On-line nanoscience course for teachers: Design, implementation, and evaluation

CHED 1661

Janice M. Hall Tomasik, janicehall@wisc.edu and J. W. Moore, jwmoore@chem.wisc.edu. Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706
The multidisciplinary field of nanoscience is predicted to bring about major improvements in areas ranging from electronics and medicine to the environment. It is important to address this subject in our schools to provide the next generation of nanoscientists. The Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has created an online 8-week professional development course for teachers about nanoscience. Sixteen teachers from areas around the country participated in the first offering during the summer of 2006. Educators received graduate level credit and learned how to incorporate this subject into their classrooms. Participants completed weekly online quizzes and surveys, attended online discussions, and created nanoscience modules for use in their own classrooms. This talk will discuss the development and evaluation of the course and improvements for its subsequent online offerings.