scholarly journals Contextualizing communities in an instructional improvement initiative: exploring STEM faculty engagement in teaching-related conversations

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Marie Aster ◽  
Jana Bouwma-Gearhart ◽  
Kathleen Quardokus Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Administrative Support ◽  
Instructional Improvement ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Faculty Engagement ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Stem Faculty ◽  
And Mathematics

AbstractA frequently cited strategy for fostering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructional improvements is creating communities where faculty can share and learn evidence-based teaching practices. Despite research-documented benefits, little is known about why (and with whom) faculty engage in teaching-related conversations, including those fostered by initiative communities. We explored how STEM faculty engage in teaching-related conversations, via analysis of faculty interviews and discussion networks, to identify factors potentially influencing teaching-related conversations over the life of an initiative. Our results suggest aspects that might inhibit STEM faculty from engaging in teaching-related conversations, including: 1) faculty members’ autonomy with teaching practices; 2) faculty members’ varied interests in teaching improvements; 3) varied degrees of support to engage in teaching-related conversations; and 4) a lack of inclusive and non-judgmental spaces to talk about teaching. We suggest that those fostering STEM faculty communities consider working with others across the institution to map the instructional improvement opportunities faculty may already take part in and attend to areas lacking support. Initiative leaders and designers should also elicit and build off faculty members’ teaching-related knowledge and concerns. We further suggest making conversational spaces inclusive and safe, to help faculty honestly share teaching-related challenges and insights. We recommend creating and fostering spaces that bring faculty together across department boundaries. Our study echoes prior research by drawing attention to administrative support for instructional improvement initiatives, which can foster and sustain opportunities for faculty to talk about teaching and learn instructional improvements.

scholarly journals Inclusive Teaching

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. fe2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Dewsbury ◽  
Cynthia J. Brame
Keyword(s):  
Classroom Climate ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Pedagogical Choices ◽  
Stem Faculty ◽  
Inclusive Teaching ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
National Networks

Over the past two decades, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty have been striving to make their teaching practices more inclusive and welcoming to the variety of students who enter college. However, many STEM faculty, even those at teaching-focused institutions, have been educated in a traditional environment that emphasizes research and may not include classroom teaching. This can produce a deficit in training that leaves many STEM faculty feeling uncertain about inclusive teaching practices and their essential undergirding principles. This essay describes an online, evidence-based teaching guide ( https://lse.ascb.org/evidence-based-teaching-guides/inclusive-teaching ) intended to help fill this gap, serving as a resource for science faculty as they work to become more inclusive, particular with regard to differences in race, ethnicity, and gender. The guide describes the importance of developing self-awareness and empathy for students as a precursor to considering classroom practices. It also explores the role of classroom climate before turning to pedagogical choices that can support students’ sense of belonging, competence, and interest in the course. Finally, the guide suggests that true inclusivity is a community effort and that instructors should leverage local and national networks to maximize student learning and inclusion. Each of these essential points is supported by summaries of and links to articles that can inform these choices. The guide also includes an instructor checklist that offers a concise summary of key points with actionable steps that can guide instructors as they work toward a more inclusive practice. We hope that the guide will provide value for both faculty who are just beginning to consider how to change their teaching practices and faculty seeking to enrich their current efforts.

scholarly journals A Framework of College Student Buy-in to Evidence-Based Teaching Practices in STEM: The Roles of Trust and Growth Mindset

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. ar54
Author(s):  
Cong Wang ◽  
Andrew J. Cavanagh ◽  
Melanie Bauer ◽  
Philip M. Reeves ◽  
Julia C. Gill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
College Science ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Undergraduate Stem Education ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Stem Education Reform

This investigation tests a college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) student buy-in framework and contributes to understanding the social and cognitive factors influencing students in evidence-based teaching contexts. Students’ level of commitment to instructors’ teaching practices can be key to attaining many desired student outcomes of undergraduate STEM education reform.

scholarly journals Supports: A Key Factor in Faculty Implementation of Evidence-Based Teaching

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. ar22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan E. Bathgate ◽  
Oriana R. Aragón ◽  
Andrew J. Cavanagh ◽  
Jennifer Frederick ◽  
Mark J. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
College Science ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Departmental Support ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Curricular Resources

Evidence-based teaching (EBT), such as active learning and formative assessment, benefits student learning but is not present in many college science classrooms. The choices faculty make about how to teach their science courses are influenced by their personal beliefs and motivations, as well as their departmental structures and institutional cultures. With data from 584 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty trained in EBT, we compare which of the following factors most relate to faculty’s use of EBT: 1) faculty’s personal motivations (e.g., teaching value, confidence, beliefs about intelligence); and 2) their experiences with their institutional teaching environments (e.g., departmental support, student enthusiasm). Faculty’s perceived supports in their teaching environments (e.g., having supportive colleagues, being able to access curricular resources) were by far most predictive of their use of EBT. Faculty’s personal motivations had little to no relationship when supports were included in these models. The effects were robust, even when controlling for faculty gender, minority status, and teaching experience. Much of the literature has focused on perceived barriers to EBT implementation (e.g., lack of time, constrained teaching space). The current data indicate that a focus on building supports for faculty may have the greatest impact on increasing the presence of EBT in college STEM courses.

