permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

The .pdf converted to text:
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Life: The Excitement of Biology
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SENCERizing a Biology General Education (Gen-Ed) Course1
Jorge A. Santiago-Blay2, Suzanne C. Shaffer3 , and Barbara Eshbach
4
“It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing
to do with knowledge, and
everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and
essential, so hidden in  plain sight all around us, all the time, that we
have to keep reminding ourselves over and over:  "This
is water."” (Wallace 2005)
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~drkelly/DFWKenyonAddress2005.pdf,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI
This paper is wholeheartedly dedicated to the thirteen undergraduates who
enriched our lives during
the summer and fall of 2014 by demonstrating how far education can go
when,
in spite of limitations, there are motivation and inspiration!
Abstract: We describe an effort to teach non-science majors’ general
education courses using the  SENCER paradigm, namely, to “strengthen
student learning and interest in the sciences, technology,  engineering,
and mathematics by connecting course topics to issues of critical local,
national, and  global importance.”
Key Words: General Education courses, course redesign, STEM, sciences,
technology, engineering,  and  mathematics,  SENCER,  life-long  learning,
complex  problems,  pragmatism,  STEM  education,  higher  education,
civic  engagement,  cultural  cognition,  curriculum,  education,
communication,  imagination, multidisciplinarity, high-impact educational
practices
Introduction: To Raise Awareness
Several  years  ago,  we  listened  to  a  recording  of  a  2005
commencement  speech  given  by  the  late  David  Foster  Wallace  at
Kenyon  College  (Gambier,  Ohio, USA). The words, quoted above, spoken
towards the end of the speech,  summarize  our  motivation  to  redesign
courses  for  college-level,  non-science  majors: to raise awareness about
important societal issues and to build science  literacy in non-science
majors.  We, and most of our readers, are familiar with  the  challenging
facets  of  a  college-level  education.  Some  of  those  include  student
under-preparedness  for college-level  work and,  more  fundamentally, a
general lack of engagement which we believe partly begins with a
diminished  sense of curiosity and motivation (hooks 1994, Deci 1996).
However, in spite of  those  hurdles,  we  try  to  begin  each  term
with  renewed  hope  and  vigor,  to  accomplish  two  goals:  1)  to
awaken  students’  interest  in  scientific  issues  that

1
Submitted on March 19, 2015.  Accepted on March 31, 2005. Final revisions
received on April 15,  2015.
2
Department  of  Paleobiology,  National  Museum  of  Natural  History,
Washington,  District  of
Columbia 20560 USA. E -mail:  blayj@si.edu
3
Instructional  Designer,  The  Pennsylvania  State  University.  1031
Edgecomb  Avenue,  York,
Pennsylvania, USA 17403. E -mail:  scs15@psu.edu
4
Head Librarian, The Pennsylvania State University. 1031 Edgecomb Avenue,
York, Pennsylvania,
USA 17403. E -mail:  bee11@psu.edu
DOI: 10.9784/LEB3(1)Santiago-Blay.02
Electronically available on April 18, 2015. Mailed on April 18, 2015.

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impact their everyday lives and, ultimately, 2) to prepare an educated
citizenry  with the ability to think ethically and critically.
In  this  paper,  we  describe  our  efforts  to  achieve  these  goals
through  the  redesign  of  general  education  (herein  abbreviated
gen-ed)  courses  in  biology  using  the  SENCER  (Science  Education
for  New  Civic  Engagements  and  Responsibilities)  model.  Herein,  we:
1)  characterize  a  SENCER  course,  2)  provide the local context for our
course redesign, 3) explain the course redesign  process, and 4) describe
the next steps for and concerns about our voyage. Our  ultimate goal is to
more fully engage students in real-world scientific endeavors  and awaken
in them an interest in civic responsibility. We hope that this high-
impact  practice  will  be  expanded  to  include  other  science  gen-ed
courses  and  more faculty members.
1. What makes a course a SENCER Course?
SENCER began in 2001 under the National Science Foundation’s Course,
Curriculum,  and  Laboratory  Improvement  (CCLI)  funding  track.
SENCER’s  mission states: “SENCER courses and programs strengthen student
learning and  interest in the sciences, technology, engineering, and
mathematics by connecting  course  topics  to  issues  of  critical
local,  national,  and  global  importance”  (SENCER.net).
A SENCER Course Embodies the SENCER Ideals
Over  time,  SENCER  practitioners  have  developed  a  set  of
underlying  principles  that  they  use  to  guide  their  practice.
Rather  than  re-write  what  has  already  been  expertly  and  concisely
articulated,  we  place  them  here  in  their  entirety. SENCER approaches
to education:
 Robustly  connect  science  and  civic  engagement  by  teaching
“through”  complex,  contested,  capacious,  current,  and  unresolved
public  issues  “to”  basic science.
 Invite  students  to  put  scientific  knowledge  and  the  scientific
method  to  immediate use on matters of immediate interest to students.
 Help reveal the limits of science by identifying the elements of public
issues  where science does not offer a clear resolution.
 Show the power of science by identifying the dimensions of a public issue
that  can  be  better  understood  with  certain  mathematical  and
scientific  ways  of  knowing.
 Conceive  the  intellectual project  as practical and engaged  from the
start,  as  opposed to science education models that view the mind as a
kind of “storage  shed” where abstract knowledge may be secreted for vague
potential uses.   Seek to extract from the immediate issues the larger,
common lessons about  scientific processes and methods.

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 Locate the responsibilities (the burdens and the pleasures) of discovery
as the  work of the student.
 Focus on contested issues, [and thereby] encourage student engagement
with  “multidisciplinary  trouble”5 and  with  civic  questions  that
require  attention  now. By doing so, SENCER hopes to help students
overcome both unfounded  fears and unquestioning awe of science.
>From these ideals it is clear that the goals of SENCER are to build
students’  awareness of complex problems in society while at the same time
to give them  tools (scientific method and other processes) to think
critically about problems  and  posit  solutions.    In  sum,  students’
awareness  is  increased  through  their  engagement in solving complex
civic issues that require problem solving.
A SENCER Course has the Qualities Expressed in the SENCER Rubric
Given  the  SENCER  Ideals,  how  does  one  bring  them  to  life  within
a  course? The SENCER rubric is a good place to find concrete direction to
start  the  design  process.  Typically,  a  course  design  includes  the
consideration  of  course objectives, activities, and assessments which
encompass a given range of  content. Course design rubrics are often
thought of as a summative assessment  tool - to  be  used  to  evaluate  a
project  at  its  conclusion.  However,  this  rubric  could  also  be
used  in  a  “backwards  design”  approach  at  the  beginning  of  a
redesign project where one considers the outcomes of instruction first, and
then  plans backwards to develop activities that help students to reach
those outcomes  (Wiggins  and  McTighe  2005).  In  this  approach,
instructors  could  begin  by  asking, “What qualities should students
develop and what should they be able to  do at the end of a SENCER course?”
The SENCER rubric helps instructors to  answer this question first,
followed by considerations of activities, assessments,  and  instructional
approaches  that  help  students  to  reach  these  outcomes.  Redesign
becomes very rich and rewarding as instructors consider content goals,
SENCER Ideals, and learning outcomes in a holistic and iterative process
that  incorporates elements in the SENCER rubric.
The SENCER rubric has the following ten main sections:
● Student and faculty collaboration in choosing a course’s main foci to
include
unsolved, complex, and important civic issues.
● Catalog of the civic issues to be addressed by the course “through which”
the
science content will be taught.

