Collectively Improving Our Teaching: Attempting Biology Department-Wide Professional Development in Scientific Teaching
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| Title: | Collectively Improving Our Teaching: Attempting Biology Department-Wide Professional Development in Scientific Teaching |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Owens, Melinda T., Trujillo, Gloriana, Seidel, Shannon B., Harrison, Colin D., Farrar, Katherine M., Benton, Hilary P., Blair, J. R., Boyer, Katharyn E., Breckler, Jennifer L., Burrus, Laura W., Byrd, Dana T., Caporale, Natalia, Carpenter, Edward J., Chan, Yee-Hung M., Chen, Joseph C., Chen, Lily, Chen, Linda H., Chu, Diana S., Cochlan, William P., Crook, Robyn J., Crow, Karen D., de la Torre, José R., Denetclaw, Wilfred F., Dowdy, Lynne M., Franklin, Darleen, Fuse, Megumi, Goldman, Michael A., Govindan, Brinda, Green, Michael, Harris, Holly E., He, Zheng-Hui, Ingalls, Stephen B., Ingmire, Peter, Johnson, Amber R. B., Knight, Jonathan D., LeBuhn, Gretchen, Light, Terrye L., Low, Candace, Lund, Lance, Márquez-Magaña, Leticia M., Miller-Sims, Vanessa C., Moffatt, Christopher A., Murdock, Heather, Nusse, Gloria L., Parker, V. Thomas, Pasion, Sally G., Patterson, Robert, Pennings, Pleuni S., Ramirez, Julio C., Ramirez, Robert M., Riggs, Blake, Rohlfs, Rori V., Romeo, Joseph M., Rothman, Barry S., Roy, Scott W., Russo-Tait, Tatiane, Sehgal, Ravinder N. M., Simonin, Kevin A., Spicer, Greg S., Stillman, Jonathon H., Swei, Andrea, Timpe, Leslie C., Vredenburg, Vance T., Weinstein, Steven L., Zink, Andrew G., Kelley, Loretta A., Domingo, Carmen R., Tanner, Kimberly D. |
| Source: | CBE - Life Sciences Education. Mar 2018 17(1). |
| Availability: | American Society for Cell Biology. 8120 Woodmont Avenue Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20814-2762. Tel: 301-347-9300; Fax: 301-347-9310; e-mail: ascbinfo@ascb.org; Website: http://www.ascb.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2018 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: | DUE1226361 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education |
| Descriptors: | Biology, College Science, Science Instruction, Faculty Development, Active Learning, Expertise, Alumni, Undergraduate Students, Teaching Methods, Mixed Methods Research, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Communities of Practice, Educational Change, Leadership |
| Geographic Terms: | California (San Francisco) |
| DOI: | 10.1187/cbe.17-06-0106 |
| ISSN: | 1931-7913 |
| Abstract: | Many efforts to improve science teaching in higher education focus on a few faculty members at an institution at a time, with limited published evidence on attempts to engage faculty across entire departments. We created a long-term, department-wide collaborative professional development program, Biology Faculty Explorations in Scientific Teaching (Biology FEST). Across 3 years of Biology FEST, 89% of the department's faculty completed a weeklong scientific teaching institute, and 83% of eligible instructors participated in additional semester-long follow-up programs. A semester after institute completion, the majority of Biology FEST alumni reported adding active learning to their courses. These instructor self-reports were corroborated by audio analysis of classroom noise and surveys of students in biology courses on the frequency of active-learning techniques used in classes taught by Biology FEST alumni and nonalumni. Three years after Biology FEST launched, faculty participants overwhelmingly reported that their teaching was positively affected. Unexpectedly, most respondents also believed that they had improved relationships with departmental colleagues and felt a greater sense of belonging to the department. Overall, our results indicate that biology department-wide collaborative efforts to develop scientific teaching skills can indeed attract large numbers of faculty, spark widespread change in teaching practices, and improve departmental relations. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 54 |
| Entry Date: | 2018 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1171565 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Many efforts to improve science teaching in higher education focus on a few faculty members at an institution at a time, with limited published evidence on attempts to engage faculty across entire departments. We created a long-term, department-wide collaborative professional development program, Biology Faculty Explorations in Scientific Teaching (Biology FEST). Across 3 years of Biology FEST, 89% of the department's faculty completed a weeklong scientific teaching institute, and 83% of eligible instructors participated in additional semester-long follow-up programs. A semester after institute completion, the majority of Biology FEST alumni reported adding active learning to their courses. These instructor self-reports were corroborated by audio analysis of classroom noise and surveys of students in biology courses on the frequency of active-learning techniques used in classes taught by Biology FEST alumni and nonalumni. Three years after Biology FEST launched, faculty participants overwhelmingly reported that their teaching was positively affected. Unexpectedly, most respondents also believed that they had improved relationships with departmental colleagues and felt a greater sense of belonging to the department. Overall, our results indicate that biology department-wide collaborative efforts to develop scientific teaching skills can indeed attract large numbers of faculty, spark widespread change in teaching practices, and improve departmental relations. |
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| ISSN: | 1931-7913 |
| DOI: | 10.1187/cbe.17-06-0106 |
