Graduate School of Education: sesame.html

SESAME (Graduate Group in Science and Mathematics Education)

Overview

The Graduate Group in Science and Mathematics Education is an interdisciplinary academic unit dedicated to advancing the understanding and practice of learning and teaching in science, engineering, and mathematics. It acts in most respects like a regular department, carrying out research, teaching courses, and offering a graduate program leading to a Ph.D. degree in science or mathematics education. The faculty of the group consists of professors from several of the Berkeley science and engineering departments and the School of Education, and instructors associated with other units on campus such as the Lawrence Hall of Science. The group operates under the auspices of the Graduate Division.

SESAME is closely related to the EMST (Education in Math Science and Technology) program and shares many courses with EMST. A major difference in the programs is that SESAME students are expected to obtain at least master's-level competency in their mathematical or scientific disciplines. It produces scholars who can communicate well with scientists or engineers as well as with educational researchers and practitioners. The program includes studies that connect human development, cognitive science, and educational technology with the learning of science, mathematics, and engineering.

SESAME Ph.D.s have frequently taken positions in college science departments, teaching courses in the discipline but serving as the "education person" in the department and doing research on the teaching and learning of the subject matter. Through the years SESAME students have also focused on learning in informal settings and have gone on to careers in institutions such as museums and science centers.

Extended Description

Focus of Study

SESAME offers a graduate program leading to a doctoral degree in science, mathematics, or engineering education. The program is designed to produce graduates who have advanced expertise in a scientific discipline as well as in educational theory and research methodologies.

This Graduate Group was established so individuals with training or experience in a mathematical, scientific, or technical discipline could pursue advanced studies focused on educational issues in these disciplines. SESAME is an acronym for Studies in Engineering, Science and Mathematics Education. The Group was formed in 1968 by several Berkeley faculty members in science and mathematics departments. It is formally called the Graduate Group in Science and Mathematics Education, but the acronym is still used.

SESAME students work with the Group's faculty to gain a better understanding of learning, to design more effective teaching approaches, and to create experiences that enhance the scientific and mathematical literacy of the general public. A major aim of the Group is to identify general theoretical principles that can guide the design of effective instruction.

Many of the students' projects are concerned with college-level teaching in their disciplines. Others are concerned with curriculum development for elementary and secondary schools, research into cognitive processes underlying good performance in scientific domains, investigations of principles for the design of computer-based educational software, or studies of informal learning in science museums and other places open to the public.

Discipline Specific Nature of the PhD

Unlike a School of Education program, SESAME's faculty consists primarily of scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and computer scientists. SESAME students therefore can have closer contact with faculty in their disciplines than is typically available in education programs.

Many SESAME students have thesis advisors from their discipline. Most take graduate-level courses, serve as teaching assistants, and attend seminars and lectures in their fields. SESAME students often consult with faculty in their discipline while working on their doctoral research projects.

Faculty Members Affiliated with the Program

Dor Abrahamson, Ph.D., Northwestern University. Mathematical cognition, intuition, and learning in personal/interpersonal contexts; multi-agent-based modeling; embodied cognition, creativity, gesture, and imagination; mixed-media design-based research and design-theory models.
Alice M. Agogino, Ph.D., Stanford University Artificial intelligence and expert systems, design theory and methods, probabilistic design, nonlinear optimization, concurrent engineering, supervisory control, diagnostic and monitoring systems, engineering education, qualitative reasoning, computer-aided design. (Mechanical Engineering)

Marian D. Diamond, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley. Neuro-anatomy; environment, asymmetry, and hormones (Physiology-Anatomy; Director, Lawrence Hall of Science)

Andrea A. diSessa, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computers in education; programming languages for non-professionals; instruction in physics and mathematics; learning/genetic epistemology (Education)

Bernard R. Gifford, Ph.D., University of Rochester, Organizational theory; policy analysis; resource allocation policies; micro-implementation; fiscal stress management; technology and education (Education)

Marcia C. Linn, Ph.D., Stanford University. Scientific reasoning; Cognition and Technology; Programming and Problem Solving; Individual differences, especially those associated with gender. (Education; Chair and Head Graduate Advisor for SESAME)

Michael Ranney, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh. Problem solving, knowledge representation and reorganization, computational models of cognition, naive physics, intelligent tutoring systems, and science education. (Education)

Alan H. Schoenfeld, Ph.D., Stanford University, Psychology of mathematical problem solving; metacognition; belief systems; topology; measure theory. (Education and Mathematics)

Angelica Stacy, Ph.D., Cornell University. Solid state, physical and inorganic chemistry; chemistry curriculum reform; teaching assistant professional development (Chemistry)

Barbara Y. White, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology AI models of scientific and mathematical expertise, computer-based learning environments, metacognition and instructional design. (Education and Computer Science; Affirmative Action Advisor for SESAME) Affiliated Members of the SESAME Group:

Michael Clancy, Ph.D., Stanford University. (Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences)

Entrance Requirements
Between 15 and 20 students are typically enrolled. Faculty in departments of mathematics, engineering, chemistry, computer science and education participate as affiliates of the program. There is also a full-time SESAME Lecturer. Because of the breadth of its membership, SESAME has close ties with numerous academic units and programs as well as with the Lawrence Hall of Science and the San Francisco Exploratorium.

The next opportunity to apply for admission to the Graduate Group in Science & Mathematics Education (SESAME) is for fall 2008. The postmark deadline to submit an application for fall 2008 is January 4, 2008. SESAME does not accept applications for spring term admissions.

Fall 2008 online application will be available in September, 2007

Type of Program (MA/PhD) -

Students are expected to enroll full time and to complete their studies in 10 or 12 semesters (depending on whether they already has a master’s degree).

While SESAME does emphasize research in the processes of learning and teaching; it is not a teacher training unit. This program does not prepare pre-college teachers (see various School of Education credential programs for teacher training programs). Those interested in careers in college-level math/science teaching (along with educational research), science museum program development, or research in the learning and teaching of science per se are likely to find a doctoral program like SESAME suitable. SESAME students who take jobs as faculty in schools of education-and even in college-level mathematics and science departments-frequently have teacher training responsibilities.

Research assistantships, teaching assistantships in science, mathematics, or computer science departments - and University Block Grants - provide financial support for most SESAME students.

Structure of the Program

The graduate program includes advanced courses in the student's discipline, science and mathematics education, and psychology; teaching experience; seminars dealing with research projects of faculty and fellow students; colloquia presented by outside speakers; and research into an educational problem connected with mathematics, science, engineering, or computer-science education.

Career Paths of Graduates

Graduates of this program take leadership roles in promoting educational innovations in academic, industrial, and museum settings including the Exploratorium and theLawrence Hall of Science. SESAME graduates often teach in two- or four-year colleges or universities. Others are directing educational programs of science museums or similar institutions that offer programs for the general public. Still others are active in educational research and curricular development, in industrial training programs, or in their own consulting businesses.

Who to contact for more information

For additional information about the program contact the SESAME/CD office at the Graduate School of Education, 4533 Tolman Hall, MC 1670, tel: (510) 642-4207, or email SESAME Program Assistant, Kate Capps: kate@berkeley.edu

If you would like to get in touch with current SESAME students simply email: cdstudentinfo@list.berkeley.edu. Contact information for current students will be sent to you. Students can provide a perspective on graduate student life and their experience at Berkeley, as well as answer many of your questions. In your email, please specify that you would like to receive contact information for SESAME students.