Transforming Undergraduate Mathematics Education Through Faculty Development in Active Learning and Equity-Minded Instruction

通过主动学习和公平教学中的教师发展来改变本科数学教育

• 批准号: 2142122
• 负责人: Alison Marzocchi
• 金额: $ 29.71万
• 依托单位: CSU Fullerton Auxiliary Services Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-02-01 至 2025-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2142122&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Transforming; Undergraduate; Mathematics; Education; Through

This project aims to serve the national interest by transforming undergraduate mathematics teaching to be more equity-minded and actively engaged. This project will implement and research a robust and evidence-based professional development (PD) program to train and support faculty in adopting an active learning in mathematics (ALM) approach. The ALM approach will have a deliberate focus on equity-minded instruction. Focusing on transforming mathematics instruction is important because of the documented reputation of mathematics courses as gatekeepers, with gaps magnified for students from groups underrepresented in STEM. These gaps limit broader participation in STEM. With an urgent need to improve STEM education, this project uses evidence-based best practices in PD to engage faculty in opportunities to grow as educators through continuous and sustained community-centered activities. A unique emphasis is on building communities of practice through a variety of lower- and higher-stakes PD formats and the specific focus on in-house PD using the department as the unit of change. This project seeks to increase the number of faculty implementing evidence-based, effective, and equitable teaching practices. Investigation of changes in department culture as teaching is transformed will be invaluable to other departments who aspire to change.The long-term goal of the Mathematics Equity through Teaching Actively (META) project is to improve student outcomes in undergraduate mathematics education. META will advance this goal by implementing a novel PD program to transform faculty skills and practices in the near-term and improve student outcomes in the long-term. META will also provide an evidence base for scaling the PD program for adoption at other institutions. To advance understanding of the factors that influence faculty interest in ALM and the success of equity-minded ALM-focused PD, META will conduct research to assess faculty challenges, faculty supports, and institutional characteristics that may affect program outcomes. META research will identify and evaluate the impact of faculty challenges, supports, and faculty adoption of equity-minded ALM at the department level. The project’s research questions are: (1) What are the reported supports and challenges for mathematics faculty who strive to transform their instruction towards equity-minded ALM? and (2) What department-level characteristics support instructional transformation towards equity-minded ALM? To address the research questions, META will collect six data sources: faculty focus groups, individual faculty interviews, assessment surveys from PD activities, recorded pre-observation meetings, completed self-assessment classroom protocols, and recorded post-observation meetings. Data will be analyzed using typological analysis techniques that were employed in META’s pilot project. Results will be disseminated published manuscripts, conference presentations, and distribution among a multitude of existing networks. Findings from META will be of particular interest to departments that are seeking a robust model of PD to support their faculty in becoming more equity-minded while embracing ALM. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Institutional and Community Transformation track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities. This project is also supported by the NSF IUSE:HSI program, which seeks to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity at HSIs.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.

该项目旨在通过将本科数学教学转变为更加公平和积极参与的方式来服务于国家利益。该项目将实施和研究一个强有力的、以证据为基础的专业发展（PD）计划，以培训和支持教师采用主动学习数学（ALM）方法。ALM方法将有意地侧重于具有公平意识的指导。专注于改变数学教学非常重要，因为数学课程作为看门人的声誉有据可考，对于STEM中代表性不足的群体的学生来说，差距被放大了。这些差距限制了STEM的广泛参与。由于迫切需要改善STEM教育，该项目采用PD中基于证据的最佳实践，通过持续和持续的以社区为中心的活动，使教师有机会成长为教育工作者。一个独特的重点是通过各种低风险和高风险的PD格式建立实践社区，并特别关注使用部门作为变革单位的内部PD。该项目旨在增加教师实施循证、有效和公平的教学实践的数量。研究教学转型过程中院系文化的变化，对其他渴望变革的院系将是非常宝贵的。积极教学数学公平（META）项目的长期目标是提高本科数学教育的学生成果。META将通过实施一项新的PD计划来推进这一目标，该计划将在短期内改变教师的技能和实践，并在长期内提高学生的成绩。META还将为扩展PD计划以供其他机构采用提供证据基础。为了进一步了解影响教师对ALM兴趣的因素，以及公平关注ALM的PD的成功，META将进行研究，评估可能影响项目结果的教师挑战、教师支持和机构特征。META研究将识别和评估教师的挑战、支持和教师在部门层面采用公平意识的ALM的影响。该项目的研究问题是：(1)对于那些努力将其教学转变为公平思维的数学教师来说，报告的支持和挑战是什么？(2)哪些部门级特征支持向公平意识的ALM教学转变？为了解决研究问题，META将收集六个数据来源：教师焦点小组、教师个人访谈、PD活动的评估调查、记录的观察前会议、完成的自我评估课堂协议和记录的观察后会议。数据将使用META试点项目中使用的类型分析技术进行分析。结果将被传播，出版的手稿，会议报告，并在众多现有网络中分发。对于那些正在寻求一个强大的PD模型来支持他们的教师在接受ALM的同时变得更加公平的院系来说，META的研究结果将特别感兴趣。NSF IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过机构和社区转型轨道，该计划支持高等教育机构和学科社区的STEM教育转型和改善。该项目还得到了NSF IUSE:HSI计划的支持，该计划旨在加强本科STEM教育，扩大STEM参与，并建设HSI的能力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。