Building the Capacity of Future Teachers through Authentic Research Experiences Involving Data Analytics

Baylor College Of Medicine, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

The project aims to serve the national need of developing highly effective STEM teachers with knowledge of data science. Since data driven discovery is a high priority across all areas of science and engineering education and research, future STEM professionals, including today’s students, will need to be able to gather and analyze data to solve problems. In order to help students to thrive in a data-intensive society, teachers themselves require opportunities to develop their own skills and understandings related to data science and scientific research. To meet this need, this project will engage prospective secondary STEM teachers in mentored summer research experiences related to biological applications of data science. Accompanying the research experiences will be a professional development program. This professional development program will be aimed at increasing pedagogical and content knowledge. It is also aimed at developing communication skills and incorporating enrichment experiences to illustrate and emphasize ways research can be applied to build prospective teachers' capacity to incorporate research and other inquiry-based learning in the classroom. By providing prospective teachers with firsthand research experiences involving data analytics, the project has potential to improve the quality of STEM teaching related to data science as well as to contribute to teachers’ satisfaction and retention. This project at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston includes collaborations with teacher preparation programs at University of Houston, University of Houston Clear Lake, and the Texas Education Agency Region 4 Service Center. The project will immerse six future secondary STEM teachers per year in authentic research experiences related to life sciences data mining and analysis, with a total of 18 participants over three years. The project has four fundamental goals. A primary project goal is for these prospective teachers to receive authentic research experiences involving a variety of data analytical approaches to investigate questions from neuroscience as well as molecular and cellular biology. A second goal is to incorporate accompanying professional development opportunities designed to expand the research experiences and to equip these perspective STEM teachers with the skills and understanding to bring research and professional development experiences to their future classrooms. A third goal is to evaluate the impact of project components on prospective teachers’ growth and preparation. To meet the project's fourth goal, project outcomes will be disseminated to other investigators and institutions interested in improving and enhancing STEM pre-service teacher preparation. Project evaluation will include studying the impact of the research experiences and engagement in the professional development program on the participants, and will include information from completion of the project's curriculum, analysis of reflective journal entries, assessment of science identity and science teaching efficacy, and results emanating from continued engagement with partnering researchers and the host institution. Project results will be disseminated through communications with project collaborators, publications in peer-reviewed journals, presentations at local and national meetings, and web-based strategies. This Noyce Research Experiences for Pre-Service Teachers project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the retention and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.