5 - Sustainability of an Established CURE Curriculum at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are laboratory curriculum designed to expand the inclusivity of research opportunities for undergraduate students. CUREs provide the experience and benefits of scientific research, and those benefits and experiences at an earlier point in students’ education. These qualities mean CUREs can be of great value to primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs), but faculty at these institutions who wish to design and/or implement a CURE can face major barriers including lack of time and resources. We provided professional development and ongoing support for the implementation of an established CURE at two PUIs. The CURE was taught by four faculty members, allowing us to study the faculty experience when implementing an established CURE with support provided from resources outside of their institution. We interviewed the faculty prior to PD, and after one semester of CURE implementation to understand the instructors’ experiences and motivations. Interviews are being analyzed using qualitative research techniques to answer the following research questions. (1)What factors influence faculty to sustain an established CURE once implemented? (2)What motivates the decision to sustain the CURE? (3)What support resources does the instructor anticipate will be needed to do so? (4)What support resources were actually used by the instructor? Preliminary analysis of interviews shows that student outcomes and faculty impact were major motivations for CURE sustainability, as well as the degree to which an established CURE curriculum can be adapted to a particular institution. Instructors are relatively accurate at perceiving what barriers and support needs exist at their institutions and which may affect future sustainability of the CURE

Learning to teach effectively : science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduate teaching assistants' teaching self-efficacy

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are important in the teaching of undergraduate students (Golde & Dore, 2001). However, they are often poorly prepared for teaching (Luft, Kurdziel, Roehrig, & Turner, 2004). This dissertation addresses teaching effectiveness in three related manuscripts: 1. A position paper that summarizes the current research on and develops a model of GTA teaching effectiveness. 2. An adaptation and validation of two instruments; GTA perception of teaching training and STEM GTA teaching self-efficacy. 3. A model test of factors that predict STEM GTA teaching self-efficacy. Together these three papers address key questions in the understanding of teaching effectiveness in STEM GTAs including: (a) What is our current knowledge of factors that affect the teaching effectiveness of GTAs? (b) Given that teaching self-efficacy is strongly linked to teaching performance, how can we measure STEM GTAs teaching self-efficacy? (c) Is there a better way to measure GTA teaching training than currently exists? (d) What factors predict STEM GTA teaching self-efficacy? An original model for GTA teaching effectiveness was developed from a thorough search of the GTA teaching literature. The two instruments – perception of training and teaching self-efficacy – were tested through self-report surveys using STEM GTAs from six different universities including Oregon State University (OSU). The data was analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Using GTAs from the OSU colleges of science and engineering, the model of sources of STEM GTA teaching self-efficacy was tested by administering self-report surveys and analyzed by using OLS regression analysis. Language and cultural proficiency, departmental teaching climate, teaching self-efficacy, GTA training, and teaching experience affect GTA teaching effectiveness. GTA teaching self-efficacy is a second-order factor combined from self-efficacy for instructional strategies and a positive learning environment. It is correlated to GTA perception of teaching training and university GTA training. The K-12 teaching experience, GTA perception of teaching training, and facilitating factors in the departmental climate predict STEM GTA teaching self-efficacy. Hours of GTA training and supervision are fully mediated by perception of GTA training. Implications for research and training of STEM GTAs are discussed

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduate teaching assistants teaching self-efficacy

The graduate experience is a critical time for development of academic faculty, but often there is little preparation for teaching during the graduate career. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach students in a specific context, can help to predict teaching behavior and student achievement, and can be used as a measure of graduate students’ development as instructors. An instrument measuring teaching self-efficacy of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) was developed from a general university faculty teaching instrument to the specific teaching context of STEM GTAs. Construct and face validity, measurement reliability, and factor structure of the instrument were determined from survey data of 253 STEM GTAs at six universities. STEM GTA teaching self-efficacy correlated to various measures of GTA professional development and teaching experience. Implications and applications for faculty involved in GTA professional development, supervision, and research are discussed

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants Teaching Self-Efficacy

The graduate experience is a critical time for development of academic faculty, but often there is little preparation for teaching during the graduate career.  Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach students in a specific context, can help to predict teaching behavior and student achievement, and can be used as a measure of graduate students’ development as instructors.  An instrument measuring teaching self-efficacy of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) was developed from a general university faculty teaching instrument to the specific teaching context of STEM GTAs.  Construct and face validity, measurement reliability, and factor structure of the instrument were determined from survey data of 253 STEM GTAs at six universities.  STEM GTA teaching self-efficacy correlated to various measures of GTA professional development and teaching experience.  Implications and applications for faculty involved in GTA professional development, supervision, and research are discussed