5
Interdisciplinarity refers to two or more different disciplines coming
together for a purpose, such as  solving  a  problem.  There  are
different  approaches  to  interdisciplinary  problem-solving.  The
multidisciplinary approach fosters the generation of tentative solutions by
experts within different  fields.  Thereafter,  those  individual
solutions  are  discussed  by  experts  in  different  fields.  The
transdisciplinary approach, in contrast, favors the meeting of the experts
in different fields first.

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●  Content-based  learning  goals  (think of  this  as  the  traditional
content  of  the
science course that is normally taught).
● Instructional strategies that create the place and space to address both
the civic
issues and STEM  content (can include a focus on undergraduate research
and
preparing students for future civic engagement and responsibilities).  ●
Opportunities for putting new knowledge into action.
●  Assessment  of  the  course,  student  learning  outcomes,  and
instructor  for
continual improvement.
● Promotion of interdisciplinary learning.
● Explicit incorporation of 21st century skills.
● Sustainability of the course within the institution’s curriculum.
●  Sharing  the  results  of  the  redesign  with  the  wider  STEM
education
community.
How does one Prepare to Teach a SENCER Course?
SENCER conducts a Summer Institute at which faculty members new to the
process  find  out  about  the  history  of  SENCER,  meet  the  founders
and  practitioners  of  SENCER,  and  spend  five  fruitful  days  at
workshops  and  presentations on many aspects of SENCER from design through
assessment. A  unique aspect of the Summer Institute is the chance to meet
several times with a  SENCER coach – a faculty member already using the
SENCER model who is a  source  of  support  in  the  development  of  each
new  faculty  member’s  project.  Networking opportunities and the regional
support system are also quite strong.   Meetings  with  regional  SENCER
groups  and  leaders  help  participants  stay  connected after the
Institute. Additional professional activities are held through  the year at
different SENCER regions in the USA and sometimes abroad.
Why is SENCER important? Building an Educated Citizenry
We consider it relevant to discuss the importance of a SENCER approach in
the current political, social, and educational climate in the U.S.  The
setting for  our  project  is  the  York  Campus  of  The  Pennsylvania
State  University,  herein  referred to as Penn State York, located in
York, Pennsylvania.  In the context of  U.S. history, York is important
because it was as one of the first capitals of what  was to become the
United States of America. More recently (2005), and in the  context of the
so-called evolution-creation debate, the limelight shone on York  County
in  a case  in  which  the  nature  of  science  education  was debated
(Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Dist 2005, Padian 2009).
This legal case that took place locally, and had huge national
repercussions  serves  as  an  excellent  example  for  the  need  to
educate  college  students  (especially non-science majors) in the practice
of sound scientific thinking as it  applies  to  the  “complex,
contested,  capacious,  current,  and  unresolved  public  issues” that
exist locally and globally. SENCER encourages the development of
scientific thinking at the same time as it encourages active and informed
civic

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engagement. This need is also highlighted in a recent issue of Science,
including  the  statement,  “Biology  teachers  lack  the  skills  and…
to  teach  it  properly”  (Mervis  2015),  illustrating  the  role  that
SENCER  could  play  in  providing  instructors  with  the  tools  they
would  need  to  feel  confident  in  tackling  such  challenging and
timely controversies in science education.
2. SENCER Comes to Penn State York
Penn State York is one of more than twenty Penn State campuses statewide
and is a relatively small, student-centered campus that includes
approximately  1100  non-residential  students;  about  25%  of  them  are
adult  learners.  The  coursework for the  first two  years of  more  than
160 Penn State baccalaureate  majors is offered, as well as eight
baccalaureate degrees, five associate degrees,  and  one  master’s
degree.  Penn  State  York  is  located  in  south-central  Pennsylvania,
approximately  a  two-hour  drive  from  Washington,  District  of
Columbia, the capital of the USA, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city
with  the largest population in the state. The campus rests on 51 acres
that overlook  the historic City of York. The undergraduate degrees at Penn
State include 35- 38%  gen-ed  credits.  Currently,  the  gen-ed
curriculum  follows  a  traditional  model  consisting  of  a  menu  of
courses  across  the  arts,  humanities,  social  sciences,  as  well  as
Science,  Technology,  Engineering,  and  Mathematics  (STEM).  These
STEM  gen-ed  courses  include  astronomy,  chemistry,  information
sciences and technology, meteorology, as well as biology, to name a  few.
There are four gen-ed courses in the biological sciences at Penn State
York:  Structure  and  Function  of  Organisms;  Genetics,  Ecology,  and
Evolution,  Environmental Science, and Human Body: Form and Function.
Gen-ed courses  often  serve  dual  purposes  at  Penn  State:  as
electives  for  students  from  other  disciplines,  or  as
gateway-to-major  courses  for  those  within  the  major.   Inasmuch  as
the  STEM  courses  are  often  critically  important  in  the  modern
world, it is disheartening to know that often non-science majors are
hesitant to  take gen-ed STEM courses because they are anxious about or
disinterested in the  topics  discussed  in  the  courses  This  happens
to  the  detriment  of  the  overall  education  of  non-science  majors
and  can  affect  their  ability  to  contribute  responsibly to society as
well-informed citizens. It is our hope that through this  redesign process,
we can make courses more interesting and relevant to a wider  undergraduate
population on campus.
3. The Redesign
Most of the gen-ed science courses at Penn State York are taught by
adjunct  instructors (author JASB included) and are taught in a traditional
lecture-based  approach.  There  are  several  concerns  with  our  desire
to  change  this  model.  While we understand the benefits of active
learning on students’ motivation and  engagement  with  course  material,
we  are  also  keenly  aware  of  the  well- documented  resistance  that
students  can  give  when  asked  to  assume  more

