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 ◽  
...  

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.

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. ar22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan E. Bathgate ◽  
Oriana R. Aragón ◽  
Andrew J. Cavanagh ◽  
Jennifer Frederick ◽  
Mark J. Graham

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.


Author(s):  
Ellen Marie Aster ◽  
Jana Bouwma-Gearhart ◽  
Kathleen Quardokus Fisher

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.


2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 618-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle K. Smith ◽  
Francis H. M. Jones ◽  
Sarah L. Gilbert ◽  
Carl E. Wieman

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.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. es8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy B. Mulnix

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-371
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ahmad Alkhateeb

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (37) ◽  
pp. 22665-22667 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kelly Lane ◽  
Jacob D. McAlpin ◽  
Brittnee Earl ◽  
Stephanie Feola ◽  
Jennifer E. Lewis ◽  
...  

Programs seeking to transform undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses often strive for participating faculty to share their knowledge of innovative teaching practices with other faculty in their home departments. Here, we provide interview, survey, and social network analyses revealing that faculty who use innovative teaching practices preferentially talk to each other, suggesting that greater steps are needed for information about innovative practices to reach faculty more broadly.


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