Collaborative Research: Writing Assignment Tutor Training in STEM, an Interdisciplinary Approach to Enhance Student Writing in STEM Fields

该项目旨在通过提高工科本科生的写作能力来服务于国家利益。工科本科生需要更多的帮助来培养高质量的写作技能。然而，由于工程学课程的时间有限，以及工程学教员对写作的重视程度有限，满足这一需求是具有挑战性的。此外，许多工科学生贬低写作技能，低估了在工科职业生涯中取得成功所需的写作数量。该项目旨在通过分发和测试以前开发的培训同行STEM写作导师的程序来提高工科学生在其特定学科的写作能力。这一过程涉及写作中心导师和STEM导师之间的伙伴关系。他们一起设计了一小时的培训体验，在此期间，写作导师将学习STEM作业的内容、词汇和期望。有了这些知识，教师可以在辅导课程中更好地支持学生提高他们的具体写作作业。该项目将进行一项多机构研究，以确定导师培训过程中影响最大的因素，以及这一过程可在多大程度上用于加强工程学教师与校园写作中心之间的合作。预计培训将在辅导效果和学生对写作的态度方面都有所改善，最终支持本科工科学生写作技能的提高。该项目包括宾夕法尼亚州立大学伯伦德分校、印第安纳大学普渡大学、印第安纳大学哥伦布分校和为少数族裔服务的德克萨斯大学格兰德河谷大学之间的合作。对这些校园的写作作业导师培训过程的评估将包括对学生、同行导师、工程导师、写作中心和写作导师的影响的审查。数据收集方法将包括培训前和培训后调查、访谈和重点小组。此外，还将对辅导前和辅导后的学生写作样本进行调查。调查人员将分析这些数据，并利用这些结果来指导制定一种可复制的、可持续的模式，以便将来将写作作业辅导培训方法扩展到其他机构和STEM领域。这种方法可以作为其他机构利用现有基础设施和资源(如写作中心和同行导师)的典范，以实现对本科生STEM写作的大规模改进，同时加强STEM与其他学科之间的合作。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving undergraduate engineering students’ ability to communicate effectively through writing. Undergraduate engineering students need more help to develop high-quality writing skills. However, addressing this need is challenging due to limited time in engineering curricula and the limited emphasis engineering faculty members place on writing. In addition, many engineering students devalue writing skills and underestimate the amount of writing needed to be successful in engineering careers. This project intends to improve engineering student writing in their specific disciplines through distribution and testing of a previously developed process for training peer STEM writing tutors. This process involves a partnership between the supervisor of writing center tutors and the STEM instructor. Together, they design a one-hour training experience during which writing tutors learn about the STEM assignment content, vocabulary, and expectations. With this knowledge, the tutors can better support students during tutoring sessions to improve their specific writing assignment. This project will undertake a multi-institutional study to identify the elements of the tutor training process that have the most impact and the extent to which the process can be used to increase collaboration between engineering instructors and campus writing centers. It is expected that the training will lead to improvements in both tutoring effectiveness and student attitudes toward writing, ultimately supporting improvements in the writing skills of undergraduate engineering students. This project includes a collaboration between Penn State Behrend, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana University Purdue University Columbus, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, a minority-serving institution. Evaluation of the Writing Assignment Tutor Training process on these campuses will include examination of impacts on students, peer tutors, engineering instructors, writing centers, and writing tutor supervisors. Data collection methods will include pre- and post-training surveys, interviews, and focus groups. In addition, student writing samples from pre-and post-tutoring will be investigated. The investigators will analyze these data and use the results to guide development of a replicable, sustainable model for future expansion of the Writing Assignment Tutor Training approach to other institutions and STEM fields. This approach may serve as a model for other institutions to capitalize on existing infrastructure and resources, such as writing centers and peer tutors, to achieve large-scale improvements to undergraduate STEM writing while increasing collaboration between STEM and other disciplines. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.