FIRSTIV:Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching for Postdoctoral Research Scholars

这个针对博士后学者的多机构专业发展项目正在塑造他们对本科生物学教学的信念和方法，最终提高学生的学习水平。该项目的重点是建立一个由200名博士后学者组成的全国性网络，这些博士后学者在担任学术机构的教师角色之前，在科学教学方面做好准备并受到指导。专业发展活动明确地将科学研究的原则与科学教学的原则联系起来。已建立的区域野外站（RFS）领导团队正在开展专业发展研讨会，为博士后学者提供教学指导和长期支持，并推进他们自己的教学和教育奖学金。博士后学者正在学习教学策略，构建以科学教学为基础的完整的生物学课程。他们正在改编现有的以学习者为中心的材料和工具，并由其他教师进行测试和验证。预计博士后学者将开始他们的新教师职位，正式准备授课。该项目旨在评估专业发展对博士后理解和实施科学教学方法以及积极以学生为中心的学习的影响。新课程通过FIRST网站和FIRST评估数据库发布，该数据库与国家博士后协会、国家STEM数字图书馆和科学学会的网站相连。这些专业发展和教学改革模式的有效性正在通过出版物和报告传播，这些出版物和报告基于博士后学者在其原有和新的机构职位上的分析。

This multi-institution professional development project for postdoctoral scholars is shaping their beliefs about and approaches to teaching undergraduate biology, to ultimately result in improved student learning. The project focuses on creating a national network of 200 postdoctoral scholars who are prepared and mentored in scientific teaching before they assume faculty roles in academic institutions. The professional development activities explicitly link the principles of scientific research with those of scientific teaching. Established Regional Field Station (RFS) leadership teams are implementing professional development workshops, providing mentoring in teaching and long-term support for postdoctoral scholars, and advancing their own teaching and scholarship in education. The postdoctoral scholars are learning teaching strategies and constructing an entire biology course based on scientific teaching. They are adapting pre-existing materials and tools that are learner-centered, and tested and validated by other faculty. It is anticipated that the postdoctoral scholars will begin their new faculty positions formally prepared to teach with a course in hand. The project is evaluating the effect of professional development on postdoctoral understanding and implementation of the scientific approach to teaching and active student-centered learning. The new courses are being disseminated through the FIRST web site and the FIRST Assessment Database, which is linked to websites of the National Postdoctoral Association, the National STEM Digital Library and scientific societies. The effectiveness of these professional development and teaching reform models is being disseminated through publications and presentations based on analyses of the postdoctoral scholars in their original and new institutional positions.