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Suggested Citation:"6 Epilogue." National Research Council. 2003. Improving Undergraduate Instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Report of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10711.
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Page 78
Suggested Citation:"6 Epilogue." National Research Council. 2003. Improving Undergraduate Instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Report of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10711.
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Page 79
Suggested Citation:"6 Epilogue." National Research Council. 2003. Improving Undergraduate Instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Report of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10711.
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Page 80
Suggested Citation:"6 Epilogue." National Research Council. 2003. Improving Undergraduate Instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Report of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10711.
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Page 81

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6 Epilogue On November 19–20, 2002, fifty-one and the steering committee provides no invited participants from the fields of specific recommendations. Rather, the science, technology, engineering, and workshop was intended as an informa- mathematics (STEM), postsecondary tion-gathering activity by the Committee education, and education policy, along on Undergraduate Science Education with National Research Council (NRC) (CUSE). staff and other interested parties at- Several overriding concerns are tended a two-day workshop in Washing- highlighted here because workshop ton, D.C. at the National Academies. participants raised them numerous Participants and presenters were asked times. This Epilogue focuses especially to explore three related issues: (1) how on those topics and questions that call appropriate measures of undergraduate for further investigation, because learning in STEM courses might be addressing them more fully could have developed; (2) how such measures an important influence on improving might be organized into a framework of education in all of the science disci- criteria and benchmarks to assess plines and at all levels. The concerns instruction; and (3) how departments addressed during the workshop were as and institutions of higher learning follows. might use such a framework to assess their STEM programs and to promote ongoing improvements. Participants THE IDENTIFICATION OF STUDENT covered a diverse set of topics and LEARNING OUTCOMES questions in addressing these issues. This document is not intended as a In response to the first framing issue consensus report of the participants, about developing measures of student 78

learning, several speakers and discus- that require carefully designed, specific sants including Brian Reiser, Northwest- measures to correct. Participants ern University, and Gloria Rogers, Rose- repeatedly acknowledged that judging Hulman Institute of Technology, argued an instructor’s knowledge and skill in that in preparing an effective science applying such measures should be course, faculty must identify explicit, among the criteria for assessing instruc- measurable learning objectives or tion and for evaluating the extent to outcomes (defined as what students which instructors have at their com- need to know and be able to do by the mand a variety of teaching strategies, in end of each unit of instruction). A addition to lecturing, that are able to critical question was whether learning elicit a correct and deeper understand- outcomes should be limited to a list of ing of the subject on the part of stu- content terms, or—as proposed by one dents. According to the evidence re- of the workshop speakers—should they viewed, lecturing promotes consist of a framework of facts, central memorization of factual information concepts, reasoning skills, and compe- while more effective instruction that tencies such as the skills needed to helps students gain functional knowl- think critically, an understanding of edge requires teaching methods that what constitutes evidence, and the assist them in explicitly reconciling their ability to design a simple experiment? preconceptions with new information. THE RECOGNITION OF STUDENTS’ THE MEANS TO EVALUATE PRECONCEPTIONS AND THEIR INSTRUCTION RESISTANCE TO CORRECTIVE TEACHING Further in response to issue 2, partici- pants discussed the need for better With reference to issue 2, Paula assessment tools for evaluating course Heron, University of Washington, design and effective instruction. Anton described evidence that students’ Lawson, Arizona State University, preconceptions may be resistant to emphasized results showing that the change by traditional didactic instruc- Reformed Teaching Observation Proto- tion such as lecturing. She demon- col (RTOP) could serve as a useful strated that students come to any topic instrument for judging some aspects of with prior beliefs and conceptions that teaching, and recommended that this are often incomplete or erroneous, and tool might serve as a model for an EPILOGUE 79