scholarly journals A Campus-Wide Study of STEM Courses: New Perspectives on Teaching Practices and Perceptions

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 624-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle K. Smith ◽  
Erin L. Vinson ◽  
Jeremy A. Smith ◽  
Justin D. Lewin ◽  
MacKenzie R. Stetzer
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Student Behavior ◽  
School Science ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
High School Science ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Instructional Behaviors ◽  
Specific Teaching ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The University

At the University of Maine, middle and high school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers observed 51 STEM courses across 13 different departments and collected information on the active-engagement nature of instruction. The results of these observations show that faculty members teaching STEM courses cannot simply be classified into two groups, traditional lecturers or instructors who teach in a highly interactive manner, but instead exhibit a continuum of instructional behaviors between these two classifications. In addition, the observation data reveal that student behavior differs greatly in classes with varied levels of lecture. Although faculty members who teach large-enrollment courses are more likely to lecture, we also identified instructors of several large courses using interactive teaching methods. Observed faculty members were also asked to complete a survey about how often they use specific teaching practices, and we find that faculty members are generally self-aware of their own practices. Taken together, these findings provide comprehensive information about the range of STEM teaching practices at a campus-wide level and how such information can be used to design targeted professional development for faculty.

scholarly journals The Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS): A New Instrument to Characterize University STEM Classroom Practices

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 618-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle K. Smith ◽  
Francis H. M. Jones ◽  
Sarah L. Gilbert ◽  
Carl E. Wieman
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Classroom Observation ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
College Science ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Improving Student Learning ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Observation Protocol

Instructors and the teaching practices they employ play a critical role in improving student learning in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Consequently, there is increasing interest in collecting information on the range and frequency of teaching practices at department-wide and institution-wide scales. To help facilitate this process, we present a new classroom observation protocol known as the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM or COPUS. This protocol allows STEM faculty, after a short 1.5-hour training period, to reliably characterize how faculty and students are spending their time in the classroom. We present the protocol, discuss how it differs from existing classroom observation protocols, and describe the process by which it was developed and validated. We also discuss how the observation data can be used to guide individual and institutional change.

scholarly journals The degree practices for mathematics teachers STEM education

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-371
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ahmad Alkhateeb
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Analytical Approach ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Study Results ◽  
And Mathematics

The study aimed to investigate the teaching practices for mathematics teachers based on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Jordan. Descriptive analytical approach was used through observing the teachers’ teaching in accordance with STEM. The study sample encompassed 30 teachers of mathematics in Zarqa city who were chosen randomly. The study results showed there are seven behaviours performed by the mathematics teachers in a medium degree consistent with STEM, and 14 behaviours by low-grade mathematics teachers are consistent with STEM. The results also revealed that there were not any differences between those practices attributed to qualifications and years of experience variables. Keywords: Mathematics teachers, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), scientific qualifications, experience.

scholarly journals Impact of International Coauthorships to A Young Malaysian University Specializing in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 238-243
Author(s):  
Cheng Yee Ng ◽  
Zahiraniza Mustaffa ◽  
Kurian V John
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Citation Count ◽  
Global Dimension ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
The Other ◽  
Research Article ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Internationalization is defined as a process of integrating an international, intercultural, or global dimension into the teaching and learning of education.  International co-authorship in research article is one of the means of collaboration towards internationalization.  This paper investigates the impact of international co-authorship in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for a specialised young university (<50 years old).  The study focused on approximately 9450 articles and the citations ranging from 2012-2017.  The impact due to annual article publication, annual citation count, most cited article, annual citation per article and the correlation between the publication and citation were analysed. The finding shows that faculty members of the university have been collaborated with authors from 86 countries since 1997, which dominated by Asian institutions.  Amongst, top 30 countries with highest international co-authored publications were identified, which led by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, India, United Kingdom and Japan.  Further in detail, annual citation per article (Cpp) showed that collaborations with European countries e.g. Spain, Netherlands, and Hungry, resulting greater mean Cpp.  On the other hand, the analysis on the cumulative citation trend illustrated that the citation count is proportional to the number of articles.  This study evinced that international co-authorship does show positive impacts to a STEM specialised young university. 

scholarly journals STEM Faculty as Learners in Pedagogical Reform and the Role of Research Articles as Professional Development Opportunities

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. es8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy B. Mulnix
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Pedagogical Change ◽  
Emergent Learning ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Stem Education Reform

Discipline-based education research (DBER) publications are opportunities for professional development around science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education reform. Learning theory tells us these publications could be more impactful if authors, reviewers, and editors pay greater attention to linking principles and practice. This approach, which considers faculty as learners and STEM education reform as content, has the potential to better support faculty members because it promotes a deeper understanding of the reasons why a pedagogical change is effective. This depth of understanding is necessary for faculty members to successfully transfer new knowledge to their own contexts. A challenge ahead for the emergent learning sciences is to better integrate findings from across sister disciplines; DBER reports can take a step in that direction while improving their usefulness for instructors.

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