Teachers participated in activities such as water collection and testing and collecting and identifying organisms in local water creeks and ponds. This included trips to a community sewage treatment plant, and river watch activities utilized by local environmentalists. In addition to the technology of the laboratory, students used internet research for information gathering. In-service teachers had the opportunity to participate in an interdisciplinary graduate course taught by college faculty who modeled the planning and teaching necessary for this type of instruction. Phase II included a week-long academy for local students in which teachers worked with a group of high school students to increase their motivation for high school science for college preparation.
Teachers utilize their newly gained knowledge to teach students the same sets of skills.
This phase brought 24 students to campus for one week to not only have an opportunity to experience university campus living, but also to explore and inquiry-based activity in a community based and university based environment. They designed a project, solved a problem using technology-based methodology, and prepared a multimedia presentation of their results. Both teachers and students reported a high level of satisfaction with the program. A complete report of the program will be delivered at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Montreal Canada.