Understanding the Role of Writing in Strengthening and Assessing Learning and Engagement in Undergraduate STEM Education

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This project is a two-day workshop to advance current knowledge and discourse on the role of writing-to-learn (WTL) in undergraduate STEM education, particularly at research universities. It is also designed to educate and empower instructors to use writing as a pedagogical tool to improve and measure student learning. Although there is substantial evidence indicating that writing can be an effective tool for improving and measuring learning and increasing student engagement, WTL practices are not widely incorporated into undergraduate STEM education. Several barriers have hindered their implementation. First, STEM faculty generally have not connected writing to their teaching and have not reflected on ways to use writing in their courses to increase students' knowledge, understanding, and engagement. Second, extant studies have not generally been systematic or conceptually driven. As a consequence, evidence on effective WTL practices is scattered, of varying quality, and not cumulative, and does not inform teaching practices. Third, it is difficult to extrapolate beyond the unique educational contexts of empirical studies. The study will bring STEM faculty together with colleagues who are up-to-date on WTL theory and practice to investigate how WTL may be applied in undergraduate STEM courses to improve students' knowledge and comprehension and foster the development of critical and analytic thinking skills and to measure progress in both arenas. The first objective is to produce both a report that synthesizes current knowledge regarding the use of WTL in STEM disciplines and an online tool kit on "Writing to Learn in STEM" that identifies empirically validated and promising WTL practices (including guidance on their implementation). The second objective is to lay the foundation for a multi-university empirical study on WTL in STEM disciplines that addresses the gaps in knowledge and key issues in translating evidence into practice identified in the report. The final objective is to build a community of STEM faculty who have experience and knowledge of the use of WTL practices within STEM disciplines, will play a lead role at their universities and within their disciplines in promoting WTL practices, and will participate in the envisioned multi-university empirical study.