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In pursuit of a degree in the sciences, college students are required to complete anywhere from 40 to 60 credit hours dedicated to science courses, translating to approximately 2,500 hours spent in academic environments over their college experience.
Despite the substantial investment of time and effort, studies indicate that many college science courses leave students with a disjointed grasp of essential scientific principles. The prevalent teaching approaches tend to prioritize rote memorization of disassociated facts, progressing methodically through texts without emphasizing the interrelationships among concepts, which is critical for effective knowledge application.
The skill to integrate and apply information is crucial not only within academic confines but also in fostering scientific literacy; this refers to the capability to utilize scientific insights for evaluating information and making informed decisions.
As a researcher focused on chemistry education, my colleague Sonia Underwood and I have engaged since 2019 in exploring how students of chemistry navigate their knowledge and apply it across various scientific areas.
Our recent research examined the ability of college students to leverage their chemistry expertise to elucidate real-world biological phenomena. We employed activities aimed at fostering interdisciplinary links.
Our findings indicated that, although many students had not encountered opportunities to prepare them for this integration, tailored activities could serve as effective tools if integrated into the curriculum.
Three-Dimensional Learning
Extensive evidence suggests that conventional science education, affecting both science majors and non-majors, falls short in equipping students with the ability to apply scientific principles effectively and to clarify issues they have not directly studied.
In response, we developed a set of cross-disciplinary activities grounded in a framework known as “three-dimensional learning.” This framework emphasizes that the processes of teaching, learning, and assessment should involve foundational concepts within a discipline, along with tools and guidelines that help students forge connections within and across different fields of study, while actively engaging them in knowledge application. The framework was constructed on principles of how individuals learn, aiming to ensure all students attain profound insights into scientific topics.
Working alongside Rebecca L. Matz, an authority in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, we implemented these activities in educational settings.
Making Scientific Connections
Initially, we conducted interviews with 28 first-year college students majoring in science or engineering, all of whom were taking introductory chemistry and biology courses. We asked them to identify connections between their coursework and the key insights they perceived from each class.
The responses indicated that students generated extensive lists of topics, concepts, and skills from their classes. Although some successfully pinpointed the fundamental themes of each discipline, they mostly recognized the significance of their chemistry knowledge in informing their understanding of biology without acknowledging that the reverse could also hold true.
For instance, students articulated how insights regarding interactions from their chemistry coursework—specifically, attractive and repulsive forces—were vital in understanding the molecular structures that constitute DNA. In their biology studies, they often emphasized the relationship between structure and function, recognizing that the shape of molecules dictates their roles.
Subsequently, we devised a series of cross-disciplinary activities to guide students in applying core chemistry ideas to real-world biological situations.
In one activity, students examined the effects of ocean acidification on shellfish. They were prompted to use fundamental chemistry principles to explain how rising levels of carbon dioxide in ocean waters impact shell-forming marine life, such as corals, clams, and oysters.
Other tasks called for students to apply their chemistry understanding to describe osmosis—how water moves in and out of cells in the human body—and to explore the effects of temperature on DNA stability.
Overall, students exhibited confidence in their chemistry knowledge and were adept at explaining scenarios grounded in chemistry. However, they faced challenges when prompted to extend that knowledge to biological contexts.
In the ocean acidification exercise, while most students could accurately describe how increased carbon dioxide correlates with heightened ocean acidity, they often struggled to articulate how these shifts adversely affect marine organisms through impaired shell formation.
These insights underscore a significant gap that persists between students’ learning in their science curriculum and their preparedness to apply that knowledge in practical contexts. This issue continues to be relevant, even after the National Science Foundation put forth a set of guidelines for three-dimensional learning aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of science education back in 2012.
Nevertheless, findings from our study also revealed that students appreciated these activities, as they illuminated connections between chemistry and biology that they may not have recognized otherwise.
Ultimately, our research provides evidence that students, particularly those in chemistry, express a desire for deeper comprehension of scientific concepts and an enhanced ability to apply them in various scenarios.
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