Co-Authored by Deborah Herrington* and Paul Nelson**
*Chemistry professor, Grand Valley State Univesity, Allendale, MI, **Post-doctoral researcher at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
We all want our students to have the tools they need to thrive after high school. But for many, their first experience in an introductory undergraduate science course can be jarring, especially in a large, traditional lecture setting. It can set the stage for an unfortunate chain of events that has predictably played out too many times. At its core, our group believes that the higher education community needs to take ownership of improving these outcomes.
To support the use of 3-dimension learning (3DL) at the K-12 levels and facilitate a smoother student transition to the post-secondary space, we use 3DL as described in the National Research Council’s Framework for K-12 Science Education, to reimagine college science teaching and to support instructors in their efforts to transform their classrooms. Our "base" is Michigan State University, but we are a multi-institution team including members from Grand Valley State University, Florida International University, Kansas State University, Western Washington University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Our new "3DL4US Podcast, hosted by Paul Nelson**, aims to provide an accessible and wide-ranging exploration of the group’s experiences with 3DL in different contexts, from discipline-specific considerations to thoughts about how to support spread and sustainability. We hope it is a substantive and fun listen! Episodes 1, 3, 5, 10, and 12 all feature discussions with chemistry faculty; Episodes 3, 8, 12, and especially 10 are relevant both for K-12 and higher ed. Find it by searching Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or on Buzzsprout.
Stay tuned! A video series illustrating what 3DL looks like in college classrooms will be making its way onto the website soon.
Visit the 3DL4US website (three-dimensional learning for undergraduate science) for more information. Please reach out to anyone in the group with comments, questions, or just to talk!