Description of the Research Project and Implications of Participation

Initial Publication Date: January 20, 2016

As a participant in the SAGE 2YC: Faculty as Change Agents project, you are part of a research project conducted by the College of William and Mary. We received funding from the National Science Foundation for this project (DUE #1525593, 1524605, 1524623, 1524800, and 1835935). The purpose of this research is to investigate:

  • How do the program participants, particularly the individual faculty Change Agents, adjust their own practice to foster student learning, encourage whole student success, and give support for career pathways in geoscience / STEM?
  • How do a cadre of faculty function as Change Agents to effect institutional changes within STEM programs?
  • In what ways and to what extent is this model of professional development for full-time and adjunct STEM faculty - where faculty learn from the research base and the work of others, make changes in their own practice, and share their results - successful?

Information for this research study is collected via a mixed-method approach that includes artifact analysis, baseline programmatic inventory, surveys, personal interviews and focus groups, structured classroom observations, faculty reflections, network analysis, and site visits to each Change Agent Team over the duration of the program. These data will be incorporated into our research results in aggregate. Presentation of the material will be confined to project work groups, professional publications, and conferences. When individual quotes are used to illustrate important points, your name will not be identified. There are no foreseeable risks resulting from your participation. Your participation in this research project is voluntary and you may leave at any time.

If you have questions about this project, please contact Dr. Heather Macdonald, Department of Geology, College of William & Mary, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795. Phone: 757-221-2443 Email: rhmacd@wm.edu.

You may also contact contact the chair of the Institutional Review Board, Dr. Jennifer Stevens, Chair of the Protection of Human Subjects Committee, College of William & Mary. Phone: 757-221-3862. Email: jastev@wm.edu.