Stepping Up: How One Faculty Learning Community Influenced Faculty Members' Understanding and Use of Active-Learning Methods and Course Design
Abstract
The author assesses what effects the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Teacher Education Collaborative (STEMTEC) Faculty Fellows learning community program had over the course of an academic year on fellows' familiarity with and use of active-learning methods and course design. Based on surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, and analysis of portfolios, the study concludes that the program had significant positive effects on participants' familiarity with and use of active-learning methods. Evidence suggests that fellows made substantial changes to their courses to improve student learning. The author discusses how changes occurred, how they might be linked to improved student learning, and what program elements were particularly successful.
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