Teaching Big Science at Small Colleges: a Genomics Collaboration
The field of genomics informs some of the most pressing issues of our time: stem cell biology, transgenic agriculture, and cancer research. It is essential that liberal arts colleges educate our students to address genome-level questions. Barnard, Carleton, Vassar and Williams Colleges have been awarded a three-year grant from the Teagle Foundation to advance genomic curricula within liberal arts colleges.
- Development of new genomics curriculum: The first goal of this initiative is to advance genomics pedagogy through the development of inquiry-based integrated instructional units (I3U). These instructional units can utilize a range of inquiry-based approaches, will allow instructors to integrate student learning from and within the modules into the flow of instruction, and otherwise follow the instructional design principles articulated in America's Lab Report (National Academy Press, 2005). We are calling on the faculty of schools within the Columbia Genome Consortium (CGC), first assembled by Lynn Caporale of the Columbia University Genome Center, to develop these modules.
- Dissemination of curriculum: The second goal of this project is to disseminate curricular models(on a dedicated website and in a teaching guide) about these curricular models to other colleges for their use and adaptation. Through the interactive website, we can exchange ideas and forge educational and research collaborations to elevate our ability to bring "big science" to our small schools.
Work Plan
- Workshop Series: Three workshops will bring together faculty from the Columbia Genomics Consortium to understand how genomics is currently being taught in the liberal arts environment, to develop priorities for new instructional materials, and to evaluate initial implementations.
- Small Grants Program: The Teagle grant provides funds for the design, implementation, and assessment of new genomics curricula. Proposals for these funds will be solicited after the July workshop; those receiving funding will participate in two subsequent workshops (Summer 2008, 2009).
