Developing Instructional Teams for Evidence-Based Instruction in Large Collaborative Learning Environments

该项目将显著提高所有学生在大量入学的STEM入门课程中的学习机会。通常情况下，本科STEM入门课程是在100多个座位的演讲厅里提供的，在那里，学生们参与努力学习新信息，而不是简单地听专家谈论，这是例外，而不是规则。许多进入STEM专业的本科生在学习如何学习方面需要帮助，特别是在具有挑战性的STEM内容的大班中。这个项目将改变这种状况。该项目将利用最近为小组合作重新设计的大型教室，利用来自学习、教学和评估研究的证据，创建和完善一个模型，用于培训STEM教师及其教学助理团队，使其成为学习领导者。所有学生在协作学习环境中，在教学团队的指导和支持下，将有机会在协作、任务导向的课堂上学习STEM。同时，学生将学习如何在一个类似于他们未来职业生涯工作环境的环境中学习STEM。该项目将产生一个专业发展模型，以提高教学团队成员在大规模本科STEM协作学习环境（cle）中实践循证教学的能力。这些团队实践的教学质量和评估是学生在大招生环境中成功学习的一个重要方面。每个小组将由四种角色组成：(1)一名首席讲师，一名作为主要讲师的教员，课程规划师和学习任务的开发人员；(2)一名学习助理培训师，这名教师将对学习助理进行基于证据的实践培训，以促进学生参与学习；(3)评估教练，经验丰富的学习助理，通过监督和支持学习教练的形成性评估实践，作为学生参与的主要评估者，并为领导教师和学习助理培训师提供反馈；(4)学习教练，直接与学生接触并提供形成性评估的学习助理。该项目将以学习任务质量、形成性评估实践和学生辅助教学的研究为基础，该研究表明，在大规模招生环境中，高效的学生学习：(1)需要参与具有适当挑战性的高质量学习任务，(2)需要以证据为基础的形成性评估实践的促进，(3)需要教学团队的有效运作，准备好以证据为基础的实践来支持学生的学习。在这些前提的基础上，项目的专业发展活动将建立教学团队成员在其角色中取得成功的能力。研究目标是：(1)跟踪任务质量、形成性评估实践和教学团队绩效在6到9个大型招生中心的几个学期中的变化；(2)记录和描述与使用和每年修订的专业发展模型实现任务发展、形成性评估和教学团队绩效的期望循证实践相关的挑战。

This project will significantly improve opportunities for learning experienced by all students in large enrollment introductory STEM courses. Too often, undergraduate introductory STEM courses are offered in 100+ seat lecture halls where student engagement in the hard work of learning new information, as opposed to simply listening to an expert talk about it, is the exception rather than the rule. Many undergraduates entering STEM majors need help in learning how to learn, especially in large enrollment classes with challenging STEM content. This project will change this situation. Using large classrooms recently redesigned for small group collaborations, this project will use evidence from research on learning, teaching, and assessment to create and refine a model for training teams of STEM instructors and their instructional assistants as learning leaders. All students in the collaborative learning environments, with guidance and support from the instructional team, will have opportunities to learn STEM in collaborative, task-oriented classes. Simultaneously, students will learn how to learn STEM in an environment which likely resembles the work environment of their future professional careers. This project will generate a professional development model that improves instructional team members' abilities to practice evidence-based instruction in large enrollment undergraduate STEM collaborative learning environments (CLEs). The quality of instruction and assessment practiced by these teams is an important aspect of successful student learning in large enrollment CLEs. Each team will be comprised of four roles: (1) a lead instructor, a faculty member who will be the primary instructor, curriculum planner, and developer of learning tasks; (2) a learning assistant trainer, a faculty member who will train learning assistants on evidence-based practices for engaged student learning; (3) assessment coaches, experienced learning assistants who will serve as lead assessors of student engagement by monitoring and supporting learning coaches' formative assessment practices and feedback providers to lead instructors and learning assistant trainers; (4) learning coaches, learning assistants who will directly engage with students and provide formative assessment. The project will build upon research on learning task quality, formative assessment practices, and student-assisted teaching, which suggests that productive student learning in large enrollment CLEs: (1) requires engagement with appropriately challenging, high quality learning tasks, (2) is fostered with evidence-based formative assessment practices, and (3) involves efficient functioning of instructional teams prepared to support student learning with evidence-based practices. Built upon these premises, the project's professional development activities will build instructional team members' abilities to succeed in their roles. Research goals are to: (1) track changes in task quality, formative assessment practices, and instructional team performance over several semesters within six to nine large enrollment CLEs, and (2) document and describe the challenges associated with achieving the desired evidence-based practices of task development, formative assessment, and instructional team performance using, and annually revising, the professional development model.