OID Instructional Improvement Program – Fall Grant Deadline

The Instructional Improvement Grant Program supports curricular experimentation and development and instructional improvement of undergraduate offerings. Projects may be initiated by faculty, departments, or larger units. Proposals should address the specific needs of an undergraduate course or curriculum and explicate an appropriate and cost-effective response to a clearly defined pedagogical problem.

Please note that IIP grants — as well as OID Mini-grants for guest speakers, media purchases, etc. — can be used to support issues of diversity and inclusiveness in the classroom. The IIP Committee believes these are important considerations for faculty in designing their curricula.

Please review the 2018-2019 Instructional Improvement Grant Program overview.

Online Application for Instructional Improvement Major Grants

Please be sure to download the Budget Worksheet that you must include in the application form.

To enable the Committee on Instructional Improvement Programs’ full deliberation, all proposals must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 9, 2018.

Research Deconstruction – A Classroom Approach for Engaging Students in Scientific Discovery

Date: Friday, November 9, 2018
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location: UCLA Hershey Hall 158

RSVP by Thursday, October 25th if you plan to attend

We invite you to this symposium at UCLA to learn about research deconstruction, a low cost, high impact pedagogical strategy developed at UCLA to engage novice undergraduate students in the process of scientific discovery. Research deconstruction requires no laboratory or textbook, making it affordable and sustainable for departments and students at a wide range of institutions, from R1 universities to 2-year colleges. Guided in‑depth analysis of a bona fide research seminar is used as a platform to teach fundamental concepts, experimental methodologies, and importantly, the logic of scientific investigation. Implementation over a 10-year period at UCLA suggests that research deconstruction is effective at both teaching students the process of scientific inquiry and increasing persistence in STEM. At this symposium, educators from UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, University of Toronto and Santa Monica College will share insights, challenges and best practices from their experience using research deconstruction. If you would like to learn more about this pedagogy and potential partnerships to assist with implementation, please consider attending. Educators at community colleges are especially encouraged to participate and we hope that Chairs will consider applying attendance of this symposium toward the professional development requirement (flex time). Please feel free to share this with any interested colleagues.

The Case for Teaching How to Teach

Graduate students who are taught how to teach are more likely to be prepared for the realities of working in higher education without affecting their research capacity, according to a new study.

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The Trade-offs of Teamwork among STEM Doctoral Graduates

Kniffin, K. M., & Hanks, A. S. (2018). The trade-offs of teamwork among STEM doctoral graduates. American Psychologist, 73(4), 420-432. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000288

Teamwork has increasingly become prevalent in professional fields such as academic science, perhaps partly because research shows that teams tend to produce superior work. Although research on teamwork has typically focused on its impact on work products, the authors complement that work by examining the degree to which teamwork influences salary, hours worked, and overall job satisfaction. Drawing on microdata collected through the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Doctorate Recipients as well as the Survey of Earned Doctorates, the authors find that doctoral degree holders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields tend to earn substantially higher salaries and work more hours when they engage in teamwork.

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Report Pushes for Big Change in Graduate STEM Ed

National Academies report urges program data transparency and a focus on core competencies.

U.S. graduate education in science, technology, engineering and math is, in many ways, the “gold standard” for the world. But it can and must better prepare graduates for a changing science landscape and multiple careers. It should also be more transparent in terms of where graduates end up working. So says a major new report on the future of graduate STEM education from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The report was drafted by the Committee on Revitalizing Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century, chaired by Alan Leshner, chief executive officer emeritus of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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What Improves PhD Completion of Underrepresented Minority Students in STEM?

[Link to Article]

This article contributes to a more robust understanding of timely completion of STEM doctorates by underrepresented minority students. Findings indicate that Hispanic/Latino and students from other underrepresented groups complete at higher rates than do their Black/African American counterparts. The authors of this article offer insights and recommendations for graduate schools about how to increase the STEM doctoral attainment rate of students from underrepresented groups.

Writing Instruction + Research Education (WI+RE) has launched!

WI+RE is a growing UCLA campus community of learners and teachers interested in designing new approaches to teaching and learning challenges. They host events and provide practical tips on research and writing collaboratively designed by students, faculty, librarians, and academic support staff across the UCLA campus. WI+RE sends out community update emails to share events, gather ideas and insights, and get the word out about our new creations. To receive announcements from WI+RE, visit their community sign-up page or follow them on twitter @WIREbruin. Visit the WI+RE website here.

Congratulations to UCLA’s Inaugural CIRTL-Certified Scholars!

Congratulations to Jenny Link (top photo) and Elizabeth Reid-Wainscoat (bottom photo) for completing the Scholar Level certification for UCLA’s Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) – a prestigious national program sponsored by UCLA Graduate Division in collaboration with CEILS supporting the professional development of UCLA graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. CIRTL Certification requires training and coursework in effective and inclusive teaching practices, culminating in a teaching-as-research projec

 

 

 

Jenny Link is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Medicine and also a current UPLIFT fellow. Her teaching-as-research project is titled: “Recurrent and varied in-class activities help students retain information in a lower division evolution, biodiversity, and ecology course.”

 

 

 

Elizabeth Reid-Wainscoat is a Masters candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Her teaching-as-research project is titled “Does temperament composition impact group dynamics in an upper division biology lab course?”. Both presented their work to the CEILS journal club this Spring.

Congrats, Jenny and Elizabeth!
Learn more about CIRTL and this prestigious credential here.