Integrating Research & Education:A Conference for CfAO Graduate Students and Postdocs

April 18-22, 2001

Report on Conference Success

Lisa Hunter

Associate Director, Education & Human Resources

June 18, 2001

Overview

• Goals of conference• Conference team• Content• Knowledge transfer• Evaluation• Immediate outcomes• Lessons learned• Essential ingredients

•Engage participants in CfAO: -Build community-Develop voice-Encourage cross-disciplinary interactions

•Foster the integration of research and education: -Communicate research to non-technical

audience-Gain inquiry skills-Build connections with educational research

and current educational practices

 Conference Goals

HAWAII COMMUNITYThe CfAO derives great benefit from the observatories at the summit of Mauna Kea.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTVisiting Keck and Gemini was a rare and valuable experience.

PARTNERSHIPSCfAO has partnerships with the Hawaiian educational community.

CREATING CfAO COMMUNITYBeautiful, fun, and isolated from regular life (advisors, email, etc.).

Why Hawaii?

Conference Team

• Lisa Hunter, Associate Director, EHR, CfAO– Conference Director

• Doris Ash, Assistant Professor of Education, UC Santa Cruz– Co-Leader, Inquiry Training

• Barry Kluger-Bell, Assistant Director of Science, Institute for Inquiry, Exploratorium– Co-Leader, Inquiry Training

• Barbara Goza, Director of Research and Evaluation, Educational Partnership Center, UC Santa Cruz– Conference Evaluator

Tour of Observatories

-“Technology in Hawaiian Culture” Doug Knight, ALU LIKE

-Tour of Gemini (Peter Michaud) and Keck (Jim Beletic)

King Kalakaua

INTERNAL

Oral Presentations:

“Adaptive Optics in vision science”

- Heidi Hofer, University of Rochester

Technical Posters: All Participants

EXTERNAL

Science Community Posters: All Participants

Knowledge Transfer

“Why Improve the Optics of the Human Eye”

“Find Your Own Exoplanet”

“MEMS the Word for Deformable Mirrors”

Science and Education Presentations

“First results from the Galactic Center Gemini Science Demonstration Data Set”

Francios Rigaut, Gemini Observatory

“Where are we failing and why? Implications for physics education research for teaching undergraduates and pre-college students”

Noah Finkelstein, UC San Diego

Bringing Participants into the Center

• Overview of the CfAO Chris Le Maistre, Managing Director, CfAO

• Integrating Research and Education: Changes and Challenges

Morris Aizenman, NSF

• CfAO Education and Human ResourcesLisa Hunter, Associate Director, EHR, CfAO

• What are the supports graduate students and postdocs need to thrive? What can the CfAO do for you?

Discussion facilitated by Hunter

Workshop Leaders:

Inquiry Workshop

Doris Ash, Professor of Science Education, UC Santa Cruz (far right)

Barry Kluger-Bell, Assistant Director for Science Institute for Inquiry Exploratorium (left)

All “Hands-on” teaching is not alike

Leaders modified existing activities to match conference participants and format. Activities taught:

- The structure of inquiry- The process of inquiry- Matching activity to teaching goal

“’Three Kinds of Inquiry’ and the ‘How People Learn’ discussion completely shifted my paradigms.”

Conference Participant

Reconsidering How We Teach

“I think this will have a large influence on the way I see teaching”

Conference Participant

A new opportunity for CfAO graduate students and postdocs:

Interdisciplinary Training “Mini-Grants”

  

The CfAO will pay for you to gain an experience

in a new discipline at a CfAO node other than your own.

Cross-overs between astronomy, vision science,

and education are strongly encouraged!

Mini-Grants announced at conference

“What can the CfAO do for you?”

• More AO technology• One week courses on education• Mini-grants• Bring the content of this conference to advisors• Assure that EHR time is not added on to work load• More problem solving at summer school• How to collaborate without advisors

Responses from the participants:

“Isolation (from email, advisors, etc.) was useful—it seemed to help us focus.”

