Teaching Science at University

University of Zurich

Informações sobre o curso

This course will prepare you for teaching science in higher education. In this MOOC you will learn to make your knowledge as an excellent researcher accessible to your students. We will show you how to communicate science to novices as well as advanced students in science. You will experience the value of teaching with analogies and you will be guided to train your students' competences. Based on up-to-date findings from research into teaching and learning science you will be able to - implement evidence-based strategies into your own teaching, - use students everyday-conceptions for the development of courses, - prepare analogies and models to teach in your field, - implement problem-based teaching, - set up for experiments and teach the nature of science. This course enables you to teach abstract science topics to your students and make them become active and successful learners. The course is based on lectures (videos), handouts (knowledge-to practise briefs), which supplement the knowledge taught in the lectures and assignments to implement the teaching strategies into your own practise.

curso 100% online

Comece imediatamente e aprenda em seu próprio cronograma.

Nível iniciante

Aprox. 15 horas restantes

Sugerido: 5 weeks of study, 2-3 hours/week

English

Legendas: English

curso 100% online

Comece imediatamente e aprenda em seu próprio cronograma.

Nível iniciante

Aprox. 15 horas restantes

Sugerido: 5 weeks of study, 2-3 hours/week

English

Legendas: English

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

1

Section

3 hours to complete

Introduction: Teaching and Learning Science

Welcome to your first week of Teaching Science at University! In this first module we will give you an overview of what you will learn during our 5-week course and show you what you can achieve as an excellent lecturer or teaching assistant at your university! In the first lesson our focus is on evidence-based teaching. We will show you how you can base your lectures, lab classes, and courses on science education research. You will learn about main principles of visible learning and mind frames which will help you to embrace these principles. Then we will adapt learning theories to science teaching, starting with behaviorism up to cognitivism, constructivism, and neurodidactics. Interviews with a Professor in Animal Behaviour and a Professor in Neuroscience give further insight in the way we learn. At the end of the first week, you should be able to implement and reflect upon one evidence-based teaching strategy in your own teaching. Have fun!...

7 videos (Total 42 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

7 videos

Course Overview2m

Evidence-based science teaching5m

Rate teaching strategies6m

How the brain computes information7m

from behaviourism...5m

...to constructivism8m

Encouraging higher order thinking6m

5 readings

How to get the most out of our course2m

K2P Brief #1 Formative Assessment10m

K2P Brief #2 Powerful Feedback10m

Top Tips for Completing Assignments2m

K2P Brief #15 Effective Peer Review10m

2

Section

3 hours to complete

Conceptual Change

Welcome to your second week of Teaching Science at University. Understanding scientific concepts is the core of learning science, but often our pre-instructional conceptions act as barriers to reach an appropriate understanding. In this module we will show how to guide students from their everyday conceptions to scientific ones. You will learn how to use your students’ pre-conceptions not as obstacles but as starting points for teaching science. We will show you some methods for a quick assessment of your students’ conceptions. We look at strategies how we can change our students’ conceptions and how we can help your students to change their ideas. Finally we consider how you as a teacher can foster student engagement in class. At the end of the second week you should be able to address the pre- instructional conceptions of your students in your teaching....

6 videos (Total 41 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

6 videos

Identifying everyday conceptions4m

No teaching without everyday conceptions6m

Assessing your students conceptions7m

Learning as conceptual change8m

Learning as ontological change4m

Tips for engagement9m

2 readings

K2P Brief #3 Initiating Conceptual Change10m

K2P Brief #4 Making Conceptual Change Happen10m

3

Section

3 hours to complete

Teaching with analogies

Welcome to the third week of Teaching Science at University! In this week we would like to show how invisible concepts become visible. In everyday life we learn so many things by comparing and contrasting. From research we know that the use of analogies and metaphors are important features in the scientific endeavor, and their use in teaching science seems a natural extension. We raise the question whether analogies are just excellent communication tools or if they can generate new knowledge. What do the majority of students really understand when analogies are used to explain abstract and difficult ideas such as molecular structures, diffusion, and plate tectonics? We show that It is important to consider students’ personal constructions since no student enters the lecture hall as “tabula rasa.” Science classrooms are common settings in which analogies are used to enhance concept learning; therefore, improving the way analogies are used in science education has important teaching and learning consequences. At the end of the third week you should be able to choose good analogies for teaching science and implement them fruitfully....

