PORTAAL: A Classroom Observation Tool Assessing Evidence-Based Teaching Practices for Active Learning in Large Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Classes

Eddy, Sarah L.; Converse, Mercedes; Wenderoth, Mary Pat

doi:10.1187/cbe.14-06-0095

Cited by 128 publications

(147 citation statements)

References 75 publications

(111 reference statements)

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“…These instruments focus attention on observable behaviors and standardize feedback, contrasting with systems that may otherwise be subjective and inconsistent (Centra, 1994;Martinez, Borko, Stecher, Luskin, & Klower, 2012). The Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (Piburn et al, 2000;Sawada et al, 2002), PORTAAL (Eddy, Coverse, & Wenderoth, 2015), EQUIP (Marshall, Horton, & White, 2009), and Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (Smith, Jones, Gilbert, & Wieman, 2013) instruments are just a few that support systematically gathering evidence of active learning.…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Stirring the Pot: Supporting and Challenging General Education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty to Change Teaching and Assessment Practice

Stieha¹,

Shadle²,

Paterson³

2016

The Journal of General Education

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Evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) have been associated with positive student outcomes; however, institutions struggle to catalyze widespread adoption of these practices in general education science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Further, linking EBIPs with integrated learning assessment is rarely discussed in the literature, even though principles of continuous course design for quality higher education assume the connection of learning outcomes, teaching practices, and assessment. This qualitative action research study documents faculty attempting to utilize EBIPs and authentic assessment when they were provided support and accountability over multiple semesters. We document participants' current practices and encourage shifts in both teaching and assessment practices targeting greater student success in STEM general education courses. Narrative data drawn from interviews and written reflection describe the impact of structured faculty observation and cross-disciplinary conversation on participants' pedagogical and assessment choices. The faculty participants' voices vividly illustrate our findings: incentives, reflection, mentorship, and collaboration over multiple semesters support changing pedagogical practices and integrating outcomes assessment. While STEM-based, the study findings are applicable across the general education curriculum.

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Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Stirring the Pot: Supporting and Challenging General Education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty to Change Teaching and Assessment Practice

Stieha¹,

Shadle²,

Paterson³

2016

The Journal of General Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Many classroom observations methods score student behavior in aggregate (Eddy et al 2015;Sawada et al 2002;Smith et al 2013), so the class as a whole is scored as participating in an activity. That method is appropriate for providing teachers with feedback on their classroom but ignores variation among students in levels of engagement, and so is less appropriate for our purposes.…”

Section: Classroom Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the effectiveness of two natural selection simulations in the context of a large-enrollment undergraduate laboratory class

2017

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Background: Simulations can be an active and engaging way for students to learn about natural selection, and many have been developed, including both physical and virtual simulations. In this study we assessed the student experience of, and learning from, two natural selection simulations, one physical and one virtual, in a large enrollment introductory biology lab course. We assigned students to treatments (the physical or virtual simulation activity) by section and assessed their understanding of natural selection using a multiple-choice pre-/post-test and short-answer responses on a post-lab assignment. We assessed student experience of the activities through structured observations and an affective survey.Results: Students in both treatments showed increased understanding of natural selection after completing the simulation activity, but there were no differences between treatments in learning gains on the pre-/post-test, or in the prevalence of concepts and misconceptions in written answers. On a survey of self-reported enjoyment they rated the physical activity significantly higher than the virtual activity. In classroom observations of student behavior, we found significant differences in the distribution of behaviors between treatments, including a higher frequency of offtask behavior during the physical activity. Conclusions:Our results suggest that both simulations are valuable active learning tools to aid students' understanding of natural selection, so decisions about which simulation to use in a given class, and how to best implement it, can be motivated by contextual factors.

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“…To facilitate the perception of PRT as non-threatening, reviewers and the ones to be reviewed should meet prior to class observation and discuss (Burrows et al, 2011). To ensure an unbiased PRT, several independent class observations should be conducted (Eddy, Converse, & Wenderoth, 2015).…”

Section: Faculty Perceived Barriers To Prtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Faculty Perceived Barriers and Attitudes Toward Peer Review of Classroom Teaching in Higher Education Settings

2016

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Peer review of teaching (PRT) is one of the various assessment methods employed to assess teaching effectiveness. The current meta-synthesis aims to summarize the faculty perceived barriers and attitudes toward PRT process. A systematic search was done across a range of databases, with 26 studies being found acceptable for data extraction. Because all the data were presented in narrative form only, no statistical test was applied to assess the significance, difference, or association between the variables. A thematic analysis was performed, which identified the following significant issues: the importance of the involvement of teaching experts in the PRT process, the content of PRT and quality of feedback, objectives associated with PRT, and faculty perceived barriers to PRT. Overall, it is shown that academic culture, time-related issues, and the need for restructured PRT guidelines are common barriers to a willingness to participate in PRT.Keywords peer review of teaching, quality of feedback, academic culture, thematic analysis, faculty perceived barrier

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PORTAAL: A Classroom Observation Tool Assessing Evidence-Based Teaching Practices for Active Learning in Large Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Classes

Cited by 128 publications

References 75 publications

Stirring the Pot: Supporting and Challenging General Education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty to Change Teaching and Assessment Practice

Stirring the Pot: Supporting and Challenging General Education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty to Change Teaching and Assessment Practice

Testing the effectiveness of two natural selection simulations in the context of a large-enrollment undergraduate laboratory class

Faculty Perceived Barriers and Attitudes Toward Peer Review of Classroom Teaching in Higher Education Settings

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