AP Curriculum teaches students basic concepts and skills needed for passage of the AP exam at the conclusion of the course. But a weakness of the AP curriculum is the lack of integration and application opportunities for students. This was a concern for teacher and graduate student partners in the Science Partners graduate student program. Graduate students incorporated many examples and opportunites for student observation of the many ways content was used in science labs and other settings to meet this need.
Funding: Transitioning HHMI funded programs to other funding sources was the major challenge over the past year. We were successful in obtaining continued medical school funding for two of the three HHMI programs and all staff positions. Science Partners and Nevadans Into Medicine, along with the Education Outreach Coordinator (moved to state funding over a year ago) and an administrative support position (moved to state funding this year) all successfully moved to new funding. One of the key reasons was the long-term tracking of student outcomes we have done throughout all HHMI grant cycles. We could clearly demonstrate the value and importance, to the medical school, of continuing these programs. The third program, High School Medical Scholars, is the most costly and requires the longest lead time to track success of students. It is planned to change this to a summer bridge program after senior high school year, which will decrease cost and show a benefit to the medical school and undergraduate schools more quickly.
Integrating medical training simulation technolgy into K-12 programs. We have been successful in the use of the medical schools "virtual patient" technology into the clinical problem solving component of various outreach programs. The human patient simulator (Stan as we call him at the school) brings the symptoms of various pathologies to life for the students and adds an exciting interactive component to the program.
Science Resource Center: Over the years of HHMI funding, annual purchases to support science teaching in the Science Partners program has been developed. Equipment and supplies are targeted to curriculum developed and used by teacher/student science partners. The School of Medicine provides 150 square feet of storage capacity and staff keep inventories and use additional monies annually to re-stock and keep supplies current. Medical school laboratories also donated un-used or other out-of-date lab equipment that is still useful in classrooms.
