NISE charts three years of steady progress

As it flies toward its fourth birthday this fall, the National Institute for Science Education at UW–Madison has leaped over some tall pedagogical buildings, with more in sight.

NISE’s reason for existence is to boost the quality of American education in science, mathematics, engineering and technology (SMET). It was established in 1995 through a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation and is housed in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research.

The NISE director is Andrew Porter, who also heads WCER, and the associate directors are Robert Mathieu, professor of astronomy, and Barrett Caldwell, associate professor of industrial engineering.

NISE has been nice indeed for science education. Its College Level One team, for example, has marshaled resources and analyzed teaching methods at the undergraduate level. Their convincing conclusion: Collaborative learning techniques produce large gains in student achievement, persistence and attitude compared to traditionally taught SMET courses.

“That collaborative learning techniques would enhance student engagement and improve their learning has an intuitive appeal,” says Mathieu, who leads the College Level One program with Arthur Ellis, professor of chemistry. “Our work has now placed this idea on a solid research foundation.”

The team also created a web site that highlights effective SMET teaching methods at the college level. It provides tutorial help for faculty who wish to expand their teaching skills, as well as links to practitioners and resources for effective SMET undergraduate instruction.

A second prong in NISE’s approach is pointed toward professional development of K-12 science and mathematics teachers. One key product has been a book titled “Designing Professional Development for Teachers of Science and Mathematics.” The authors include Peter Hewson, professor of curriculum and instruction.

No such book existed before, and it’s turned into a heavy-seller. Two digests of it, one on math and one on science, are being widely circulated by the U.S. Department of Education.

The third thrust of NISE has been systemic reform, how a school system can change itself successfully from top to bottom instead of simply chipping away at it. The premise: Systemic policy is the most promising way to sustain major gains in student achievement over the long run.

The theoretical underpinning for systemic reform was strengthened under NISE by William Clune, professor emeritus of law at UW–Madison. Now he and fellow WCER researcher Norman Webb are helping Milwaukee Public Schools study and implement systemic reform. The Milwaukee research is being supported in part by The Joyce Foundation and the Helen Bader Foundation.

NISE has reached young science students around the world through The Why Files, an award-winning web site that promotes understanding of the science behind the news. Produced in the Office of News and Public Affairs, it now is supported by the Graduate School.

“The institute’s goals are ambitious,” says Porter. “At the end of five years, we expect to have launched a whole new approach to the continuous improvement of SMET education.”

At UW–Madison, NISE is a collaboration of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the School of Education, the College of Engineering and the College of Letters and Science. For information, e-mail niseinfo@macc.wisc.edu.