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responsibility  for  their  own  learning  in  active  models  (Weimer
2002).  We  consider that part of any redesign plan must include early
conversations about  the design and expectations in the course so that
students can make changes if  they are uncomfortable or unwilling to
complete the course as designed. Another  strategy we plan to employ is to
build the model slowly over time, incorporating  only one or two modules in
the first iteration of the redesign so as to address  challenges and
problems on a smaller scale initially.
Choosing a Course and Identifying Issues
We chose  the  campus  environmental  science  gen-ed  course  as  the
target  course  for  redesign  because  of  the  natural  fit  between
the  content  and  civic  issues that could be addressed. Every topic has
obvious connections to problems  and challenges faced locally and globally.
We started by doing an inventory of  the topics to be covered, followed by
brainstorming the many possible relevant  questions/issues that could be
associated with each (Table 1).
Table 1 Sampling of Typical Environmental Science Units and Associated
Issues
Main Topic Relevant Issues/Questions/Problems
● What are the big environmental questions/problems of our  Understanding
our
time?
Environment
● How should we proceed with the class? What should guide
us? What processes and approaches can we use to make
sure we are thinking scientifically and ethically?
● What projects interest you and how would you proceed? Environmental  ●
How are we connected to the environment?
Systems ● How do environmental changes in one area impact another?
● What happens when our world has decreasing biodiversity? Evolution ● How
can we think scientifically about evolution (even if we
don’t believe)?
● Is overpopulation a real phenomenon?
Human
● Why does human population size matter?
Populations
● Should it be controlled? If so, how and by whom?
● What is the history of human migration? What are the
drivers of migration and population growth/change?
● Where does our garbage go in York County? What can be
improved in the current system? How would you go about  The Problem of our
it?
own Waste ● What are the biggest national and global refuse issues and
proposed solutions?
● How would your group tackle these issues?
● What is the water system in York County? Where do we get  Enough to
Drink?
our water and where does our waste water go?
● Who regulates and monitors the quality of our water?

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Food and  Agriculture
● How does our water system connect with other regional
systems and what are the issues?
● Nationally and internationally, what are the major water
issues and how does our local water use connect to these
larger issues?
● What are the local, national, and global hunger hotspots?
Why?
● Who goes hungry and why?
● Who addresses hunger locally, nationally, globally? Is it
effective?
● What changes would you make to improve things?
Climate Change
● What changes would you make to improve things? ● Global climate change:
Fact or fiction? ● What are the impacts of climate change? ● What is the
current scientific research? ● What is being done to address it?
● What still needs to be done?
Developing a Module
Next, we started to think about possible modules for a few of the
identified  issues which would include the scientific content to be
covered, an associated  civic issue/problem to be  solved, activities to
be  completed to solve  the issue  and  learn  the  content,  avenues  for
sharing  the  results,  and  assessment.  Going  back  and  forth  between
our  ideas  and  the  rubric  elements  as  well  as  the  SENCER  Ideals,
helped  us  to  stay  on  track.  For  example,  we  needed  to
concretely  think  about  including  21st century  skills  and
interdisciplinary  components  in the  design, which  we  had  not
thought  about  originally.  This  iterative process helped not only to
refine our design, but also to solidify for us,  a deeper understanding of
the SENCER Ideals. Table 2 provides an example of a  sample module
including these elements.
Table 2. Sample Module with Incorporation of Rubric Elements.
Topic: Our Food Supply
SENCER Rubric
Elements
Course Module Element
Learning Goals: By the end of the unit, students will be able to:
1.Content  1. Content Goals
 Describe  the  many  aspects  of  global  hunger  and  the
associated health risks
 Describe the major food crops around the world
 Describe  the  environmental  costs  associated  with
farming
2. 21st Century Skills
2. 21st Century Skills
 Demonstrate  ethical  decision  making  practices
incorporated in the problem-solving process

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Associated Civic  Questions, Problems,  or Issues
Activities: By Group  Doing the Project
Activities: By Students  in the Audience
Transforming New  Knowledge to Action
 Demonstrate  evidence  of  sound  critical  and  scientific
thinking
● What are the local, national, and global hunger hotspots?  Why? Or, who
goes hungry and why?
● Who addresses hunger locally, nationally, globally? Is it  effective?
● What changes would you make to improve things? ● How does farming in York
County impact the environment  of the Chesapeake Bay?
● After meeting  with the instructor, students will choose to  investigate
some  of  the  associated  questions  (or  ones  of  their own choosing) as
described above.
● During the Food Supply Unit, the group will present their  problem and
proposed solutions for improvement/ change. ● Each presentation also needs
to contain a discussion of the  scientific and ethical considerations that
should be taken  into account when proposing solutions (Paul and Elder
2008; Markkula Center, Santa Clara University 2014). ● Students write a
summary article to be posted in the class  newsletter on their topic.
During student presentations, students in the audience bring  examples or
questions related to the topic to add to the  discussion and are encouraged
to challenge the group in  terms of the quality of their scientific and
ethical approaches  to the analysis. They hand in their contributions on an
index  card at the end of class.
The class discussion ends with a brainstorming session  called, “What more
can we do about this issue?”
Bonus points can be earned by groups who take up the  challenge to action.
Assessment: 1. Project
1. Project Assessment: Rubric to assess project components
2. Audience
2.  Audience  Assessment:  Student  earn  points  for  each  substantive
addition to the discussion
3. Whole Class
3. Whole Class: Weekly online quiz, exams, project, outside  events
4. Course
Interdisciplinary  Element
Sharing
4. Course Assessment: SENCER-SALG, Student evaluations,  end-of-course
satisfaction  survey,  pre-/post-test  of  course  content.
●  Nutrition  instructor  invited  to  do  a  guest  lecture  on  the
impact of hunger on human health and wellness. ●  Library-sponsored
events  that  incorporate  speakers  from
multiple disciplines discussing the topics.
Results of group projects are shared online via class  newsletter.

