Chronicle of Higher Education Reports on CIRTL’s Work
Katherine Friedrich

A special report in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Aug. 3 issue mentioned CIRTL’s creative response to the need for innovation in science teaching at research universities. The article, “The Tough Road to Better Science Teaching,” contrasted the research pressures science faculty face with the urgent need for attention to student learning at major universities.

There are many obstacles to introducing teaching methods that work well for science undergraduates, the report said. When students are actively engaged and are interested in the course material, they are much more likely to complete their degrees. However, since research productivity is the top priority at many institutions, and faculty may be reluctant to introduce new teaching methods, undergraduate attrition remains high.

The article presented CIRTL as a large-scale intervention project supported by the National Science Foundation and designed to introduce research-tested teaching methods to the community of science faculty. The reporter, Jeffrey Brainard, ended the article with a quote calling for a “sea change” in science teaching. This change, he said, is needed now.

The report is available at the the Chronicle of Higher Education Web site.

August 27, 2007

CIRTL
1025 W. Johnson St.
Madison, WI 53706
ph.: 608.263.0630
fax: 608.265.0538