Using Pathway Modeling to Evaluate and Improve Student-Centered Teaching Practices in Co-Taught College Science Courses
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| Title: | Using Pathway Modeling to Evaluate and Improve Student-Centered Teaching Practices in Co-Taught College Science Courses |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Chen, Xinnian, Redden, John M., Bobrownicki, Aiyana, Gill, Julia, Graham, Mark J. |
| Source: | CBE - Life Sciences Education. Essay 5 Jun 2021 20(2). |
| 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: | 9 |
| Publication Date: | 2021 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: | 323079 1323258 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Science Instruction, Team Teaching, Teaching Methods, Student Centered Learning, Active Learning, College Faculty, Undergraduate Students, Instructional Innovation, Visual Aids, Course Content, Outcomes of Education, Educational Planning, Curriculum Design, Course Evaluation, Student Evaluation, Teacher Collaboration, Anatomy, Physiology, Educational Improvement |
| Geographic Terms: | Connecticut |
| DOI: | 10.1187/cbe.19-07-0147 |
| ISSN: | 1931-7913 |
| Abstract: | Student-centered teaching practices such as active learning continue to gain momentum in college science education. Many instructors committed to these innovative practices transform their classrooms beyond the standard lecture. Nevertheless, widespread implementation of these practices is limited, because the learning benefits for students are often attained through increased instructional complexity to which many instructors cannot commit. When co-instructors are teaching the course, the level of commitment to building a student-centered classroom may be even more profound. For these reasons, new tools are needed to help instructors and co-instructors plan, organize, evaluate, and communicate their classroom innovations. Pathway modeling is a tool with the potential to fill this gap. Unlike curriculum mapping--which identifies academic content gaps, redundancies, and misalignments by examining a series of courses within a plan of study--course pathway modeling creates a visual map of a single course and reveals how teaching practices influence short-, mid-, and long-term student learning outcomes. This essay demonstrates how course pathway modeling can help co-instructors better represent the complexity of student-centered teaching practices. We include guides for creating course pathway models and discuss how this approach offers the potential to improve curricular design, course evaluation, student assessment, and communication between co-instructors. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2021 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1301581 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Student-centered teaching practices such as active learning continue to gain momentum in college science education. Many instructors committed to these innovative practices transform their classrooms beyond the standard lecture. Nevertheless, widespread implementation of these practices is limited, because the learning benefits for students are often attained through increased instructional complexity to which many instructors cannot commit. When co-instructors are teaching the course, the level of commitment to building a student-centered classroom may be even more profound. For these reasons, new tools are needed to help instructors and co-instructors plan, organize, evaluate, and communicate their classroom innovations. Pathway modeling is a tool with the potential to fill this gap. Unlike curriculum mapping--which identifies academic content gaps, redundancies, and misalignments by examining a series of courses within a plan of study--course pathway modeling creates a visual map of a single course and reveals how teaching practices influence short-, mid-, and long-term student learning outcomes. This essay demonstrates how course pathway modeling can help co-instructors better represent the complexity of student-centered teaching practices. We include guides for creating course pathway models and discuss how this approach offers the potential to improve curricular design, course evaluation, student assessment, and communication between co-instructors. |
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| ISSN: | 1931-7913 |
| DOI: | 10.1187/cbe.19-07-0147 |
