Development and Validation of Observational and Self-Report Instruments to Describe Teaching Practices in Online Undergraduate STEM Courses

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The use of online instruction for undergraduate STEM courses is growing rapidly. In response to this trend, leaders in the field of STEM education research are working to develop a common language and tools for researchers and practitioners to use to describe and assess online STEM instructional methods. In face-to-face classrooms, educational researchers and practitioners have access to and have made productive use of validated instruments for studying teaching effectiveness. Analogous tools do not yet exist for online instruction. These tools are needed for quality design and control purposes. To meet this need, this project will develop and validate two measurement tools. The first is an observational protocol. The second is a self-report instrument. These tools will be used to reliably collect comparable, non-evaluative data for the description, study, and improvement of online, undergraduate STEM courses.This instrument development project will use a sequential mixed methods approach to research, design, pilot-test, refine, and then implement an observation protocol and a self-report survey of instructional practices for undergraduate online STEM courses. These instruments will fill a gap in the available set of tools to study teaching and learning environments. They will be grounded in current theory guiding research on online courses. They will also be connected to current instruments (developed by this research team and others), forming a continuum of observation categories and codes, and self-reported practices that can be adapted for use across the spectrum of course approaches.