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      A typical module would begin with an introductory lecture/overview by
the  instructor.  Guest  speakers  would  also  be  integrated  to  ensure
that multi- disciplinary  aspects  were  incorporated.  For  example,  the
nutrition  instructor  could be invited to speak during the unit on food
supply to talk to students about  the  impacts  of  hunger  on  human
wellness.  Local  farmers  who  minimize  the  impact  of  agricultural
runoff  into  the  Susquehanna/Chesapeake  could  also  be  invited  to
talk  about  the  environmental  concerns  of  farm  waste  in  the  local
watershed. This introduction to each topic would be followed by a
presentation  by  one  student  group  working  on  the  associated
problem.  They  would  be  charged  with  exploring  the  issue  at  a
local,  national,  and  global  level.  They  would describe the issue and
then their proposed solutions. They would need to  also point out the
elements of scientific and ethical  thinking that they used to  analyze and
address the problem. A final report, written by the group, would be
summarized and posted to an online class newsletter which would then
include  all  groups’  summaries  by  the  end  of  the  semester.
Students  watching  the  presentations would be charged with bringing
examples or questions related to  the  topic  to  add  to  the  discussion
and  would  be  encouraged  to  challenge  the  group  in  terms  of  the
quality  of  their  scientific  and  ethical  approaches  to  the
analysis. Students in the audience would earn points for the contributions
to the  discussion.  All  students  would  complete  a  weekly  online
quiz  on  the  general  topic. Exams would take place five times during the
semester and would cover  lectures, group presentations, and other relevant
material.
Integrating Content Objectives with 21st Century Skills
When  we  began  to  think  about  the  course  as  a  series  of
problems  to  be  solved  rather  than  simply  content  to  be  learned,
we  decided  to  give  students  problem-solving  strategies  and
critical  thinking  approaches  that  could  also  address 21st century
skill development as prescribed by the SENCER rubric. We  decided on two
different support tools, Paul and Elder’s Scientific Thinking from  their
Critical  Thinking  Series (2008)  and  The  Markkula  Center  for
Applied  Ethics  at  Santa  Clara  University’s  ethical  decision-making
tool  (Santa  Clara  University 2014). As students attempt to solve the
environmental problems, they  must  integrate  both  solid  scientific
thinking  and  ethical  principles  using  these  tools.  The American
Association for Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) also  provides  a  free
tool  called  VALUE  Rubrics  which  can  shed  light  on  the  components
of  ethical  and  critical  thinking  as  well  as  civic  engagement, and
could be very useful to faculty in further assessing student learning and
growth.
Incorporating Interdisciplinary Components and the Library
One of the important aspects of SENCER is to help students understand the
complexity  inherent  in  solving  contemporary  issues.  Very  few
problems  (and  their  solutions)  are  straightforward.  They  often
require  knowledge  of  subjects  that extend beyond the content being
studied. Interdisciplinary approaches, then,

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make  sense  in  terms  of  broadening  student  perspectives.  To  build
this  aspect  into the course, we decided early on that it is vital to
partner with our campus  librarians  to  develop  meaningful
co-curricular  programming  that  could  encourage  students  to  think
beyond  the  course  content.  The  timing  for  this  collaboration was
perfect, as our campus library is currently piloting a first-year
experience (FYE) program in hopes of increasing student engagement in our
our  commuter  campus  community,  improving  first-year  student
success,  and  creating an awareness of the value of academic libraries
(Oakleaf 2010). While  programming  is  an  integral  part  of  what
public  libraries  contribute  to  their  communities,  programming in  an
academic  library  usually  takes  the  form  of  course-related library
instruction sessions and a  few research  workshops. This  FYE model
expands the library’s role beyond course-based academic support by
providing  additional  programming  that  gives  students  opportunities
to  engage  socially and intellectually with faculty, staff, and other
students through topics  of  interest.  The  events  are  designed  to  be
interdisciplinary,  encouraging  attendees to engage in conversations from
multiple perspectives on a variety of  topics. One of the aspects of the
library FYE is civic and social literacy, which  fits  into  the  SENCER
approach  of  a  “focus  on  contested  issues…with  civic  questions that
require attention now”.
Academic libraries, by their very nature, are highly interdisciplinary, so
we  saw this FYE program as an excellent venue to collaborate on
programming to  support  the  attainment  of  the  SENCER  Ideals.  We
envision  working  with  the  librarians  to  create  monthly  events
open  to  the  campus  and  community  to  be  held  in the  library.
These  events  would  highlight  relevant  course  topics  and
incorporate  multi-disciplinary perspectives.  Another idea  would be  to
create a  common  conversation  in  the  community  in  much  the  same
way  that  a  community-wide  reading  program  (such  as  the  “One
Book”  program)  is  designed  to  do.  This  collaborative  research
approach,  known  as  community- based  participatory  research  (CBPR)
is  already  being  utilized in  the  area  of  public health, often with
the support of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This approach could
encourage a wider sharing of student projects and solutions  with the
community-at-large.  We  strongly  believe  that  partnering  with  the
library  to  facilitate  interdisciplinary  programming  and  student
engagement  beyond the classroom would become an integral part of the
course redesign.
Encouraging Student Input
An  important  part  of  the  redesign  calls  for  student  input  into
the  design  process. The plan in the first iteration is to develop several
module “projects” so  that  students  can  choose  topics  of  individual
interest,  to  be  completed  as  a  project portion of the grade. Student
teams would present their work during that  portion of the course with the
associated content. To help students prepare for  their presentation, 15
minutes each week would be given for groups to connect  and  plan  for
their  tasks.  The  instructor  would  meet  with  each  group  twice:

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initially to get their plans formulated and again the week before
presentation to  make sure the projects were rigorous enough and on track.
      Conversations  about  SENCER  Ideals  and  goals  would  be  central
to  the  course delivery so that students understand the underlying reason
for the course  design and the process in which they will participate. The
challenge will be to  design  activities  that are  truly  possible  to
complete  by  students  independently  and which are rigorous, as well as
interesting.
Undergraduate Research and Honors Option (Figures 1-3)
Coincidentally,  at  the  same  time  that  we  attended  the  SENCER
Summer  Institute, JASB and undergraduates had already begun research on a
local, small  creek,  called  Poor  House  Run  (PHR,  an  abbreviation
used  on  some  manhole  covers  in  the  City  of  York,  Pennsylvania).
By  the  time  we  had  finished  the  summer  SENCER  workshop,  it  had
become  obvious  that  PHR  could  be  a  powerful vehicle to carefully
tackle important issues in environmental sciences,  such  as  the
importance  of  environmental  sciences,  water  chemistry  and  pollution,
biodiversity, waste, conservation, restoration, human health, etc.
Figure 1. Nichole Wrobel getting ready to work on a Ceratopteris fern
(C-fern) research  project during the summer 2014. All students on Figures
1-3 kindly gave permission to  use their images. All images on Figures 1-3
lightly touched by E. Leavell (The ITSupport  Center).