Modeling Sources of Teaching Self-Efficacy for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have a large impact on undergraduate instruction but are often poorly prepared to teach. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach specific student populations a specific subject, is an important predictor of teaching skill and student achievement. A model of sources of teaching self-efficacy is developed from the GTA literature. This model indicates that teaching experience, departmental teaching climate (including peer and supervisor relationships), and GTA professional development (PD) can act as sources of teaching self-efficacy. The model is pilot tested with 128 GTAs from nine different STEM departments at a midsized research university. Structural equation modeling reveals that K–12 teaching experience, hours and perceived quality of GTA PD, and perception of the departmental facilitating environment are significant factors that explain 32% of the variance in the teaching self-efficacy of STEM GTAs. This model highlights the important contributions of the departmental environment and GTA PD in the development of teaching self-efficacy for STEM GTAs

Modeling Sources of Teaching Self-Efficacy for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have a large impact on undergraduate instruction but are often poorly prepared to teach. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach specific student populations a specific subject, is an important predictor of teaching skill and student achievement. A model of sources of teaching self-efficacy is developed from the GTA literature. This model indicates that teaching experience, departmental teaching climate (including peer and supervisor relationships), and GTA professional development (PD) can act as sources of teaching self-efficacy. The model is pilot tested with 128 GTAs from nine different STEM departments at a midsized research university. Structural equation modeling reveals that K–12 teaching experience, hours and perceived quality of GTA PD, and perception of the departmental facilitating environment are significant factors that explain 32% of the variance in the teaching self-efficacy of STEM GTAs. This model highlights the important contributions of the departmental environment and GTA PD in the development of teaching self-efficacy for STEM GTAs.© 2015 S. E. DeChenne et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article can be found at: http://www.lifescied.org/content/14/3/ar3

Anatomy of STEM Teaching in American Universities: A Snapshot from a Large-Scale Observation Study

National and local initiatives focused on the transformation of STEM teaching in higher education have multiplied over the last decade. These initiatives often focus on measuring change in instructional practices, but it is difficult to monitor such change without a national picture of STEM educational practices, especially as characterized by common observational instruments. We characterized a snapshot of this landscape by conducting the first large scale observation-based study. We found that lecturing was prominent throughout the undergraduate STEM curriculum, even in classrooms with infrastructure designed to support active learning, indicating that further work is required to reform STEM education. Additionally, we established that STEM faculty’s instructional practices can vary substantially within a course, invalidating the commonly-used teaching evaluations based on a one-time observation

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduate teaching assistants teaching self-efficacy

The graduate experience is a critical time for development of academic faculty, but often there is little preparation for teaching during the graduate career. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach students in a specific context, can help to predict teaching behavior and student achievement, and can be used as a measure of graduate students’ development as instructors. An instrument measuring teaching self-efficacy of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) was developed from a general university faculty teaching instrument to the specific teaching context of STEM GTAs. Construct and face validity, measurement reliability, and factor structure of the instrument were determined from survey data of 253 STEM GTAs at six universities. STEM GTA teaching self-efficacy correlated to various measures of GTA professional development and teaching experience. Implications and applications for faculty involved in GTA professional development, supervision, and research are discussed

Modeling Sources of Teaching Self-Efficacy for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have a large impact on undergraduate instruction but are often poorly prepared to teach. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach specific student populations a specific subject, is an important predictor of teaching skill and student achievement. A model of sources of teaching self-efficacy is developed from the GTA literature. This model indicates that teaching experience, departmental teaching climate (including peer and supervisor relationships), and GTA professional development (PD) can act as sources of teaching self-efficacy. The model is pilot tested with 128 GTAs from nine different STEM departments at a midsized research university. Structural equation modeling reveals that K–12 teaching experience, hours and perceived quality of GTA PD, and perception of the departmental facilitating environment are significant factors that explain 32% of the variance in the teaching self-efficacy of STEM GTAs. This model highlights the important contributions of the departmental environment and GTA PD in the development of teaching self-efficacy for STEM GTAs