STEM Graduate Student Professional Development
STEM graduate students who wish to become faculty must develop professional skills at the intersection of research, teaching and service roles. We study how STEM graduate students negotiate this professional development especially when it is often disproportionately focused on research training.
FUNDING
NSF STEM Ed OPRF (current): Preparation and Refinement of Postdocs for Disciplinary Based Education Research (PROPS for DBER).
NSF ECR (current): Uncovering Biology Department Cultural Commitment to Graduate Student Teaching Professional Development
NSF RCN-UBE (FA2015-FA2021): Biology Teaching Assistant Project (BioTAP): Advancing Research, Synthesizing Evidence
Instructor Adoption & Adaptation of Evidence-Based Teaching Methods
Despite extensive evidence related to effective STEM instruction, many faculty continue to rely on didactic, instructor-centered methods. We study faculty beliefs about teaching and learning, their adoption of these practices, and how they adapt them to their own contextual needs.
FUNDING
TBR-SERS (FA2019-SP2020): Teaching TRIOS: Professional Development in Culturally-Responsive Pedagogy for STEM Faculty
NSF DRK12 (FA2014-SP2019): Promoting Active Learning Strategies (PALS) in Biology
MTSU FRCAC (SP2013-SP2014): Understanding STEM Faculty Beliefs and Practices Related to Evidence-Based Instructional Practices at Two Universities
Student Learning in Small Groups
Student-centered instructional methods often involve student learning in small groups. We study the dynamics of student interactions in small groups and how these interactions impact student learning.
FUNDING
MTSU FRCAC (SP2019-SP2020): Analyzing Student Small Group Interactions Using Social Network Theory