SOTL IN STEM:

HOW, WHY, AND WHAT?

MOUNT  ROYAL  UNIVERSITY  

SYMPOSIUM  ON  TEACHING  AND  LEARNING
BANFF,  ALBERTA,  CANADA
NOVEMBER  13,  2010  
Susan  Elrod,  PhD
ExecuAve  Director,  Project  Kaleidoscope  @  AAC&U
h5p://www.aacu.org/pkal            elrod@aacu.org

Friday, February 4, 2011

 Word  cloud  of  Mount  Royal  University  Symposium  Program

Friday, February 4, 2011

 PROJECT KALEIDOSCOPE (PKAL)
Leading  advocate  for  building  and  sustaining  strong  undergraduate  
programs  in  STEM  since  1989  
PKAL’s  work  engages  faculty  and  leaders  at  colleges  and  universiUes  
through  an  extensive  naUonal  network  of  >5000  STEM  faculty  and  
leaders  at  over  750  colleges  and  universiUes  in  the  U.S.  and  Canada

Copyright  2010  by  Susan  Elrod.  All  rights  Reserved  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 PKAL’S   G UIDING   V ISION   . ..  
...  Science  and  mathema-cs  educa-on  works  wherever  it  takes  
place  within  an  ac-ve  community  of  learners,  where  learning  is  
ac+ve,  hands-­‐on,  inves+ga+ve,  and  experien+al,  and  where  the  
curriculum  is  rich  in  laboratory  experiences,  steeped  in  the  
methods  of  scien-fic  research  as  it  is  prac-ced  by  professional  
scien-sts.  This  approach  works  for  women,  for  minori-es,  for  all  
students.  

-­‐-­‐  Dan  Sullivan,  1991,  PKAL  Volume  I:  Building  Natural  Science  Communi@es  

Copyright  2010  by  Susan  Elrod.  All  rights  Reserved  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 PKAL’S CURRENT PROJECTS
INTERDISCIPLINARY   Integrating Environmental Studies into the Liberal Arts Experience

LEARNING
DePauw University, Greencastle, IN
Carol Steele and Jim Benedix

Abstract Hot Tip!

The original goal of this project was to infuse environ- Developing a new ID program and want to start attracting
mental studies into our institution as a whole, and in par- students? Build a website before the program is done to
ticular into our liberal arts curriculum. The project has highlight what is already available on campus that relates
started slowly, in large part due to the initiation of what to the planned program.
could be a complete restructuring of our academic pro-
gram. In the fall of 2008 our new president charged the
faculty with the task of reconsidering intellectual life, with
the goal of making whatever changes deemed necessary
to enhance the experience of students and faculty and
increasing the quality of the institution as a small, liberal
arts university. While this is currently slowing the devel-
opment of what we hope will be a broad environmental
studies program, it may also provide an opportunity
because the restructuring we are likely to experience in
the next couple of years may allow us to weave our new
program into the curriculum as it is being reshaped. We

ACS
are considering a three-pronged model in which the uni-
versity-wide program would have two academic/curricular
areas, environmental science (natural sciences) and
environmental studies (social sciences and humanities),
and a policy/administrative area focusing on campus
sustainability. All three of these have been developing on
their own, and so one of the tasks at hand is to construct
an organizational system that will formalize them, con-
nect them, and allow a high level of interaction between
them. Barriers
- Ongoing reconsideration of academic program and

NAGT
intellectual life at the University has stalled the
development of new programs.
- Current financial situation will continue to limit what can

En S
e tal
be done.

vi tu
nc n
ie me
- Potential clash of departmental interests with plans for

r o di
new program; difficult to get some departments to buy in.

nm es
S c r on

en
vi

ta
En
Survey of 300+ DePauw Students

l
REGIONAL  
- 93% say that they are concerned about environmental
issues.
- 29% of respondents say that they are interested in a

AIBS
career dealing with environmental issues.
- 56% say that they are not satisfied with the environ-
mental education they receive in their DePauw classes.
- 76% respond that they would like more classes about
the environment to be offered.
Sustainability
Intitiative

NETWORKS ...
Accomplishments
- Presidents‘ Climate Commitment signed and Campus
Sustainability Initiative created (includes a project which
will measure DePauw’s carbon footprint) .
- Survey of DePauw students completed which gauges
interest in environmental studies, along with a study of
environmental programs at comparison schools and of
current environmental courses at DePauw.
- Environmental science/studies website developed.
DePauw Environmental Policy
Project Receives Award
- Continued development of the co-curricular DePauw The Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC) named the
Environmental Policy Project to include courses as well DePauw Environmental Policy Project (DEPP) their
as summer internships. “Environmental Organization of the Year,” saying that the
- Aquatic Ecosystem specialist becomes newest Biology group “confounded the expectation of what can be

LEADERSHIP  
faculty member, strengthening the environmental faculty. accomplished on a college campus.”

