Metlay-et-al_WGU-AMNH Partnership_SessionT86_3Nov15_Revised

PRESENTATION TITLE HERE

AUTHOR’S NAME HERE

WGU-AMNH PARTNERSHIP PILOT PROGRAM: YEAR 1

RESULTS

Suzanne T. Metlay, Western Governors University, Salt Lake City, UTSarah E. Hudon-Miller, Western Governors University, Salt Lake City, UTDavid Randle, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY

Geological Society of America Annual MeetingBaltimore, MD3 November 2015

Session T86: Research on Teaching and Student Learning in the K–12 Earth Science Classroom

OVERVIEWWGU-AMNH Partnership Pilot Program: 1st year successfulAMNH Seminars on Science overviewWGU Teachers College: Secondary Science Education

Geosciences Education & Chemistry Education degree programs

October 2014 – September 2015: headcount growth Struggles and Solutions

Learning how to partner more effectively Benefits to students:

Peer LearningContent mastery/competencyLesson Plans ready to implement in classroom

Future Growth at WGU

AMNH SEMINARS ON SCIENCE OVERVIEWAMNH Seminars on Science founded in 1998: Online graduate-level teacher professional development Experienced classroom educators team with working scientists to facilitate each

course 13 different courses in Life, Earth, and Physical Sciences 6 weeks of online instruction (+ 1 week to complete final project = 5 lesson plans)

designed to increase science content knowledge and ability to teach a given subject

WGU INVOLVEMENT IN SEMINARS ON SCIENCE 2004:  WGU initially partnered as part of SoS Phase Two to provide online science education to students enrolled in universities across the United States > 200 WGU students enrolled during 2004-2014 but

completion and participations levels were low Registration was voluntary and optional; WGU students did not need to pass

2014: Expectations and supports changed Registration required in selected Seminars on Science, now considered essential courses at WGU WGU students required to pass with “Meets Standards” or “Exceeds Standards”

WGU STUDENT POPULATION

6 State Affiliates:IndianaMissouriNevadaTennesseeTexas Washington

~10% students are active duty,

spouses, or veterans

WGU Teachers CollegeCurrent enrollment: ~14,000

students in all programs (undergrad +

graduate)

WGU TEACHERS COLLEGE: SECONDARY SCIENCE Teacher licensure in all 50 states and District of Columbia 100% of WGU graduates who applied for teaching licenses were

successful in FY2014

WGU CHEMISTRY EDUCATION PROGRAM

AMNH Seminar on Science: Climate Change

now required for all WGU students in

Chemistry Education

WGU is a leader in U.S. conferrals of

Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemistry Education

WGU GEOSCIENCES EDUCATION PROGRAM

According to internal WGU report prepared by Eduventures, 50% of Master’s degree

conferrals in Earth Sciences Education are made

by WGU… and now AMNH Seminar on Science:

Ocean Systems is a required course for

these students

WGU STUDENT ENROLLMENTS BY COURSE

Growth of student enrollment from Fall II Session 2014 to Fall I Session 2015 > 85% students who completed each course also passed it

100% pass rate is goal: more common than not Students are allowed to re-take each course a 2nd time at WGU expense

3rd attempt is an out-of-pocket expense – not yet tried Students in Fall I + Fall II Sessions 2015 are still engaged in coursework

Pass rates available by mid-December 2015

PARTNERING EFFECTIVELY – AMNH VIEWAMNH accommodations to WGU: Faster turnaround times than usual for

academia Weekly grade reports to WGU Roster adjustments after closing dates Excellent communication and responsivenessChanges to AMNH approach: Adding more staff to assist students at risk Providing more support for students new to

lesson plans

PARTNERING EFFECTIVELY – WGU VIEWWGU accommodations to AMNH: New protocols for enrollment, activity, reporting Minimal faculty involvement; support role only Increased financial investment; no cost to students

Peer Learning Students report that online discussions are most time-consuming but most rewarding aspect of Seminars on ScienceExternal structure WGU students are accustomed to self-paced courses

Scheduled webinars, synchronous cohorts, and pacing guides are optional at WGU

AMNH Seminars on Science are held to a strict weekly schedule

Benefits to Students

POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO STUDENTS - PRAXISContent mastery/competency Preliminary data supports anecdotal reports Praxis exam scores for students who successfully complete

Seminars on Science may be higher in relevant test sections Students self-report greater comfort with specific content covered

in the course

Same students are pictured in each graph. Correlation is weak and not statistically significant.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO STUDENTS – LESSON PLANS

Lesson Plans ready to implement in classroomStudents modify and use lesson plans developed during Seminars on Science for:

Teacher Work Sample (WGU Graduate programs) Demonstration Teaching (WGU Undergraduate

programs) Classroom use not associated with WGU degree

requirements Enrichment (afterschool programs, etc.)

FUTURE GROWTH2016: Seminars on Science added to WGU degree programs in Physics Education and Biology Education: ~75% of students obtaining their science education degrees

at WGU will take a Seminar on Science as a required course WGU students encouraged to enroll in other Seminars on Science

as optional add-ons

POSSIBLE NEXT STEPSData based on student capstone work collected and analyzed in addition to anecdotal evidence of classroom implementation of lesson plans developed during Seminars on Science

Teacher Work Sample presentations (graduate) Demonstration Teaching portfolios (undergraduate) Praxis exam score reports scrutinized for demonstrable

effects

Possible tailored Seminar on Science course content/structure in response to WGU program needs, if enrollments are high enough

CONTACT US

David Randle, Ph.D.Senior Manager of Professional DevelopmentFaculty, Master of Arts in Teaching, Richard Gilder Graduate SchoolAmerican Museum of Natural [email protected]/learn/

Sarah Hudon-Miller, PhDTeacher Education: ChemistryWestern Governors University4001 South 700 East, Suite 700Salt Lake City, UT [email protected] [email protected]

Suzanne T. Metlay, Ph.D.Teacher Education: GeosciencesWestern Governors University4001 South 700 East, Suite 700Salt Lake City, UT [email protected]@wgu.edu

REFERENCESAmerican Museum of Natural History (n.d.). Seminars on Science: A Leader in Online Science Education. Retrieved from AMNH website at http://www.amnh.org/learn/About/History

Inverness Research (2007). Summary Results from the Independent Evaluation of the Seminars on Science. Retrieved from the Inverness Research Inc. website at http://inverness-research.org/amnh-sos/; report summary at http://inverness-research.org/amnh-sos/evaluationsPDF/2007-03_AMNH-EVAL-Summary-2pgExecSum.pdf

National Council on Teacher Quality (2014). Teacher Prep Review 2014 Report. Retrieved from NCTQ website at http://www.nctq.org/dmsStage/Teacher_Prep_Review_2014_Report

National Council on Teacher Quality (2015). Nation’s Top 25 ‘Best Value’ Colleges of Education Announced by National Council on Teacher Quality. Retrieved from NCTQ website at http://www.nctq.org/dmsView/Best_Value_Campaign_Press_Release_with_Link

Personal communication (4 Nov 2014) about 2013 data analyzed in Eduventures report from WGU Teachers College Dean Phil Schmidt to Rob Duncan.

"Western Governors University Leads the U.S. in STEM Teaching Grads" (2014). Retrieved from WGU website at http://www.wgu.edu/about_WGU/WGU_leads_in_STEM_1-6-14

Western Governors University (2015). Someone’s Been Talking About Us. Teacher’s College enrollment and licensure statistics retrieved from internal newsletter, We’ve Got Updates, issue 10052015, number 53, page 4.