The organizations listed below offer web-based educational resources within the Health Science Career Cluster. This list is provided as a resource for community college faculty. It is not exhaustive and inclusion does not constitute endorsement by CORD, the League for Innovation, the States Career Cluster Initiative or the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education.
The Collaborative for Gender Equity in Emerging Technologies
The Collaborative for Gender Equity in Emerging Technologies provides resources developed by the Center
for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) and the Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance
(CSSIA) under a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Project. The collaborative takes
a multi-faceted approach toward encouraging female students to pursue careers in emerging technologies.
The project team is focused on dispelling myths about girls’ abilities in science and technology, providing the tools for
local mentoring programs to take root, disseminating information about high-tech careers
and the coursework needed to succeed in them, and fostering the development of a classroom culture conducive to gender equity.
Specific project activities include the development of an online mentoring program toolkit (available at the
website), workshops for mentoring program coordinators, and a facilitator-led online faculty professional development
course—Fostering Gender Equity in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Classroom.
http://genderequitycollaborative.org
Teaching the Process of Science
Visionlearning is an innovative educational resource designed for students, teachers, parents or anyone interested in learning. The website features a free, bilingual library of succinct, award-winning learning modules that integrate text, multimedia, and other resources to make learning exciting spanning biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science, and other areas, from middle school to graduate level topics. Students can browse at will or teachers can set up a classroom selecting specific modules for their students to complete and customizing for their needs.
http://www.visionlearning.com/
Project Title: Math across the Community College Curriculum (MAC3)
The goal of MAC3 is to create a mathematically literate society that ensures a workforce equipped to compete in a technologically advanced global economy. The project trains math and non-math faculty across the disciplines to create, evaluate and modify projects that incorporate mathematics. As a result, community college students throughout the nation will be offered opportunities to deepen and reinforce the mathematics they have learned in their math classes, apply it in context, and understand its greater importance and application in their lives.
http://www.mac3.amatyc.org/
Science Education Resource Center (SERC)
SERC works to improve education through projects that support educators. The Center places emphasis on undergraduate STEM education but works with educators across a broad range of disciplines and levels. Web-based resources offered by SERC enable educators across the country to share their knowledge in formats that support easy use by faculty.
http://serc.carleton.edu/serc/about.html
MSPnet: An Electronic Community of Practice Facilitating Communication and Collaboration
MSPnet is an electronic learning community for the Math and Science Partnership Program. With the MSP program, the National Science Foundation implemented an important facet of the President's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) vision for K-12 education. A major research and development effort, the MSP program responds to concern over the performance of the nation's children in mathematics and science. Institutions of higher education - their disciplinary faculty in departments of mathematics, the sciences and/or engineering, education faculty and administrators - partner with K-12 districts and others to effect deep, lasting improvement in K-12 mathematics and science education through five key features: Partnership-Driven, Teacher Quality, Quantity and Diversity, Challenging Courses and Curricula, Evidence-Based Design, and Institutional Change and Sustainability.
http://hub.mspnet.org
Collaborative Research: Combining Real and Virtual Professional Development for Current and Future Geoscience Faculty
The “On the Cutting Edge” professional development program aims to improve the quality of undergraduate geoscience education through an integrated synergistic series of workshops and web-based resources. The program will enhance the participants' content knowledge in emerging fields and promote exemplary teaching practices; develop effective on-line resources to support existing workshops and provide widely accessible electronic versions of workshops to extend the influence of the workshops; and develop an active cohort of educators involved in further dissemination. The site offers over 400 activities of various types and an online tutorial for designing or revising courses.
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/index.html
National Science Digital Library
NSDL is an online digital library that links to other projects and digital libraries sorted by grade level, subject area, and so forth. Many of the resources are free and contain national and state standards depending upon the resource.
http://nsdl.org/
The Applied Math and Science Education Repository
The Applied Math and Science Education Repository (AMSER) consists of an applied mathematics and science educational resource collection and a variety of integrated services designed specifically to enhance the learning experience of community college students and the teaching capabilities of instructors at those institutions. This site links to a wide variety of papers, activities, applets, etc from numerous sources to enhance teaching and learning. Site requires a free registration; some links may have fees associated with them.
http://amser.org/
Oceanworld
Oceanworld includes online texts, real-time data, activities and instructor background material organized around themes of Properties of the Ocean Activities, Ocean Currents and Circulation, El Niño, The Oceanic Heat Budget, and Fisheries—much of it appropriate for secondary students. Links to course websites and online textbooks for upper and lower division college oceanography courses are available. Lessons and materials could be adapted for STEM cluster pathways.
