ED043-0004
Virtual Professional Development for STEM Faculty: Promoting and Modeling Active Learning Strategies
Tuesday, 15 December 2020
Poster
Heather Macdonald, College of William & Mary, Geology, Williamsburg, VA, United States, Eric M Baer, Highline College, Physical Science, Des Moines, WA, United States, Pamela L Eddy, College of William & Mary, Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership, Williamsburg, United States, John Robert McDaris, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Minneapolis, MN, United States, Kristin O'Connell, Carleton College, Science Education Resource Center, Northfield, MN, United States and Carol J Ormand, Science Education Resource Ctr, Northfield, MN, United States
Abstract:
Faculty professional development (PD) that promotes active learning and other student-centered strategies can move evidence-based practices into wider use and, through the work of faculty change agents, can accelerate use of these practices. The SAGE 2YC Faculty as Change Agents project launched a Cohort 3 in January 2020. Faculty from Cohorts 1 and 2 contributed as Peer Leaders. Participants in the year-long virtual PD program included two-year college STEM faculty (full-time and adjunct), working in 17 campus-based teams from around the country. The PD focused on research-based strategies for supporting the academic success of all students, broadening participation, and facilitating students’ career pathways. The all-virtual program started with a spring workshop of 12 activities from January to April consisting of asynchronous work, web-based synchronous Zoom meetings, and a webinar on course-level outcomes data. Campus teams developed and received feedback on action plans for strengthening their programs. During a June workshop, they shared their course-level student outcomes data and action plans, explored topics of interest, and planned for the campus workshops they would lead in the fall. Fall activities included a series of activities (book clubs, implementation groups) and campus workshops led by Change Agents (CAs).
The PD included synchronous and asynchronous sessions, providing multiple opportunities via discussion boards and Zoom breakout rooms for the participants to share ideas, questions, and strategies. The program was underway for several weeks before massive shifts to remote teaching occurred due to COVID19. CAs reported being able to make the transition to remote teaching more easily given their familiarity with Zoom breakout rooms and discussion boards, and could see how to employ active learning strategies in a virtual environment. We redoubled our efforts to model active learning using small group discussions, jigsaws, a gallery tour, polls, chat, and end-of activity reflections. The faculty told us that the PD provided a sense of community, stability and structure, recognition that they are facing similar issues, and teaching strategies they could immediately apply. Virtual professional development is a powerful approach for moving active-learning strategies into wider use.
