Collaborative Research: From Courses to Careers - Addressing Ableism in Physics through Faculty-Student Partnerships

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving access in undergraduate physics courses and creating a more inclusive culture in physics. While there have been previous efforts to improve physics education, few have investigated disabled students’ experiences in undergraduate physics contexts. As the number of disabled students continues to increase in STEM, it is important both to support these disabled students in their STEM career paths and to provide professional development for physics faculty about how to support disabled students in their courses and programs. To that end, this project will develop professional development experiences for both physics faculty and disabled STEM students that focus on 1) promoting accessibility and inclusion in undergraduate physics courses and 2) facilitating mutually beneficial partnerships between disabled STEM students and physics faculty. The professional development efforts will support faculty in developing inclusive teaching practices and will support disabled students in navigating future STEM careers. The project will investigate the impact of this professional development effort, which could be a model for other institutions and STEM disciplines. Ultimately, this IUSE Engaged Student Learning Level 2 project aligns with NSF’s strategic goal to empower STEM talent to fully participate in science and engineering through the strategic objective of ensuring accessibility and inclusivity. To investigate the effectiveness of this professional development model, this collaborative project between Michigan State University and University of Connecticut will address three research questions: 1) How, and to what extent, do participating faculty develop fluency and improve knowledge in disability, accessibility, and inclusivity? How, and to what extent, do faculty implement changes and inclusive practices in their own classrooms? 2) How, and to what extent, do participating students develop fluency and improve knowledge in career readiness, available career paths, and job application processes? How, and to what extent, do students feel empowered to address ableism within the STEM community and career contexts? 3) How do participating faculty and students view their partnership during and after the workshop, and how does this partnership affect them as individuals? These research questions will be answered using qualitative methods, including interviews with participants and document analysis of workshop materials, as well as quantitative surveys to assess participants’ views and knowledge of disability in physics. From results from these studies, the project will advance knowledge about partnership-based professional development models in undergraduate STEM education, both improving access and inclusion in undergraduate physics settings as well as laying the foundation for future professional development efforts focused on accessibility and inclusion in undergraduate STEM education more broadly. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engage Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. 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.