DISCIPLINARY  
DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY  
COLLABORATIONS
Plus  -­‐  Community,  Conferences  and  Resources  in  STEM

Friday, February 4, 2011

 PROJECT KALEIDOSCOPE
Join  us:  
✦ AAC&U  Annual  Mee=ng  on  Global  Posi*oning:  Jan  26-­‐29,  2011  
-­‐  San  Francisco  **  PKAL  sessions  on  Interdisciplinary  Learning  
plus  Symposium  on  the  Integra@ve,  Inten@onal,  Global  
Curriculum  
✦ PKAL-­‐AAC&U  Engaged  STEM  Learning:  From  Pervasive  to  
Promising  Prac7ces  Conference:  March  24-­‐26,  2010  -­‐  Miami,  
Florida  
✦ Join  the  PKAL  conversa*on  on  STEM  higher  educa*on:    
Email  news/updates,  TwiPer,  Blog,  Facebook  page  

More  at  h<p://www.aacu.org/pkal    

Upcoming  Project  Kaleidoscope  Events

Friday, February 4, 2011

 WHY  S OTL   I N  S TEM?

Friday, February 4, 2011

 GLOBAL  HEALTH
CLIMATE  CHANGE

These  kinds  of  problems  necessitate  graduates  from  different  

disciplinary  backgrounds  who  are  scientifically  literate  -­‐  adept  
consumers  of  scientific  information  -­‐  as  well  as  socially  responsible,  
culturally  responsive  and  globally  aware.    
ENERGY
FOOD  SECURITY

GENETICS  &  DIVERSITY

Science  Magazine  Covers  -­‐  BIG  GLOBAL  ISSUES  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 !"#$%"&'()(*+",(-"./$"012."3$4.5-+6"
74.$-8'29':)'4;-'.+"

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12764

Friday, February 4, 2011

 In  2009,  34.1%  of  URM  
(underrepresented  racial  minority)  
students  and  34.3%  of  White  and  Asian  
American  students  indicated  on  the  2009  
CIRP  Freshman  Survey  that  they  planned  
to  pursue  a  STEM  major.

However,  there  are  s=ll  dispari=es  in  

comple=on  rates  among  the  groups  for  
STEM  majors;  students  interested  in  
STEM  majors  across  all  groups  have  
lower  comple=on  rates  than  non-­‐STEM  
counterparts.  

hPp://www.heri.ucla.edu/nih/HERI_ResearchBrief_OL_2010_STEM.pdf

Higher  Educa=on  Research  Ins=tute  (HERI)    STEM  Study

Friday, February 4, 2011

 A   LOOK   I N  T HE   M IRROR   . ..  

The  largest  gain  in  learning  produc-vity  in  STEM  will  come  from  
convincing  the  large  majority  of  STEM  faculty  that  currently  
teaches  by  lecturing  to  use  any  form  of  ac-ve  or  collabora-ve  
instruc-on.  

-­‐-­‐  James  Fairweather  (2009)  Report  to  the  Na@onal  Academies  

Board  on  Science  Educa@on  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 PEDEAGOGIES  O F   E NGAGEMENT
Coopera*ve  Learning  involves  students  working  in  
groups  to  accomplish  learning  goals.
Interac*ve  Lectures  engage  students  with  course  
material  through  short  individual,  pair,  or  small-­‐group  
ac=vi=es.
Inves*ga*ve  Case-­‐Based  Learning  involves  students  in  
addressing  real  world  problems.
Just-­‐in-­‐Time  Teaching  (JiTT)  students  read  assigned  
material  outside  of  class,  respond  to  short  ques=ons  
online,  par=cipate  in  discussion  and  collabora=ve  
exercises  in  class.
Peer-­‐Led  Team  Learning  (PLTL)  teams  of  6-­‐8  students  
are  guided  by  a  peer  leader  in  Learning,  problem-­‐
solving..
Process-­‐Oriented  Guided  Inquiry  Learning  (POGIL)  
students  are  ac=vely  engaged  by  working  in  self-­‐
managed  teams  on  guided  inquiry  ac=vi=es.
ACTIVE  
SCALE-­‐UP  is  a  Student-­‐Centered  Ac=ve  Learning   LEARNING  
Environment  for  Undergraduate  Programs.
 Pedagogies  of  Engagement:  hPp://serc.carleton.edu/sp/pkal/index.html  
Friday, February 4, 2011
 AN   E XAMPLE  C LASS  S TRUCTURE

