The Technology-linked Epidemiology Education Network (TEEN) Blended Learning Platform: High School Pilot Testing
Alexis Mattei1, Robin Taylor Wilson, PhD1, Dirk Swart2, Audrey Plassio3, Terri O’Neil4, Alexandra Ruth1 and Dawn Koons5, (1)Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, (2)Ithaca, NY, (3)Camp Hill, PA, (4)Middletown, PA, (5)Hummelstown, PA
Background. The Technology-linked Epidemiology Education Network (TEEN) is a university-high school partnership designed to increase interest and persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Public Health (STEM-PH) via enhanced scientific self-efficacy—particularly among low-income and minority students. TEEN PBL is a new online platform designed to support hypothesis-driven project-based learning (PBL) with blended-learning techniques. Methods. Students in grades 9-12 enrolled in four diverse schools participated in a one-hour lesson on Lyme disease entitled “A Summer Amusement Park Mystery.” Student evaluations were collected via an open-ended online anonymous qualitative instrument. State-reported statistics were used to identify school characteristics. State and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) informed learning objectives. Results. Schools represented a range of learning environments (economically disadvantaged (23.4-59.7%), non-white (15.1-48.7%), special education (<25%) and non-English speaking (<5%)). Students (N=111) provided written informed assent and parental/guardian consent, with 72.1% responding. The major themes for best aspect of the lesson was “knowledge gained” (58.9%), then “investigational opportunity” (12.9%), and “teamwork” (11.7%). Over 3/4ths of students reported the most important thing learned was increased Lyme disease knowledge (76.3%) and confidently identified preventive measures (76.3%). “Positive learning experience” was an unprompted key theme (66.7%). While several NGSS “Crosscutting Concepts” could be mapped, “Disciplinary Core Ideas” did not include human health. Conclusions. Our preliminary results suggest that students from diverse schools enjoyed learning about a major public health issue and can successfully work with their science teacher to complete a blended-learning exercise. Further work to increase public health education standards in science is needed.
*Poster presentation accepted for American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo in October 2020.
Developing Partnerships for Epidemiology Education in the Secondary Setting
Robin Taylor Wilson, PhD, Dirk Swart, Terri O’Neill
Topics addressed: Developing University-High School-Corporate Partnerships for increasing interest and persistence in the sciences
Background: TheTechnology-linked Epidemiology Education Network (TEEN) is a university-high school-corporate partnership designed to increase interest and persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Public Health (STEM-PH) via enhanced scientific self-efficacy—particularly among low-income and minority students. TEEN PBL is a new online platform designed to support hypothesis-driven project-based learning (PBL) with blended-learning techniques. One speaker, representing each partnership sector will highlight the key benefits, facilitators, and challenges to working together. The goal of the session is to increase knowledge of key attributes of synergistic partnerships while also fostering an interactive discussion from which presenters may also learn.
*Abstract accepted to NIH SciEd Roundtable session – event cancelled due to Coronavirus
Next Generation Science Standards: Will crosscutting concepts help promote health in high schools?
Alexandra Ruth, Alexis Mattei, Robin Taylor Wilson
Background: It has been over two decades since the World Health Organization, in collaboration with several governments, launched the Health Promoting Schools (HPS) initiative. In spite of this, improvements in US health literacy have been stagnant. Presently one in four adults is classified as having limited health literacy. Two core components of the HPS initiative relate directly to science education via its promotion of skills-based health education and community engagement. Purpose: 1) conduct a systematic review of published HPS interventions in the high school setting; 2) identify which of these interventions map Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), launched in 2013 and/or the CDC’s Epidemiology and Public Health Science core competencies. Methods: Using PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, EBSCO Host (Academic Search Complete and CINAHL), the Guide to Community Preventive Services, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s What Works for Health databases using a pre-defined Boolean search strategy for the years 2000 to 2020. Preliminary Results: Fewer than 30 publications were identified. The majority of published interventions were conducted outside of the US. NGSS does not contain public health concepts in its disciplinary core ideas, however, crosscutting concepts can be adapted to correlate knowledge from all domains of science, including epidemiology. Preliminary conclusions: NGSS disciplinary core ideas do not expressly address public health education domains. NGSS crosscutting concepts allow school educational flexibility and may set stage for STEM education reform that may help to improve health literacy.
*Abstract accepted to The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Student Poster Session – event canceled due to Coronavirus