Preparing the Next Generation of Biology Education Researchers through Interdisciplinary Co-mentorship and Evidence-based Professional Development

通过跨学科共同指导和循证专业发展培养下一代生物教育研究人员

• 批准号: 2328692
• 负责人: Erin Dolan
• 金额: $ 125万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-15 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2328692&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Preparing; Next; Generation; Biology; Education

The life sciences comprise the largest and most diverse field within STEM higher education. Biology education programs in colleges and universities across the country are tasked with preparing a diverse workforce equipped to understand life on our planet and apply lessons learned to produce societal benefits and tackle societal challenges. Yet, biology education research, which can be used to inform and improve biology teaching and learning, is still developing as a field. Furthermore, biology education research has been critiqued for its insular approach, limited study designs, and insufficient attention to principles of measurement. All of these issues compromise the utility of biology education research findings. This project is designed to address this concern and build capacity for robust and theory-informed research by developing, implementing, and evaluating a novel model for postdoctoral training in biology education research. The project uses a co-mentorship approach that leverages expertise and ongoing cross-disciplinary research collaborations among life science and social science faculty members at the University of Georgia. Participating Postdoctoral Fellows select and carry out a defined research project to advance their research expertise. In addition, fellows formulate an independent research project they will take with them into their next position. Fellows also engage in a tailored suite of professional development activities that prepare them for a diversity of positions related to higher education. All aspects of the project are grounded in research on effective ways to recruit, select, and mentor early career researchers in order to maximize the project’s success and impact.This project is designed to prepare a diverse cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows to carry out biology education research that generates robust empirical findings, catalyzes theory development, and broadens participation in biology education. The project is designed to recruit and identify the cohort using a series evidence-based approaches, including situational interviews and selection rubrics, to broaden participation and limit potential influences of implicit biases. Fellows select and carry out a defined research project to advance their research expertise and formulate an independent research project they will take with them into their next position. A pair of faculty co-mentors—one in the life sciences and one in the social sciences support fellows in their research. Fellows further their professional development through a suite of individual and cohort-based activities, including literature reading and analysis, seminars and networking with leading scholars, presenting at national conferences, writing and submitting manuscripts and grant proposals, and applying for jobs that align with their career goals. PIs and research mentors work are grounded in principles of job crafting and effective, culturally aware mentorship such that each Fellow formulates and enacts an individual development plan tailored to their needs, interests, and aspirations. Fellows also have a “menu” of other options from which they can craft their plans, including research-related courses and workshops, professional certifications, and teaching and mentoring opportunities. The project goals include increasing diversity of the biology education research community, building capacity to carry out robust, theoretically informed, and completing impactful research that leads to mechanistic understanding of biology education and theory building related to all levels of the biology education ecosystem (e.g., learning, teaching, policy, etc.).This project is supported by NSF’s STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (STEM Ed PRF) Program with co-funding from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) and the EDU Core Research (EDU ECR) Programs. The STEM Ed PRF Program aims to enhance the research knowledge, skills, and practices of recent doctorates in STEM, STEM education, education, and related disciplines to advance their preparation to engage in fundamental and applied research that advances knowledge within the field. The IUSE Program supports projects to improve STEM teaching and learning for undergraduate students, including studying what works and for whom and how to transform institutions to adopt successful practices in STEM education. The EDU ECR Program supports research on STEM education in one or more of three research areas: STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.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.

生命科学是 STEM 高等教育中规模最大、最多样化的领域。全国各地学院和大学的生物教育项目的任务是培养一支多元化的劳动力队伍，让他们能够了解地球上的生命，并运用学到的经验教训来产生社会效益和应对社会挑战。然而，可用于指导和改进生物教学的生物教育研究作为一个领域仍在发展。此外，生物教育研究因其孤立的方法、有限的研究设计以及对测量原则的重视不够而受到批评。所有这些问题都损害了生物教育研究成果的实用性。该项目旨在通过开发、实施和评估生物教育研究中博士后培训的新模式来解决这一问题，并建立稳健和基于理论的研究能力。该项目采用共同指导的方法，利用佐治亚大学生命科学和社会科学教员之间的专业知识和正在进行的跨学科研究合作。参与的博士后研究员选择并开展一个明确的研究项目，以提高他们的研究专业知识。此外，研究员还制定了一个独立的研究项目，他们将带着他们进入下一个职位。研究员还参加一套量身定制的专业发展活动，为他们担任与高等教育相关的各种职位做好准备。该项目的各个方面都基于对招募、选择和指导早期职业研究人员的有效方法的研究，以最大限度地提高项目的成功和影响。该项目旨在培养多元化的博士后研究员进行生物学教育研究，产生可靠的实证结果，促进理论发展，并扩大生物学教育的参与。该项目旨在使用一系列基于证据的方法（包括情景访谈和选择标准）来招募和识别群体，以扩大参与范围并限制隐性偏见的潜在影响。研究员选择并开展一个明确的研究项目，以提高他们的研究专业知识，并制定一个独立的研究项目，以便他们进入下一个职位。两位教员共同导师（一位来自生命科学领域，一位来自社会科学领域）为研究员的研究提供支持。研究员通过一系列个人和群体活动进一步促进他们的专业发展，包括文献阅读和分析、研讨会和与顶尖学者的交流、在全国会议上发言、撰写和提交手稿和资助提案，以及申请与其职业目标相符的工作。 PI 和研究导师的工作以工作塑造和有效、文化意识指导原则为基础，以便每位研究员根据自己的需求、兴趣和愿望制定和实施个人发展计划。研究员还有一个其他选项的“菜单”，他们可以从中制定自己的计划，包括与研究相关的课程和研讨会、专业认证以及教学和指导机会。该项目的目标包括增加生物教育研究界的多样性，培养开展稳健、理论丰富和有影响力的研究的能力，从而对生物教育进行机械性理解，并建立与生物教育生态系统各个层面（例如学习、教学、政策等）相关的理论。该项目得到了 NSF 的 STEM 教育博士后研究奖学金 (STEM Ed PRF) 计划的支持，并得到了改进组织的共同资助。 本科 STEM 教育 (IUSE) 和 EDU 核心研究 (EDU ECR) 计划。 STEM Ed PRF 计划旨在增强近期博士生在 STEM、STEM 教育、教育和相关学科方面的研究知识、技能和实践，以促进他们为从事基础和应用研究做好准备，从而推进该领域的知识。 IUSE 计划支持改善本科生 STEM 教学和学习的项目，包括研究什么有效、对谁有效以及如何改造机构以采用 STEM 教育的成功实践。 EDU ECR 计划支持三个研究领域中的一个或多个领域的 STEM 教育研究：STEM 学习和学习环境、扩大 STEM 的参与以及 STEM 劳动力发展。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。