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BB
AA
CC
DD
EE Figure 2. Undergraduate research students hard at work collecting,
sorting, and learning  with joy during the fall 2014 semester at Penn State
York. A. Daved Fouad and Abigail  Doniecki sampling with the Surber
sampler. B. Brandon Merkert. C. Rajeev Joshi (left)  and  Aruba  Tariq
(right).  D.  Merna  Mikail  collecting  aerial  insects.  E. Sorting
insects.  Distal  bench  (left  to  right),  A.  Donieki,  D.  Fouad;
middle  bench,  M.  Mekail,  Taylor  Mandara, and R. Joshi; proximal bench,
Goral Patel and A. Tariq. The organisms sorted  by  these  and  other
dedicated  students  are  being  prepared  by  author  JASB  for  further
scientific study. Photo on panel “E” taken by S. Brown, reproduced with
permission.

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AA
BB
CC
DD
EE
Figure  3.  Undergraduate  students  performing  microbiological  analyses
of  the  water  in  Poor House Run, York, Pennsylvania as part of
Microbiology Laboratory (Microbiology  202) course during the fall 2014
semester. In addition to a plethora of “canned” exercises,  every
opportunity was used conduct original research. A. Abigail Snyder (left)
and Laura  Ohl (right). B.  Chelsey  Bryant.  C.  Taylor  Mandara  (left)
and Daved  Fouad (right). D.  Aruba  Tariq.  E.  Abigail  Doniecki,
Kaleigh  Lukacs,  Erica  Little,  and  A.  Snyder. All  images, except B,
taken by B. Dennis. All images reproduced with permission from the
students and Ms. Dennis.

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We have received excellent feedback from students involved in that project
on how appropriate the activities would be for implementation in a revised
gen- ed  course  as  an  honors  option  or  for  undergraduate  research.
One  of  the  challenges of incorporating a problem-based approach in a
gen-ed course is the  large enrollment in these courses and lack of
teaching support for “laboratories”  of non-science major courses. Faculty
members at Penn State York do not have  graduate  assistants  or  staff
to  support  large  numbers  of  students  in  field  situations, but a
small honors cohort within the class might be possible.
Assessment
Assessment of student learning outcomes as well as overall course design
will be completed on several levels. Students will be assessed (graded) for
their  performance on:
 the group project
 exams
 online quizzes
 participation during class
 participation in outside events (library or community)
Student learning outcomes and course satisfaction will be further assessed
(non-graded) using the following:
 a course content pre-/post test
 the SENCER-SALG pre-/post-test
 student course evaluations
 post-course satisfaction survey
 VALUE Rubric
The  SENCER-SALG  is  another  SENCER-derived  tool  that  is  freely
available for use online. It “allows students to rate how well specific
activities in  courses  have  helped  their  learning  and  also  asks
students  to  report  on  their  science skills and interests, as well as
the civic activities in which they engage”.  Table 3 shows the broad
categories of questions asked in both the pre- and post- semester
assessments.

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Table 3 Broad Question Categories on SENCER-SALG.
SENCER SALG Pre-semester  SENCER SALG Post-semester  Assessment Assessment
● Confidence in science literacy skills ● What gains have you made in
understanding the course content ● Confidence in general science course  ●
Do you see an increase in other
skills academic skills like textbook reading,
for example?
● Interest in science literacy ●  How did the class impact your attitudes
about science and the content? ●Interest in “advanced” science activities ●
To what extent were you able to
integrate your learning into everyday
life and other courses?
● Levels of student civic engagement  ● To what extent did the following
help
your learning:
 Overall approach to the course
 In-class activities
 Graded Assignments
 Class  resources  (textbooks,
worksheets, etc.)
 General  information  provided  about
the course
 Extra learning support opportunities ● What type of scientific
preparation do you
already have, i.e. number of AP courses  ● How much time did you devote to
your
taken? studies for this course?
Each  SENCER-SALG  assessment  has  required  elements  to  maintain  the
reliability  and  validity  of  the  instruments  as  determined  through
research  by  Weston  et  al  (2006).  Additional  questions  can  be
added  by  instructors  to  suit  their  needs.  According  to  Weston  et
al.  (2006),  the  strongest  aspect  of  the  validity  of  the
SENCER-SALG  had  to  do  with  its  utility  in  making  course  redesign
decisions. It is in this light that we intended its use.
Data Collection
An  Institutional  Review  Board  (IRB)  proposal  was  submitted  by
author  SCS (IRB  #  863) and  approved  during  the  summer  2014, to
begin  collecting  data  to  assess  the  effectiveness  of  the  SENCER
redesign.  In  the  fall  2014  semester,  during  a  traditional  lecture
format  offering  of  the  environmental  science course, students took a
course content pre-/post-test, completed student  course  evaluations,
and  completed  pre-/post-semester  SENCER-SALG  assessments. We plan to
use this benchmark data to make comparisons between  students  in  the
traditional  course  model  (fall  2014)  and  those  taking  the
redesigned SENCER course in the future. The data is interesting as it gives
some

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indications of where a course redesign could have a positive impact on
learning  outcomes.
Results and Discussion
Pre-semester SENCER-SALG data (n = 37) in Figure 4 show students’ self-
perceptions of their aptitude, interest, and attitudes towards science as
well as  the level of integration of scientific thought into their everyday
lives. Clearly,  there  is  plenty  of  room  for  improvement  in  all
areas,  including  general  understanding of scientific topics, skills in
scientific approaches to thinking and  learning, current attitudes towards
learning science, and integrating science into  everyday life.
Figure 4. Student self-reported levels of scientific aptitude, interest,
and attitudes using  SENCER-SALG (Traditional Course, Pre-semester). N/A
means not applicable.
Post-semester data from students (n = 28) in a traditional lecture course
who  took  SENCER-SALG  provide  a  benchmark  against  which  to  measure
future  improvement  with  a  new  design  using  the  SENCER  model.
Figures  5  and  6 show response averages by question category
post-semester.
SENCER-SALG data pre- and post-semester confirmed our hypotheses that
there are some gaps in student learning outcomes that occur when a
traditional  mostly-lecture model is used. For example, changing attitudes
towards science  and integration of scientific thinking into everyday life
are two important areas  that could be improved upon (Figure 5). Using the
SENCER model to redesign a  gen-ed  science  course,  we  hypothesize,
could  provide  opportunities  to  make

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gains in those  areas of scientific and civic literacy among non-science
majors  that currently do not seem to be addressed by traditional models of
teaching and  learning.
Figure 5.  Student  self-reported  gains using  SENCER-SALG  (Traditional
Course,  Post- semester). N/A means not applicable.
Figure  6.  Student  Rating  of  Course  Element  Helpfulness  Using
SENCER-SALG  (Traditional Course, Post-semester). N/A means not applicable.