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/index.html
Virtual Earthquake
Earthquake is part of the Virtual Courseware project in Earth and Environmental Science. It uses inquiry-based activities to teach how seismic waves are used to locate an Earthquake's epicenter and determine its magnitude on the Richter scale. Virtual Courseware employs the use of animations and activities.
http://www.sciencecourseware.org/eec/Earthquake/
How Volcanoes Work
This website is an educational resource that describes the science behind volcanoes and volcanic processes. It is intended for the education of university students of geology and volcanology and teachers of earth science. Each section in the menu builds upon previous sections. Topics covered include: Eruption Dynamics, Eruption Products, Eruption Types, Historical Eruptions, and Volcanism on Other Worlds. This site uses animations, text and reference information.
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/index.html
BEDROCK: Bioinformatics Education
A National Science Foundation-funded initiative, the Bioquest Curriculum Consortium’s BEDROCK project efforts are aimed at integrating bioinformatics throughout the undergraduate biology curriculum, using an inquiry-based approach in which students explore and analyze actual data in a way that recreates the experience of conducting research. The project website offers teaching resources, including simulations, projects, and modeling software.
http://bioquest.org/bedrock/index.php
Contemporary Laboratory Experiences for Astronomy (CLEA)
Laboratory exercises include a dedicated computer program, a student manual, and a technical guide for the instructor. Topics include: Radio astronomy of pulsars, the large scale structure of the universe, the revolution of the moons of Jupiter, the rotation of Mercury by the Doppler effect, astronomy of asteroids, the flow of energy out of the sun, transits of Venus and Mercury, spectral classification of stars, photoelectric photometry of the Pleiades, HR diagrams of star clusters, dying stars and the birth of the elements, the Hubble redshift distance relation, the quest for Object X. Lessons could be adapted for use in STEM cluster pathways.
http://public.gettysburg.edu/~marschal/clea/CLEAhome.html
Critical Thinking in Biology: Case Problems
Critical Thinking in Biology is Problem-Based Learning with 20 case examples. The examples given here are suitable for use in a first year college biology lecture theater, but the method is applicable to any class size and educational level. Brief overview of how instructors and students should conduct PBL exercises.
http://www.saltspring.com/capewest/ct.htm
http://www.saltspring.com/capewest/pbl.htm
Weather World 2010
WeatherWorld 2010 is a framework for integrating current and archived weather data with multimedia instructional resources. Includes a nearly-comprehensive series of online guides to Meteorology, Remote Sensing, Reading & Interpreting Weather Maps, and Projects & Activities.
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/home.rxml
Starting Point: Teaching Entry-Level Geoscience
This is a comprehensive site focusing both on delivery methods and undergraduate geoscience content. Topics covered include: Atmosphere, Biosphere, Climate, Earth surface, Energy/Material cycles, Human Dimensions/Resources, Hydrosphere/Cryosphere, Ocean, Solar system, Solid Earth, Time/Earth History. Encourages active learning, cooperative learning, via hands-on labs.
http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/
SkyServer Project
SkyServer brings you the entire public database of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey - over 80 million stars, galaxies, and quasars. The data can be used in the lessons provided. SkyServer lessons are written at a variety of levels, for students from grade school through introductory college courses. Topics include: The Hubble Diagram, Colors in Astronomy, Spectral Types of Stars, Image Processing, Asteroids, The H-R Diagram, Galaxies, Sky Surveys, and Quasars.
http://cas.sdss.org/dr5/en/proj/teachers/default.asp
Workshop Physics
Workshop Physics is a curriculum intended to teach calculus-based physics without formal lectures. Four sample activities are available free, plus software for the collection, graphical display, analysis and modeling of real data. Pedagogy is sound. Observations are enhanced with computer tools for the collection, graphical display, analysis and modeling of real data
http://physics.dickinson.edu/~wp_web/WP_homepage.html
MentorNet 3C: An Electronic Mentoring Program to Encourage Community College Women to Enter Careers in Technology and Business
One-on-one mentoring via email and the website advances retention for community college women in engineering and related science fields by pairing them with professionals in industry for year-long, structured mentoring relationships conducted via electronic communications.
