Current Research

2010-present. P.I., research analyst, project manager. Ethnographic Pilot Study Exploring the Future E-Learning Needs of Three Key U.S. Industries. Expanding on the successes of the NACTAL telecommunications program, established at Pace University in 1999, Dr. David Sachs, Professor and Associate Dean, Pace University, is working to develop the Seidenberg Center for Industry Online Education. The mission of the Seidenberg Center is to significantly increase the number of individuals participating in online education and training and to improve the effectiveness and quality of existing online educational programs with the end goal of producing high-quality, well prepared individuals that meet the needs of a competitive, global workforce. In seeking to build relevant, effective online education programs that will meet future workforce needs, Dr. Sachs proposes a pilot study to explore the future e-learning needs of three key U.S. industries. Small project grants The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

2009- present. P.I. , research analyst, project manager. The Challenge of Change: Studying a Model for Transforming Courses, Instructors and Departments at a Research-extensive University. Decades of research and development in undergraduate science education offer a vast array of classroom approaches with evidence of success and grounding in educational research. Yet this national investment has not yet yielded widespread change in how undergraduates are taught science. This grant investigates a change initiative at the University of Colorado, Boulder, called the Science Education Initiative (SEI), based in five science departments and its outcomes to better understand: the connections between individual faculty members? teaching practices and beliefs about teaching and learning, and; the consequences these beliefs and practices have on new methods for teaching college-level science. . NSF-CCLI Phase 1 grant.

2009-present. P.I., research analyst, project manager. Climate, Adaptation, and Mitigation e-Learning (CAMEL): Creating a Learning Community for Solutions to Climate Change. The rapidly evolving and interdisciplinary nature of climate change and climate solutions presents a challenge to colleges and universities as they seek to educate undergraduate students. To address this challenge, the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) is developing a nationwide learning community called CAMEL. The CAMEL initiative will engage educators and scholars to develop curricular content on climate change and climate solutions, based on the best available research and pedagogical methods appropriate for enabling students to tackle complex problems. The objective of CAMEL is to enable faculty at institutions of higher education across the United States as they generate, test and share resources to teach students not only how to diagnose climate change problems, but also to identify and effect solutions. In year 2 of a 3-year grant. NSF-CCLI grant award # 0950396.

2007-2011. Research analyst. The IBL Mathematics Project. Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is argued to help address these issues. Rather than emphasizing rote memorization and computation skills, IBL approaches seek to help students develop critical thought processes: analyzing ill-defined problems, weighing evidence, applying logic, making and analyzing arguments. The same activities also support deep learning of mathematical ideas. And, by building students? confidence in their abilities to generate and critique ideas and to solve problems independently, IBL methods hold promise to foster students? creativity and persistence. EAF and the IBL Centers seek to address these concerns at multiple levels, hoping to:

? foster the success of undergraduates who will join the mathematics, science and engineering workforce;

? develop research talent among students who will go on to become STEM innovators;

? close the gap between populations traditionally successful in mathematics and those who have been historically underrepresented;

? enhance critical thinking and intellectual growth among college graduates who become voters and leaders in business, civic and community life; and

? improve the mathematical training of K-12 teachers who will educate the next generation.

Results from this multi-campus study not only document the student and instructor experience of these methods and suggest ways to measure their effectiveness, but also help IBL instructors to refine their methods, overcome common barriers, and inform their students and colleagues. Funded by the Educational Advancement Foundation, Austin, TX. Final report submitted June 2011. P.I. Sandra Laursen. Final report submitted June, 2011.

2006-09. Primary analyst and project manager: Mapping the Extent and Character of the Undergraduate Research Experience at Public Research Universities: An Exploratory Study. (NSF) Online survey instrument development and implementation for effective evaluation of undergraduate research programs based on qualitative findings of our study to establish the nature and range of student gains from participation in undergraduate research experiences; also responsible for conducting a small qualitative study to determine the quality of undergraduate research experiences at research universities. The Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA) survey was pilot tested nationally last summer and will be available for undergraduate research program evaluation summer 2009.

2001-2009. Primary researcher, analyst and project manager. Pilot Study to Establish the Nature and Impact of Effective Undergraduate Research Experiences on Learning, Attitudes, and Career Choice, (NSF 2000-2003) and Establishing the Processes and Mediating Factors that Contribute to Significant Outcomes in Undergraduate Research Experiences for Both Students and Faculty (HHMI, 2004-2006): Longitudinal and comparative, this study explores:

? what students identify as the benefits of UR?both following the experience, and in the longer-term (particularly career outcomes);

? what gains faculty advisors observe in their student researchers and how their view of gains converges with or diverges from those of their students;

? the benefits and costs to faculty of their engagement in UR;

? what, if anything, is lost by students who do not participate in UR; and

? the processes by which gains to students are generated

at four liberal arts colleges with well-established UR programs. (Total interview sample = 367 interviews; ~13,000 pages of text data). Project status and results to date(for all group members): 27 invited presentations, 6 published articles, 1 book chapter in edited volume, 1 book published with Jossey-Bass, 1 article in review.