Cancer prevention interdisciplinary education program at Purdue University: overview and preliminary results.

Cancer prevention is a broad field that crosses many disciplines; therefore, educational efforts to enhance cancer prevention research focused on interdisciplinary approaches to the field are greatly needed. In order to hasten progress in cancer prevention research, the Cancer Prevention Internship Program (CPIP) at Purdue University was designed to develop and test an interdisciplinary curriculum for undergraduate and graduate students. The hypothesis was that course curriculum specific to introducing interdisciplinary concepts in cancer prevention would increase student interest in and ability to pursue advanced educational opportunities (e.g., graduate school, medical school). Preliminary results from the evaluation of the first year which included ten undergraduate and five graduate students suggested that participation in CPIP is a positive professional development experience, leading to a significant increase in understanding of interdisciplinary research in cancer prevention. In its first year, the CPIP project has created a successful model for interdisciplinary education in cancer prevention research.

Examining Effects of a Multisite Youth Outreach Program: A Meta-Analysis Approach.

This paper presents the application of a meta-analysis approach to the evaluation of youth-learning data from the nationally distributed This is How We "Role" program. The application of meta-analysis for examining the impact of other multisite youth programs encountering similar data analysis challenges is discussed. At each This is How We "Role" program site, university partners collected data to examine youth-participant learning. Data analysis from these unique sites was challenging as the approach had to accommodate the innate heterogeneity across sites due to differences in implementation, sample size, and learning context. The meta-analysis method revealed details of the underlying variation between sites that could be masked by typical regression approaches, estimated overall program effects, examined subgroups and identified heterogeneity across project sites. The results showed the This is How We "Role" program generally increased learning at each site and as a whole, even though the program effects varied across sites. This example demonstrates the utility of using the meta-analysis approach to similar multi-site youth development programs.

Describing teacher conceptions of technology in authentic science inquiry using technological pedagogical content knowledge as a lens.

Technology has become an indispensable component of both modern life science and life science education. However, due to inadequate knowledge and experience, teachers are often unable to include technology essential for practicing science in their teaching. In this regard, professional development workshops for in-service and preservice teachers are beneficial. In this study, we described the role of a professional development workshop in enhancing teachers' technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge through the lens of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework. Our study is also an example of how teachers can be informed about the current trends in modern research and technology and trained to bring similar research into their classroom. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(4):380-387, 2019.

Developing a Scalable STEM Career Development Program for Elementary School-Aged Students.

This article describes an approach to designing a scalable career development curriculum for elementary school students using minimal-cost and readily available resources. Content experts, veterinary medical students, university staff, teachers, community partners, evaluation experts, and a children's book illustrator developed a library of low-cost, culturally responsive, fun, and educationally engaging lessons to expose elementary school-aged students to scientific knowledge and careers in veterinary medicine. The home team piloted and evaluated the approach at a local community center. Teams in eight other states were provided materials to pilot and assess the program. Seven of those teams successfully piloted the program and provided evidence of child engagement. Although models, props, and other costly supplies enhance delivery of Science Technology Engineering and Math lessons, our experience with the delivery of this curriculum was proof of concept that a low-cost curricular model is one strategy to facilitate scaling and sustainability of an engaging veterinary science curriculum.

Targeting change: Assessing a faculty learning community focused on increasing statistics content in life science curricula.

Transformation of research in all biological fields necessitates the design, analysis and, interpretation of large data sets. Preparing students with the requisite skills in experimental design, statistical analysis, and interpretation, and mathematical reasoning will require both curricular reform and faculty who are willing and able to integrate mathematical and statistical concepts into their life science courses. A new Faculty Learning Community (FLC) was constituted each year for four years to assist in the transformation of the life sciences curriculum and faculty at a large, Midwestern research university. Participants were interviewed after participation and surveyed before and after participation to assess the impact of the FLC on their attitudes toward teaching, perceived pedagogical skills, and planned teaching practice. Overall, the FLC had a meaningful positive impact on participants' attitudes toward teaching, knowledge about teaching, and perceived pedagogical skills. Interestingly, confidence for viewing the classroom as a site for research about teaching declined. Implications for the creation and development of FLCs for science faculty are discussed. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(6):517-525, 2016.

Impact of a chapter book and collectible cards describing the lives of seven veterinarians on third-grade students' career aspirations and expectations.

OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of exposure to a chapter book and collectible cards describing the lives of 7 veterinarians on career aspirations and expectations of third-grade students. DESIGN Survey. SAMPLE 176 third-grade students from 6 schools in Indiana. PROCEDURES Students responded to a questionnaire by stating their career aspirations and expectations before and within 8 days after classroom exposure to the chapter book and collectible cards. RESULTS As a group, significantly more students answered that they would like or expect to be a veterinarian when they are an adult after exposure to the book and cards. By gender, more boys, but not girls, answered that they would like or expect to be a veterinarian after exposure to the book and cards. Additionally, more White students and more rural students answered that they expected to be a veterinarian after exposure to the book and cards. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that young children's career aspirations and expectations can be influenced, at least in the short term, by exposure to educational materials about veterinary medicine when delivered as part of a classroom curriculum.

Changes in Elementary Student Perceptions of Science, Scientists and Science Careers after Participating in a Curricular Module on Health and Veterinary Science.

This study examined to what extent a curriculum module that uses animal and human health scientists and science concepts to portray science and scientists in a relevant and authentic manner could enhance elementary students' aspiration for science careers, attitudes to science, positive perceptions of scientists, and perceived relevance of science. The curriculum was developed by a research-based university program and has been put into practice in two early elementary classrooms in an urban school in the Midwest. An attitudinal rating survey and the Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST) were used to assess pre to post changes in student attitudes toward science, perceptions of scientists, perceived relevance of science, and aspiration for science careers. Findings indicated that the implementation of this curriculum contributed positively to student attitudes toward science, decreased students' stereotypical images of scientists, and increased student aspirations to become a scientist.