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Effect of SCI 1050 – Science Philosophy and Practice on Career Preparation of Science Majors: A Faculty Research Proposal

Background

During the spring semester of 2005, faculty in the department of science and mathematics began discussing the disappointing performances of students in Senior Seminar (BIO/CHE/PHY 4335).

We noticed three major deficiencies in our students.  First, the students were struggling with their career planning.  Far too many were unsure, even after graduation, of what they wanted to do career wise.

Second, students were having difficulty learning to think in a logical and analytical manner.  Scientists, by the nature of our disciplines, must remove emotions and pre-conceived ideas from our analysis of problems.

Third, students were having significant trouble communicating information in a scientific manner.  There is a considerable difference in giving a written or oral presentation to a scientific audience compared to a general audience.  For example, science communication is very dry, devoid of adjectives and flowery descriptions.

We were assumed our students had more knowledge than they possessed and we were not properly assisting the students in learning these skills.  It was also apparent that these issues needed to be addressed prior to the senior seminar class.

Soon after our discussions began, we became aware of two other pieces of information.  First, we learned of a study conducted by Hamline University in Minnesota.¹  The authors surveyed a variety of employers in their area who hired science related personnel.  The results showed excellent communication skills, a strong work ethic and a reflective attitude were extremely important to those involved in the hiring process. 

Second, the University has recently placed an emphasis on better assisting incoming students with the transition from high school to college life.

Based on this information, the department made the following changes.  First, we began inviting outside speakers with backgrounds in a variety of scientific disciplines.  The interest and excitement generated was unquestionable.  Students began asking questions and researching fields of science they previously did not know existed.  This addressed our concern about career planning.

In order to address our other two concerns, we developed SCI 1050 – Science Philosophy and Practice.  This class is required of all science majors.  SCI 1050 was designed to introduce our young students to what is involved in becoming a scientist and to begin honing the skills necessary for this task. They will begin to learn, think and communicate like a scientist.

While assessing the value of the invited speakers was easy, it was far more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of SCI 1050.

Several universities have junior or senior level courses that focus on conducting undergraduate research and then writing a paper on that experience.²   To our knowledge, no institution has a class, such as SCI 1050, that is designed for the freshman science major and concentrates on learning the skills necessary to be a scientist. 

Project Proposal

In order to properly assess the utility of SCI 1050, we propose the following five – part project.  In part one we will use a short survey, administered at the beginning and end of SCI 1050 and at the beginning and end of BIO/CHE/PHY 4335.  The survey will ask the student to assess such items as familiarity with parts of a scientific paper, awareness of the peer review process and knowledge of giving a scientific talk.  This will aid the student in developing their critical thinking and self-awareness skills.  In addition, this knowledge will be valuable to the faculty.

In part two, oral presentation skills will be evaluated by videotaping one to two oral presentations by each student in SCI 1050 and BIO/CHE/PHY 4335.  These talks will then be reviewed and compared by faculty members and discussed with the student.  Items such as voice tempo and volume, readability of visual aids and organization of the overall presentation will be examined.

In part three, scientific writing skills will be evaluated by reviewing and comparing scientific papers authored by each student in SCI 1050 and BIO/CHE/PHY 4335.  The papers will be appraised by faculty members and discussed with the student.  The papers will be evaluated to ensure that all relevant parts are included, that appropriate data and discussion are integrated and that proper tense and grammar have been used.

In part four, we want to update the research of Runquist and Kerr¹.  A survey to discover the skills coveted by employers of science personnel has been developed and will be distributed after IRB approval is granted.

In part five, a book must be developed to assist with this course.  No current single text adequately covers the material we feel is important.  A book is being developed locally, by department faculty, and should be completed over the summer. 

Timeline

Since this is a relatively long term project, the timeline will be relatively long.  Only Part Four – The Employer Survey, will be finished this academic year.  The earliest results will be available on Parts One – Three and Five, would be Fall of 2012.  However, Fall 2014 would be more realistic and reliable.

