Cultivating Evidence-Based Pedagogies in STEM Education

Abstract

little understood question that has motivated her program of research is: How can we effectively and efficiently promote cyberlearning in complex knowledge domains such as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)? Towards this direction, she (1) investigates the development of higher-order thinking and complex problem-solving competencies following a comprehensive framework that includes cognition, metacognition, cognitive regulation, motivation, emotion, and epistemic beliefs; (2) develops innovative assessment methods that can benchmark progress of learning and the development of complex problem-solving competencies; (3) develops new and effective approaches to design state-of-the-art digital learning environments (such as intelligent tutoring, system dynamics modeling, simulations, virtual reality, and digital games) to facilitate complex problem-solving competencies; and (4) investigates effective ways to prepare teachers and administrators for digital transformation of education to support effective integration and seamless adoption of advanced learning technologies into education. In addition to her work focusing on STEM learning in K-20 educational settings, her research was also carried out in professional contexts including army, aircraft maintenance, air-traffic control, emergency response, environmental sciences, climate change, medical education, instructional design, architecture, construction science, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, and systems engineering. Cultivating Evidence-Based Pedagogies in STEM Education AbstractIn this paper, we report the findings of a study that explored the changes in STEM faculty's approaches to teaching and understanding of student learning because of their participation in an ongoing STEM education project. This three-year project is funded by the department of education and aimed at cultivating evidence-based pedagogies in STEM undergraduate education at an Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in US. Four STEM faculty members who were the study participants designed evidence-based instructional strategies that were learner-centered and student-focused. The faculty implemented these strategies in their undergraduate courses and systematically collected data from their students to capture the impact of the newly implemented strategies on students' learning outcomes and experiences. With consultation from the learning scientists of the project, the faculty analyzed the student data collected and reported the findings of their research studies. In the following semester, the faculty participants iterated their design efforts. Participants' approaches to teaching and understanding of student learning were captured prior to the project activities and one year after their participation in the project activities. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Analyses revealed that faculty have improved their teaching approaches from a knowledge-centered and teacher-focused orientation to a learner-centered and student-foc...

Toward Inquiry and Problem Posing in Teacher Education

“…It is crucial to provide early guidance to teachers about the peer-review process during their undergraduate education, enabling them to confidently submit their findings when conducting inquiries in teaching. Teachers who present their findings from teaching inquiries at academic conferences or publish them in peer-reviewed journals are more inclined to adopt student-centered approaches than teachers who do not share their findings or do not actively participate in the peer-review process (Curtis et al, 2013; McKenna et al, 2009; Yalvac et al, 2017). Formal engagement in the peer-review process is critical for teachers to fully appreciate the essence of student-centered teaching approaches.…”

Promoting the STEM Pipeline and Enhancing STEM Career Awareness Through Participation in Authentic Research Activities (RTP, Diversity)

“…Evidence-based pedagogies are often student-centered and learner-oriented [3], [9], [10]. Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000) reported that an effective learning environment includes the following four characteristics: (a) knowledge-centeredness, (b) learner-centeredness, (c) assessment-centeredness, and (d) community-centeredness [3].…”