Faculty Perspectives on SENCER at Butler
"My classes are grounded in student engagement throughout the
whole semester. Students sit in small groups at tables facing
each other and work on projects together each day. They
actively talk with one another the whole class time. And in
other classes, such as when studying codes and secret messages,
their more individualized work is complemented by collaborative
problem-solving as they work together to decipher a list of
messages." -Karen Holmes, Mathematics and Actuarial
Sciences
"Students really gain a new perspective when they see two
professors asking each other questions. In one of our
courses, we start with an important issue and then work backwards
to the discover the science in the issue. For example, in a
course on food, we talk about organic farming and food safety and
then work back to ecological principles that explain why pollution
magnifies in the food chain. It is really a good way to get
students to understand why they need to care about societal issues
and how science can explain and help resolve problems." -Phil
Villani, Biological Sciences
"Students reignite their love of science with a combination of
content, pedagogy, and community engagement that highlights how
applicable science is to real issues in the community.
Students cannot help but engage and become passionate about the
material and by the science. Our foods course is built on broad
interdisciplinary approaches (linking general biology, botany,
chemistry and psychology). And co-teaching the course with
someone from another discipline has been an awesome experience for
me as an instructor, and again demonstrates to students that
science (all kinds of science) matters." -Tara Lineweaver,
Psychology
"What happens when a physics professor, a chemistry professor,
and an English professor get together? "Indy Power"! Because
the issues associated with energy generation are so multifaceted,
solving them requires knowledge from several different fields.
Focusing this multidisciplinary perspective on the topic of
power generation in Indiana, the course covers the science behind
and the social history of power generation and its impacts on our
culture, our economy, our environment and our health.
Interacting with guest speakers from all facets of the energy
industry, students gain a sophisticated understanding of energy and
its uses." -Carol Reeves, English
"Goggles are on, hydrometers are ready, and real-world
connections are all around! This is what you get when you combine
science exploration resources and talent from one of the
top children's museums in the world, curious 2nd and 3rd
graders from Indianapolis Public Schools, and enthusiastic
Butler University College of Education students. In our high
energy Science and Social Studies Methods course, a shared
learning experience is ready for all and the secret is the power of
community engagement. A true appreciation of how complex
science and social studies ideas are integrated in our daily lives
is not only explored but experienced!" -Catherine Pangan,
Education
"I encourage students to put scientific knowledge and scientific
method to immediate use on matters of immediate interest to
students. In teaching statistics, students have a lot of
flexibility in working on projects that interest them. They
use real data in which they can apply the scientific methods they
are learning. We study issues in various educational fields,
from biology to business to education to international
affairs. The course serves students with diverse backgrounds
and interests, and we find projects in which students can see the
relevance of statistics in their day-to-day lives." -Lacey
Echols, Mathematics and Actuarial Sciences