Building inclusive excellence into STEM teaching by training graduate - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Building inclusive excellence into STEM teaching by training graduate students

POD Conference November, 2020

Ben Wiggins

University of Washington

Our Problem: Teaching quality in higher education STEM is poor

• Teaching is mostly done in traditional formats like passive lecture
• Modern best-practices show clear benefits for students from a wide

range of under-represented backgrounds.

• Why? Inclusive teaching requires funds of knowledge that are deeper,

distinct from disciplinary expertise, and require coaching to improve.

Two possible solutions: 1. Meet experienced professors where they are and improve empathic active learning skills within a career,

• r
• 2. Teach inclusive skills to likely teaching candidates

before they enter the professional workforce

A training program for graduate students in STEM will need:

• Individualized contact: small team or personal mentoring
• Extended training over time: Not just a workshop format
• Sustainability: Fits into already-packed PhD program of a graduate student
• Practice-based:
• Gives opportunities for the development of teaching skills
• Gives opportunities for the application of skills into a real classroom

The current STEP-UP model:

Timeline for a Cohort of Trainees in the STEP-UP Program

Trainee class sessions Practice sessions with live audiences Undergraduate class sessions taught by trainees Informal mentoring and material design Focus groups feedback from undergraduates Collegial review by local experts Video review and feedback

A U T U M N Q U A R T E R W I N T E R Q U A R T E R S P R I N G Q U A R T E R

Team building and syllabus design Course logistics check-in Official course evaluations Teaching reflection and philosophy exercises

http://depts.washington.edu/stepuw/home/step-up

A lens on microskills in teaching:

Ways to develop microskills:

• Role play
• Video review
• Team discussion
• Mentoring conversations

Example list of microskills:

• Bringing a class to attention
• Leading the description of a single data chart
• Giving wait time after posing a question to a group
• Revoicing the contribution of a student in discussion
• Responding to a student’s incorrect attempt to answer
• Framing activities with compelling rationale
• Giving compliments in flow
• Priming to find what a confused students does know
• Probing to find what a confident student does not know
• And many, many more…

Spring: Co-Teaching Undergrad Courses

Ethnographic Observations: Graduate Students’ Teaching (+ COPUS) Leveraging Active & Equity Strategies Engagement w/ Students & Co-Teachers Post-Survey: Teaching Self-Efficacy Ratings Focus Group Interview: Reflection on Preparation Document Analysis: Structure of Undergrad Course Alignment of Assessments to Learning Goals Mid-Survey: Teaching Self-Efficacy Ratings

Winter: Planning & Prep Autumn: Preparation Course in Teaching

Ethnographic Observations: Instructor’s Teaching Moves Graduate Student Interactions Introduce & Practice Active & Equitable Teaching Pre-Survey: Teaching Self-Efficacy Ratings Previous Teaching Experience Future Career Plans Document Analysis: Sequence & Structure of Course Type of Feedback from Instructor

Funding Year 1

Using the Design Research model:

Research outcomes from the first two cohorts:

1) Group mentoring created an atmosphere for supportive, self-critical change in teaching outlook and practice. Trainees found this especially helpful for learning inclusive methods, and this seems to have been the case because they were able to learn in an environment of trust from the experiences of peers from multiple viewpoints. 2) Direct feedback for graduate trainees from undergraduate students was identified as particularly important for development of confidence and a supportive teaching persona. Trainees indicates that ‘facing the enemy’ prior to their own instruction allowed them a rare opportunity to understand the mindset of their students which proved useful later. 3) Perhaps least surprisingly, trainees repeatedly indicated that an

• verwhelmingly positive outlook on the part of supervisors

was a necessary ingredient.

Next steps for developing this professional development system:

• Continue iterative improvement
• Incorporate online learning as a basic model
• Establish positive feedback loops within administration
• Advance beyond research funding to a sustainable program

Acknowledgements:

Elaine Klein Shelley Stromholt Becca Price Rich Gardner

Innovations in Graduate Education Program #1855841

A wide range of STEM units at UW, most especially the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program The UW STEP-WISE (Working In Science Education) program for post-doctoral scholars

Please contact us at BENLW@uw.edu with questions!