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4. Next Steps and Concerns
Our plan is to incorporate the SENCER redesign slowly, by giving students
the  option  to  complete  a  module,  as  described  herein, in  lieu  of
one  course  exam.  We  plan  to  use  this  as  a  pilot  to  give  us
the  opportunity  to  address  challenges in the design, in the hopes of
moving to a wider integration in future  semesters.
The  authors  are  mindful  of  the  pitfalls  of  trying  to  do  too
much  in  any  course that has limited resources, including time, the
challenges of developing  inter-departmental cooperation, and
administration buy-in and support. Perhaps,  selecting  three  possible
issues  (described  below)  that  the  students  could  investigate that
are tied to the area around York, Pennsylvania would be a good  place to
begin.
● The impact of farming and agriculture in York on the Susquehanna River
and  the  Chesapeake  Bay  basins.    Pollution  that  comes  downstream
from  Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland harms the Chesapeake Bay,
causing  great damage to marine life and fishing-based livelihoods.
● The impact of dams on the Susquehanna River and on Chesapeake Bay.
●  The  impact  of  nuclear  reactors  on  the  environment  (c.f.  Three
Mile  Island,  located  in  the  Susquehanna  River,  south  of
Harrisburg,  capital  of  Pennsylvania).
The faculty  members(s)  teaching  the  course  and  librarian(s)  could
begin  early to provide research materials on these issues (or other
issues) earlier in the  term. Students could focus early in the course and
not invest time trying to find  topics  and  supporting  material.  The
professor  and/or  students  could  do  short  presentations on the
pros/cons of each of the topics and then the students could  choose which
one(s) they would like to do.  This allows greater control over the
effort  made  by  all  parties  and reduces  the likelihood  that  the
students  would  become discouraged by not finding research material
expeditiously. This could  be important for the less
academically-experienced or able students.
Also, depending on the current and future teaching interests, will there
be  faculty  members  available  to  teach  this  using  this  approach
after  the  current  faculty move on? Sustainability of efforts within the
curriculum and institution  is in the SENCER rubric as an important
criterion for evaluation.
In spite of our concerns, we see a need to increase students’s interest in
the  sciences as well as their ability to think critically, scientifically,
and ethically.   We  consider  that  the  SENCER  model  of  redesigning
gen-ed  science  courses,  offer us the opportunity to do this - thereby
helping students to become more  knowledgeable, engaged, and, above all,
aware citizens.

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Acknowledgements
Two anonymous reviewers offered extremely valuable and constructive
suggestions for which  we are profoundly grateful. Our SENCER coach, Dr.
Garon Smith (Department of Chemistry and  Biochemistry,  University  of
Montana,  Missoula,  Montana,  USA)  provided  us  with  a  plethora  of
resources, sound advice, and inspiration. Heather Drought read the next to
last version of the paper  and offered numerous corrections. Tracy Barbaro
(Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts,  USA), Georgina Cullman
(Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural
History, New York, NY, USA), John Bull (Weber State University, Ogden,
Utah, USA), William J.  Kleindl  (Flathead  Biological  Research  Station,
University  of  Montana  and  Naiad  Aquatic  Consultants, LLC, Bozeman,
Montana, USA), Bruce Alan Noll (College of Education, University of  New
Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA), Raquel Pereira (Barcelos, Portugal),
Marc Srour  (Enalia  Physis  Environmental  Research  Center,  Cyprus),
Jessica  B.  Turner  (West  Virginia  University,  Morgantown,  West
Virginia,  USA),  and  Paul  Weihe  (Central  College,  Pella,  Iowa,
USA), made  us  aware  of  many  valuable  teaching  resources  that
supplemented  the  ones  we  were  aware of, and are listed in the
Appendix.
Literature Cited
Deci, E. L. and R. Flaste. 1996. Why We Do What We Do: Understanding
Self-Motivation. Penguin
Books. New, York, NY, USA. 230 pp.
hooks, b. 1994. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of
Freedom.  Routledge. New
York, NY, USA. 216 pp. Author hooks, prefers to use lowercase for her pen
name; her given
name is Gloria Jean Watkins, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks
Kitzmiller  v.  Dover  Area  School  Dist.  (Tammy  Kitzmille,  et  al.
Plaintiffs  v.  Dover  Area  School
District  et  al.,  Defendants).  No.  04cv2688.2005.  United  States
District  Court,  M.D.
Pennsylvania. Dec. 20, 2005. 400 F.Supp.2d 707 (M.D.Pa. 2005)
https://www.bu.edu/lawlibrary/PDFs/research/portals/probonofiles/kitzmiller.pdf
Markkula  Center  for  Applied  Ethics.  Santa  Clara  University.
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/
Mervis,  J.  2015.  Why  many  U.S.  biology  teachers  are
‘wishy-washy’.  Science  (American
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  Washington,  District
of  Columbia,  USA).
347(6226):1054.
Oakleaf,  M. 2010. Value of  Academic  Libraries:  A  Comprehensive
Research  Review and Report.
Association  of  College  and  Research  Libraries.  Chicago.  Published
online  at
www.acrl.ala.org/value
Padian, K. 2009. The evolution of creationists in the United States: Where
are they now, and where
are  they  going?  Comptes  Rendus  (Paris)  Biologie 332:100-109.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2008.07.004
Paul, R. and L. Elder. 2008. The Miniature Guide for Students and Faculty
to Scientific Thinking.
The Foundation for Critical Thinking.
http://www.criticalthinking.org/store/products/scientific-
thinking-for-students-and-faculty/170
Wallace, D, F. 2005. Transcription of the 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address
- May 21, 2005.
Written  and  Delivered  by  David  Foster  Wallace.
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~drkelly/DFWKenyonAddress2005.pdf. An audio
version with some
transcription in English is available in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI Weimer, M. 2002.
Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. Jossey-Bass. San
Francisco, California, USA. 258 pp.
Weston,  T.,  E.  Seymour,  and  H.  Thiry.  2006.  Evaluation  of
Science  Education  for  New Civic
Engagements  and  Responsibilities  (SENCER) Project.  Prepared  for  The
National  Center  for
Science  and  Civic  Engagement.  December  1,  2006.
http://www.sencer.net/assessment/pdfs/final_report_sencer_12_21_06.pdf
Wiggins, G. and J. McTighe. 2005. Understanding by Design. Expanded second
edition. Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). Alexandria, Virginia,
USA. 370 pp.

