Ellen Iverson

The use of online digital resources and educational digital libraries in higher education

This paper summarizes results from a national survey of 4,678 respondents, representing 119 institutions of higher education in the United States regarding their use of digital resources for scholarly purposes. This paper presents the following results: (1) demographics commonly used in higher education to categorize populations such as institution type or level of teaching experience could not reliably predict use of online digital resources, (2) valuing online digital resources corresponds with only higher levels of use for certain types of digital resources, (3) lack of time was a significant barrier to use of materials while, paradoxically, respondents indicated that they used them because they save time, (4) respondents did not tend to intentionally look to the Internet as a trusted resource for learning about teaching.

Faculty Professional Development and Student Learning: What is the Relationship?

Change • May/June 2012 Proposition: Educators improve their pedagogy through professionaldevelopment programs, and students learn more as a result. Doctoral programs vary widely in their preparation of graduate students for their professional roles, often providing unequal attention to the areas in which faculty are traditionally evaluated: research, teaching, and service. And even the most well-prepared new or seasoned teacher benefits from ongoing exposure to pedagogical innovations based in research on human learning. Recognizing the merits of lifelong learning by professionals engaged in a scholarly career that includes classroom teaching, many colleges and universities invest in workshops, speakers, and other activities designed to provide continuing education to faculty.

Improving undergraduate STEM education: The efficacy of discipline-based professional development

Effective teaching practices are more common in courses taught by faculty who spend time learning about teaching. We sought to determine whether instructional practices used by undergraduate faculty in the geosciences have shifted from traditional teacher-centered lecture toward student-engaged teaching practices and to evaluate whether the national professional development program On the Cutting Edge (hereinafter Cutting Edge) has been a contributing factor in this change. We surveyed geoscience faculty across the United States in 2004, 2009, and 2012 and asked about teaching practices as well as levels of engagement in education research, scientific research, and professional development related to teaching. We tested these self-reported survey results with direct observations of teaching using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol, and we conducted interviews to understand what aspects of Cutting Edge have supported change. Survey data show that teaching strategies involving active learning have become more common, that these practices are concentrated in faculty who invest in learning about teaching, and that faculty investment in learning about teaching has increased. Regression analysis shows that, after controlling for other key influences, faculty who have participated in Cutting Edge programs and who regularly use resources on the Cutting Edge website are statistically more likely to use active learning teaching strategies. Cutting Edge participants also report that learning about teaching, the availability of teaching resources, and interactions with peers have supported changes in their teaching practice. Our data suggest that even one-time participation in a workshop with peers can lead to improved teaching by supporting a combination of affective and cognitive learning outcomes.

A multidimensional assessment of reformed teaching practice in geoscience classrooms

This study analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from classroom observations combined with instructor survey results to characterize the application of reformed teaching practices in undergraduate geoscience classes in the United States. Trained observers used the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) to score 204 geoscience classes. Observed faculty represent a diversity of institutions, teaching rank, and years of experience. Classrooms observed included introductory and upper-level undergraduate courses that ranged in size from 6 to 275 students. Total RTOP scores do not correlate with class size, class level, institution type, instructor gender, instructor rank, or years of teaching experience. Classroom instruction was separated into three categories based on total RTOP scores: Teacher Centered (≤30), Transitional (31–49), or Student Centered (≥50). Statistical analyses of RTOP subscales and individual item scores are used to identify the instructional practices that are characteristic of each category. Instructor survey responses and qualitative classroom observations provide additional details about instructional practices common within each instructional category. Results of these analyses provide a coherent picture of instructional strategies used in geoscience classrooms. Instruction in the most Student Centered classrooms differs from that in Transitional and Teacher Centered classrooms in at least one of three ways. Student Centered classes are more likely to include (1) students engaged in class activities with one another; (2) activities in which instructors assess student learning and adjust lessons accordingly; and (3) opportunities for students to answer and pose questions that determine the focus of a lesson.

Factors motivating use of digital libraries

Knowledge about how users use digital libraries and their contents is inextricably tied to a librarys ability to sustain itself, grow its services and meet the needs of its users. This paper reports on the preliminary results of a study of how science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructors perceive and use digital libraries. Preliminary findings indicate that: they do not differentiate between digital libraries and other kinds of content that comes from the Web, they seek content to supplement traditional teaching methods and their reliance on Google and personal networks impedes their ability to recall the primary sources of useful content

Situating Second-Year Success: Understanding Second-Year STEM Experiences at a Liberal Arts College

This paper evaluates the development and analysis of programming to support inclusive success of second-year undergraduates. Programming improved success rates of students of color and first-generation students in some intermediate-level gateway courses, but these rates were still lower than those of other students despite evidence of high levels of belonging and support.

Keeping an Eye on Biology

Genomics Explorers, an IBI prize–winning module, engages students with bioinformatics and molecular research. Genomic data sets offer opportunities for students to generate original findings without expensive laboratory equipment, extending the benefits of undergraduate research to the classroom (1–4). Yet, working with data sets online can frustrate biology students who may miss connections to fascinating biological questions. Integrating organismal and molecular biology with bioinformatics can enhance student learning. We have developed a program in genomics, adapted for a plant (Chamaecrista fasciculata) and an animal (Aiptasia pallida), designed to support student learning with a Web-based guide (http://serc.carleton.edu/exploring_genomics/index.html) (see the first chart).

Use of online digital learning materials and digital libraries: comparison by discipline

In this paper, we describe the results of a national survey of higher education faculty concerning their use of digital resources and collections of these resources. We explore the differences in resource use by discipline groups and suggest implications for development of discipline specific libraries and faculty development practices.

Looking in the Right Places: Minority-Serving Institutions as Sources of Diverse Earth Science Learners

ABSTRACT Despite gains over the last decade, the geoscience student population in the United States today continues to lag other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines in terms of diversity. Minority-serving institutions (MSIs) can play an important role in efforts to broaden underrepresented student engagement with Earth Science content, especially in collaborations with other institutions and organizations that allow MSIs to share their expertise. Knowing which MSIs have Earth-related degree programs can help facilitate such collaboration. This commentary describes an effort to find and raise the visibility of these programs. In 2013, the abundance of geoscience departments at MSIs was roughly half that seen in U.S. higher-education institutions. Yet we found that nearly a third of MSIs offered one or more Earth-related degree programs. In addition, more than half of the academic units offering Earth-related degrees were interdisciplinary rather than traditional geoscience departments. It is clear that students are learning about the Earth in a wider variety of places than geology programs. These programs could provide models for supporting diverse students in the geosciences, as well as sites for potential collaborations aimed at further increasing the diversity of the geoscience workforce.

Principles and Practices Fostering Inclusive Excellence: Lessons from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Capstone Institutions

This paper describes common elements and assessments of persistence programs at 11 Capstone institutions designated by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and complements the resources on our companion website. Together, the paper and website provide detail and synthesize principles informed by our experiences in pursuit of inclusive excellence.