Which evidence-based teaching practices change over time? Results from a university-wide STEM faculty development program

Abstract

Background There is overwhelming evidence that evidence-based teaching improves student performance; however, traditional lecture predominates in STEM courses. To provide support as faculty transform their lecture-based classrooms with evidence-based teaching practices, we created a faculty development program based on best practices, Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate STEM Education (CAUSE). CAUSE paired exploration of evidence-based teaching with support for classroom implementation over two years. Each year for three years, CAUSE recruited cohorts of faculty from seven STEM departments. Faculty met biweekly to discuss evidence-based teaching and receive feedback on their implementation. We used the PORTAAL observation tool to document evidence-based teaching practices (PORTAAL practices) across four randomly chosen class sessions each term. We investigated if the number of PORTAAL practices used or the amount of practices increased during the program. Results We identified identical or equivalent course offerings taught at least twice by the same faculty member while in CAUSE (n = 42 course pairs). We used a one-way repeated measures within-subjects multivariate analysis to examine the changes in average use of 14 PORTAAL practices between the first and second timepoint. We created heat maps to visualize the difference in number of practices used and changes in level of implementation of each PORTAAL practice. Post-hoc within-subjects effects indicated that three PORTAAL practices were significantly higher and two were lower at timepoint two. Use of prompting prior knowledge and calling on volunteers to give answers decreased, while instructors doubled use of prompting students to explain their logic, and increased use of random call by almost 40% when seeking answers from students. Heat maps indicated increases came both from faculty’s adoption of these practices and increased use, depending on the practice. Overall, faculty used more practices more frequently, which contributed to a 17% increase in time that students were actively engaged in class. Conclusions Results suggest that participation in a long-term faculty development program can support increased use of evidence-based teaching practices which have been shown to improve student exam performance. Our findings can help prioritize the efforts of future faculty development programs.

The Goal of Doctoral Education in Chemistry: Faculty Perspectives

“…If doctoral programs are structured so that faculty prepare individuals for various career paths, and faculty members educating them are uncertain about these goals, it can impact the program’s ability to adequately prepare students for their future careers. This could potentially contradict the optimal methods for program development as indicated by evidence-based teaching practices. − In alignment with the TCSR model, faculty should be at the center of addressing this uncertainty, which can be achieved through fostering a culture of open communication among faculty members, encouraging discussions about the goals, sharing best practices, and providing platforms for dialogue can help align faculty understanding of the program’s goals and work toward a unified goal . The unified goal can then be documented and made accessible to all stakeholders.…”

High-Impact Teaching Practices in Higher Education: Understanding Barriers, Concerns, and Obstacles to Their Adoption

“…For example, instructors with self-based concerns about adopting HIPs may benefit from formal training and preparation in high-impact instructional practices in order to increase instructor confidence in implementing HIPs [11,20,21]. Findings from Jackson et al [22] show that implementing long-term faculty-development programs can encourage instructors to use active learning activities in their courses. Training instructors on how to use technology is also essential for supporting the application of evidence-based teaching practices in the classroom, especially for those who struggle to navigate 21st-century technological advances [23][24][25][26].…”

Development of an RGB Color Sensor & Its Application to Determine Urease Activity with Students at School

“…Active learning strategies positively affect students' academic achievement (Freeman et al, 2011), which incorporate reading tests, active learning, and significant classroom activities that can decrease rates of failure in introductory biology lessons compared to simple-structured lesson designs that rely on lecturing (Howitz et al, 2020). In other words, the participation of students in the active learning environment has a positive effect on their scientific process skills (Jackson et al, 2022). Supporting traditional and teacher-centered lessons with evidence-based activities will be useful to encourage a student-centered approach in STEM courses.…”