sotl in stem: how, why and what?

SOTL IN STEM: HOW, WHY, AND WHAT?

MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY SYMPOSIUM ON TEACHING AND LEARNING

BANFF, ALBERTA, CANADANOVEMBER 13, 2010 Susan Elrod, PhD

ExecuAve Director, Project Kaleidoscope @ AAC&Uh5p://www.aacu.org/pkal [email protected]

Friday, February 4, 2011

http://www.aacu.org/pkal


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Word cloud of Mount Royal University Symposium Program


Leading advocate for building and sustaining strong undergraduate programs in STEM since 1989 PKAL’s work engages faculty and leaders at colleges and universiUes through an extensive naUonal network of >5000 STEM faculty and leaders at over 750 colleges and universiUes in the U.S. and Canada

PROJECT KALEIDOSCOPE (PKAL)

Copyright 2010 by Susan Elrod. All rights Reserved


PKAL’S GUIDING VISION ...

... Science and mathema-cs educa-on works wherever it takes place within an ac-ve community of learners, where learning is ac+ve, hands-‐on, inves+ga+ve, and experien+al, and where the curriculum is rich in laboratory experiences, steeped in the methods of scien-fic research as it is prac-ced by professional scien-sts. This approach works for women, for minori-es, for all students.

-‐-‐ Dan Sullivan, 1991, PKAL Volume I: Building Natural Science Communi@es



PKAL’S CURRENT PROJECTS

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING

REGIONAL NETWORKS

Environmental

Science

Environmental

Studies

SustainabilityIntitiative

Barriers- Ongoing reconsideration of academic program andintellectual life at the University has stalled thedevelopment of new programs.- Current financial situation will continue to limit what canbe done.- Potential clash of departmental interests with plans fornew program; difficult to get some departments to buy in.

Survey of 300+ DePauw Students- 93% say that they are concerned about environmentalissues.- 29% of respondents say that they are interested in acareer dealing with environmental issues.- 56% say that they are not satisfied with the environ-mental education they receive in their DePauw classes.- 76% respond that they would like more classes aboutthe environment to be offered.

Integrating Environmental Studies into the Liberal Arts ExperienceDePauw University, Greencastle, INCarol Steele and Jim Benedix

Hot Tip!Developing a new ID program and want to start attractingstudents? Build a website before the program is done tohighlight what is already available on campus that relatesto the planned program.

Accomplishments- Presidents‘ Climate Commitment signed and CampusSustainability Initiative created (includes a project whichwill measure DePauw’s carbon footprint) .- Survey of DePauw students completed which gaugesinterest in environmental studies, along with a study ofenvironmental programs at comparison schools and ofcurrent environmental courses at DePauw.- Environmental science/studies website developed.- Continued development of the co-curricular DePauwEnvironmental Policy Project to include courses as wellas summer internships.- Aquatic Ecosystem specialist becomes newest Biologyfaculty member, strengthening the environmental faculty.

AbstractThe original goal of this project was to infuse environ-mental studies into our institution as a whole, and in par-ticular into our liberal arts curriculum. The project hasstarted slowly, in large part due to the initiation of whatcould be a complete restructuring of our academic pro-gram. In the fall of 2008 our new president charged thefaculty with the task of reconsidering intellectual life, withthe goal of making whatever changes deemed necessaryto enhance the experience of students and faculty andincreasing the quality of the institution as a small, liberalarts university. While this is currently slowing the devel-opment of what we hope will be a broad environmentalstudies program, it may also provide an opportunitybecause the restructuring we are likely to experience inthe next couple of years may allow us to weave our newprogram into the curriculum as it is being reshaped. Weare considering a three-pronged model in which the uni-versity-wide program would have two academic/curricularareas, environmental science (natural sciences) andenvironmental studies (social sciences and humanities),and a policy/administrative area focusing on campussustainability. All three of these have been developing ontheir own, and so one of the tasks at hand is to constructan organizational system that will formalize them, con-nect them, and allow a high level of interaction betweenthem.

DePauw Environmental PolicyProject Receives Award

The Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC) named theDePauw Environmental Policy Project (DEPP) their“Environmental Organization of the Year,” saying that thegroup “confounded the expectation of what can beaccomplished on a college campus.”

