Professional Readers for STEM Student Writers

跨学科（99）这个项目正在研究一种新的方法来发展STEM学生的写作技能。STEM课程学生写作要求的一个关键问题和重要障碍是机构提供及时反馈的能力。 这个项目通过利用一个未开发的教育资源为学生提供关于课程编写项目的反馈：大学校友和具有科学或技术背景的员工，他们通常在机构的教育使命中没有直接作用。 学生与校友或员工志愿者配对，他们的背景使他们适合阅读特定的STEM写作任务。这些对通过一系列的互动（亲自或通过IT）引导，通过这些互动，学生可以从草稿到最终抛光获得对他们正在进行的工作的反馈。志愿者们正在接受指导，如何提供“基于读者的”反馈（描述他们作为文本用户对草稿的反应），而不是专注于编辑或评判文本。 在试点工作中，人们发现，许多校友和员工都渴望和有资格帮助他们机构的本科生发展他们的科学写作和推理能力，学生从这种互动中受益。八个不同的STEM课程参加这个项目，每个至少两个学期。 每学期的形成性评估数据被用于为随后的学期进行修订。 参加培训讲习班的教员与项目人员协商，制定适合其具体课程的任务和方案，并参加评估活动。 该项目的主要目标包括：（1）确定这种方法最有可能成功的STEM课程类型，并制定适合这些设置的协议和志愿者读者库，（2）改善学生对科学和技术写作的态度和理解，（3）帮助学生发展成熟的写作过程，包括起草和利用反馈，（4）提高学生在STEM写作作业中的参与度。 评估包括对学生和志愿者参与者的在线调查，与教师的访谈，以及与学生，志愿者和教师参与者的焦点小组对话。虽然这一方法是在一个机构中制定的，但它是可以复制的。 这项调查的一部分将确定简化和自动化程序的方法，以促进有效的学生-读者互动。传播将包括在线场所，如科学教育资源中心（SERC）的网络服务器，在写作研究，科学教育和STEM学科期刊的教育专栏出版物，并在学生写作，科学教育和大学管理会议上发表演讲。

Interdisciplinary (99)This project is investigating a new approach to developing the writing skills of STEM students. A key issue and important impediment to writing requirements for students in STEM courses is the ability of the institution to provide prompt feedback. This project is providing students with feedback on a course writing project by capitalizing on an otherwise untapped educational resource: university alumni and employees with scientific or technical backgrounds who normally play no direct role in the institution's educational mission. Students are being paired with alumni or employee volunteers whose backgrounds make them suitable readers for a particular STEM writing assignment. These pairs are guided through a series of interactions (in person or via IT) through which students get feedback on their work-in-progress from rough drafts through final polishing. Volunteers are being given instruction in how to give "reader-based" feedback (describing their reactions to the drafts as a user of the text) rather than focusing on editing or judging the text. In a pilot effort it was found that many alumni and employees are eager and qualified to help their institution's undergraduates develop their scientific writing and reasoning skills and that the students benefit from such interaction. Eight different STEM courses are participating in this project for at least two semesters each. Formative assessment data from each semester are being used in making revisions for subsequent semesters. Participating instructors, who have attended training workshops, consult with project personnel to develop assignments and protocols tailored to their particular course, and participate in assessment activities. The primary objectives of this project include (1) identifying the types of STEM courses for which this approach is most likely to be successful and developing protocols and volunteer reader pools appropriate for those settings, (2) improving student attitudes toward and understanding of scientific and technical writing, (3) helping students develop mature writing processes that include drafting and making use of feedback, and (4) increasing student engagement in STEM writing assignments. Evaluation includes on-line surveys of student and volunteer participants, interviews with faculty members, and focus group conversations with student, volunteer and faculty participants. Although this approach is being developed at a single institution, it is replicable. Part of this investigation will see to identify ways to simplify and automate procedures needed to facilitate effective student-reader interactions. Dissemination will include online venues such as the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) web server, publication in writing studies, science education and education columns in STEM discipline journals, and presentations at conferences on student writing, science education, and university administration.