The Genetic Science Learning Center (GSLC) at the University of Utah will utilize its synergistic expertise in education, science and technology to educate secondary-level life science students and teachers about the role of NIH-funded research advances and clinical trials in improving health care. The Genome Science for Health project will develop four web-based curriculum supplement modules - on cell biology, developmental biology, molecular genetics, and clinical trials - that illustrate the continuum from basic research through translational science to clinical trials and into medical treatments;regenerative medicine and animal research will be addressed. The modules will employ interactive learning in a highly visual environment, an approach designed to appeal to the tech-savvy, digital-age students of today. At the same time, they will clearly address content in the national science education standards, ensuring that they are used by teachers. Two cohorts of teachers will participate in summer institutes, working with the GSLC staff to draft the modules, which will be developed using the GSLC's new, innovative Exploragraphic(tm) Web Design and Exploragraphic(tm) Web-based Curriculum Development Process. Formative feedback throughout the process from students, teachers and scientists will inform module development from initiation through pilot testing in classrooms and revision. The modules will be widely disseminated via the highly-visible, award-winning GSLC website (http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu), which received almost 3.7 million visits in 2005 from students, teachers and the public. Teacher professional development workshops and a summer institute will support dissemination of the curricula. The Genome Science for Health project goals are: GOAL 1: Educate secondary-level students about the role of NIH-funded basic research, translational science, and clinical trials in improving health care. GOAL 2: Engage high school life science teachers in learning about the Genome Science for Health module topics and in developing the curriculum frameworks and learning approaches to address them. GOAL 3: Prepare teachers to use the Genome Science for Health curricula with their students, through professional development courses and workshops at the local, regional and national levels. Relevance: The Genome Science for Health project will bring a new level of understanding to students, teachers and the public about the process by which medical treatments are developed, as well as their potential roles in this process as clinical trial participants. Because the clinical trials module will be disseminated via the web, it will be able to support the Community Engagement activities of NCRR's Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Awards across the United States.
| Bass, Kristin M; Drits-Esser, Dina; Stark, Louisa A (2016) A Primer for Developing Measures of Science Content Knowledge for Small-Scale Research and Instructional Use. CBE Life Sci Educ 15: |
| Drits-Esser, Dina; Bass, Kristin M; Stark, Louisa A (2014) Using small-scale randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy of new curricular materials. CBE Life Sci Educ 13:593-601 |
