Replicating the effects ongoing treatment through sustained networks: the Impact of the On the Cutting Edge Professional Development Program for Geoscience Faculty (CE) on faculty learning about teaching
Friday
11:30am-1:30pm
UMC Aspen Rooms
Poster Presentation Part of
Teacher Preparation and Professional Development
Authors
Ellen Iverson, Carleton College
Krista Larsen, Carleton College
Monica Bruckner, Carleton College
Cathy Manduca, Carleton College
An interview study of 15 geoscience faculty characterized how some Cutting Edge (CE) workshop participants develop networks of support to sustain changes in teaching, following a workshop experience. These networks replicate the mechanisms for sustained support which studies have identified as critical for changes in teaching to persist.
Interview subjects were drawn from a sample of undergraduate geoscience faculty who had been observed using the Reformed Teaching and Observation Protocol (RTOP) and who had attended at least one CE workshop. We sought to understand the interaction between participants' department and institutional activities related to teaching and the CE program. Findings from this qualitative study also characterize the types of changes to teaching and the barriers and motivations to incorporating new pedagogies. Through the geoscience teaching practices survey and the CE RTOP project, we found that when controlling for other factors, a faculty member can participate in a single CE workshop and have observable changes in teaching practice to a comparable extent as a faculty member who participates in multiple CE workshops and events. The CE program by design provides mechanisms for sustained change in several important ways that we hypothesize replicates dosage support. Analysis of these interviews helped test this hypothesis. Following a workshop, participants report using the CE website and seeking networks of colleagues as a means to sustain their learning about teaching. Using institutional support when available, they described how programs and incentives aided them in making pedagogical changes in their courses. The CE experience gave them knowledge and shared vocabulary to inspire them to seek ongoing support. This presentation will describe the findings from the interview study including characterizations of ongoing supports, continued motivations, and contextual barriers experienced by these participants.
Interview subjects were drawn from a sample of undergraduate geoscience faculty who had been observed using the Reformed Teaching and Observation Protocol (RTOP) and who had attended at least one CE workshop. We sought to understand the interaction between participants' department and institutional activities related to teaching and the CE program. Findings from this qualitative study also characterize the types of changes to teaching and the barriers and motivations to incorporating new pedagogies. Through the geoscience teaching practices survey and the CE RTOP project, we found that when controlling for other factors, a faculty member can participate in a single CE workshop and have observable changes in teaching practice to a comparable extent as a faculty member who participates in multiple CE workshops and events. The CE program by design provides mechanisms for sustained change in several important ways that we hypothesize replicates dosage support. Analysis of these interviews helped test this hypothesis. Following a workshop, participants report using the CE website and seeking networks of colleagues as a means to sustain their learning about teaching. Using institutional support when available, they described how programs and incentives aided them in making pedagogical changes in their courses. The CE experience gave them knowledge and shared vocabulary to inspire them to seek ongoing support. This presentation will describe the findings from the interview study including characterizations of ongoing supports, continued motivations, and contextual barriers experienced by these participants.