Learning Sciences PhD Program

Learning Sciences Program Task Force:

Chair:

• Jodi Haney, COSMOS Director, STL and Environmental Programs

Members:

• Lena Ballone-Duran, STL
• Dan Brahier, STL
• Leigh Chiarelott, STL
• Jennifer Gillespie, Psychology
• Milt Hakel, Psychology
• Tracy Huziak-Clark, STL
• Dale Klopfer, Psychology
• John Laird, Physics and Astronomy
• Julie Matuga, EDHD
• David Meel, Mathematics and Statistics
• Bob Midden, Chemistry
• Barbara Moses, Mathematics and Statistics
• Karen Sirum, Biological Sciences

Summary

Bowling Green State University (BGSU) proposes the creation of an interdisciplinary PhD program in the Learning Sciences (LSC). The ultimate goal of this program is to produce scholars who create knowledge about the science of learning in post-secondary educational settings. At the outset, we expect to focus on the learning sciences as related to the mathematics and science disciplines in higher education. As the program develops, we expect to broaden its focus to the study of how people learn in other disciplines in post-secondary settings.

This interdisciplinary program brings together scholars in the College of Arts and Sciences (psychology, mathematics, and the natural sciences) with scholars in the College of Education and Human Development (educational psychology, mathematics and science education, teaching and learning, and educational leadership). Our graduates will be well suited for learning sciences research positions in mathematics and natural science departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, other interdisciplinary programs in the learning sciences, government positions such as NASA or NSF, or related positions at private foundations.

Clearly defining the learning sciences is necessary to understand the full vision of this proposal. If the creation of a scholarly journal devoted to research within a discipline is an index of the discipline’s legitimacy, the learning sciences are only about 15 years old: the inaugural issue of the Journal of the Learning Sciences was published in 1991. The origins of the learning sciences, however, can be traced back to the 1970s when researchers in psychology, education, and computer science began to show that the processes of learning and the design of optimal learning environments were more complex than had been previously assumed. Whereas previous marriages of psychology and education resulted in trying to implement in the classroom principles of learning derived from how college students learn word lists in controlled laboratory settings, the learning sciences rest upon, and proceed from, a newer, broader understanding of learning. For example, the learning sciences focus on learning of concepts rather than facts, on the prior knowledge students have that can inhibit learning, on the importance of reflection in the learning process, on developing learning environments rather than new instructional techniques, and on learning as a process that is situated in a broad social and cultural perspective. The learning sciences represent an interdisciplinary, translational approach to studying learning: interdisciplinary because scholars from education, computer science, and psychology partner with each other and with school districts to carry out their research, translational in that the goal is to translate basic research findings into classroom practices while looking for ways that the latter can shape the former. A sample of recent breakthroughs in learning sciences research include neuroscience research that has documented “neurological hot spots” during various learning situations using brain mapping technologies, alternate conception research that has revealed student misconceptions and faulty conceptual frameworks, and cognitive abilities research that has examined the effectiveness of various learning environments on student cognition.

The BGSU Learning Sciences PhD program was crafted by examining other national programs in the learning sciences and gleaning from these programs components that work within our context. Yet the BGSU model is unique to the other models, as described in the full proposal.

Progress:

BGSU submitted the Program Development Plan (PDP) to members of RACGS for review during the spring 2005 semester. Reviews were received by eight institutions (The University of Akron, University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State, University of Dayton, Medical University of Ohio, Miami University, The University of Toledo, and Youngstown State University). Of the eight reviews, six RACGS institutions documented their solid support and enthusiasm for the further development of the proposed program and all eight reviews indicated statements regarding existing program strengths. All institutions found the interdisciplinary nature of the program to be a unique asset and nearly all of them stated that there was a great need in Ohio, and in the nation at large, for a program focusing on how people learn, especially in mathematics and science.

Currently, the proposal is in review in various units at Bowling Green State University. Upon approval, the proposal will be submitted to The Ohio Board of Regents. We anticipate that the program will be accepting students by 2008/2009 and offering classes by 2009/2010.