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Collectively Improving Our Teaching: Attempting Biology Department-wide Professional Development in Scientific Teaching.


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.

SUBMITTER: Owens MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6007775 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Collectively Improving Our Teaching: Attempting Biology Department-wide Professional Development in Scientific Teaching.

Owens Melinda T MT   Trujillo Gloriana G   Seidel Shannon B SB   Harrison Colin D CD   Farrar Katherine M KM   Benton Hilary P HP   Blair J R JR   Boyer Katharyn E KE   Breckler Jennifer L JL   Burrus Laura W LW   Byrd Dana T DT   Caporale Natalia N   Carpenter Edward J EJ   Chan Yee-Hung M YM   Chen Joseph C JC   Chen Lily L   Chen Linda H LH   Chu Diana S DS   Cochlan William P WP   Crook Robyn J RJ   Crow Karen D KD   de la Torre José R JR   Denetclaw Wilfred F WF   Dowdy Lynne M LM   Franklin Darleen D   Fuse Megumi M   Goldman Michael A MA   Govindan Brinda B   Green Michael M   Harris Holly E HE   He Zheng-Hui ZH   Ingalls Stephen B SB   Ingmire Peter P   Johnson Amber R B ARB   Knight Jonathan D JD   LeBuhn Gretchen G   Light Terrye L TL   Low Candace C   Lund Lance L   Márquez-Magaña Leticia M LM   Miller-Sims Vanessa C VC   Moffatt Christopher A CA   Murdock Heather H   Nusse Gloria L GL   Parker V Thomas VT   Pasion Sally G SG   Patterson Robert R   Pennings Pleuni S PS   Ramirez Julio C JC   Ramirez Robert M RM   Riggs Blake B   Rohlfs Rori V RV   Romeo Joseph M JM   Rothman Barry S BS   Roy Scott W SW   Russo-Tait Tatiane T   Sehgal Ravinder N M RNM   Simonin Kevin A KA   Spicer Greg S GS   Stillman Jonathon H JH   Swei Andrea A   Timpe Leslie C LC   Vredenburg Vance T VT   Weinstein Steven L SL   Zink Andrew G AG   Kelley Loretta A LA   Domingo Carmen R CR   Tanner Kimberly D KD  

CBE life sciences education 20180101 1


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 eligibl  ...[more]

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