Collaborative Research: New to IUSE: EDU DCL:Diversifying Economics Education through Plug and Play Video Modules with Diverse Role Models, Relevant Research, and Active Learning

协作研究：IUSE 新增功能：EDU DCL：通过具有不同角色模型、相关研究和主动学习的即插即用视频模块实现经济学教育多元化

• 批准号: 2315697
• 负责人: Luke Jones
• 金额: $ 3.57万
• 依托单位: Valdosta State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-01 至 2025-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2315697&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; New; IUSE; EDU

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving economics education in undergraduate programs. Introductory economics courses (taken by a significant number of undergraduate students) often fall short of their potential due to outdated teaching methods, classroom practices that are not inclusive, and a paucity of diverse role models. In comparison to other STEM fields that have made strides in developing and adopting innovative teaching approaches that welcome diverse perspectives, economics has lagged behind. Consequently, the ability of economics to contribute to solving societal problems is compromised. The lack of diversity not only affects the topics studied but also limits the exchange of diverse ideas in the classroom, hindering broader societal progress. This project seeks to address these issues by developing and evaluating a classroom intervention using evidence-based methods from STEM education literature, with the goal of broadening perceptions of economics, enhancing student sense of belonging, and increasing diversity and retention in the field. The proposed intervention consists of a series of modules instructors can easily plug into introductory economics courses designed to expose students to diverse role models and a range of exciting and relevant topics through professionally produced videos. Accompanying curricular materials, grounded in evidence-based active learning principles, will deepen student engagement and learning. The project hypothesizes that this intervention will positively influence students' perceptions about economics, strengthen their sense of belonging in economics and their belief in their own abilities, and improve learning, persistence, and retention, particularly among diverse students. The modules will also provide professional development opportunities for economics instructors, enabling them to implement best practices in their classrooms. By bringing together these evidence-based approaches and delivering them to the introductory economics classroom, this Tier 1 project aligns with the IUSE: EDU Program's Engaged Student Learning track, aiming to improve economics education, engage students through innovative and inclusive practices, enhance diversity, and prepare students with a comprehensive understanding of economic principles and their applications. The project also furthers the NSF mission by expanding knowledge on STEM education and increasing the capacity of the US to conduct research in economics, a crucial STEM field, by contributing to a more vibrant and diverse economics workforce.This project uses a mixed methods research approach by incorporating focus group input into the development of the project modules and quantitative and qualitative methods for impact evaluation. The project team plans to deploy the modules in classes at varied types of institutions in collaboration with instructors. Each instructor will have a “control” semester in which they do not use the modules and a “treatment” semester in which they conduct the pre- and post-surveys that will be used to collect data on constructs such as STEM identity, self-efficacy, connectedness and belonging, and perceptions of persistence in economics. Combining that data with institutional data, the project team will perform difference-in-differences regressions to analyze project impacts. The intellectual merit of this project lies in leveraging the existing evidence about active learning and role models to create a novel set of modules, combining diverse role models, policy relevance, and active learning techniques to shape diverse students' perceptions, identity, and persistence. The modules are designed to be adaptable to a wide range of institutions, facilitating their easy integration into introductory economics classrooms. The broader goals of this project start in the classroom but extend beyond it, aiming to create a profession that welcomes economists from all backgrounds to address society's challenges. The modules this project creates should positively influence students' experiences in economics education, diversify the pipeline of economics students, provide professional development opportunities for instructors, and broaden the voices and perspectives represented in economics. The NSF IUSE: EDU 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 and to advance our understanding of persistence in economics.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.

该项目旨在通过改善本科课程中的经济学教育来服务于国家利益。经济学入门课程(由相当多的本科生学习)往往达不到它们的潜力，原因是教学方法过时，课堂实践不具包容性，以及缺乏不同的榜样。与其他STEM领域相比，经济学在开发和采用欢迎不同观点的创新教学方法方面取得了长足的进步，但经济学却落后了。因此，经济学为解决社会问题做出贡献的能力受到了损害。缺乏多样性不仅影响了所研究的主题，还限制了课堂上不同思想的交流，阻碍了更广泛的社会进步。该项目试图通过使用STEM教育文献中的循证方法开发和评估课堂干预措施来解决这些问题，目的是拓宽对经济学的认识，增强学生的归属感，并增加该领域的多样性和保留率。拟议的干预措施包括一系列模块，教师可以轻松地插入经济学入门课程，这些课程旨在通过专业制作的视频让学生接触到不同的榜样和一系列令人兴奋的相关话题。附带的课程材料以循证的主动学习原则为基础，将加深学生的参与和学习。该项目假设，这种干预将积极影响学生对经济学的看法，增强他们对经济学的归属感和对自己能力的信念，并提高学习、坚持不懈和保持能力，特别是在不同类型的学生中。这些单元还将为经济学教师提供专业发展机会，使他们能够在课堂上实施最佳做法。通过将这些基于证据的方法结合在一起并将它们交付到经济学入门课堂，这个Tier 1项目与IUSE：EDU计划的参与式学生学习轨道保持一致，旨在改善经济学教育，通过创新和包容性实践让学生参与进来，增强多样性，并使学生对经济学原理及其应用有全面的理解。该项目还通过扩展STEM教育方面的知识，并通过促进更具活力和多样化的经济学工作队伍，提高美国在STEM这一关键领域进行经济学研究的能力，进一步推动了NSF的使命。该项目采用混合方法研究方法，将焦点小组的意见纳入项目模块的开发，并采用定量和定性方法进行影响评估。项目组计划与讲师合作，在不同类型的机构的班级中部署这些模块。每位教师将有一个不使用模块的“对照”学期和一个“治疗”学期，在这个学期中，他们将进行前后调查，以收集有关STEM身份认同、自我效能、关联性和归属感以及对经济学持久感等概念的数据。将这些数据与机构数据相结合，项目组将执行差异回归以分析项目影响。这个项目的智力价值在于利用关于主动学习和榜样的现有证据来创建一组新的模块，结合不同的榜样、政策相关性和主动学习技术来塑造不同学生的感知、身份和坚持性。这些单元的设计是为了适应广泛的机构，便于它们很容易地融入经济学入门课堂。该项目更广泛的目标始于课堂，但延伸到课堂之外，旨在创建一种欢迎来自各种背景的经济学家来应对社会挑战的职业。该项目创建的模块应该会对学生的经济学教育经验产生积极影响，使经济学学生的渠道多样化，为教师提供专业发展机会，并拓宽经济学领域的声音和视角。NSF IUSE：EDU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。通过参与式学生学习路径，该计划支持创建、探索和实施有前途的实践和工具，并促进我们对经济学中持续性的理解。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。