http://www.mentornet.net/
Disseminating Best Practices for Teaching and Assessing Analytical Reasoning in Cell Biology
Computer simulations for teaching biology require input of data from the class experiments. Postsecondary "Biology 360" course components includes course description, glossary of terms, math review, reading assignments, diagrams, data simulations, and other support materials.
http://pdbio.byu.edu/bio360/
http://www.lifescied.org/cgi/reprint/5/3/270
Genetics Cognitive Tutor
Project is developing 16 Cognitive Tutor units for topics in Mendelian Transmission, Pedigree Analysis, Recombination and Gene Mapping, Gene Regulation and Population Genetics. Additional Gene Regulation and Population Genetics units are under development. These lessons are being used and evaluated in biology courses at several college and university pilot sites that represent a cross-section of higher education.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~genetics/
Virtual Cell
The Virtual Cell consists of a VRML-based laboratory and a cell. In the laboratory, the learner receives a specific assignment (learners are always assigned motivating goals in our learning-by-doing environments), performs simple experiments, and learns the basic physical and chemical features of the cell and its components. The virtual laboratory procedures require a voyage into a VRML cell where experimental science meets virtual reality. The learner is supplied with a toolbox of measuring devices that assay various cellular processes. These tools include an O2 meter, CO2 meter, pH meter, sugar assay, protein assay, various stains and enzyme assays. As the students progress, they revisit the laboratory, bring cellular samples back for experimentation, and subsequently receive more assignments.
http://vcell.ndsu.edu/
Pedagogic Service Project
The goal of the Pedagogic Service Project is to encourage educators to reflect critically on their own teaching practices and to support them in exploring new pedagogies. A library of pedagogic methods and a collection of activities which exemplify each method. The complete library is available through the Pedagogy in Action portal. 30 different teaching methods including many interactive and cooperative activities. Over 700 STEM modules and activities using over 30 different teaching methods.
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/service/index.html
comPADRE
ComPADRE is filling a stewardship role within the National Science Digital Library for the educational resources used by broad communities in physics and astronomy. This partnership of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the American Institute of Physics/Society of Physics Students (AIP/SPS), and the American Physical Society (APS) helps teachers and learners find, and use, high quality resources through collections and services tailored to their specific needs. Includes interactive lectures, interactive demonstrations, just-in-time teaching, pedagogic approaches relevant to physics and astronomy education, mathematical models, indoor labs, simulations, curricula, and multimedia.
http://www.compadre.org/portal/webdocs/about.cfm
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/compadre/index.html
Project Lead the Way
Mission: To create dynamic partnerships with our nation's schools to prepare an increasing and more diverse group of students to be successful in science, engineering, and engineering technology. Curriculum for purchase.
http://www.pltw.org/index.cfm
Virtual Lab Simulator
The Chemistry Collective is a collection of virtual labs, scenario-based learning activities, and concepts tests which can be incorporated into a variety of teaching approaches as pre-labs, alternatives to textbook homework, and in-class activities for individuals or teams. It is organized by a group of faculty and staff at Carnegie Mellon University for college and high school teachers who are interested in using, assessing, and/or creating engaging online activities for chemistry education. Chemistry tutorials on buffers and stoichiometry. Virtual labs built around engaging scenarios and simulations.
http://www.chemcollective.org/
Ideal Gas Law Simulation
A java simulation illustrates the behavior of particles under variable conditions, controlled by the user.
http://intro.chem.okstate.edu/1314F00/Laboratory/GLP.htm
Chemistry Learning Tools
Animated tutorials visualize how to determine the Lewis Structure of more than 60 molecules, how to interpret the Lewis structure in terms of valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory and how to interpret the Lewis structure in terms of valence bond (VB) theory. Diatomic molecules also are interpreted in terms of molecular orbital theory. These materials can be accessed from either a PC or a Macintosh using a standard browser. The Director Shockwave Player (plug-in) from Macromedia is required.