expanded instrument for that purpose. benchmarks for evaluating instructional An evaluation instrument such as RTOP programs, workshop participants drew could be improved, suggested several upon their own knowledge and experi- participants, by including criteria for ence to identify programs and curricula evaluating instruction that focus more that are reputed to represent models of on its success in eliciting defined learn- various forms of effective instruction. In ing outcomes among students. the absence of a systematic national Participants recognized that research survey, those cited repeatedly were on assessing and delivering undergradu- Biology Guided Inquiry Learning ate instruction is urgently needed, Environments (BGuILE), New Tradi- especially studies of how to improve tions, Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), teaching of large classes. Investigations Physics by Inquiry, Studio Physics, in every subject area are necessary to Workshop Physics, Problem-based identify students’ difficulties with Learning (PBL), and Case-Study Teach- specific concepts in each discipline. ing. These programs are all character- Research is also needed to find effective ized by some or all of the following combinations or sequences of problem- traits: they have as their major aim to solving, inquiry-based and didactic elicit specific factual, conceptual and instructional practices to achieve stu- cognitive learning outcomes on the part dent understanding of both basic con- of students; they recognize that students cepts and the processes of scientific have diverse learning styles and that thinking. Arguments were presented by they learn in different ways under participants that much of that research different circumstances; they provide could be done by scientists who are experiences for students to develop thoroughly grounded in the discipline, functional understanding of science or by collaboration between such concepts by using knowledge in investi- scientists and colleagues in education gations and problem-solving exercises research. and by making interdisciplinary connec- tions; they promote students’ ability to work cooperatively, to communicate THE EXISTENCE OF MODEL orally and in writing, and to develop PROGRAMS independent learning skills; and they address the relevance of both science Seeking models from which to extract content and the processes of science to traits to include in a set of criteria and students’ lives. 80 I M P R O V I N G U N D E R G R A D U AT E I N S T R U C T I O N

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF nia, Herb Levitan, National Science EFFECTIVE TEACHERS Foundation, and Jack Wilson, UMassOnline, addressed the need to Faculty who become instructional change the entire culture of higher innovators and effective teachers share education by a “top-down and bottom- certain characteristics such as their up” approach. In the present structure expressions of equal respect toward of most institutions of higher learning, academic staff, graduate students, and especially in research-intensive universi- undergraduates, their command of a ties, incentives for faculty to learn new variety of instructional strategies that teaching methods are few. promote students’ conceptual under- Some of the strategies by which standing, and their ability to apply presidents, deans, and department knowledge in new situations. These chairs might encourage such cultural findings of an ethnographic study by change included publicly announcing a Susan Millar, University of Wisconsin, fund earmarked for the support of served as a central point of discussion faculty efforts to develop new courses; for the participants with reference to rewarding faculty efforts to improve issue 3. instruction by allotting release time, summer stipends, or sabbatical leave; modifying promotion and tenure poli- INSTITUTIONAL ORGANIZATION cies in ways that motivate faculty to AND INCENTIVES THAT PROMOTE spend time and effort on developing CHANGE new teaching methods or redesigning courses to be more learner centered; One element of issue 3 that partici- providing instruction and mentoring for pants focused on was whether opportu- graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, nities and incentives for faculty to and faculty in effective teaching prac- become familiar with different modes of tices; and recognizing time spent in the instruction are sufficient to provoke redesign of introductory courses or in needed changes in teaching? In re- research on teaching and learning the sponding to this question, several discipline as evidence of a faculty speakers and participants including member’s productivity as a teacher- Robert Zemsky, University of Pennsylva- scholar. EPILOGUE 81

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Participants in this workshop were asked to explore three related questions: (1) how to create measures of undergraduate learning in STEM courses; (2) how such measures might be organized into a framework of criteria and benchmarks to assess instruction; and (3) how such a framework might be used at the institutional level to assess STEM courses and curricula to promote ongoing improvements. The following issues were highlighted:

  • Effective science instruction identifies explicit, measurable learning objectives.
  • Effective teaching assists students in reconciling their incomplete or erroneous preconceptions with new knowledge.
  • Instruction that is limited to passive delivery of information requiring memorization of lecture and text contents is likely to be unsuccessful in eliciting desired learning outcomes.
  • Models of effective instruction that promote conceptual understanding in students and the ability of the learner to apply knowledge in new situations are available.
  • Institutions need better assessment tools for evaluating course design and effective instruction.
  • Deans and department chairs often fail to recognize measures they have at their disposal to enhance incentives for improving education.

Much is still to be learned from research into how to improve instruction in ways that enhance student learning.

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