Inclusive Course Design for Enhancing Active Learning in STEM

Auburn University, Auburn AL

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by creating new knowledge about the impact of faculty professional development on student success and engagement in STEM courses. There is overwhelming evidence that inclusive teaching and evidence-based learning strategies increase students' performance in STEM classes. Separately, there is ample evidence on best practices for STEM faculty development. However, few studies directly link faculty professional development to student success via measurement of changes in faculty practices. This project aims to change classroom culture across five STEM departments at a major research-intensive institution through focused workshops for faculty and ongoing engagement in an interdisciplinary faculty learning community. It plans to investigate in what ways and to what extent faculty professional development can impact student engagement and success, including both courses transformed by faculty in the workshops and subsequent courses taken by the students. The project intends to research: (1) changes to teaching practice that faculty make as a result of the professional development program, (2) faculty perceptions of the impact of changes made, and (3) the impact of these changes on student engagement, sense of belonging, and success outcomes. Analysis of faculty practices and perceptions will triangulate across multiple data streams collected longitudinally, including classroom observations, textual analysis of teaching artifacts, interviews with faculty about their pedagogical knowledge and decisions, and faculty surveys of their teaching practices. Student data will include performance on course assignments, reflections on course activities, and biometric sensor data taken during class to measure students' engagement. This project plans to include 30 STEM instructors in five departments (geosciences, chemistry, mathematics & statistics, physics, and biology), and to inform departmental and college policies on the implementation and value of faculty development for research-based instructional practices. The NSF IUSE:EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Institutional and Community Transformation track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities. 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.