Active Assessment: Assessing Scientific Inquiry: 2 (Mentoring in Academia and Industry) - Tapa blanda

The term scienti?c inquiry as manifest in different educational settings covers a wide range of diverse activities. The differences in types of scienti?c inquiry can be organized along a continuum according to the degree of teacher control and intellectual sophistication involved in each type of inquiry. Types of scienti?c inquiry can also be de?ned according to whether they produce cultural knowledge or personal knowledge. Authentic scienti?c inquiry is de?ned according to ?ve characteristics: devel- ment of personal and cultural knowledge; contextualized scienti?c knowledge; the progression toward high-order problem solving; social interaction for s- enti?c goals; and scienti?c inquiry as a multi-stage and multi-representational process. The de?nition of scienti?c inquiry that forms the basis for the development of an assessment program consists of a two-part analytical frame: the de?nition of knowledge types relevant to scienti?c inquiry and the de?nition of an organi- tional frame for these knowledge types. Four types of knowledge are signi?cant for the de?nition of a speci?c s- enti?c inquiry program: cognitive knowledge, physical knowledge, represen- tional knowledge, and presentational knowledge. All four of these knowledge types are considered signi?cant. These four types of knowledge are organized in a framework that consists of two intersecting axes: the axis of knowledge types and the axis of stages of a s- ci?c scienti?c inquiry. This framework describes scienti?c inquiry as multi-stage process that involves the development of a series of in-lab outcomes (represen- tions) over an extended period of time.

Active Assessment describes an innovative approach to the assessment of scientific inquiry. The approach is termed active assessment and is based on the idea that scientist-educators can create authentic assessments that enhance engagement in the educational process and provide meaningful assessment data on student learning. This book deals with a specific educational context – the in-laboratory, scientific inquiry, educational program - and addresses ways to assess knowledge development and outcomes within this setting. The book is divided into two sections. In the first section a clear theoretical introduction to the conceptual and practical aspects of scientific inquiry assessment are presented. Active Assessment offers new insights into the understanding of both scientific inquiry and the assessment of scientific inquiry. The second section of the book provides a case study in which active assessment was used and developed. The specific program addressed is the PHIRE (Phage Hunting Integrating Research and Education) program situated at the University of Pittsburgh. This program is defined and the overall assessment strategy and specific assessment tools are described. This book provides a clear, practical and comprehensive understanding of issues involved in scientific inquiry assessment.

Dr. David Ian Hanauer is an educational researcher and the Assessment Coordinator in the PHIRE program and a Professor of English at the Graduate Program for Composition and TESOL at Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Graham F. Hatfull is the Prime Researcher and Program Director of the PHIRE program. He is the Eberly Family Professor of Biotechnology Professor of Biology, an HHMI Professor and currently the Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.

Ms. Deborah Jacobs-Sera is the Coordinator of PHIRE Program.