Initial Publication Date: May 24, 2021

Join the TIDeS materials development teams

Deadline to apply: December 15, 2021

We are looking for 1-2 faculty to join our life sciences team that is underway. The current application process is for life sciences instructors only. Please contact project director Anne Egger (see below) if you are interested and have questions, or submit your application by Wednesday, December 15. You will be notified of our decisions by Monday, December 20.

Do you want to do a better job of reaching students in your introductory science course, especially future teachers?

We want to help you.

Our introductory undergraduate science courses are filled with future teachers: some who are already preparing to be elementary, middle, or secondary teachers through majors in education, and many, many others who will come to teaching as a career by following a different path. These introductory courses are often future teachers' only opportunity to engage with the practices and concepts of science and engineering as adult learners. The vision of TIDeS is that future teachers will learn science as undergraduates the way they are expected to teach science in the K–12 classroom: engaging all students in science investigation and engineering design in a discourse-filled, context-rich, inclusive learning process.

The goal

The primary goal of the TIDeS project is to engage and support undergraduate faculty and instructors in developing, testing, and implementing high-quality instructional materials that put investigation and design at the center of their introductory science courses. To achieve that goal, we are seeking a total of 15 instructors who will work together in three teams of five to develop new curricular materials focused on investigation and design that are broadly adaptable across the large community of institutions and faculty in life science, Earth science, and physical science. Each team will develop a full course of materials within their discipline, using the Next Generation Science Standards as a guide for focusing the content and approach. Teaching with these new materials will benefit all students, while giving future teachers learning experiences they can model in the future.

Wondering what we mean by investigation and design? Read more

How we will help you

As a member of a TIDeS materials development team, you and your cohort will engage in a rigorous and strongly supported process to co-develop and test instructional materials for your introductory science course. The materials development process is based on the InTeGrate materials development process, and finished materials will follow a format similar to InTeGrate courses (see example Water: Science and Society). Team members will work together to develop materials for a full course in their discipline, implement them in their own courses and collect student data through pre- and post-surveys, and work together to revise and publish the materials, which will be freely available online. We will facilitate interaction across groups as well, to ensure a common look and feel and so that materials could be used in an integrated science course or otherwise adapted for different settings.

To better understand the impact of these materials and the development process on you and your students, we will also ask you to participate in interviews and allow us to observe your classroom several times.

What you will gain

A community of practice: We will be working together on a shared agenda to improve students' learning experiences and our teaching experiences in our introductory science courses.

Professional development: Along the way, you will be engaged in professional development to build your skills in teaching with science investigation and engineering design, inclusive teaching practices, and supporting future teachers.

Stipend: This is significant and important work, and will be compensated as such. Materials developers will receive $15,000 each in total, in payments based on deliverables (see timeline below).

Timeline

Materials development, testing, revision, implementation, and final publication will take place over approximately three years. The general timeline below shows the phases of development.

July 1, 2021: Deadline to apply
July 15, 2021: Notification of selected team members
August and September, 2021: Introductory webinars, initial interviews
PHASE 1: October, 2021 through August, 2022
- October 24-27, 2021: Initial face-to-face meeting to launch materials development process (location will be either Northfield, MN, or Ellensburg, WA) Note: full participation in this meeting is required, and travel will be reimbursed. We will follow all relevant COVID guidelines.
PHASE 2: 2022-23 Academic year
PHASE 3: Summer 2023
PHASES 4-5: 2023-24 Academic year

Eligibility and selection process

Faculty and instructors teaching college-level introductory science courses in which they can test and implement the materials they develop are eligible to apply. In selecting participants, we will be seeking:

Disciplinary diversity: We seek five faculty in each of three broad disciplinary areas—Earth science, life science, and physical science. We seek to develop teams in which individuals bring a range of expertise within their disciplines, including some with engineering experience.
Potential for impact: We seek to select individuals and teams with a high potential for impact both in reaching large numbers of students and future teachers and as agents of change within their institutions.
Racial and ethnic diversity: We seek to select teams of materials developers that represent the diversity of students and future teachers in the United States.
Diversity of institutions and teaching experience: We seek to bring a range of teaching experiences to share, including types of institutions, student demographics, and number of years teaching.