The aim of science education in the Atlantic provinces is to develop scientific literacy. Scientific literacy is an evolving combination of the science-related attitudes, skills, and knowledge students need to develop inquiry, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities; to become lifelong learners; and to maintain a sense of wonder about the world around them. To develop scientific literacy, students require diverse learning experiences which provide opportunity to explore, analyse, evaluate, synthesize, appreciate, and understand the interrelationships among science, technology, society, and the environment that will affect their personal lives, their careers, and their futures.

CDLI’s Sciences offers the following eLearning courses

• Science 1206

Science 1206

This course develops fundamental concepts in each of the four major content areas: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Chemistry, and Physics. Topics included in the course are sustainability of ecosystems, weather, chemical reactions and motion. It is intended to provide a broad scientific background and help students prepare for other optional high school science courses.

As with science curriculum at other grades, this consists of four units: one Life science, one Earth and Space science, and two Physical science units. The Common Framework of Science Learning Outcomes considered this to be the final science course that all students would be expected to follow. It is intended to help students prepare for selecting optional science courses at high school. Approximately one quarter of the time is allocated for each unit of the course.

Prerequisites

None

Overview of Class Delivery Structure

Students enrolled in Science 1206 will be expected to attend at least 6 online Elive sessions out of 10 periods in a 14 day cycle. This number may fluctuate depending upon activities such as laboratory demonstration/instruction. Polycom sessions are utilized to assist students in a number of areas such as with lab setup and completion, extra assistance, project support, etc. The remaining 4 periods are intended to provide students with the time to complete assigned activities which support their learning of course content. The instructor is available during these periods to assist students if they should have questions or require extra support.

Tutorial sessions are often held after school for students. This is an optional support made available for students, in some cases upon their request.

Materials and Resources

• Equipment provided by CDLI includes; Vernier LabPro and related software along with the necessary sensors for lab completion such as motion detector, temperature probe, etc.
• Lab Support Specialists.
• Equipment/school supports provided (safety and supervision). Here is a list of equipment we require schools to provide.
• Textbooks
• Nelson Science 10
• eLearning content if applicable
• Course homepage (see snapshot of course homepage below):
• Course Information
• Recorded Classes
• Worksheets & Keys
• Handouts & Notes
• Lab Information (includes video clips and instruction sheets)
• Reviews/Sample Tests/Answer Keys
• Interactives & Tutorials
• Course Videos
• CDLI Learning Content (MLO’s)
• Potential career directions, if applicable
• Indicate whether required for University, College or other
• Associated Links: (public exam resources, program of studies, publisher website for textbook and curriculum guide link)

Evaluation

• Students enrolled in Science 1206 by distance learning are evaluated using a variety of evaluation instruments. These instruments are designed to assess a student’s achievement of the curriculum outcomes as described in the Department of Education's Science 1206 Curriculum Guide.
• The following describes the types of assessment instruments used by eTeachers to evaluate their students and the weights carried by these instruments in the calculation of a student's grade for progress reports and the final report.
• Assignments
• A typical assignment contains short answer, essay, and problem solving items. The items are completed using available resources such as textbooks, on-line web resources, and class notes. The eTeacher makes assignments available to students early in the time period designated for completion of a section or unit of study. Students are expected to complete assignment items as topics are covered in the section or unit of study. Assignments are submitted to the eTeacher by electronic means for grading. The eTeacher responds to a student’s work to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the students’ responses to assignment items. Where appropriate the eTeacher may offer remediation.
• Laboratory Reports
• Laboratory activities are a key component of the distance learning chemistry courses; thus, completion of a series of laboratory activities by students is mandatory. The activities are designed to build practical science skills. Laboratory activities tend to be group activities that require cooperation among the students enrolled in the course at a particular site. However, each student is expected to prepare a report independently that describes the activities carried out, the findings of the activity, and the interpretation, analysis and extension of the results.
• An eTeacher may require students to demonstrate specific laboratory skills and techniques. This can be accomplished by photographing or videotaping parts of an activity. In other cases, eTeachers and students may share control of electronic equipment that is used to carry out chemistry experiments.
• Projects
• Project work is related to the topics that make up a unit of study. Projects allow students to demonstrate mastery of learning outcomes that are related to conducting research, interpreting findings, and communicating conclusions based on analysis of the findings. Students have considerable freedom to choose the medium in which they communicate their project work. In some cases, an eTeacher will require the students to complete project work in stages so that feedback can be provided throughout the duration of the research period.
• Postings
• Students enrolled in Web-Based courses such as Science 1206 are required to utilize a variety of information technology communication tools to exchange information with their teachers and classmates. ETeachers will require students to post (publish to a specific private location in the on­line learning management system) samples of their work. This work will be evaluated in the same way that a teacher evaluates formal homework assignments in a regular classroom. Items that a teacher may require a student to post include but are not limited to a student's analysis of current events related to chemistry, responses to textbook and course page exercise items, and class discussions.
• Tests/Exams
• Teachers have two options for testing their students. Option 1 involves use of on-line testing software in which a student is presented with questions and responds to them using a computer and a connection to the internet. Option 2 involves the administration and supervision of a pen/pencil and paper test or a practical test by an on-site teacher (m-teacher) or his/her designate.
• Tests generally consist of multiple choice, problem solving and essay items. Test items are classified as knowledge, comprehension, application, or higher order items. Knowledge items require a student to provide definitions, lists, descriptions, labels and factual details. Comprehension items test a student’s ability to make comparisons, interpretations, translations or conversions, rankings, or predictions. Application items require a student to use information, methods or techniques to solve word or mathematical problems. Higher order items involve critical thinking skills such as identification of patterns, formulating new ideas and making judgments. A typical test or exam may contain 30% knowledge/comprehension items, 50% application items, and 20% higher order items.
• Exams have the same design as a test, but they tend to address a greater number of learning outcomes. Comprehensive block exams may be administered.
• Final Exam
• Science 1206 is an academic science course. As such, a comprehensive final exam will be administered in June covering the entire year’s work.