Expanding the Understanding of Evolution

Originally designed for K–12 teachers, the Understanding Evolution (UE) Web site (www.understandingevolution.org) is a onestop shop for all of a teacher's evolution education needs, with lesson plans, teaching tips, lists of common evolution misconceptions, and much more. However, during the past five years, the UE project team learned that another group of educators uses it, too. "It became clear to us that there was a significant number of undergraduate faculty using it," says Judy Scotchmoor, assistant director of Education and Public Programs at the University of California Museum of Paleontology. So, she and her colleagues decided to focus on meeting the needs of this newly discovered audience. With additional funding from the National Science Foundation, the UE project team sent out a call for applicants to form a Teacher Advisory Board (TAB) that would help expand the UE Web site for undergraduate educators. The response was overwhelming. "In two weeks, close to 60 people responded for eight TAB spots," Scotchmoor says. The TAB was officially established in late 2009 with a group of diverse members. "Each brings a very different perspective to the conversation, based upon individual experiences, expertise, and teaching environments," says TAB member Jason Wiles, of Syracuse University. After a year of hard work, the team unveiled an expanded and enhanced UE Web site in early 2011. Faculty can find a wide variety of teaching materials for many types of undergrad...
Source: Eye on Education - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news