Baltimore , Maryland
June 25, 2023
June 25, 2023
June 28, 2023
Faculty Development Division (FDD)
9
10.18260/1-2--42476
https://peer.asee.org/42476
177
Dr. Jeff Knowles is an engineering instructor at Oregon State University who began teaching courses in 2015. His current pedagogical research is related to barriers associated with implementing Evidence-Based Instructional Practices (EBIPs) in STEM-related courses and determining what affordances can be granted to overcome such contextual obstacles. Jeff's interests also include the numerical modeling of nonlinear wave phenomena.
Dr. Amy Brooks is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Oregon State University School of Civil and Construction Engineering and member of the Beyond Professional Identity lab at Harding University. Her current research is using interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand well-being and experiences with professional shame among engineering faculty. She is also part of a research team investigating context-specific affordances and barriers faculty face when adopting evidence-based instructional practices in their engineering courses. Amy's research interests meet at the intersection of sustainable and resilient infrastructure, emotions in engineering, and engineering identity formation.
Prateek Shekhar is an Assistant Professor - Engineering Education division at New Jersey Institute of Technology. His research is focused on examining translation of engineering education research in practice, assessment and evaluation of dissemination initiatives and educational programs in engineering disciplines. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, M.S. in Electrical Engineering from University of Southern California and B.S. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from India.
Shane Brown is an associate professor and Associate School Head in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University. His research interests include conceptual change and situated cognition. He received the NSF CAREER award in
Background:
With current research validating the effectiveness of Evidence-Based Instructional Practices (EBIPs), increasing the adoption rates of non-traditional teaching practices is a subject of great interest in improving STEM education. Facilitation of EBIP implementation however must adapt to the specific context and constraints encountered by faculty, which implies the need for specific resources and support in developing course-specific material. Research on barriers associated with EBIP implementation notes faculty concerns related to the lack of content-specific faculty development opportunities, including concerns related to their ability to connect active learning with the syllabus and the time constraints associated with it. However, the body of literature lacks detailed examination on the type of resources needed by engineering faculty when implementing EBIPs.
Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study is to gain further understanding of the ways faculty utilize available resources when implementing EBIPs in their classes. We also aim to understand what type of additional resources and support could be needed for faculty implementing EBIPs specific to their context. An in depth understanding of faculty needs will be potentially transformative for STEM faculty development efforts and departmental resource allocation to faculty.
Design/Methods:
Our research findings emerged from the content analysis of interviews conducted as part of a larger study focusing on EBIP implementation. A total of 72 engineering faculty members participated in semi-structured interviews regarding barriers and successes associated with EBIP implementation. Questions about resources available for teachers wishing to implement EBIPs were directed at teacher training opportunities often provided by some version of a “center for teaching and learning” which most interviewees had access to. The majority of participants were interviewed twice, resulting in approximately 144 interviews, each ranging between 30-60 minutes. Inductive coding of the interview by three researchers was performed to identify emergent themes pertinent to the aims of the study.
Result/Conclusion:
Inquiry about the familiarity, usage and experiences with such resources provided valuable insights on ways to improve their reach and impact within their institution. Main findings included: poor faculty sentiment about broad-theme teaching workshops, the need for more one-on-one assistance with course development and EBIP implementation, and the benefit of feedback and interaction within the teaching community about their experiences implementing EBIPs. Results from this study provided an improved understanding of the resources needed to assist faculty in implementing EBIPs. Such knowledge could inform faculty development efforts and provide insights to existing teaching resources on how to better assist faculty in the EBIP implementation process. Ideally, the results from this work would be integrated into a conceptual model regarding a broader range of barriers (i.e. time constraints, cultural norms within the department, student resistance, etc.) which may be fine tuned to specific engineering courses.
Knowles, J., & Brooks, A. L., & Clement, E., & Shekhar, P., & Brown,, S. A., & Aljabery, M. (2023, June), A Qualitative Exploration of Resource-Related Barriers Associated with EBIP Implementation in STEM Courses Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42476
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