DISCIPLINARY SOCIETY

COLLABORATIONS

ACSNAGTAIBS...

Plus -‐ Community, Conferences and Resources in STEM


Upcoming Project Kaleidoscope Events

Join us:

✦ AAC&U Annual Mee=ng on Global Posi*oning: Jan 26-‐29, 2011 -‐ San Francisco ** PKAL sessions on Interdisciplinary Learning plus Symposium on the Integra@ve, Inten@onal, Global Curriculum

✦ PKAL-‐AAC&U Engaged STEM Learning: From Pervasive to Promising Prac7ces Conference: March 24-‐26, 2010 -‐ Miami, Florida

✦ Join the PKAL conversa*on on STEM higher educa*on: Email news/updates, TwiPer, Blog, Facebook page

More at h<p://www.aacu.org/pkal

PROJECT KALEIDOSCOPE




WHY SOTL IN STEM?


Science Magazine Covers -‐ BIG GLOBAL ISSUES

ENERGY

CLIMATE CHANGE

GLOBAL HEALTH

FOOD SECURITY

GENETICS & DIVERSITY

These kinds of problems necessitate graduates from different disciplinary backgrounds who are scientifically literate -‐ adept consumers of scientific information -‐ as well as socially responsible, culturally responsive and globally aware.


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http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12764




hPp://www.heri.ucla.edu/nih/HERI_ResearchBrief_OL_2010_STEM.pdf

In 2009, 34.1% of URM (underrepresented racial minority) students and 34.3% of White and Asian American students indicated on the 2009 CIRP Freshman Survey that they planned to pursue a STEM major.

However, there are s=ll dispari=es in comple=on rates among the groups for STEM majors; students interested in STEM majors across all groups have lower comple=on rates than non-‐STEM counterparts.

Higher Educa=on Research Ins=tute (HERI) STEM Study


http://www.heri.ucla.edu/nih/HERI_ResearchBrief_OL_2010_STEM.pdf

http://www.heri.ucla.edu/nih/HERI_ResearchBrief_OL_2010_STEM.pdf

A LOOK IN THE MIRROR ...

The largest gain in learning produc-vity in STEM will come from convincing the large majority of STEM faculty that currently teaches by lecturing to use any form of ac-ve or collabora-ve instruc-on.

-‐-‐ James Fairweather (2009) Report to the Na@onal Academies Board on Science Educa@on


PEDEAGOGIES OF ENGAGEMENTCoopera*ve Learning involves students working in groups to accomplish learning goals.

Interac*ve Lectures engage students with course material through short individual, pair, or small-‐group ac=vi=es.

Inves*ga*ve Case-‐Based Learning involves students in addressing real world problems.

Just-‐in-‐Time Teaching (JiTT) students read assigned material outside of class, respond to short ques=ons online, par=cipate in discussion and collabora=ve exercises in class.

Peer-‐Led Team Learning (PLTL) teams of 6-‐8 students are guided by a peer leader in Learning, problem-‐solving..

Process-‐Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) students are ac=vely engaged by working in self-‐managed teams on guided inquiry ac=vi=es.

SCALE-‐UP is a Student-‐Centered Ac=ve Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs.

Pedagogies of Engagement: hPp://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/index.html

ACTIVE LEARNING


http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/cooperative/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/cooperative/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/interactive/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/interactive/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/icbl/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/icbl/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/justintime/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/justintime/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/pltl/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/pltl/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/pogil/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/pogil/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/scaleup/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/scaleup/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/index.html

AN EXAMPLE CLASS STRUCTURE

Miller et al. (2008) Science 322:1329


Case studies wri,en using primary data

Textbook Figures vs. Real Data

Meselson, M. and F.W. Stahl, 1958, The Replication of DNA in Escherichia coli, Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences, 44: 671-682.

Figure 12.3 from Pierce, Benjamin, 2005, Genetics: A Conceptual Approach, WH Freeman, New York.

PASSIVE LEARNING ACTIVE LEARNING



AAAS VISION AND CHANGE IN BIOLOGY EDUCATION (2009)

hPp://visionandchange.org/


http://visionandchange.org

http://visionandchange.org

Learning builds on exisUng knowledge; is built progressively

Learning requires acUve cogniUve challenges; transiUons novices toward expert thinking & frameworks

Knowledge and understanding are constructed by the learner

Learning occurs best in context & when it is relevant to the learner

ReflecUon (metacogniUon) promotes learning

Learning is an acUve, social process

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT LEARNING

National Research Council. Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. eds (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.