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Appendix
Some internet-based resources in biology, subdivided by category. Several
links are
listed more than once as we believe they are well-suited for each of the
listed
categories.
Some 20 years ago, one of the best teachers author JASB has ever met, Dr.
Donald  Cronkite  (Hope  College,  Holland,  Michigan,  USA), asked
author  JASB  to  give  a  presentation on internet resources for human
anatomy and physiology. At that time, there  were  thousands  of  hits  on
those  key  words.  Today,  there  are  millions.  Obviously,  the
compilation  of  web  resources  in  different  areas  of  biology  that
follows  is  not  comprehensive. Instead, it is the result of our own
teaching practice as well as that of our  colleagues,  listed  in  the
Acknowledgments.  They  have generously  contributed  selected  resources
that have worked for them as individuals.
We decided to begin this list with Ethical Thinking because goodness is
important.  Most  links  pertain  to  more  than  one  area  of  science,
hence  they  are  listed  under “Interdisciplinary”, following Ethical
Thinking. Some of the listed resources are not free  and  some  others
may  require  additional  time  to  generate  a  login, a  password,  etc.
All  links were verified on April 15-16, 2015.
Ethical Thinking
Making  an  Ethical  Decision.  Markkula  Center  for  Applied  Ethics.
Santa  Clara
University. http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/making.pdf .
Santa  Clara
university  has  some  great  resources!  Read  about  their  approach  at
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/#sthash.z6ZSz5HU.dpbs ,
including
an app!
Interdisciplinary
Bad Science. http://www.badscience.net/
BioScience  Ed  Net  (BEN).  Digital  Library  Portal  for  Teaching  and
Learning  in  the
Biological Sciences. http://www.biosciednet.org/portal/
Bill Nye. The Science Guy. http://billnye.com/
ChemSpider  Blog.  Building  Community  for  Chemists.
http://www.chemspider.com/blog/a-well-done-scientific-hoax-called-water-
marbles.html
Citizen Science. Scientific American
http://www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science/
Creature ⦁ Cast. The Unexpected World of Biology. http://creaturecast.org/
Discovery. http://www.discovery.com/
How stuff works. http://www.howstuffworks.com/

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Howtosmile.org. All the Best Science & Math Activities.
http://howtosmile.org/
I Can Has Science? http://icanhasscience.com/
IFL Science. http://www.iflscience.com/
Improbable Research. http://www.improbable.com/
Jefferson Lab. Science Education. http://education.jlab.org/index.html
KQED Science. http://blogs.kqed.org/science/
Linda Dong. Interaction & Industrial Designer. http://www.lindadong.com/
LiveScience. http://www.livescience.com/
Liu, D. W. 2013. Physics and Biology collaborate to color the world. CBE
Life Sciences
Educcation 12(2):133-138.  doi:  10.1187/cbe.13-03-0056  or
http://www.lifescied.org/content/12/2/133
Make: http://makezine.com/
Makedo. Start Making Your Own Creations. http://www.mymakedo.com/shop
MathBench Biology Modules. University of Maryland. http://mathbench.umd.edu/
Moment  of  Science.  Indiana  Public  Media.
http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/
Montana Science Teachers Association.
http://www.ivymerriot.com/montanascience/
Montana State University. Extended University.
http://eu.montana.edu/SciSat/default.htm
National  Aeronautics  and  Space  Administration  (NASA).
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html#.VGDrq_nF98E and
http://www.nasa.gov/
New Scientist. http://www.newscientist.com/
Otherlab. https://otherlab.com/
Nature.com. http://www.nature.com/
Neil deGrasse Tyson. http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/
Popular Science. http://www.popsci.com/

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Pure  Grass  ≈ A  dramatic  interpretation of  Walt  Whitman’s Leaves of
Grass  by  Bruce
Noll. http://www.unm.edu/~banoll/about.htm
RedOrbit Your Universe Online. http://www.redorbit.com/
Science.  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science
(AAAS).
http://www.sciencemag.org/
ScienceDaily. Your sorce for the latest research news.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Science Friday. http://www.sciencefriday.com/home/index.html
Scientific American. http://www.scientificamerican.com/
Shodor.  A  National  Resource  for  Computational  Science  Education.
http://www.shodor.org/home/
Smater Every Day. https://www.youtube.com/user/destinws2
Smithsonian.com. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/?no-ist
Southern Fried Science. http://www.southernfriedscience.com/
Space.com. http://www.space.com/
STEM to STEAM. http://stemtosteam.org/
Steve Spangler Science. http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/
Student  Science.  A  Resource  of  the  Society  for  Science  and  the
Public.
https://student.societyforscience.org/
Teaching Biology. http://bioteaching.com/
TERC. https://www.terc.edu/display/HOME/Home
The American Entomologists Poet's Guide to the Orders of Insect. eBook
(Kindle)
The Cultural Cognition Project. Yale Law School.
http://www.culturalcognition.net/
The Naked Scientists. http://www.thenakedscientists.com/
The World’s Greatests D.I.Y. Comic Website.
http://www.howtoons.com/?page_id=2
TreeHugger 10 Years of Looking Forward. http://www.treehugger.com/
Welcome to Science Forward.
http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/scienceforward/

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WIRED. http://www.wired.com/
Cellular Biology, Genetics, Development
Drosophila Sciencecourseware.org.
http://www.sciencecourseware.org/vcise/drosophila/
Ghost in Your Gene. NOVA. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genes/ Author JASB
tells all
his  students  that  after  watching  this  video  – note,  several
versions  are  freely
available on the web – “you will not see genetics the same way ever again.”
Learn.Genetics. Genetic Science Learning Center.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/
Scitable.  Nature  Publishing  Group.
http://blogs.nature.com/
http://www.nature.com/scitable
;
Value  @  ARMITA.  NME  ICT  initiative  of  MHRD.
http://amrita.vlab.co.in/index.php?sub=3&brch=273&sim=1437&cnt=1
Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Evolution, and Biodiversity
Charles  Darwin  &  Evolution  1809-2009.
http://darwin200.christs.cam.ac.uk/pages/index.php?page_id=g8
Encyclopedia of Life (EOL). http://eol.org/info/ed_resources
Free Woodworking Plans. http://free.woodworking-plans.org/
Global Warming & Climate Change Myths. Getting Skeptical About Global
Warming Skepticism.
Skeptical  Science.  https://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php This
is  an  invaluable
resource!
Harvest of Fear. A NOVA/Frontline Special Report.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/
Human  Origins  Project.  National  Geographic.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/projects/human-origins/
Intelligent Design on Trial. NOVA.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/intelligent-
design-trial.html . See also this link from the National Center for Science
Education,
http://ncse.com/creationism/legal/intelligent-design-trial-kitzmiller-v-dover
, and
this  other  link
http://ncse.com/files/pub/legal/kitzmiller/highlights/2005-12-
20_Kitzmiller_decision.pdf
Montana  Outdoor  Science  School.  Fostering  a  Love  of  the
http://www.outdoorscience.org/
Outdoor.
National Center for Science Education. Defending the Teaching of Evolution
and Clmate
Science. http://ncse.com/
National Science Teachers Association. http://www.nsta.org/

