RAPID: A mixed-method investigation of the role of faculty mindset beliefs during the transition to online education as compelled by the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID大流行带来的向在线教学的过渡给美国的大学教职员工带来了巨大的不确定性，他们中的许多人以前没有在网上授课。这项研究将考察教师对自己和学生的心态，以及教师对大学/学院系统关于过渡的信息的看法，与他们对快速过渡到在线教学的挑战的反应、他们提供的教学质量，以及因此在2020年春季新冠肺炎大流行期间学生在STEM课程中的态度和学习结果之间的关系。鉴于新冠肺炎对日常生活带来的干扰所带来的巨大压力，教职员工的态度和信念可能是决定教职员工反应模式的关键，尤其是他们是否以及如何适应和过渡在线课程。教职员工的反应可能反映了关于以下方面的根深蒂固的信念：(A)STEM内容的性质(相对固定和不变)；(B)他们认为自己只是相对固定内容的传递者，以及(C)学生学习STEM材料的能力。了解教师的心态如何影响STEM教师在将教学转移到网上时采取的教学做法-以及这些做法如何影响学生的动机、学习和表现-可以通过提前发展专业发展来帮助教师在未来变得更具适应性。该奖项由人力资源开发部的EHR核心研究计划利用冠状病毒援助、救济和经济安全(CARE)法案的资金颁发。这项研究将建立在弗吉尼亚大学的Motivate实验室和佐治亚州大学系统之间现有的合作伙伴关系之上，佐治亚州的大学系统包括佐治亚州的26所四年制学院和大学。佐治亚州的26所院校大致平均分为四个部门：研究密集型、硕士综合型、州立大学和州立学院。考虑到对教学(与研究)的态度和学生类型在整个系统中的显著差异，机构类型的这种差异将是重要的，更注重研究的机构在招生政策上更具选择性。参与者将包括佐治亚州大学系统的900名教职员工和注册他们课程的学生。重组后的调查、课程制品、学习管理系统数据和管理数据将捕捉到教师对自己和他们的学生的心态，以及教师对他们系统关于过渡信息的看法，与他们对快速过渡到在线教学的挑战的反应、他们提供的教学质量，以及学生在2020年春季新冠肺炎大流行期间在STEM课程中的态度和学习结果。补充的学生数据将评估学生对教师在转向在线过程中对教学实践所做的改变，以及对学习体验质量的改变的看法。尽管先前的研究表明，即使在正常情况下，教师的心态也会影响教学实践，但这项研究将测试一些假设，即在快速变化的环境中，心态信念是否会特别重要。了解教师心态的重要性将极大地促进对教师心态在STEM教育中作用的理论和理解。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。

The transition to online instruction necessitated by the COVID pandemic has created significant uncertainty for the nation’s college faculty, many of whom have not previously taught online. This research would examine how faculty mindsets about themselves and their students, as well as faculty perceptions of their university/college system’s messages about the transition, relate to their responses to the challenge of rapidly transitioning their teaching online, the quality of instruction they deliver, and, as a result, students’ attitudes and learning outcomes in STEM courses during the Spring 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Given the high levels of stress caused by the disruption to daily life brought by COVID-19, faculty attitudes and beliefs may be critical in determining the pattern of faculty responses, and in particular, whether and how they adapt and transition their courses online. Faculty responses may reflect deep-seated beliefs about (a) the nature of STEM content (as relatively fixed and unchanging); (b) the view of themselves as simply deliverers of that relatively fixed content, and (c) students’ abilities to learn STEM material. Understanding how faculty mindsets influence the teaching practices that STEM faculty adopt as they move their teaching online – and how these practices influence students’ motivation, learning, and performance – can help faculty become more adaptable in the future by developing professional development in advance. This award is made by the EHR Core Research program in the Division of Human Resource Development, using funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.This study will build on an existing partnership between the Motivate Lab, based at the University of Virginia, and the University System of Georgia, which includes 26 four-year colleges and universities throughout Georgia. The 26 institutions in Georgia are divided roughly equally into four sectors: Research-intensive, Masters-comprehensive, State university, and State college. This variation in institution type will be important to consider as attitudes towards teaching (vs. research) and the type of students vary significantly across the system, with the more research-focused institutions being more selective in their admissions policies. Participants will include 900 faculty across the University System of Georgia and the students enrolled in their courses. Retooled surveys, course artifacts, learning management system data, and administrative data will capture how faculty mindsets about themselves and their students, as well as faculty perceptions of their system’s messages about the transition, relate to their responses to the challenge of rapidly transitioning their teaching online, the quality of instruction they deliver, and students’ attitudes and learning outcomes in STEM courses during the Spring 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Supplementary student data will assess student perceptions about the changes that faculty made to their instructional practices during the move to online, and the changes to the quality of the learning experience. Although prior research demonstrates that faculty mindsets shape teaching practices even under normal circumstances, this research will test hypotheses about whether mindset beliefs will especially matter during periods of rapidly changing circumstances. Learning how faculty mindsets matter will significantly advance theory and understanding of the role of faculty mindsets in STEM education.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.