WHAT DOESSOTL IN STEM LOOK LIKE?


THREE (SIX) QUESTIONS

How will we know?

How shall we teach?

What do they know?

What should they know?

How will they know?

How will they learn?

STUDENTS INSTRUCTORS

Goal: IntenAonal and Deliberate TeachingCopyright 2010 by Susan Elrod. All rights Reserved


Concept Inventories ...

✦ DefiniUon -‐ mulUple choice instrument designed to evaluate whether a person has an accurate working knowledge of a specific set of concepts (h5p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_inventory)

✦ Use -‐ diagnosUc to used to inform the instructor regarding student understanding pre-‐ and post-‐instrucUon; can calculate a learning gain; with results, adjust instrucUon to help students

Gathering Evidence of Student Understanding



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_inventory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_inventory

21 3

LIGHT, NO WATER

LIGHT, WATER NO LIGHT, WATER

3Three idenAcal plates of radish seeds are incubated under three different

condiAons, with results as shown. How will the dry weights of the three plates compare at the end of the experiment?

A) 1 < 2 < 3 B) 1 < 3 < 2 C) 1 = 3 < 2 D) 3 < 1 < 2 E) 1 = 2 = 3

EBERT-‐MAY, ET AL. 2003, BIOSCIENCE


21 33Three idenAcal plates of radish seeds are incubated under three different

condiAons, with results as shown. How will the dry weights of the three plates compare at the end of the experiment?

A) 1 < 2 < 3 B) 1 < 3 < 2 C) 1 = 3 < 2 D) 3 < 1 < 2 E) 1 = 2 = 3

1.46 G 1.63 G 1.20 G

LIGHT, NO WATER

LIGHT, WATER NO LIGHT, WATER

EBERT-‐MAY, ET AL. 2003, BIOSCIENCE


SoTL cycle starting with student’s prior knowledge

Assess prior knowledgeof students

Reconcile with your expectations (expert knowledge)

Modify/Adjust Instruction

and Assessment



New Images of Chromosomes for instruction

From my own SoTL journeyin Genetics



SOME ASSESSMENT TIPS

Tie it to learning outcomes and don’t do it just because you can (par=cularly when it comes to technology)

Use pre/post ques=ons (e.g., concept inventories) to assess prior knowledge as well as learning gains.

Use forma=ve (during the learning) methods to inform instruc=on (both the learner and the teacher)✦ Clickers, one-‐minute paper, concept maps, brainstorms, mini-‐maps of

key terms, strip sequence of textbook images, etc.

Use summa=ve (aRer the learning) methods to evaluate learning and hold learner accountable; use rubrics to assess complex learning



INTENTIONAL CURRICULUM DESIGN

Think-‐pair-‐share: Think about a class you teach.

1) Iden=fy ONE LEARNING OUTCOME you have for students.

2) What do you know about student’s PRIOR KNOWLEDGE? How could you gather informa=on about it?

3) Aher instruc=on, how would you know students LEARNED?

4) What are the implica=ons for INSTRUCTION? Copyright 2010 by Susan Elrod. All rights Reserved


DATA ANALYSIS

Smith, M. et al. 2008 CBE-‐Life Sciences Education


Learning gains in interacAve-‐engaging physics courses (Hake, 1998)

So, why aren’t all our STEM classrooms transformed?


* Achieving the necessary commitment and coordination across more than two or three faculty teaching the same course at the same time has been difficult.

Carl Wieman, et al., (2010) Transforming Science Education at Large Research Universities, Change, March/April 2010

It takes a village, which includes leadership beyond the department. Five core strategies common to transforming ins=tu=ons: 1) senior administra=ve support, 2) collabora=ve leadership, 3) flexible

vision, 4) staff development, and 5) visible ac=on. (Eckel and Kezar (2003) Taking the Reins: Ins-tu-onal Transforma-on in Higher Educa-on)


ONE MINUTE WRAP UP

What is one great idea you have learned at this symposium that you will use

when you get home?



sotl in stem: how, why and what?

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