Curriculum Description
The Technology-linked Epidemiology Education Network (TEEN) aims to increase interest and persistence in the sciences among high school students while also fostering scientific collaboration among the participating schools. Our research team has developed an epidemiology curriculum that is focused on building competencies in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Public Health (STEM-PH). The Engineering Design component of the Next Generation Science Standards as well as the Center for Disease Control’s “Epidemiology and Public Health Science: Core Competencies for High School Students” are the foundation for the core epidemiology knowledge and competencies of TEEN. In addition, the state epidemiology education standards for Georgia, Tennessee, and California were also used for guidance while developing the TEEN curriculum.
The TEEN curriculum utilizes a blended learning approach by combining online epidemiology educational materials and activities with traditional classroom methods. The online platform allows students to work individually or in teams and collaborate with classmates via online chats to complete educational activities. A major methodology utilized throughout the curriculum is project-based learning. Students learn epidemiologic concepts and skills by being immersed in narratives about historical public health events. Throughout these narratives, students will investigate and respond to complex problems by analyzing real-world public health data and trends while also creating prevention strategies. Students will synthesize this information into a master research proposal for a health topic of their choice. Educators will be provided guidance for facilitating activities to follow the blended learning approach and to maximize the benefits of project-based learning.
Research
Our research team will be evaluating the efficacy of the TEEN curriculum by administering questionnaires to students and educators participating in the TEEN program at two time points during the intervention. The instruments will be used to assess the efficacy of our blended learning platform in delivering a project-based training program that improves personal science interest, demonstrated scientific ability, value of science, scientific self-efficacy, and personal scientific epistemology. Instruments include:
The Scientific Literacy Assessment (SLA) was developed and validated by Fives Et al. in collaboration with the NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program. This assessment includes two scales.
- Science Literacy Assessment Demonstrated Ability (SLA-D): The following is a 19-item multiple choice assessment. SLA-D assesses demonstrated scientific literacy including critical thinking and problem solving. Question domains include role of science, scientific thinking and doing, science and society, and mathematics in science.
- Science Literacy Assessment Motivation and Beliefs (SLA-MB): This instrument contains three sub-instrument scales, each using a Likert (1-5) measurement scale for a total of 25 items.
- Value of Science (VOS): This sub-instrument includes six items that assesses beliefs in the value of science. Science beliefs are measured on a five-point Likert scale ranging from not at all important to very important.
- Scientific Self-Efficacy (SSE): This sub-instrument includes eight items that assess beliefs in their capabilities to achieve a scientific goal or outcome. Items are scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.
- Personal Scientific Epistemology (PSE). This sub-instrument includes eleven items that assesses beliefs about the sources and certainty of scientific knowledge. Items are scored on a five-point Likert scale that ranges from strongly disagree to strongly agree.
Science Interest: This five-item instrument assesses Personal Science Interest (PSI) including interest in spending time on science. Items are scored on a five-point Likert scale ranging from definitely yes to definitely no.