(230a) Implementing Concepts of Pharmaceutical Engineering into High School Science Classrooms

Over the past several years, a number of research and education initiatives have been developed at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in areas related to (1) particulate systems and multiphase systems and (2) pharmaceutical processing and engineering. These initiatives have resulted in the development of a strong research program in engineered particulates (especially particulates of various types of nano-structured composites) within the recently established NSF-sponsored, four-university Engineering Research Center on Structured Organic Particulate Systems (C-SOPS), in which NJIT is a core partner. The vision of the Center is; ?To be the national focal point for science-based development of structured organic particle-based products and their manufacturing processes?. Integral to these research activities has been the development of educational programs, ranging from novel graduate-level degrees, to research programs for undergraduates, to outreach activities targeting both K-12 teachers and K-12 students. In turn the research and education role of NJIT in these critical areas have been strengthened. The achievement of these results was obtained thanks in large part to the combined expertise of several faculty researchers involved in novel experiments, modeling, and computer simulations and the involvement of a group of dedicated faculty, often also active researchers, in cutting-edge education activities. The activities with K-12 teachers and students are coordinated under the auspices of the Center for Pre-College Programs (CPCP) at NJIT.

The New Jersey Institute of Technology Research Experience for Teachers (RET) provided the opportunity for nine high school science teachers to have a six-week experience working with research groups in the Center for Structured Organic Particulate Systems (C-SOPS). The goal of the RET was to educate high-school teachers in the opportunities and challenges involved with manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, and thus help educate the future generation of students, helping create a strong pipe-line of talented students interested in pursuing careers in engineering and science. In collaboration with the Center for Pre-College Programs, the teachers, recruited from schools in local urban districts, were able to develop skills and knowledge in science and engineering with a focus on the area of pharmaceutical particulate and composite systems from which they created instructional modules to be integrated into their teaching practices. Four of the participants were chemistry teachers, three were biology teachers, one was a physics teacher, and one taught both chemistry and biology.

Four teams (2 teachers per team) worked on four different projects that evolved from the mentors' current research. The topics were: a) Extraction and Detection of the Antibiotic Sulfamethoxazole in Milk Using HPLC and a High School Classroom Simulation; b) The Electromagnetic Spectrum and Raman Scattering Spectroscopy; c) Bourne to Mix: A Teaching Module on the Mixing Efficiency of Dissolution Testing for Pharmaceutics and Engineering; and d) Crystallization of Ultrafine (Nano and Micro) Particles of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) Using Liquid Antisolvent Technique. One high-school teacher served as a ?swing teacher? working jointly with the other teachers and served to communicate, to the mentors, the progress of the teams. He was responsible for developing a module entitled, ?A Step Toward Discovery: Inquiry Skills in science?, designed to get students to think like engineers, while connecting relevant mathematics and science skills.

The first week included an orientation program that provided the teachers with:

? An introduction to NJIT and to C-SOPS and its research activities, methodologies, instrumentation, and safety.

? A discussion of the broader impact of the program on healthcare and the role of the HS science teachers.

? An introduction to the scientific tools, protocols, and equipment necessary for gaining meaningful hands-on experience in the laboratory.

? An introduction to the technical literature and methodologies for searching the web to support their research activities, as part of a presentation on information literacy.

A ?Module Planning Retreat? including one-on-one sessions with their faculty and graduate student mentor was used to develop lessons, modules, and other teaching materials based on their C-SOPS research experiences. The ?swing? teacher contributed a report: ?A Step Toward Discovery? to help students improve their critical thinking. In the follow-up program during school year, the teachers implemented the lessons/modules in their classroom and shared the results of their experience at a one day workshop.

The early part of the evaluation process focused on the summer experience and the impact on classroom practice. During the summer, the teachers met as a group with the PI on a weekly basis to report on their research experiences and progress in the development of their instructional modules. At the end of the summer research experience, teachers will complete a survey to gauge the effectiveness of the research experience and the supportive activities that took place.

The impact and outcome of this program was being evaluated through a cadre of formal assessment instruments developed or adapted under the auspices of the Center for Pre-College Programs (CPCP). These instruments looked at both the changes in teacher concerns, knowledge and skills as a result of the summer experience as well as changes during the school year as the modules were implemented in the classrooms, as well as changes in student attitudes as a result of the implementation.

Teachers were asked to complete the Teachers' Concerns Questionnaire based on the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) of Hall and Hord four times during their first year of participation in the project: first, at the beginning of the six-week summer program, a second time at the end of the summer training program, a third time, mid-fall after teachers have begun using their new instructional modules in the classroom and a fourth time at the end of the school year after they have had time to work extensively with the instructional modules in the classroom. The CBAM focuses on how teachers progress through seven stages of concern: Awareness, informational, personal, management, consequences, collaboration and refocusing; as they engage in implementing educational reforms. Analyses of individual and group profiles from repeated administrations can help identify teachers' concerns and tracks changes in teachers' preoccupations as they implement the new instructional modules over time.

Teachers were also asked to complete a Readiness to Teach Questionnaire developed by the Center for Pre-College Programs three times: First, at the end of the summer workshop; a second time, after school starts and they have had a chance to begin using the instructional modules; and a third time, near the end of the school year after using the new instructional modules for a longer period of time. The Readiness to Teach Questionnaire asks teachers to indicate how ready they are to teach lessons on specific topics on a scale from 1 to 4 where 1='I would have to start from scratch', 2='I would need more training to teach this topic', 3='I would have to look at my notes to do this' and 4='I can teach a lesson on this topic tomorrow'. For example, an item on the Readiness to Teach Questionnaire related to the scientific process might ask, ?How ready are you to teach students how analyze data and draw conclusions??

The Summative Evaluation focuses on students' 1) interest in and attitudes toward science and engineering, 2) knowledge about engineering careers, 3) overall science achievement and 4) teachers' attitudes toward engineering and knowledge of engineering careers. Students' interest in and their attitudes toward science and engineering as well as their knowledge of engineering careers are measured using the ?High School Attitudes to Science and Engineering Questionnaire? adapted specifically for this program from instruments previously developed and implemented for other programs of the Center for Pre-College Programs. Teachers' Attitudes to Engineering and Knowledge of Engineering Careers are measured by the teacher version of the Attitudes to Engineering Questionnaire previously developed also.

Acknowledgments

This project is based upon work supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, ERC Supplement Award for an RET Site, EEC-0540855, and is gratefully acknowledged. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).