http://treefrog.fullerton.edu/chem/index.htm
Connecting Concepts: Interactive Lessons in Biology
A series of interactive web-based lessons designed to give introductory undergraduate biology students opportunities to connect biology concepts, such as homeostasis, signal transduction, natural selection, speciation, biotechnology, chemiosmosis, thermodynamics, population dynamics, and plant water relations
http://ats.doit.wisc.edu/biology/lessons.htm
BioSciEdNet (BEN)
BioSciEdNet is a portal within the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Pathway for biological sciences education. The BEN Portal provides access to education resources from BEN Collaborators and is managed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Over 8,237 reviewed resources covering 77 biological sciences topics are available. Types of resources include: 35mm slides, Animations, Applications, Assessments, Assignment/Activity (non-laboratory), Audio, Bibliography, Book, Book chapter, Course syllabus, Dataset, Diagram, Dictionary/Glossary, PowerPoint presentation, Discussion groups, Educational standards, Fieldtrip guides, Historical documents, Illustrations, Images, Journal articles, Laboratory exercises, Laboratory manuals, Lecture/Lecture outlines, Lesson plans, Maps, Simulations, Teaching strategies, videos and webcasts.
http://www.biosciednet.org/portal/index.php
Cell and Molecular Biology Online
This website is an informational resource for cell and molecular biologists that provides links to resources for research, education, and community. Collection of resources for cell and molecular biologists. Links to research journals and reports.
http://www.cellbio.com/
nanoHUB
nanoHUB is an online clearinghouse for nanotechnology education. The site includes Online Presentations, Courses, Learning Modules, Podcasts, Animations, Teaching Materials, and more. Most importantly, the nanoHUB offers simulation tools which you can access from your web browser, so you can not only learn about but also simulate nanotechnology devices. The nanoHUB also provides collaboration environment via Workspaces, Online meetings and User groups.
https://www.nanohub.org/
Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment University Programs (SCALE-UP)
SCALE-UP has a classroom design and pedagogy for dealing with large course sections through the use of hands-on activities, simulations, or interesting questions and problems. There are also some hypothesis-driven labs where students have to write detailed reports. Students sit in three groups of three students at 6 or 7 foot diameter round tables. Instructors circulate and work with teams and individuals, engaging them in Socratic-like dialogues. Each table has at least three networked laptops. Used in teaching introductory physics. Teaching materials available via a password-protected log in (free).
http://www.ncsu.edu/per/scaleup.html
Evolution
This website includes two really detailed, self-paced online courses for instructors who will be teaching evolution; online lessons for students and videos illustrating concepts. Broad themes include: Darwinism, Change, Extinction, Sex, Religion, Survival and Humans. 7 videos with extensive student and teacher materials
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/index.html
MIT Physics 8.02
The Physics 8.02 Website and CD are divided into seven sections: Vector Fields, Electrostatics, Magnetostatics, Faraday's Law, Light, Course Notes, and Resources. Each of the first five sections contain visualizations appropriate to the section topic, with brief text explanations for each. The Course Notes section contains the course notes used in the Physics 8.02 (Electricity and Magnetism) course at MIT, organized by topic, and with links to associated visualizations (click on the images marked as "Animations" to open the visualization). The Resources section contains some papers and background information on the concepts and mathematics used in creating these visualizations, as well as papers describing some of the assessment we have done on teaching in the Technology Enabled Active Learning (TEAL) format.
http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/index.html
Famous Curves Java Applets
Java applets of interactive famous mathematical curves are the primary focus of this website. Students can control the variables in the interactive mathematical curve graphs.
http://turnbull.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Java/
DNA from the Beginning
This website is an animated text on the basics of genetics, DNA and heredity. The lessons are organized into Classical Genetics, the Molecules of Genetics, and Genetic Organization and Control.
http://www.dnaftb.org/dnaftb/
BioMathLab: Modeling Biological Processes in the Lab
A series of interactive (java applet) laboratory exercises for biology students that help them improve their skills in mathematics and statistics to think quantitatively. Topics include: relationships between variables, designing experiments, computing the rate of change, etc. These topics are taught in the context of a thematic scenario.
http://biomath.biology.usu.edu/
Radical Change in Large-Class Instruction
Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is a research based learning environment where students are actively engaged in mastering course content and in developing essential skills by working in self-managed teams on guided inquiry activities. The instructor facilitates student learning by appropriately guiding and questioning the teams as they work through the specially designed activities. POGIL is based on research indicating that a) teaching by telling does not work for most students, b) students who are part of an interactive community are more likely to be successful, and c) knowledge is personal; students enjoy themselves more and develop greater ownership over the material when they are given an opportunity to construct their own understanding.
http://www.pogil.org/
Riemann Sums and Area Approximations
After covering the standard course material on area under a curve, Riemann sums and numerical integration, Calculus I students are given a write-pair-share activity that directs them to predict the best area approximation methods for each of several different functions. Afterwards, the instructor employs a Web-based applet that visually displays each method and provides the corresponding numerical approximations.
