The effects of strong mentoring relationships on the lives and careers of new scholars can be substantial. Evidence from studies of mentoring in higher education shows that doctoral students and new faculty members fortunate enough to be mentored by senior academics report smoother adjustment to academe, stronger records of teaching and scholarship, stronger institutional commitment,…
Recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and staff talent must be a key priority for colleges and universities. However, hiring diverse and high-performing talent can be challenging due to limited resources, perspective, and commitment. [READ MORE]
A study of course evaluations finds that instructors who are better teachers, as measured by their students’ grades in later classes, get lower ratings from their students. [READ MORE]
Achievement gaps between underrepresented minority (URM) students and their white peers in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classrooms are persistent across many white-majority institutions of higher education. Attempts to reduce this phenomenon of underperformance through increasing classroom structure via active learning have been partially successful. [READ MORE]
A study asks students to share about the impact of effective use of the Quality Matters framework on their experiences in online courses, with positive findings outlined in several areas. [READ MORE]
Due to the interdisciplinary nature of DBER and its involvement of social science, senior STEM faculty members may find it challenging to evaluate the quality or impact of DBER scholarship. The authors of this essay aim to address this issue by providing guidance on evaluating the scholarly accomplishments of DBER faculty members in a way…
A tool developed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis shows whether chemistry students tend to extrapolate from concepts or rely on memorization. The difference can predict how well they fare academically. [READ MORE]
Over 50 years ago, the “My Last Lecture” award was established to honor a UCLA professor who inspired students. Every year, the Alumni Scholars Club asks students from all over campus to vote for their favorite professor, the one whose teaching has inspired them the most. These notable UCLA professors were given the chance to put…
While e-books have entered some classrooms, STEM instruction has remained unchanged for nearly as long as the subjects have been taught. With his interactive app, Weinberg, a PhD candidate at Carnegie Mellon University, hopes to inspire a new kind of classroom engagement. Chem101, his first subject-specific tool, allows students to interact with and respond to…
J. Mark McFadden offers advice on how you can change the temperature in your classroom without touching the thermostat. Without question, a major classroom challenge facing today’s educators is getting their students to put down their phones and pick up their level of engagement. While a generation ago educators might find their students getting sidetracked by…