The network will partner with established promotors of neuroscience education, specifically the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience and the Society for Neuroscience to education and inform the community of these new curricular tools. Thus, with the creation of new curricular materials via the case writing Fellows and peer mentoring groups to encourage and support the implementation of these case studies, the network will have a strong impact in promoting pedagogical change in STEM disciplines. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/).