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interactive/examples/16399.html
Body Measures: Exploring Distributions and Graphs Using Cooperative Learning
Using cooperative learning methods, this lesson introduces distributions for univariate data, emphasizing how distributions help us visualize central tendencies and variability. Students collect real data on head circumference and hand span, then describe the distributions in terms of shape, center, and spread. The lesson moves from informal to more technically appropriate descriptions of distributions. 50-75 minutes.
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/cooperative/examples/14045.html
How Much Work is Required: Intuition vs. Mathematical Calculation
This classroom activity presents Calculus II students with some Flash tutorials involving work and pumping liquids along with a simple question concerning the amount of work involved in pumping water out of two full containers having the same shape and size but different spatial orientations.
Students are given opportunities to address this question by means of a ConcepTest, a Question of the Day and a write-pair-share activity. The results are quite revealing and show that while students may have learned how to perform the necessary calculations, their conceptual understanding concerning work may remain faulty. 45-50 minutes.
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interactive/examples/14298.html
Modeling emf, Potential Difference and Internal Resistance
This website contains a java applet circuit construction simulation for use in teaching students to distinguish EMF from electric potential difference for an open and closed circuit after comparing models of various electric circuits. For use in physics courses; requires knowledge of Ohm's law.
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interactive/examples/19091.html
Exploring Quantum Concepts in Chemistry: Active Discovery by Students in the General Chemistry
The project introduces quantum concepts into undergraduate chemistry students using software to illustrate the quantum concepts in general chemistry. Interactive java applets are used for simulations.
http://quantumconcepts.bu.edu/
Practical Quantum Mechanics
The project designed a New Model Course in Applied Quantum Physics and a set of instructor resources that are modular and fit into a variety of classrooms. They are designed to complement regular forms of instruction, and not to stand alone. Tutorials cover: The photoelectric effect, Electron diffraction, Atomic spectra, Classical probability, Potential energy diagrams, The 1D Schrödinger equation, Fourier transforms, The uncertainty principle, Potential energy diagrams, Infinite square well (1, 2, and 3D), Finite square well, Barrier penetration and tunneling, Double well - molecular bonding, Multiple wells - band structures, Conductors, semiconductors, insulators, and Quantum polarization (applying an external electric field to atomic lattices).
http://www.physics.umd.edu/perg/qm/
Tutorial Methods of Instruction Using Problem-based Learning
This is a clearinghouse of problems and articles to assist educators in using problem-based learning. Teaching notes and supplemental materials accompany each problem, providing insights and strategies that are innovative and classroom-tested. Sample problems in Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, Criminal Justice, Biology. Example syllabi from courses using PBL. A good resource for those wishing to integrate PBL into STEM courses.
http://www.udel.edu/pbl/
Writing about Numbers We Should Know
This assignment asks students to identify a number we should know (e.g., current world population) and to write a short paper that presents that number clearly and meaningfully. This is the opening assignment for a first year course on quantitative reasoning, and it is intended (a) to expose the students in the course collectively to important numbers they should know, (b) to introduce students to informational literacy issues raised by research searches for numbers, and (c) to give students practice in discussing numbers in writing in precise and principled ways. Fosters critical thinking and analysis skills.
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/quantitative_writing/examples/numbers.html
Writing a Lab Report in the Form of a Scientific Paper
In this biology lab, students investigate whether goldenrod gall fly larvae collected from restored prairie area are different from larvae collected from a small native prairie 10 km away. They look for biochemical differences in proteins using cellulose acetate electrophoresis. Students determine the genotype of each gall fly; students compare the combined class’ genotypes for the two groups of gall flies statistically using chi-square analysis. Students read a related scientific paper and discuss it in a subsequent lab session. Students write a full lab report describing their results using standard scientific paper formatting. A detailed description of this format and the writing process is provided.
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/quantitative_writing/examples.html?q1=sercvocabs__43%3A3