Improving How Universities Teach Science: Lessons from the Science Education Initiative

by Carl Wieman

Too many universities remain wedded to outmoded ways of teaching science in spite of extensive research showing that there are much more effective methods. Too few departments ask whether what happens in their lecture halls is effective at helping students to learn and how they can encourage their faculty to teach better. But real change is possible, and Carl Wieman shows us how it can be brought about.

Improving How Universities Teach Science draws on Wieman’s unparalleled experience to provide a blueprint for educators seeking sustainable improvements in science teaching. Wieman created the Science Education Initiative (SEI), a program implemented across thirteen science departments at the universities of Colorado and British Columbia, to support the widespread adoption of the best research-based approaches to science teaching. The program’s data show that in the most successful departments 90 percent of faculty adopted better methods. Wieman identifies what factors helped and hindered the adoption of good teaching methods. He also gives detailed, effective, and tested strategies for departments and institutions to measure and improve the quality of their teaching while limiting the demands on faculty time.

Among all of the commentary addressing shortcomings in higher education, Wieman’s lessons on improving teaching and learning stand out. His analysis and solutions are not limited to just one lecture hall or course but deal with changing entire departments and universities. For those who want to improve how universities teach science to the next generation, Wieman’s work is a critical first step.

Genres: Education, Science, Teaching, Physics, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published May 22, 2017

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carl Wieman won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001 for his part in producing a Bose-Einstein Condensate. He is now a professor at Stanford studying and teaching how to best teach science. This book is about the results of an extensive initiative at the University of Colorado and the University of British Columbia to change science teaching from lecture to active learning.
This book will be most appreciated by administrators interested in implementing large scale change. For those of us in the trenches, teaching the classes, Appendix 1, the SEI Course Transformation Guide, is full of tools and resources for implementing active learning.

[Seha Ozgur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author, a highly accomplished physicist, set up a project to try new methods in two universities and wrote this book which is a comparative report of the process, experiences and the learings. Conclusion - higher ed is highly conservative, and it takes a long time and effort to address even the most obviously required changes to teaching methodologies. Quick read with a lot of unexpected practical insight.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. A real eye opener. Gave me a lot to think about regarding teaching. Highly recommended if you are looking for ways to improve teaching in universities.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great ideas here for my HS classroom. The budget-realities discussed for colleges are of great importance, but I skipped most of that. Excellent list of resources.