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Network  of  Conservation  Educators  and  Practitioners  (NCEP).
American  Museum  of
natural History. http://ncep.amnh.org
Perkins, A. E. H. 2014. The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution.
Second Edition
by  Carl  Zimmer.  Study  Guide.  Roberts  and  Company  Publishers.
Greenwood
Village, Colorado, USA. 290 pp. This excellent book is loaded with
activities fot its
book companion, Zimmer (2015 listed below).
The  Evolution  of  Man.  BBC.  Unfortunately,  this  valuable  resource
is  no  longer  being
updated. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/human/human_evolution/
Union  of  Concerned  Scientists.  Science  for  a  Healthy  Planet  and
a  Safer  World.
http://www.ucsusa.org/
What does it mean to be human? Smithsonian Instiutution, National Museum of
natural
History. http://humanorigins.si.edu/
Zimmer,  C.  2015.  The  Tangled  Bank:  An  Introduction  to  Evolution.
Second  Edition.
Roberts and Company Publishers. Greenwood Village, Colorado, USA. 452 pp.
http://ncse.com/files/pub/legal/kitzmiller/highlights/2005-12-20_Kitzmiller_decision.pdf
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/making.pdf    which we will
consider using
as part of the course redesign (Santa Clara University, 2014).
Educational Technology
American Association of School Librarians (AASL). A Division of the
American Library
Association.  Transforming  Learning.  http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-
guidelines/best-websites/2014
Suzanne Shaffer Teaching and Learning Resources.
http://sites.psu.edu/shafferpsy/
Texas Instruments. http://education.ti.com/en/us/home

========24========



On Sat, Oct 10, 2015 at 9:19 PM, Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
wrote:

>
> leb-31santiago-blay-et-al-pp-33-56-sencerizing.pdf
>
> https://blaypublishers.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/leb-31santiago-blay-et-al-pp-33-56-sencerizing.pdf
>
> Life: The Excitement of Biology
> SENCERizing a Biology General Education (Gen-Ed) Course
>
> Jorge A. Santiago-Blay
> Suzanne C. Shaffer
> Barbara Eshbach
>
> “It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing
> to do with knowledge, and
> everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and
> essential, so hidden in
> plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to ke
> ep reminding ourselves over and over: "This is water."” (Wallace 2005)
> http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~drkelly/DFWKenyonAddress2005.pdf
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI
> This paper is wholeheartedly dedicated to the
> thirteen undergraduates who enriched our lives during the summer and fall
> of 2014
> by demonstrating how far education can go when, in spite of limitations,
> there are motivation and inspiration!
> Abstract:
> We describe an effort to teach non-science majors’ general education
> courses using the
> SENCER paradigm, namely, to “strengthen student learning and interest in
> the sciences, technology, engineering,
> and mathematics by connecting course topics to issues of critical local,
> national, and global importance.”
> Key Words:
> General Education courses, course redesign, STEM,
> sciences, technology, engineering,
> and mathematics, SENCER, life-long learning, complex problems, pragmatism,
> STEM education,
> higher education, civic engagement, cultural cognition, curriculum,
> education, communication,
> imagination, multidisciplinarity, high-impact educational practices
>
> <>
> Jorge A. Santiago-Blay blayjorge@gmail.comTo: Sanet-MG list
>
> Dear Richard and SANETters:
>
> Richard, will pass your kind message to the coauthors as, without their
> hard work, the paper would not have been possible.
>
> SANETters, please, feel free to distribute the link to the paper as you may
> wish.
>
> With gratefulness,
>
> Jorge
>
> On Sat, Oct 10, 2015 at 9:46 AM, Richard Molini <richmo@frontier.com>
> wrote:
>
>   Folks,
>
> It appears a version of the SENCER curriculum should be required for all
> business majors and all junior execs for every incorporated entity. It may
> not be extremely productive but at least they will be somewhat  aware of
> the potential consequences of their actions and decisions, will not be able
> to plead ignorance, and most importantly expose them to the apparently
> foreign idea of ethical consciousness.  Kudos Jorge
>
>
> https://blaypublishers.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/leb-31santiago-blay-et-al-pp-33-56-sencerizing.pdf
>
> Rich Molini
> Atlanta, Indiana
>
> --
> Jorge A. Santiago-Blay, PhD
> blaypublishers.com
>
> 1. Positive experiences for authors of papers published in *LEB*
> http://blaypublishers.com/testimonials/
>
> 2. Free examples of papers published in *LEB*:
> http://blaypublishers.com/category/previous-issues/.
>
> 3. *Guidelines for Authors* and page charges of *LEB*:
> http://blaypublishers.com/archives/ *.*
>
> 4. Want to subscribe to *LEB*? http://blaypublishers.com/subscriptions/
>
>
> http://blayjorge.wordpress.com/
> http://paleobiology.si.edu/staff/individuals/santiagoblay.cfm
>
> --
> *John Dorner*
> IT Coordinator
> USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program
> (828) 290-9876
> http://www.sare.org
>
> --
> Jorge A. Santiago-Blay, PhD
> blaypublishers.com
>
> 1. Positive experiences for authors of papers published in *LEB*
> http://blaypublishers.com/testimonials/
>
> 2. Free examples of papers published in *LEB*:
> http://blaypublishers.com/category/previous-issues/.
>
> 3. *Guidelines for Authors* and page charges of *LEB*:
> http://blaypublishers.com/archives/ *.*
>
> 4. Want to subscribe to *LEB*? http://blaypublishers.com/subscriptions/
>
>
> http://blayjorge.wordpress.com/
> http://paleobiology.si.edu/staff/individuals/santiagoblay.cfm
>
>


-- 
Lawrence F. London
lfljvenaura@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/site/avantgeared/