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

生命科学是STEM高等教育中最大和最多样化的领域。全国各地的学院和大学的生物学教育课程的任务是准备一支多元化的劳动力队伍，以了解我们星球上的生命，并应用学到的经验教训来产生社会效益和应对社会挑战。然而，生物教育研究，这可以用来通知和改善生物教学和学习，仍然是一个领域的发展。此外，生物教育研究因其孤立的方法，有限的研究设计和对测量原则的关注不足而受到批评。所有这些问题都损害了生物教育研究成果的实用性。该项目旨在解决这一问题，并通过开发，实施和评估生物教育研究博士后培训的新模式，建立强大的理论研究能力。该项目采用共同指导的方法，利用专业知识和正在进行的跨学科研究合作之间的生命科学和社会科学教师在格鲁吉亚大学。参与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，研究员制定一个独立的研究项目，他们将与他们带进他们的下一个位置。研究员还参与一套量身定制的专业发展活动，为他们提供与高等教育相关的各种职位。该项目的各个方面都以研究招募、选择和指导早期职业研究人员的有效方法为基础，以最大限度地提高该项目的成功和影响力。该项目旨在培养多元化的博士后研究员群体来开展生物教育研究，产生强有力的经验发现，催化理论发展并扩大生物教育的参与。该项目旨在使用一系列基于证据的方法招募和识别队列，包括情景访谈和选择规则，以扩大参与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，他们将与他们一起进入下一个职位。一对教师共同导师-一个在生命科学和社会科学支持研究员在他们的研究之一。研究员通过一套个人和群体为基础的活动，包括文学阅读和分析，研讨会和网络与领先的学者，在全国会议上提出，写作和提交手稿和赠款建议，并申请工作，符合他们的职业目标进一步发展他们的专业。PI和研究导师的工作是基于工作制作和有效的，文化意识的指导原则，使每个研究员制定和制定一个适合他们的需求，兴趣和愿望的个人发展计划。研究员也有其他选择的“菜单”，他们可以从中制定自己的计划，包括研究相关的课程和研讨会，专业认证，教学和指导的机会。该项目的目标包括增加生物学教育研究社区的多样性，建设能力，开展强有力的，理论上知情的，并完成有影响力的研究，导致生物学教育的机械理解和与生物学教育生态系统的各个层面相关的理论建设（例如，学习、教学、政策等）。该项目由NSF的STEM教育博士后研究奖学金（STEM艾德PRF）计划支持，并由改善本科STEM教育（IUSE）和EDU核心研究（EDU ECR）计划共同资助。STEM艾德PRF计划旨在提高STEM，STEM教育，教育和相关学科的近期博士学位的研究知识，技能和实践，以促进他们准备从事基础和应用研究，促进该领域内的知识。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。教育大学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。

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.