If instructors are to integrate active learning effectively in courses in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), they need an accurate account of when and how they are integrating active learning-and of how students are responding. Without such an account, instructors may perceive that they are incorporating more active learning than observers document, or they may miss opportunities to target aspects of the implementation that may be adjusted to improve effectiveness. This article describes a visual approach to integrating observational data into self-evaluation and peer review of teaching, practices that can lead to adoption of evidence-based active-learning strategies in STEM. While our approach has specific relevance during this period of reform in STEM education, it was designed to be implemented for undergraduate courses across the disciplines. The presentation of observational data in a timeline provides a "big-picture" view of observed class sessions that captures the sequencing of instructional strategies and the "ebbs and flows" of student participation-in a chronological format that coheres with how instructors often visualize a class session. Such a view can help instructors see where these strategies meet their instructional goals, and where these strategies might be refined and improved.
A multidisciplinary group of faculty and staff formed an education research group modeled on a laboratory research group to focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This group has bridged the communication and knowledge gaps between STEM and social science faculty and science education specialists, fostered the development of collaborative SoTL projects, and laid the groundwork for broader institutional support of SoTL.
The increasing interest in incorporating evidenced‐based teaching in higher education has created a pronounced need for faculty to learn the theory and practice of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). This article describes a program designed to prepare faculty to (a) draw on existing SoTL studies when designing and implementing evidenced‐based teaching methods, (b) design SoTL studies to test the effectiveness of those methods, and (c) integrate their new knowledge of SoTL into the practice of “scholarly teaching.” This program has proven to be a successful model for incorporating evidenced‐based teaching into undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses at our university.
Centers for teaching and learning have a crucial role to play in helping faculty learn about and apply research on learning. The approach we have developed integrates discussion of recent research with specific recommendations of teaching modifications that can be adapted for different disciplines and courses. Preliminary evaluation suggests the effectiveness of this approach in fostering a growth mind‐set about teaching—a mind‐set that helps faculty develop, implement, and assess effective teaching modifications, thereby transforming faculty into scholars of teaching and learning and further developing a collaborative, innovative culture that integrates research on teaching and learning with the practice of teaching.
Collaboration among faculty and teaching center staff has produced in‐class, active‐learning methods that help students learn visualization, problem‐solving, critical thinking, and communication skills as they develop disciplinary knowledge. These methods include instructor and student use of technology tools—or tools that are unobtrusive in the classroom, easy to integrate in coordination with “low‐tech” tools, and adaptable to multiple pedagogical purposes. Preliminary evaluations suggest evidence of improved learning and high levels of student engagement. Our collaboration has produced insights into teaching and learning that are widely applicable, helping to make teaching innovative visible and to transform teaching into an act of scholarship.
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