A Personalized Learning Model for STEM Graduate Education

大多数美国研究生工程课程传统上遵循“一刀切”的方法，狭隘地关注研究技能，缓慢地融入行业趋势，并默认为培养学生成为大学教授。此外，学生往往被假定从相同的知识水平开始，从而忽视了不仅在学术准备方面的差异，而且在学生的背景，包括社会经济，社会文化，以前的工作经验和专业发展方面的差异。不考虑这些因素会对包容性产生负面影响。这个国家科学基金会研究生教育创新（IGE）奖给匹兹堡大学将（1）打破传统的一刀切的方法来研究生STEM教育，通过创建和验证一种专注于个性化学习的方法，和（2）生成所需的知识，在匹兹堡大学内外广泛部署这一创新。 该方法将在化学工程领域进行试点，并将严格评估对学生和教师的影响。 个性化的方法通过消除代表性不足的少数群体参与的障碍，直接解决了包容性问题。该项目的创新之处在于将其组成部分整合到整个部门的模型中，该模型可以转换为任何STEM领域，直接解决STEM社区中众所周知的挑战：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。 该项目将推进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型（PLM）。 它是由变化的总体理论指导，以量化对学生和教师的影响。该模型的关键组成部分包括：（1）通过学习者档案、优势发现者和个人发展计划为每个学生建立教学目标;（2）通过提供灵活性和内容定制的单学分模块化课程定义任务环境，沿着一系列围绕行业、学术界和创业精神组织的课外活动，以及（3）为教学提供支架，以提供教学法，从而使学生在重点领域获得独立和掌握。策略（4），评估的表现和学习，使跟踪学生的进展，实现他们的教学目标，其次是指导（5）反思和评估。将采用定性和定量方法，包括形成性和总结性方法，由内部评估专家、教育创新咨询委员会和外部评估人员指导。 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，将化学工程以外的创新部署到匹兹堡大学内外的其他STEM领域。罗杰的创新传播将用于创建和实施“如何”研讨会，以传播皮特内外的发现。因此，一个显著的更广泛的影响是研究生培养的新方法的发展，一旦证明有影响力，可以在全国范围内传播到多个STEM学科。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的社区所需的知识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

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.