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As the academic year comes to a close, Maricopa faculty representing a wide-variety of disciplines are completing their Learning Grant projects, designed to enhance and enrich student learning throughout the District. Among these, science and engineering faculty completed Learning Grant projects to create more dynamic and interactive classrooms. Described below are three projects that promoted innovation in the science and engineering classroom.
Dr. Ana Marti-Subirana, biology faculty at Phoenix College, concluded her project, Taking Genetic Engineering into the Classroom: A DNA Isolation and Cloning Laboratory for Biology Courses. The project consisted of developing a laboratory setting that applies genetic engineering tools and protocols currently used in research laboratories. Students isolated deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from bacteria (Isolation of Bacterial Plasmid DNA lab), performed a series of tests that enabled them to characterize the DNA molecule previously isolated (Enzymatic Digestion of Plasmid DNA lab), and prepared to introduce the isolated DNA into another organism (Transformation lab).
The labs were intended to expose Biology students to routine yet technically sophisticated procedures currently used in genetic engineering or biotechnology research laboratories. "The goal was to make students aware of the protocols, and to make the techniques accessible," Dr. Marti-Subirana said. By exposing students to such protocols, she believed students gained knowledge and mastering of technically and conceptually demanding laboratory procedures, and gained an understanding of "real world" experiences in the field of Biomedical, Biological, and Biotechnological Sciences. "Students gained confidence and they gained awareness," she explained. "They are completing tasks that would typically be done by a researcher." Overall, this Learning Grant project helped to create a more invigorating and exciting classroom environment. As Dr. Marti-Subirana notes, "Just explaining techniques in the classroom can become dry. These hands-on labs create a tangibility that helps concepts to percolate better in the students' mind."
Bassam Matar, engineering faculty at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, recently completed his learning grant project, Improving Instruction of the Electrical Networking One Class (ECE 201). ECE 201 is the first analog course that engineering students are required to take at the community colleges as a prerequisite to engineering degrees. Matar developed hands-on activities, interactive modules, and hardware and software experiments that fostered a student-centered, active learning environment. These activities taught students to solve real world problems through collaborative teamwork, critical-thinking, visualization, and decision-making. "Having students work in teams helped to develop their critical thinking skills," Matar explained. "Before, the activities were completed on paper. Now, students can work in groups to build the hardware, compare their results using the software program, and apply the concepts to other problems in the course." Ultimately, students gained a better understanding of fundamental engineering concepts. "Overall, student reactions have been very positive," Matar said. "Students enjoy seeing their work displayed on a computer screen. It's great to hear students say 'Wow!' as they work on a project in class."
Dr. Carlos V. Nunez, engineering faculty at Glendale Community College, finished his Learning Grant entitled, From Medieval Catapults to Rocket Science: A Formula for Enthusiastic Student Participation in Engineering Science. Dr. Nunez created Modular Projects for the first engineering course, Engineering Analysis Tools and Techniques (ECE102). "The Learning Grants program allowed me to implement an idea that we as faculty had been thinking of for a few semesters," Dr. Nunez stated. He noted that students going through the first year of engineering are often shocked by the difficulty and the dryness of even the most basic of engineering courses. These modules introduced the students to the same physical and mathematical principles normally learned in introductory engineering courses, with one main difference: Students learned through active participation in the solution of real life hands-on complexity-graded problems. Each module addressed one problem and covered a set of competencies as follows:
- Medieval Catapults: Probability and Statistics, teamwork concepts, self-evaluation.
- Rocket Science: Newton's Laws, aerodynamics, computer modeling, heuristics.
- Robotics: Teamwork concepts, programming structures, feasibility constraints.
- Computer Modeling of a Tennis Game: Stochastic and deterministic modeling.
- Poster Session Presentations: Verbal communication, importance of diversity, and engineering presentation of results.
"In the past, the projects were paper-based, board based, or a computer simulation. Now, through the support of Learning Grant funds, students are able to put together their own work. They could touch something, feel it, and put it together with their own hands. This definitely improves their knowledge and retention," Dr. Nunez explained. The success of this project has encouraged Dr. Nunez to expand and enhance these modules to include in future engineering courses.
The Learning Grants program continues to support projects in all disciplines with the goal of promoting innovation while enhancing and enriching student learning.
Learning Grant Awards Announced for 2004-2005
The 2004-2005 Learning Grant Awards have been made. For this application cycle, the MCLI received 65 applications from nine colleges requesting approximately $464,000. In December and January, a comprehensive review process was completed involving Maricopa faculty from all ten colleges. With the $185,000 available to support Learning Grants, 40 applications have been awarded full or partial funding. All nine colleges that submitted applications received awards for the enhancement of teaching and learning in the District. To see a list of awardees, visit the Learning Grants web site.
The MCLI wishes to thank the numerous faculty that participated in the 2004-2005 Learning Grants program as either applicants or evaluators. It is through the support of faculty that the Learning Grants remain a strong and thriving program.
 Eric Leshinskie, mcli
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