The Effects of Doctoral Teaching Development on Early-Career STEM Scholars’ College Teaching Self-efficacy

Connolly, Mark; Lee, You-Geon; Savoy, Julia N.

doi:10.1187/cbe.17-02-0039

Cited by 75 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The GTAs reported the course was immediately beneficial, and student evaluations showed the cohort of GTAs that received the training had significantly higher scores than the GTAs who did not. These results support data from Connolly et al, which determined that STEM doctoral students who participated in teaching development programs showed increased self‐efficacy in college teaching. This was strongest for doctoral students who participated in formal courses compared to those who participated in informal workshops.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Course‐based prefaculty training program introduces instructional methods, increases instructor self‐efficacy, and promotes professional development

Bowman

Culhane

Park

et al. 2019

Biochem Molecular Bio Educ

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Graduate student and postdoctoral teaching assistants receive highly variable preparation for instructional methods because providing such training is often expensive. Therefore, we conducted an intensive, pedagogical boot camp followed by classroom observations, structured professional development discussions about leveraging the experience on the job market, individual exit interviews, and a letter of recommendation. Our data show the participants implemented new pedagogical techniques in their classrooms, showed increased self‐efficacy, and reported appreciation for the training experience. Using a clustering analysis of instructional methods, most participants' classrooms were characterized as peer‐led collaborative work as opposed to more traditional instructor‐led pedagogies. We believe that this low‐cost, prefaculty training leads to demonstrable short‐term outcomes and is a viable option for institutions with limited resources or personnel.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Course‐based prefaculty training program introduces instructional methods, increases instructor self‐efficacy, and promotes professional development

Bowman

Culhane

Park

et al. 2019

Biochem Molecular Bio Educ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Teaching professional development (PD) programs have proliferated during the last few decades, with the goal of facilitating measurable change in higher education. However, we know little about the long-term outcomes of faculty professional development efforts (Stes et al 2009, Steinert et al 2016, Manduca 2017, Connolly et al 2018. Given the significant investment in time and resources that these PD programs represent, it is critical that we assess the longitudinal impact on instructional practices and additional program outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cooper et al 2015). The expected outcomes of teaching PD are transformed student-centered courses and changes in faculty attitudes, approaches, and practices in the classroom (Pfund et al 2009, Manduca et al 2017, Connolly et al 2018. Approaches to teaching revolve around the instructor's intentions and strategies for teaching a given course (Trigwell and Prosser 2004), while teaching practices are how these strategies manifest in a classroom setting (Sawada et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evaluating these outcomes is essential to understanding how teaching PD is impacting the larger landscape of higher education (Emery et al 2019). Several large-scale PD programs have reported changes in faculty soon after program completion (Derting et al 2016, Pfund et al 2009, Manduca et al 2017, Connolly et al 2018. For example, participants in the Summer Institutes program reported using scientific teaching approaches more frequently after completion of the program (Pfund et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our data collection was timed to capture the whole range of early-career (pre-tenure) faculty years. Few studies have examined faculty instructors in the 'novice' or early-career stage (Stes et al 2007, Connolly et al 2018, but this is a critical time for the development of teaching practices (Austin 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Longitudinal study of persistence in professional development outcomes of early career biology faculty

Emery

Maher

Ebert-May

2019

Preprint

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The diversity of teaching professional development (PD) programs that occurred over the last few decades merits our collective attention to assess the impact of these programs over time. In general, the goal of PD programs is that participants continue to practice what they learn in the long term. However, we do not know the degree to which the outcomes of these programs were achieved and ultimately persist. We tracked postdoc participants from the Faculty Institutes for Reformed Science Teaching (FIRST) IV program into their current position as early-career faculty at institutions across the United States. We assessed their teaching approaches, practices, and student perceptions of the learning environment over 6-10 years. Additionally, the FIRST IV faculty were paired with colleagues of similar status in the same departments. We found that professional development outcomes from the FIRST IV program persisted over time and across a significant career transition, from postdoc to faculty. These participants not only maintained their student-centered practices, but were significantly more student-focused than their peers. Lastly, we found that faculty approaches to teaching were correlated with observed teaching practices in the classroom for both groups of faculty. These results provide compelling evidence for the success of the FIRST IV program and the long-term persistence of professional development outcomes.Introduction:

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Graduate teaching assistants impact student motivation and engagement in course‐based undergraduate research experiences

et al. 2023

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The drive to broaden equitable access to undergraduate research experiences has catalyzed the development and implementation of course‐based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Biology education has prioritized embedding CUREs in introductory labs, which are frequently taught by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). Thus, a CURE GTA is expected not only to teach but also to support novice student researchers. We know little about how GTAs perform as research mentors in a CURE, or how the quality of their mentorship and support impacts undergraduate students. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted a phenomenological study of an introductory biology CURE, interviewing 25 undergraduate students taught by nine different GTAs at a single institution. We used self‐determination theory to guide our exploration of how students' autonomous motivation to engage in a CURE is impacted by perceptions of GTA support. We found that highly motivated students were more likely to experience factors hypothesized to optimize motivation in the CURE, and to perceive that their GTA was highly supportive of these elements. Students with lower motivation were less likely to report engaging in fundamental elements of research offered in a CURE. Our findings suggest that GTAs directly impact students' motivation, which can, in turn, influence whether students perceive receiving the full research experience as intended in a CURE. We contend that practitioners who coordinate CUREs led by GTAs should therefore offer curated training that emphasizes supporting students' autonomous motivation in the course and engagement in the research. Our work suggests that GTAs may differ in their capacity to provide students with the support they need to receive and benefit from certain pedagogical practices. Future work assessing innovative approaches in undergraduate biology laboratory courses should continue to investigate potenital differential outcomes for students taught by GTAs.

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The Effects of Doctoral Teaching Development on Early-Career STEM Scholars’ College Teaching Self-efficacy

Cited by 75 publications

References 48 publications

Course‐based prefaculty training program introduces instructional methods, increases instructor self‐efficacy, and promotes professional development

Course‐based prefaculty training program introduces instructional methods, increases instructor self‐efficacy, and promotes professional development

Longitudinal study of persistence in professional development outcomes of early career biology faculty

Graduate teaching assistants impact student motivation and engagement in course‐based undergraduate research experiences

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