Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Chris Addison, Department of Chemistry, Science One Program
James Charbonneau, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Science One Program
Encompassing first year physics, mathematics, biology and chemistry, Science One is
a team-taught program that provides a unique educational experience by presenting
scientific topics in an integrated format. While one of the goals of an
interdisciplinary program like Science One is to break down the pre-existing silos of
knowledge that students may possess, few tools exist to assess development of such
interdisciplinary thinking.
Card sorting, in which participants sort cards (containing representative textbook
problems) into groups based on their identified characteristics, has previously been
used to distinguish expert-like versus novice-like thinking within disciplines,
including physics, biology and chemistry. We have developed a card-sorting tool
that allows us to differentiate between disciplinary and interdisciplinary thinking
based on the manner in which the problem cards are sorted.
In this session, we will discuss the theoretical basis for our work, outline major
steps in the development process, and discuss results from initial offerings of the
instrument to students in traditional and interdisciplinary science courses. Please
bring your laptop/tablet to the session for an opportunity to try out the activity.