Exploring the Role of Instructors' Social Networks in Undergraduate STEM Instructional Improvement

探索教师社交网络在本科生 STEM 教学改进中的作用

• 批准号: 1550990
• 负责人: Chris Rasmussen
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: San Diego State University Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2017-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1550990&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Exploring; Role; Instructors; Social; Networks

Calls for improvement of undergraduate mathematics and science education have resulted in numerous initiatives that seek to improve student learning outcomes by promoting changes in teaching practices at the undergraduate level. Although many of these initiatives focus on individual instructors, contemporary theoretical approaches consider the academic department to be a highly productive unit for creating change because of the social nature of knowledge construction. The tools of social network analysis (SNA) can be productively used to determine the current state of academic departments, target participants for involvement in change initiatives, and inform higher education reform efforts to support quality teaching. The goal of this proposed two-workshop series is to accelerate knowledge development about the use of SNA in studying department-level change by bringing STEM education researchers who have been early users of these methods together with established SNA experts. Project aims are to: 1) develop a theoretical and practical foundation for SNA research related to department-level instructional change, 2) identify key metrics and measurement techniques, 3) develop a coherent research program among early users of SNA methods in undergraduate STEM education research and 4) pool several data sets to begin articulation of normal values for key metrics. The work will contribute to the intent of the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (IUSE-EHR).The two-workshops, punctuated by virtual meetings in between, will bring together STEM education researchers, who have been early adopters of these methods, as well as novices in SNA use, with recognized SNA experts. Four institutional teams (Oregon State University, San Diego State University, University of California-San Diego, and Western Michigan University) will comprise the core teams with a total of eight researchers. An additional eight participants from other institutions, who are less active in regard to SNA, will be invited to participate in order to provide for more diverse perspectives, as well as to expand their capacity and provide momentum for additional research in this area. These interactions will result in consensus on a theoretical framing for SNA related to departmental change, metrics for measurement in this regard, a research focus, and sharing of data sets. Ultimately, it is expected that a more robust research agenda in regard to the use of social network analysis (SNA) in studying departmental change will occur.

改善本科生数学和科学教育的呼声促成了许多举措，旨在通过促进本科生教学实践的变革来改善学生的学习成果。尽管其中许多举措都集中在个别教师身上，但当代的理论方法认为，由于知识建设的社会性，学术部门是创造变革的高生产力单位。社会网络分析(SNA)工具可以有效地用于确定学术部门的当前状态，确定参与变革倡议的参与者，并为支持优质教学的高等教育改革努力提供信息。这一拟议的两期系列讲习班的目标是，通过将早期使用这些方法的STEM教育研究人员和现有的SNA专家聚集在一起，加快关于使用SNA研究部门一级变革的知识的发展。该项目的目标是：1)为与系级教学改革相关的SNA研究建立理论和实践基础；2)确定关键指标和测量技术；3)在本科STEM教育研究中开发SNA方法的早期用户之间的连贯研究计划；4)汇集几个数据集，以开始阐明关键指标的正常值。这项工作将有助于教育与人力资源局(IUSE-EHR)改进本科生STEM教育的意图。两个讲习班之间穿插着虚拟会议，将使早期采用这些方法的STEM教育研究人员以及SNA使用方面的新手与公认的SNA专家汇聚一堂。四个机构团队(俄勒冈州立大学、圣地亚哥州立大学、加州大学圣地亚哥分校和西密歇根大学)将组成核心团队，总共有8名研究人员。另外8名在国民账户体系方面不那么积极的其他机构的与会者将被邀请参加，以便提供更多不同的观点，并扩大他们的能力，为这一领域的更多研究提供动力。这些互动将导致就与部门变革有关的国民账户体系的理论框架、这方面的衡量标准、研究重点和数据集共享达成共识。最终，预计将出现在使用社会网络分析(SNA)研究部门变化方面更有力的研究议程。