Proposal Title
Video Plenary - Obstacles to effective teaching in higher education: Are we using the right change strategies?
Room
WSC 55
Start Date
6-7-2017 9:00 AM
Keywords
evidence-based practice, institutional change strategy
Primary Threads
None of the Above
Abstract
Researchers in undergraduate STEM education have shown that many aspects of teaching can be systematically studied and improved using scientific methods. There is now a convincing body of research showing that a wide variety of active learning instructional strategies consistently improve student learning and other desired outcomes when compared to traditional instruction. Like most fields, though, there is a substantial gap between the research-based knowledge about effective teaching and the actual practices of mathematics instructors. Change agents in higher education typically attempt to bridge this gap by developing stronger evidence of the efficacy of active learning and telling more instructors about this evidence. In this presentation I will argue that this type of change strategy, focused on convincing individual instructors through rational arguments, is not sufficient to bring about large-scale change. Focusing only on individuals does not change the barriers to active learning that are embedded in the cultures and structures within which these individuals work.
Video Plenary - Obstacles to effective teaching in higher education: Are we using the right change strategies?
WSC 55
Researchers in undergraduate STEM education have shown that many aspects of teaching can be systematically studied and improved using scientific methods. There is now a convincing body of research showing that a wide variety of active learning instructional strategies consistently improve student learning and other desired outcomes when compared to traditional instruction. Like most fields, though, there is a substantial gap between the research-based knowledge about effective teaching and the actual practices of mathematics instructors. Change agents in higher education typically attempt to bridge this gap by developing stronger evidence of the efficacy of active learning and telling more instructors about this evidence. In this presentation I will argue that this type of change strategy, focused on convincing individual instructors through rational arguments, is not sufficient to bring about large-scale change. Focusing only on individuals does not change the barriers to active learning that are embedded in the cultures and structures within which these individuals work.