Chemistry Is in the News:Assessment of Student Attitudes toward Authentic News Media-Based Learning Activities

摘要

The pace of the expansion of the frontiers of science is increasing and this poses an ever more pressing problem for science education as it is commonly practiced.The gap between the way students are taught and how students might employ scientific knowledge has become nearly unbreachable.This is particularly true in chemistry education where the overwhelming majority of students do not pursue chemistry beyond the introductory courses.Yet the majority of these students are taught chemistry concepts in isolation from the process of discovery or the concepts' actual applications.This reality contrasts with the policy of the Advisory Committee to the National Science Foundation (NSF)Directorate of Education and Human Resources outlined in Shaping the Future-New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science,Mathematics,Engineering,and Technology (1).This policy recommends that faculty "model good practices that increase learning;start with the student's experience,but have high expectations with a supportive climate;and build inquiry,a sense of wonder and the excitement of discovery,plus communication and teamwork,critical thinking,and lifelong learning skills into learning experiences",and this policy is aligned with a century of general education policy (2).Judith Ramaley,assistant director of the NSF Education and Human Resources Directorate,highlighted that this is a continuing problem at the 2003 ACS Society Committee on Education Conference,stating that "the major challenge facing contemporary higher education is to enhance its relevance and connectedness to the issues and problems faced by the broader society,as these problems are defined by community members and not by academics acting independently of the views of others" (3).Wink recently argued that,though appealing,relevant content cannot stand alone and needs to be integrated into instruction using proper teaching methods and learning theory in order to be successful (4).