A Personalized Learning Model for STEM Graduate Education

传统上，大多数美国工程学研究生项目都遵循“一刀切”的方式，只专注于研究技能，在融入行业趋势方面进展缓慢，默认的做法是培养学生成为大学教授。此外，学生往往被认为是从相同的知识水平开始的，因此不仅忽视了学业准备方面的差异，而且忽视了学生背景的差异，包括社会经济、社会文化、先前的工作经验和专业发展。不考虑这些因素会对包容性产生负面影响。国家科学基金会研究生教育创新奖(IGE)授予匹兹堡大学，将(1)通过创建和验证专注于个性化学习的方法，打破传统的一刀切的STEM研究生教育方法，(2)产生在匹兹堡大学内外广泛部署这一创新所需的知识。该方法将在化学工程专业试行，严格评估对学生和教职员工的影响。个性化办法通过消除代表人数不足的少数群体参与的障碍，直接解决包容性问题。该项目的创新之处在于将其组成部分整合到一个可以翻译到任何STEM领域的部门范围的模式中，直接解决了STEM社区中的一个众所周知的挑战：教育创新的传播。也就是说，它不依赖于单一课程的个性化或对专业发展的特别关注。这个项目将促进关于个性化学习和学生成绩之间联系的科学知识。该项目将为研究生STEM教育创建和验证个性化学习模式(PLM)。它以变革的总体理论为指导，量化了对学生和教职员工的影响。该模式的主要组成部分包括：(1)通过学习者概况、力量发现和个人发展计划为每个学生建立教学目标；(2)通过一学分、提供灵活性和内容定制的模块课程以及围绕行业、学术和创业组织的一系列联合课程活动来定义任务环境；以及(3)搭建教学脚手架，提供有助于学生在重点领域独立和掌握的教学方法。策略(4)，成绩和学习的评估，能够跟踪学生朝着他们的教学目标的进展，然后是指导(5)反思和评估。将在内部评估专家、教育创新咨询委员会和外部评估员的指导下，采用形成性和终结性的定性和定量方法。创新的第一个目标是创建和部署PLM，第二个目标是提供知识基础，将这项创新部署到匹兹堡大学内外的其他STEM领域，超越化学工程。罗杰的创新扩散将被用于创建和实施“如何”研讨会，以传播皮特内外的研究成果。因此，一个重要的更广泛的影响是开发了一种新的研究生培训方法，一旦被证明是有效的，就可以在全国范围内跨STEM多个学科传播。研究生教育创新(IGE)计划专注于研究生教育的研究。IGE的目标是试验、测试和验证研究生教育的创新方法，并产生将这些方法推广到更广泛社区所需的知识。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。

Most U.S. graduate engineering programs traditionally follow a “one-size-fits-all” approach that focuses narrowly on research skills, is slow to incorporate industry trends, and defaults to training students for careers as university professors. Further, students are often assumed to start at the same knowledge level, thereby disregarding differences not only in academic preparation, but in students’ background, including socioeconomic, sociocultural, prior work experience, and professional development. Not accounting for these factors negatively affects inclusivity. This National Science Foundation Innovations of Graduate Education (IGE) award to the University of Pittsburgh will (1) break the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to graduate STEM education by creating and validating an approach focused on personalized learning, and (2) generate the knowledge required to broadly deploy this innovation within and outside the University of Pittsburgh. The approach will be piloted in Chemical Engineering, where the impact on both students and faculty will be rigorously assessed. The personalized approach directly addresses issues of inclusivity by removing barriers to participation by underrepresented minorities. The innovation of this project lies in the integration of its components into a department-wide model that can be translated to any STEM field, directly addressing a well-known challenge in the STEM community: diffusion of educational innovations. That is, it does not rely on the personalization of a single course or a particular focus on professional development. This project will advance scientific knowledge on the connection between personalized learning and student outcomes. This project will create and validate a personalized learning model (PLM) for graduate STEM education. It is guided by an overarching theory of change to quantify the impact on both students and faculty. Key components of the model include (1) establishing Instructional Goals for each student through learner profiles, strength finders, and individual development plans, (2) defining the Task Environment through one-credit, modular classes that provide flexibility and content customization, along with a set of co-curricular activities organized around industry, academia, and entrepreneurship, and (3) Scaffolding the Instruction to provide pedagogy that leads to independence and mastery in the students’ area of focus. Strategy (4), Assessment of Performance and Learning, enables tracking of the students’ progression towards their instructional goals, followed by guided (5) Reflection and Evaluation. Qualitative and quantitative methods, both formative and summative, will be employed, guided by internal experts in evaluation and assessment, by an Education Innovation Advisory board, and by an external evaluator. The first goal of the innovation is to create and deploy the PLM, and the second goal is to provide the knowledge base to deploy this innovation beyond chemical engineering to other STEM fields within and beyond the University of Pittsburgh. Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation will be used to create and implement “how to” workshops to disseminate findings within Pitt and beyond. Thus, a significant broader impact is the development of a new approach to graduate training that, once proven impactful, can be disseminated nationally across multiple STEM disciplines.The Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) program is focused on research in graduate education. The goals of IGE are to pilot, test and validate innovative approaches to graduate education and to generate the knowledge required to move these approaches into the broader community.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.