“The collaborative, non-competitive feel of this conference is wonderful! I would like to continue to approach my research in this confident, friendly way.”

Conference Participants

Importance of isolating this CfAO group

Evaluating Conference Success

• Observation during conference (Goza)– Were participants engaged? Interacting? What were

their immediate perceptions and opinions related to the conference?

• Survey at end of conference (Goza & Hunter)– Were the goals of the conference met?– How do participants plan to use what they learned?– What did participants like best/least?

Evaluating Conference Success

• Observation during future EHR activities (Goza & Shattuck)– Did conference activities influence teaching (e.g.

COSMOS teaching this summer)?

• Follow-up interviews (Goza)– What was the impact of conference activities?– Do participants feel more connected to the CfAO?– What could be done to get higher attendance?

Summary of Post-Conference Survey

• Survey indicated that about 80% (23 participants) had positive reactions:– Found it a good use of their time– Met their personal expectations and conference goals– Would recommend to others

• Most highly valued activities:– Mauna Kea observatories tour– Science Community posters– Specific science education sessions

Immediate outcomes: Impact on CfAO EHR Activities

Conference participants developed new, inquiry based instructional material to pilot for Summer 2001.

“I have more tools to work with now when I am asked to contribute my 5% time. And, I am looking forward to it—it is not a burden.”

Conference Participant

“Not only did I learn a lot, but it was inspirational to find out what people are doing with the telescopes here in Hawaii.”

Ted Brattstrom, High School Science Teacher

Building Partnerships with Local Educators

Science Community Posters

Target audience: high school science teachers and lower division undergraduates

1) CONNECTIONS TO LOCAL EDUCATORS

Lynne Raschke presented several “Science Community” posters and gave a presentation at the Hawaii Science Teachers’ Association Conference, May 7, 2001.

2) PARTICIPANTS DEVELOP A VOICE

Two participants have become “representatives.”

-Report back to CfAO Executive Committee (with Hunter)

-Influencing the 2001 CfAO Summer School (more interactive, more problem solving, include education)

Immediate Outcomes

Other Outcomes

“I felt profoundly empowered and validated by this experience.”

“It was obvious that the CfAO put a great deal of work into educating grads/postdocs. It feels great to be appreciated/respected.”

- Conference Participants

Challenges and Lessons Learned

• Several participants felt that they wanted conference activities to be more relevant to what they do (astronomy, CfAO EHR, etc.).

Recommendations:

Give stronger message about “process.”

Include a participant design session.

Provide opportunities to sign-up for EHR activities

“Topics could have been more tailored to what we, CfAO grads & postdocs, need to use.”

- Conference Participant

Challenges and Lessons Learned

• A few participants came with preconceptions about how they will be involved in CfAO EHR. The topics presented didn’t match:

Recommendations:

Start with preconceptions about CfAO EHR

Emphasize CfAO EHR strategies (in depth, process-oriented)

Provide more information on what works (best practices)

“…the most contact with education I can hope for is a) visits to schools, b) public talks, and c) tutoring. It is not really clear to me how this particular tool (inquiry) will be helpful in these areas.”

Challenges and Lessons Learned

• Many of the participants expressed strong interest in getting more support for their current teaching role as graduate students (as TA’s).

Recommendations:

Explore what is currently offered to support TA’s

Consider developing an activity geared to this need

Next Steps

1) Report back on “What can the CfAO do for you?”

2) Conduct interviews (July/August) to evaluate impact of conference activities on educational activities.

3) Observe participants who are involved in COSMOS.

4) Work with representatives to keep up enthusiasm and interest.

Essential Ingredients

• Location. - Participants felt valued by being sent to Hawaii.- Connection to science and/or education activities.

• Science Community posters.

• Isolation from advisors.

• In depth education session.

• Group discussions and informal time.

• Modeling what is being taught.

• Including local educators and scientists

• Asking for their input: “What can the CfAO do for you?”

Celebrating the success of the conference!

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have the opportunity to meet, work with and become great friends with people in a community I might never have interacted with if not for the CfAO!”

Conference Participant

Building a CfAO Community