Why Colleges Must Change How They Teach Calculus
Each year many students abandon plans to become engineers or scientists because of poor performance in calculus. An active learning approach could help turn things around.
Investigating the Influence of Gender on Student Perceptions of the Clicker in a Small Undergraduate General Chemistry Course
/in Newsworthy/by maojacanThe use of electronic response pads or “clickers” is a popular way to engage students and create an active-learning environment, especially within large chemistry courses. The authors of this paper examined students’ perceptions of how the clicker affected their learning, participation, and engagement in the classroom, as well as their overall experience within a first-semester general chemistry course at a liberal arts institution. Overall, students perceived that clickers provided a significant enhancement to their learning, with women valuing the technology to a greater extent.
How Kindness and Community Increases Students’ Participation in STEM Career Pathways
/in Newsworthy/by maojacanThe United States’ inability to achieve equitable workforce development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career pathways is well-recognized and has been attributed to the poor retention of a diverse stream of students in academia. Social science theory and research provide evidence that social contextual variables—specifically kindness cues affirming social inclusion—influence chronic underrepresentation of some groups within STEM career pathways. Review of the literature suggests that the current STEM academic context does not consistently provide cues that affirm social inclusion to all members of the academic population, and that policies that address this disparity are essential to broadening STEM workforce development in the United States.
Group Vs. Collaborative Learning: Knowing the Difference Makes a Difference
/in Newsworthy/by maojacanAll collaborative learning is done in a group (of at least two people), but not all group work is inherently collaborative! The trick is to structure the activity in a way that makes students work together to be successful.
Science and Engineering Indicators 2018
/in Newsworthy/by maojacanThe National Science Board released the biennial Science and Engineering Indicators report, a compilation of statistics and analyses on the global R&D landscape, including education, public attitudes to science, and workforce.
7 Facts About the STEM Workforce
/in Newsworthy/by maojacanA new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data takes a broad-based look at the STEM workforce from 1990 to 2016 based on an analysis of adults ages 25 and older working in any of 74 occupations. Read on for seven facts about the STEM workforce and STEM training.
Exams Disadvantage Women in Introductory Biology
/in Newsworthy/by maojacanA new study, co-led by postdoctoral associate and SI alumna Cissy Ballen at the University of Minnesota and Shima Salehi at Stanford University, found that unexpected influences underlie gender gaps in exam performance across ten large introductory biology course sections. The findings challenge traditional approaches that evaluate student knowledge, particularly those that punish students who do poorly on high-stakes assessments that may not be relevant to actual professional skills.
Carrot Versus Stick Teaching
/in Newsworthy/by maojacanStudents try harder, and learn more, when your grading includes rewards, not just punishments.
10 Key Points About Active Learning
/in Newsworthy/by maojacanCathy N. Davidson shares what she wishes she had known when she started teaching active learning courses.
Introductory Physics Lab: We Can Do Better
/in Newsworthy/by maojacanResearch reveals that labs are more effective when their goal is to teach experimental practices rather than to reinforce classroom instruction.
Scholar - Advance and Disseminate
- CIRTL Scholars have added to community knowledge about teaching and learning. They have designed and implemented a Teaching-as-Research investigation, and defended the findings to CIRTL learning-community peers. The significance of CIRTL Scholar Teaching-as-Research work is established through presentation and/or publication of the findings to all-university, regional, national, or international audiences.