Collaborative Research: Broadening Instructional Innovation in the Chemistry Laboratory through Excellence in Curriculum Development

合作研究：通过卓越的课程开发扩大化学实验室的教学创新

• 批准号: 2337028
• 负责人: Maia Popova
• 金额: $ 96.73万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina Greensboro
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-02-15 至 2029-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2337028&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Broadening; Instructional; Innovation

This project aims to serve the national interest by offering a professional development program to equip chemistry instructors and curricula developers with evidence-based teaching practices in chemistry laboratory courses. Currently, there are no large-scale or nationwide professional development opportunities focused on reforming chemistry laboratory curricula. This comprehensive year-long professional development program will empower chemistry educators to enhance student learning in chemistry laboratories by promoting scientific practices and fostering a sense of belonging. Moreover, as part of the professional development program, participants will create and disseminate more than 40 new inquiry-based laboratory projects, which have been shown to be more effective for student learning than traditional “cookbook” style laboratory experiences. Data will be collected and analyzed to broaden understanding of the extent to which such professional development affects teaching beliefs and instructional practices of laboratory curricula developers. This new knowledge will have the potential to impact the success of future faculty professional development initiatives. Overall, this project will lead to direct instructional support that can benefit thousands of undergraduate chemistry students and may lead to long-term changes in the instructional practices of up to 126 laboratory curriculum developers. This Institutional and Community Transformation Level 2 project aligns with NSF's mission to advance science education, serving the national interest by improving student success.Chemistry educators have long been dissatisfied with traditional laboratory approaches, but many face barriers that prevent them from adopting new frameworks and evidence-based practices. This project aims to establish a nationwide community of chemistry laboratory curriculum developers equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources to implement effective instructional reforms. Three bodies of work comprise the theory of change guiding this project: (1) Clarke and Hollingsworth’s Model of Teacher Professional Growth; (2) Wenger’s Communities of Practice framework; and (3) AAC&U’s Teaching to Increase Diversity and Equity in STEM logic model. Four cohorts containing 42 institutional teams from varying contexts and institutional settings (including minority-serving and 2-year institutions) will collaborate to create and disseminate more than 40 inquiry-based laboratory projects. The teams will participate in a comprehensive yearlong professional development during which they will learn about evidence-based practices, including (1) curriculum reform through backward design with a specific focus on pedagogical aspects unique to chemistry (e.g., Johnstone’s triangle); (2) reducing equity gaps through fostering a sense of belonging; and (3) building scientific practices through inquiry (NGSS framework). By establishing this nationwide community of laboratory curriculum developers with training in evidence-based practices (84-126 instructors and 42 TAs), this program will have a transformative impact on chemistry laboratory instruction practices. Additionally, through triangulation of student and instructor surveys, instructors’ reflections and interviews, and laboratory artifacts, the project will generate new knowledge about the landscape of instructional thinking and practices of the laboratory curriculum developers and will evaluate the extent to which professional development impacts progressions in the thinking and practices of the laboratory curriculum developers. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Institutional and Community Transformation track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities.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.

该项目旨在通过提供专业发展计划，为化学教师和课程开发人员提供化学实验室课程中基于证据的教学实践，从而为国家利益服务。目前，没有大规模或全国性的专业发展机会，重点是改革化学实验室课程。这项为期一年的综合专业发展计划将使化学教育工作者能够通过促进科学实践和培养归属感来加强学生在化学实验室的学习。此外，作为专业发展计划的一部分，参与者将创建和传播40多个新的基于探究的实验室项目，这些项目已被证明比传统的“食谱”式实验室体验对学生学习更有效。数据将被收集和分析，以扩大这种专业发展的程度影响实验室课程开发的教学理念和教学实践的理解。这些新知识将有可能影响未来教师专业发展计划的成功。总体而言，该项目将导致直接的教学支持，可以使成千上万的本科化学学生受益，并可能导致多达126个实验室课程开发人员的教学实践的长期变化。这个机构和社区转型2级项目符合NSF的使命，以推进科学教育，通过提高学生的成功服务于国家利益。化学教育工作者长期以来一直不满意传统的实验室方法，但许多面临的障碍，阻止他们采用新的框架和循证实践。该项目旨在建立一个全国性的化学实验室课程开发社区，配备知识，技能和资源，以实施有效的教学改革。三个机构的工作包括指导这个项目的变革理论：（1）克拉克和霍林斯沃思的教师专业成长模型;（2）温格的实践框架社区;和（3）AAC U的教学，以增加多样性和公平的STEM逻辑模型。由来自不同背景和机构环境（包括少数群体服务和两年制机构）的42个机构团队组成的四个群组将合作创建和传播40多个基于调查的实验室项目。这些团队将参加为期一年的全面专业发展，在此期间，他们将学习循证实践，包括（1）通过逆向设计进行课程改革，特别关注化学特有的教学方面（例如，Johnstone三角）;（2）通过培养归属感缩小公平差距;（3）通过调查建立科学实践（NGSS框架）。通过建立这个全国性的实验室课程开发者社区，并进行循证实践培训（84-126名教师和42名助教），该计划将对化学实验室教学实践产生变革性影响。此外，通过三角测量的学生和教师的调查，教师的反思和采访，实验室文物，该项目将产生新的知识景观的教学思想和实践的实验室课程开发人员，并将评估专业发展的影响程度在思想和实践的实验室课程开发人员的进步。NSF IUSE：EDU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。通过机构和社区转型的轨道，该计划支持的努力，以改变和改善高等教育机构和学科社区的STEM教育.这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得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支持.