Research Coordination Network-Undergraduate Biology Education: Promoting Active Learning & Mentoring (PALM) Incubator Program

美国细胞生物学学会与美国植物生物学学会和美国遗传学学会合作，因其题为“促进主动学习和指导”（PALM）的项目获得了研究协调网络-本科生生物学教育奖。该项目正在形成一个网络，通过有效、长期的专业发展，促进以愿景和变革为导向的本科教与学改革。寻求学习最佳教学实践的教师和博士后研究员（PALM研究员）以及已经用有效的主动学习策略改变了课堂的教师导师之间正在组织长期指导。PALM学员参观导师的教室，并在导师的校园里参加重新设计的课程。基于这些经验，并在他们的导师的指导下，PALM学员使用有效的、积极的学习教学法重组了他们自己班级的全部或部分内容。研究员被要求向科学界报告他们的发现，当他们在自己的课堂上积累了几年的经验后，将被邀请成为导师。本科STEM课堂观察协议（COPUS）涉及直接观察课堂教学方法，正在用于项目评估，以衡量PALM研究员的进展以及计划的有效性。项目评估的结果通过指导提高了我们对教师专业发展最佳实践的认识。该项目由生物基础设施司生物科学司和教育和人力资源司本科教育司联合资助，以支持应对《本科教育的愿景与变革：行动呼吁》http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/所提出的挑战。

The American Society for Cell Biology, in collaboration with the American Society for Plant Biology and the Genetics Society of America, has received a Research Coordination Network - Undergraduate Biology Education award for their project entitled Promoting Active Learning & Mentoring (PALM). This project is forming a network to promote Vision and Change-guided reforms in undergraduate teaching and learning through effective, long-term professional development. Long-term mentorships are being organized between faculty and postdoctoral fellows (PALM Fellows) seeking to learn pedagogical best practices and faculty mentors who have already transformed their classrooms with effective active learning strategies.PALM Fellows visit the classrooms of their mentors and participate in redesigned classes on the mentor's campus. Based on this experience, and guided by their mentors, PALM Fellows restructure all, or a portion, of one of their own classes using effective, active learning pedagogies. Fellows are required to report their findings to the scientific community and will be invited to become mentors when they have acquired several years of experience in their own classrooms. The Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS), which involves direct observation of classroom pedagogies, is being used in project evaluation to measure the progress of the PALM Fellows, as well as the effectiveness of the program. The results of the project evaluation are advancing our knowledge of best practice in faculty professional development through mentoring. This project is funded jointly by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education in support of efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Education: A Call to Action http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/.