General Information

Workshop Goals:

• Develop supportive communities of colleagues
• Increase awareness of resources and methods for teaching quantitative biology
• Share materials and experiences with other participants and the broader faculty community

 

The Quantitative Biology Summer Institute will be a dynamic, hands on workshop where we will explore some of the challenging aspects of teaching quantitative skills, and begin to develop or adapt materials for use in participants' classrooms.

 

On May 31, participants will begin interacting asynchronously on the QUBESHub site. These topical discussions will lay the groundwork for our discussions at the Summer Institute in Raleigh, NC. At the Summer Institute, leaders in discipline based education research, pedagogical reform, biology and mathematics research will give talks, and participants will be introduced to tools, resources, and methods presented by the developers. Throughout the week, participants will work in groups to develop materials for their own classrooms. These groups will have time to work together, interacting with other participants, presenters and speakers, through the week to design their project. See the Schedule page for more details.

 

Groups will continue to interact with one another in a supportive virtual community environment that extends the workshop experience through the QUBESHub. Following the face to face meeting, we will meet synchronously for 30 minutes once every two weeks. At these meetings, a group mentor will facilitate discussions about participant progress toward meeting the group's goals. These short meetings will be supplemented witha synchronous discussions int he QUBESHub online forum. Participants should expect to spend at least 30 minutes/week on the QUBESHub site either in a synchronous meeting or contributing to forum discussions. The groups will continue to meet through September, when final reports are to be  posted on a public page on the Summer Institute site.

 

It is important that all participants are able to commit to the full experience. The greatest benefits are generated in the interactions with colleagues. Participants will share resources, ideas and advice based on their own experiences, and provide each other with feedback on materials or plans. This is a supportive community of people sharing similar goals and challenges. Your contributions are critical to the success of this experience. The ultimate goal of this workshop is to enhance your students' educational experience. You might this of this as structured course prep with a personal advisory group. If you cannot make this kind of commitment at this time, let us know and we can talk about other  opportunities that might fit your schedule better.

Commitment Overview

• Participants will attend the full Quantitative Biology Summer Institute (June 19-24, 2016).
• Participants will join a group at the Summer Institute for development or adaptation of classroom materials.
• Participants will be active contributors to their group on QUBESHub, meeting synchronously every other week and contributing to conversations throughout.
• Participants will share resources and ideas, and generate final reports for public posting.
• Implement the materials your group developed at the Summer Institute during the academic year and provide a synopsis of the implementation experience.

Timeline

• March 27: applications due

• April 4: Acceptance letters sent out, poster applications open

• April 11: Commitment to attend/housing forms due

• April 18: Invoices sent out

• May 1: Poster applications close

• May 9: Poster acceptance notifications

• May 15:  Online bios due, poster abstracts posted

• May 27: Payment due

• May 31: Online sessions begin

• June 19-24: Summer Institute

• Online activities will continue on QUBESHub

• Week of Sept 26: Final group reports due

Scholarships

We have some limited support available to offset the costs of attending the Summer Institute. Scholarships can provide up to $300 to defray the cost of registration and $100 for housing in the dorms. Awards will be applied to reduce the registration and/or housing expenses and will only be officially awarded at the time that the applicant pays the balance of their fees. Recipients of this scholarship are expected to generate or adapt and field test a module or a case for the classroom to be posted on the QUBES, BioQUEST or the National Case Study website. To apply for a scholarship, please provide a one-page statement explaining your interest in the Summer Institute, how you plan to continue to engage with the quantitative biology education community after the workshop, and a brief overview of the type of module or case you would like to develop. Questions? Contact Kristin Jenkins.

Click Here to apply for the conference!

When your application is received, you will receive a confirmation. Acceptance letters will be sent by April 4th. Registration and housing payments must be received by May 27th. Payments may be made by check or credit card via PayPal. There is a 3% processing fee for credit cards.