Background. Funded by the NSF-TUES program (NSF DUE 1323258), we present research findings based upon a novel approach to evaluating the impact of a national STEM faculty development program on college student outcomes. This evaluation research project focuses on the Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching, attended by more than 1,500 STEM instructors from over 300 US universities and colleges since 2004. Participants learn about evidence-based practices designed to improve the learning experiences of students. Faculty practice these methods with peers during the institute and return to their home campuses equipped to adopt these methods for their own classroom instruction (e.g., based on course type and size, student population, and extent of institutional support). Issue. The scope and longevity of the summer institutes program poses the challenge of collecting data that connects a faculty development program to its ultimate goal of improving student outcomes. This complexity is multiplied by the implementation variation seen among faculty members and across institutions. Methods. Our data collection approach first identifies pathways of program effects. It then selects a set of measures that best reflect implementation in each classroom. Known as the systems evaluation protocol (SEP) its steps will be briefly highlighted in our presentation. Results. 15 STEM teaching faculty from different institutions were selected based on their high implementation of evidence-based teaching with over 1,950 students. Across the 15 active learning classrooms, we developed a statistically significant model of student buy-in to faculty instruction. The level of student buy-in to the active learning experience predicted STEM students’ self-regulated learning behaviors and, in turn, exam performance and final grades. Implications. Faculty members who establish student buy-in to active learning better enable students to engage in appropriate learning strategies and perform well. Faculty intending to implement active learning should consider ways to attain student buy-in throughout the course. We believe our evaluation methodology and resulting data may be applied across evaluation contexts and STEM education program types – whether by department, by institution, or nationally. It provides meaningful feedback on program impact for college and university faculty, senior administrators, education researchers, and STEM education policymakers.

Impact of the summer institutes on faculty teaching and student achievement

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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