The science of learning

The Chronicle of Higher Education explores the challenges that research universities face in trying to develop new methods to teach undergraduate science, particularly at the introductory level. The problem:

About 30 percent of entering freshmen plan to earn bachelor's degrees in science, mathematics, or engineering, but only about 15 percent of all baccalaureate degrees are awarded in those fields. The percentages are even lower among black and Hispanic students, who make up a growing share of the undergraduate population.

While many science instructors have prided themselves on using introductory courses to "wash out" students who are lazy or lack aptitude, in reality many students who drop their science majors are academically well prepared and motivated, says Elaine Seymour, a sociologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who is an author of "Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences" (link; subscription required)

Faculty at Carnegie Mellon's Mellon College of Science, far from adopting the cavalier attitude toward struggling students described above, believe it is part of their mission to help science students make the challenging transition from high school to college-level science courses. Working with the learning experts at our Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, a team of physics, biology, chemistry and mathematics professors is investigating students' expectations, attitudes and beliefs about learning, and the learning strategies they use. This coordinated effort across the college’s four introductory courses is helping students learn new and more effective methods to improve their problem-solving abilities and to adopt more successful learning strategies.


 

Jonathan Potts