Scientists Mentoring Graduate Students on Research and Teaching

Scientists Mentoring Graduate Students on Research and Teaching Through COSEE Concept Mapping Collaborative Workshops P. Kwon, COSEE-West, pkwon@aqmd. gov C. Companion, University of Maine, carla. companion@maine. edu A. de. Charon, University of Maine, annette. decharon@maine. edu T. Repa, Touro College, theodore. repa@touro. edu

Background • NSF promotes the preparation of the next generation of scientists to uphold position of world leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) • COSEE-Ocean Systems took on part of the challenge by both revising and scaling up its “peer to peer” workshop model for scientists and educators • Revised model is designed to help faculty-level scientists mentor graduate students to improve their teaching by graphically organizing and presenting their research

Concept Mapping • A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among concepts • Concepts are connected with labeled arrows that articulate the relationship between them • Concept maps have their origin in the learning movement called constructivism • "The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach accordingly. ” (D. Ausubel) Concept A Phrase that describes the relationship of A to B Concept B

Original “Peer to Peer” Model Content knowledge Scientist Educator Pedagogical knowledge • Both groups believe they can learn something from the other • Teams of 1 scientist and 3 -4 educators constructed maps for target audiences of non-scientists • In post-workshop interviews, scientists recommended that the model be adapted for graduate students

Revised “Mentor / Mentee” Model Content knowledge Graduate Student Scientist Present content to 3 rd party audience Audience knowledge • Both groups are interested in learning how to effectively reach a third-party audience • Third-party audience types are chosen to allow graduate students to provide insight on their needs • At the workshop’s end, graduate students receive feedback on their presentations from the target audience (or its proxy)

Workshop Locations & Target Audiences COSEE Ocean Systems COSEE West COSEE NOW COSEE California February 2010 April 2011 May 2011 October 2011 High School Students Informal Audiences Undergraduate Students

Third-Party Audiences’ Feedback Participants are rated on their ability to put their research into a “big picture” context, use of jargon, the organization of the concept map, and the clarity of a “take home message”

Workshop Models: Participants’ Feedback on both Educator and Graduate Student collaborative models N Graduate Students N 6. 6* 67 6. 5* 71 6. 6* 107 5. 9* 71 Concept mapping helped to “think through topics” 89%** 106 85%** 71 Interacted as peers / colleagues 91%** 66 90%** 71 Share ideas and “build a bridge” with scientists / faculty 90%** 67 68%** 71 Quality of interaction with scientists Understanding how concept maps are used to present concepts Educato rs *measured on a 7 point scale **Answered ‘Yes’ (others chose “Sort of”)

Evaluation Strategy • To supplement data on the workshop, the team chose to administer a follow-up survey at least 6 months after each workshop • The goal of this “follow-up” survey was to determine how participants had used the content and tools since the workshop

Follow-Up Survey Results • 49 graduate students responded (66%, n=74) – 47% OS; 60% West; 67% NOW; 94% California • All were satisfied with assistance from COSEE staff • 98% were satisfied with the faculty interaction • 90% would recommend it to peers/colleagues • 90% would like more pedagogical training in their graduate program

Feedback about Use of Concept Mapping for Educational Outreach or Teaching • Highest responses (n=48) – To better organize thoughts (63%) – To provide a bigger picture or context (54%) • Use of concept mapping for teaching purposes was limited (n=44) – 16% stated that they used concept mapping to “help students understand research concepts in an undergraduate or graduate seminar” – 11% used it for “assessing (their) students’ knowledge”

Feedback about Use of Concept Mapping for Graduate Research • Highest responses (n=48) – Organize thinking about an existing research/dissertation topic (56%) – Develop research/dissertation topic (44%) – Explain my research to my colleagues and/or peers (44%) • 91% of the responding participants indicated that they have already, will, or may add concept mapping to their tools for organizing their research (n=47)

Feedback about Usefulness of Workshop for Graduate Students’ “Primary Work” • 62% of the 34 graduate students who answered this question indicated “yes it has” or “yes it will” • Positive responses in order of workshops: – Winter 2010 (OS): 8 out of 8 (100%) – Spring 2011 (West & NOW): 8 out of 15 (53%) – Fall 2011 (CA): 5 out of 11 (45%)

Participant Experiences Winter 2010 Workshop (OS) “I have used at least one concept map to organize ideas at the beginning of each new project. I included concept maps in my dissertation work, in lectures and presentations, in organizing thoughts instead of taking notes, and… in designing new algorithms e. g. in testing new data analysis tools. ” “I have become more interested in outreach/education aspects of scientific research. ” Spring 2011 Workshops (West & NOW) “Helped me organize my thoughts and what was needed for my research. ”

Participant Experiences Fall 2011 Workshop (CA) “As I am about to transition to a different field of research, I could see how concept mapping would help me organize my thoughts regarding this new material and that the workshop will be beneficial to me. ” “[It has] helped me in organizing my thoughts for my dissertation to flow in a logical sequence. ” “I used it to organize my qualifying exam. ”

Feedback about Workshops’ Helpfulness with NSF-defined “Broader Impacts” • 22 of the survey respondents reported that workshop has been helpful to them in all five Broader Impacts areas, the highest being: – Advance Discovery (82%) • “How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training and learning? ” – Benefits to Society (77%) • “What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society? ” • 82% of these respondents also reported increased involvement in activities related to “Benefits to Society” as a result of the workshop

Specific Examples of “Broader Impacts” Benefits (1 of 3) “I used a concept map to explain my research to a group of scientist peers whose specialty is outside my own field… the concept map helped me to both organize my thoughts and share the information. ” (CA) “…While in graduate school, this tool helped me disseminate information regarding my graduate work and focus area. ” (OS)

Specific Examples of “Broader Impacts” Benefits (2 of 3) “Engaged in research projects that lead to concrete recommendations for policy makers, fishermen, environmental consultants and many others interested in better management of marine resources. ” (OS) “I was a part of a webinar series, in which I presented my research to the large community of educators, graduate students and who ever else logged in…. I have used COSEE as a tool to disseminate the results of my research, so larger number of people can use it for education, research or whatever else. ” (OS)

Specific Examples of “Broader Impacts” Benefits (3 of 3) “Visited a local high school to talk about concept mapping and my own oceanographic research. ” (OS) “I created a concept map highlighting my research topic which is available on the COSEE-OS site, along with an accompanying blog (encouraging other grad students to use these tools) and a webinar presentation… I've also shared the concept mapping tool at a national meeting. ” (OS)

Conclusions • Workshops achieved its primary goal: provide tools and training to help graduate students better understand the bigger context of their research • The workshop model can be transferred to different trainers and in different locations across the country • COSEE-OS on-line concept mapping tool, CLIMB, is useful for graphically organizing how scientists and graduate students think about their research http: //cosee. umaine. edu/climb

Recommendations • COSEE Centers consider implementing follow-on activities to concretize graduate students’ use of these tools for science research, teaching, and educational outreach • Share these findings in a publication that is read by the oceanographic research and teaching community

References • Ausubel, D. , Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, (New York), 1968. • Novak, J. D. & Gowin, D. B. , Learning How to Learn, Cambridge University Press, (Cambridge), 1984.