References

 1.  Kerr, Sylvia; Runquist, Olaf  J. Chem. Ed. 2005, 82, 231.

2.  For example see:  a.) Wallner, Anton S.; Latosi-Sawin, Elizabeth  J. Chem. Ed. 1999, 76, 1404.  b.)  Renaud, Jessica; Squier, Christopher; Larsen, Sarah C.  J. Chem. Ed. 2006, 83, 1029.  c.)  Bunting, Roger K  J. Chem. Ed.  1999, 76, 1407.

  

Trevecca Nazarene University

Employer Survey

Administered 2008 via Surveymonkey.com

 

1. Please provide some brief demographic information.

Name:
Company:
Address:
Address 2:
City/Town:
State:	-- select state -- AL Alabama AK Alaska AZ Arizona AR Arkansas CA California CO Colorado CT Connecticut DE Delaware DC District of Columbia FL Florida GA Georgia HI Hawaii ID Idaho IL Illinois IN Indiana IA Iowa KS Kansas KY Kentucky LA Louisiana ME Maine MD Maryland MA Massachusetts MI Michigan MN Minnesota MS Mississippi MO Missouri MT Montana NE Nebraska NV Nevada NH New Hampshire NJ New Jersey NM New Mexico NY New York NC North Carolina ND North Dakota OH Ohio OK Oklahoma OR Oregon PA Pennsylvania RI Rhode Island SC South Carolina SD South Dakota TN Tennessee TX Texas UT Utah VT Vermont VA Virginia WA Washington WV West Virginia WI Wisconsin WY Wyoming
ZIP/Postal Code:
Email Address:
Phone Number:

2. My company is a _____________________ company.

Local National International

3. Approximate number of employees at your location.

< 50 50 - 100 100 - 250 250 - 500 > 500

4. What type of degrees does your company hire? Please check all that apply.

Associates Bachelors Masters Doctoral

5. From what fields of science do you hire employees? Please check all that apply.

Biology Chemistry Engineering Physics Mathematics

6. Having completed an internship or co-op experience makes an applicant more desirable.

Yes No

Other (please specify)

7. Having research experience in an academic lab make the applicant more desirable.

Yes No

Other (please specify)

8. How important is the applicants grade point average in the overall hiring process? Assume the GPA is > 2.0.

Very Important Somewhat Important Slightly Important Little or No Importance

Other (please specify)

9. How important is participation in extracurricular, community outreach or volunteer activities in the overall hiring  process?

Very Important Somewhat Important Slightly Important Little or No Importance

Other (please specify)

10. How important is the size of the applicants school and/or department in the overall hiring process?

Very Important Somewhat Important Slightly Important Little or No Importance

Other (please specify)

11. How important is an applicants membership in a professional or honor society in the overall hiring process?

Very Important Somewhat Important Slightly Important Little or No Importance

Other (please specify)

12. Which is more influential in the overall hiring process?

Taking electives in a broad range of general education type classes. Taking electives in a science field other than the one in which the degree was earned. They are equally important.

13. Please rank the following characteristics in order of importance in the hiring process (1 = Most Important; 17 = Least Important. Feel free to add any qualities you find desirable that are not listed. The characteristics are listed randomly.

	Rank (1-17)
Possesses cultural competencies.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Communicates well in writing and orally.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Exemplifies a Strong work ethic.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Demonstrates proven team-working abilities and has knowledge of group dynamics.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Possesses strong interpersonal skills.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Presents a reflective and self-aware attitude.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Understands how for-profit organizations function.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Exhibits passion and enthusiasm.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Demonstrates technical and intellectual ability.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Has successfully completed an internship in a non-academic workplace.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Participated in volunteer or extra-curricular activities.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Provides evidence of a broad-based education.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Demonstrates competence in problem solving and critical thinking.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Shows leadership qualities and conflict resolution experience.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Possesses computer-based quantitative data-analysis skills.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Actively Pursues further education or training.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Presents a mature, responsible, and productive outlook.	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Other (please specify)

14. Please include any suggestions or additional comments.

 

 

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