5 videos (Total 38 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz

5 videos

Why science is hard to grasp10m

Using analogies6m

How to teach analogies4m

Successful instructional analogies8m

Multiple representations in science7m

4 readings

K2P Brief #5 Big Ideas in Science10m

K2P Brief #6 Backward Design10m

K2P Brief #7 - Teaching with Analogies - part 110m

K2P Brief #8: Teaching with Analogies - part 210m

4

Section

3 hours to complete

(Re-)Frame your science teaching

Welcome to the fourth week of Teaching Science at University! In this week we want to show you how we can frame our science teaching to increase interest, motivation, and understanding of the students. In the first lesson we ask how the framing of science teaching can help students see the relevance of science for society. We look at problems from everyday life and their potential to foster students understanding of science. Activating our students is one key to reducing failure rates in our classrooms. We look how to design a new course by setting the goals our students have to achieve and how to foster learning when supervising a thesis. Finally we look how to communicate risk and uncertainty in an appropriate way to foster understanding. At the end of this week you should be able to frame your science teaching to make it relevant for your students....

6 videos (Total 44 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

6 videos

Make science relevant5m

Active learning with socioscientific issues7m

Tasks for active learners7m

Setting goals for students5m

Supervision of theses9m

Communication risk and uncertainity9m

3 readings

K2P Brief #9 Connecting Science and Society10m

K2P Brief #10 Active Learning10m

K2P Brief #14 Assessing Student Performance10m

5

Section

3 hours to complete

Teaching science in a lab or field

Welcome to the fifth week of Teaching Science at University! In this week we want to show you how we can improve students’ learning in a lab or in the field. In the first lesson we show you how to design a lab class, then we focus on delivering a lab class. We show you how you can use design principles (known as “gestalt principles”) to present experiments in a manner which is easy for your students to understand. Then we look at a model on students’ competences on experimentation that you can use to track the development of your students’ conceptual development. From research we know that students often hold inadequate conceptions about the nature of science and the scientific endeavor. We show you how you can address these conceptions to enable your students to understand the meaning of experiments, models, and theories in science. Finally we focus on the role of models in science education. We look at a model for model competence you can use to analyse where your students stand and to train different dimensions of dealing with models. At the end of this week you should be able to design a lab class that improves the inquiry skills of your students....

6 videos (Total 50 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

6 videos

Conducting a lab class9m

Preparing a lab class8m

Design principles for experiments7m

Identifying and fostering students' experimental competences9m

Changing students conceptions about the nature of science7m

Models and modelling in science7m

3 readings

K2P Brief #11 Inquiry Teaching in the Lab10m

K2P Brief #12 Teaching the Nature of Science10m

K2P Brief #13 Teaching with Models10m

Instructor

Kai Niebert

PhD, Professor for Science Teaching

About University of Zurich

Founded in 1833, the University of Zurich (UZH) is Switzerland’s largest university, with a current enrollment of over 26,000 students. Made up of seven faculties covering approximately 100 different subject areas, UZH is proud to offer the most comprehensive academic program in the country....

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I pay for this course?
If you pay for this course, you will have access to all of the features and content you need to earn a Course Certificate. If you complete the course successfully, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. Note that the Course Certificate does not represent official academic credit from the partner institution offering the course.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
Yes! Coursera provides financial aid to learners who would like to complete a course but cannot afford the course fee. To apply for aid, select "Learn more and apply" in the Financial Aid section below the "Enroll" button. You'll be prompted to complete a simple application; no other paperwork is required.
What do I need to do to complete the course?
The course consists of lectures and assignments at the end of each week. The assignment is designed to let you implement the week's course content into your own teaching syllabus, for example when developing an analogy for your own course. By developing the assignments and giving feedback to others' assignments you can collect points to complete the course.
Can I get credit points ( e.g. ECTS) for the course?
The course is designed as a professional development course for people teaching in science contexts. For example PhD students often need to collect credit points in their programs. Unfortunately we cannot give credits. But universities often "translate" the course certificate into credits for your programs. Just ask your supervisors/program leaders.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center

Teaching Science at University