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1. Using latent profile analysis to assess teaching change

   Weston, T. J.; Laursen, S.; Hayward, C. N. (February 2023, Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education)

   Cook, S.; Katz, B.; Moore-Russo, D. (Ed.)

   Teaching observations can be used in multiple ways to describe and assess instruction. We addressed the challenge of measuring instructional change with observational protocols, data that often do not lend themselves easily to statistical comparisons. We first grouped 790 mathematics classes using Latent Profile Analysis and found four reliable categories of classes. Based on the grouping we proposed a proportional measure called Proportion Non-Didactic Lecture (PND). The measure is the proportion of interactive to lecture classes for each instructor. The PND worked in simple hypothesis tests but lacked some statistical power due to possible scaler ceiling effects. The measure correlated highly with a dependent measure derived from the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP), a holistic observational measure. The PND also provided effective descriptions and visualizations of instructional approaches and how these changed from pre to post. 

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2. Classroom Observations Indicate the Positive Impacts of Discipline-Based Professional Development

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-019-00015-w  

   Viskupic, Karen; Ryker, Katherine; Teasdale, Rachel; Manduca, Cathryn; Iverson, Ellen; Farthing, Dori; Bruckner, Monica Z.; McFadden, Rory (May 2019, Journal for STEM Education Research)

   We compared 236 geoscience instructors’ histories of professional development (PD) participation with classroom observations using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) that describe undergraduate classes as Student-Centered (score ≥ 50), Transitional (score 31–49) or Teacher-Centered (score ≤ 30). Instructors who attended PD (n = 111) have higher average RTOP scores (44.5 vs. 34.2) and are more frequently observed teaching Student-Centered classes (33% vs. 13%) than instructors with no PD (p < 0.001). Instructors who attended PD that is topically-aligned with content taught during the classroom observation are likely to have RTOP scores that are higher by 13.5 points (p < 0.0001), and are 5.6 times more likely to teach a Student-Centered class than instructors without topically-aligned PD. Comparable odds of teaching Student-Centered classes (5.8x) occur for instructors who attended two topical PD events but were observed teaching a different topic. Models suggest that instructors with at least 24 h of PD are significantly more likely to teach a Student-Centered class than instructors with fewer hours. Our results highlight the effectiveness of discipline-specific PD in impacting teaching practices, and the importance of attending more than one such PD event to aid transfer of learning. 

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

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-022-00340-4  

   Jackson, Mallory_A; Moon, Sungmin; Doherty, Jennifer_H; Wenderoth, Mary_Pat (March 2022, International Journal of STEM Education)

   Abstract BackgroundThere 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. ResultsWe 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. ConclusionsResults 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. 

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4. Integrating evidence-based teaching practices into the Mammalogy classroom

   https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyad011  

   Patrick, Lorelei E; Duggan, Jennifer M; Dizney, Laurie (February 2023, Journal of Mammalogy)

   Powell, Roger (Ed.)

   Abstract The teaching practices used in college science classrooms have a profound influence on which students pass their courses (and continue to major in science) and which are ‘weeded out.’ Students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds have lower grades and learning gains compared to their nonmarginalized peers in courses that rely heavily on lecture and high-stakes exams. This achievement gap narrows or disappears when instructors use student-centered, evidence-based teaching practices. These teaching practices can include actions that shape our classroom environment, communicate course material, and assess student learning. In this paper, we provide a summary of the evidence supporting the use of student-centered teaching practices, followed by examples of several effective evidence-based teaching practices that can be integrated into organismal courses. Examples include faculty mindset for inclusion, teaching practices to increase student confidence and to reduce stereotype threat, increasing course structure by spreading points among several different types of activities, several active learning methods, jigsaws, Scientist Spotlights, course-based undergraduate research experiences, and inquiry-based labs. Each example is linked to supporting resources to help instructors easily implement these practices in their classrooms. The American Society of Mammalogists endeavors to be equitable and inclusive through numerous initiatives, and modifying our teaching practices can increase equity and inclusion of future mammalogists into our own classrooms. 

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5. Practice-Based Teacher Education Benefits Graduate Trainees and Their Students Through Inclusive and Active Teaching Methods

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-023-00109-6  

   Stromholt, Shelley; Wiggins, Benjamin; Von_der_Mehden, Bailey (January 2024, Journal for STEM Education Research)

   Li, Yeping (Ed.)

   Abstract The next generations of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers are being trained in college and university classrooms by a workforce of instructors who learn pedagogical practice largely on the job. While inclusive instructional practices and their impacts are increasingly well-studied, this training is difficult to instill within the professional development that most STEM professors receive before teaching their students. The Science Teaching Experience Program for Upcoming PhDs (STEP-UP) at the University of Washington was built to prepare future professors for inclusive excellence by guiding them through the literature in education research and providing them a space to practice active and inclusive teaching techniques. This study of STEP-UP uses a design-based approach to understand graduate trainee and undergraduate perceptions of the most salient aspects and outcomes of the program. Our study found that trainees used opportunities to practice inclusive teaching methods with a cohort of their peers, and crucially that these methods were evident in trainee-taught courses through multiple lines of evidence. STEP-UP-trained instructors used inclusive teaching strategies that helped students to feel socioemotionally supported. This study offers a model program that fosters inclusion and equity in undergraduate STEM classrooms through improving teaching professional development for graduate students. 

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