Collaborative Research: From Courses to Careers - Addressing Ableism in Physics through Faculty-Student Partnerships

该项目旨在通过提高本科物理课程的入学率和创造更具包容性的物理文化来服务于国家利益。虽然有以前的努力，以改善物理教育，很少有调查残疾学生的经验，在本科物理环境。随着STEM中残疾学生的数量不断增加，重要的是要支持这些残疾学生的STEM职业道路，并为物理教师提供有关如何在课程和计划中支持残疾学生的专业发展。为此，该项目将为物理教师和残疾STEM学生开发专业发展经验，重点是1）促进本科物理课程的可访问性和包容性，2）促进残疾STEM学生和物理教师之间的互利伙伴关系。专业发展工作将支持教师发展包容性的教学实践，并将支持残疾学生在未来的STEM职业生涯中导航。该项目将调查这种专业发展努力的影响，这可能是其他机构和STEM学科的典范。最终，该项目符合NSF的战略目标，即通过确保可及性和包容性的战略目标，使STEM人才充分参与科学和工程。为了调查这种专业发展模式的有效性，密歇根州立大学和康涅狄格大学之间的这个合作项目将解决三个研究问题：1）参与教师如何以及在多大程度上发展流利性并提高残疾，无障碍和包容性方面的知识？教师如何以及在多大程度上在自己的课堂上实施变革和包容性做法？2)参与的学生如何以及在多大程度上发展流利性，并提高职业准备，可用的职业道路和工作申请流程的知识？如何以及在多大程度上，学生感到有能力在STEM社区和职业环境中解决能力歧视问题？3)参与的教师和学生如何看待他们的伙伴关系期间和之后的研讨会，以及这种伙伴关系如何影响他们作为个人？这些研究问题将使用定性方法回答，包括与参与者的访谈和对讲习班材料的文件分析，以及定量调查，以评估参与者对物理残疾的看法和知识。从这些研究的结果来看，该项目将推进对本科STEM教育中基于伙伴关系的专业发展模式的了解，既提高了本科物理环境的可及性和包容性，又为未来的专业发展工作奠定了基础，重点是更广泛地在本科STEM教育中实现可及性和包容性。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Engage Student Learning项目，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF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。

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving access in undergraduate physics courses and creating a more inclusive culture in physics. While there have been previous efforts to improve physics education, few have investigated disabled students’ experiences in undergraduate physics contexts. As the number of disabled students continues to increase in STEM, it is important both to support these disabled students in their STEM career paths and provide professional development for physics faculty about how to support disabled students in their courses and programs. To that end, this project will develop professional development experiences for both physics faculty and disabled STEM students that focuses on 1) promoting accessibility and inclusion in undergraduate physics courses and 2) facilitating mutually beneficial partnerships between disabled STEM students and physics faculty. The professional development efforts will support faculty in developing inclusive teaching practices and will support disabled students in navigating future STEM careers. The project will investigate the impact of this professional development effort, which could be a model for other institutions and STEM disciplines. Ultimately, this project aligns with NSF’s strategic goal to empower STEM talent to fully participate in science and engineering through the strategic objective of ensuring accessibility and inclusivity.To investigate the effectiveness of this professional development model, this collaborative project between Michigan State University and University of Connecticut will address three research questions: 1) How, and to what extent, do participating faculty develop fluency and improve knowledge in disability, accessibility, and inclusivity? How, and to what extent, do faculty implement changes and inclusive practices in their own classrooms? 2) How, and to what extent, do participating students develop fluency and improve knowledge in career readiness, available career paths, and job application processes? How, and to what extent, do students feel empowered to address ableism within the STEM community and career contexts? 3) How do participating faculty and students view their partnership during and after the workshop, and how does this partnership affect them as individuals? These research questions will be answered using qualitative methods, including interviews with participants and document analysis of workshop materials, as well as quantitative surveys to assess participants’ views and knowledge of disability in physics. From results from these studies, the project will advance knowledge about partnership-based professional development models in undergraduate STEM education, both improving access and inclusion in undergraduate physics settings as well as laying the foundation for future professional development efforts focused on accessibility and inclusion in undergraduate STEM education more broadly. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engage Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.