Miller  et  al.  (2008)  Science  322:1329

Friday, February 4, 2011

 Textbook Figures vs. Real Data

Figure 12.3 from Pierce, Benjamin, 2005, Genetics: A Meselson, M. and F.W. Stahl, 1958, The Replication of
Conceptual Approach, WH Freeman, New York. DNA in Escherichia coli, Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, 44: 671-682.

PASSIVE  LEARNING   ACTIVE  LEARNING  

Case  studies  wri,en  using  primary  data

Copyright  2010  by  Susan  Elrod.  All  rights  Reserved  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 AAAS VISION AND CHANGE IN BIOLOGY
EDUCATION (2009)

hPp://visionandchange.org/

Friday, February 4, 2011

 WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT
LEARNING
 Learning  builds  on  exisUng  knowledge;  is  
built  progressively
 Learning  requires  acUve  cogniUve  
challenges;  transiUons  novices  toward  
expert  thinking  &  frameworks  
 Knowledge  and  understanding  are  
constructed  by  the  learner
 Learning  occurs  best  in  context  &  when  it  is  
relevant  to  the  learner    
 ReflecUon  (metacogniUon)  promotes  
learning
National Research Council. Bransford, J. D., Brown, A.
L., & Cocking, R. R. eds (2000). How People Learn:
 Learning  is  an  acUve,  social  process     Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded
Edition. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Friday, February 4, 2011

 WHAT   D OES
SOTL   I N  S TEM   LOOK   L IKE?

Friday, February 4, 2011

 THREE   ( SIX)   Q UESTIONS
STUDENTS INSTRUCTORS

What  do  they   What  should  they    

know?   know?
How  will  they   How  will  we  
know?   know?  
 How  will  they   How  shall  we  
learn? teach?
Goal:  IntenAonal  and  Deliberate  Teaching
Copyright  2010  by  Susan  Elrod.  All  rights  Reserved  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 Gathering Evidence of Student
Understanding
Concept  Inventories  ...  
✦ DefiniUon  -­‐  mulUple  choice  instrument  designed  to  evaluate  
whether  a  person  has  an  accurate  working  knowledge  of  a  specific  
set  of  concepts  (h5p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_inventory)

✦ Use  -­‐  diagnosUc  to  used  to  inform  the  instructor  regarding  student  
understanding  pre-­‐  and  post-­‐instrucUon;  can  calculate  a  learning  
gain;  with  results,  adjust  instrucUon  to  help  students

Copyright  2010  by  Susan  Elrod.  All  rights  Reserved  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 LIGHT, NO LIGHT, WATER NO LIGHT,
WATER WATER

1 2 33
Three  idenAcal  plates  of  radish  seeds  are  incubated  under  three  different  
condiAons,  with  results  as  shown.    How  will  the  dry  weights  of  the  three  
plates  compare  at  the  end  of  the  experiment?
 A)    1  <  2  <  3        
 B)    1  <  3  <  2      
 C)    1  =  3  <  2    
 D)    3  <  1  <  2    
 E)    1  =  2  =  3  

EBERT-­‐MAY,  ET  AL.  2003,  BIOSCIENCE

Friday, February 4, 2011

 LIGHT, NO LIGHT, WATER NO LIGHT,
WATER WATER

1 1.46 G 2 1.63 G 33 1.20 G

Three  idenAcal  plates  of  radish  seeds  are  incubated  under  three  different  
condiAons,  with  results  as  shown.    How  will  the  dry  weights  of  the  three  
plates  compare  at  the  end  of  the  experiment?
 A)    1  <  2  <  3        
 B)    1  <  3  <  2      
 C)    1  =  3  <  2    
 D)    3  <  1  <  2    
 E)    1  =  2  =  3  

EBERT-­‐MAY,  ET  AL.  2003,  BIOSCIENCE

Friday, February 4, 2011

 Assess  prior  knowledge
of  students

Modify/Adjust   Reconcile  with  

Instruction your  expectations  
and  Assessment (expert  knowledge)

SoTL  cycle  starting  with  student’s  prior  knowledge  

Copyright  2010  by  Susan  Elrod.  All  rights  Reserved  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 New  Images  of  Chromosomes  
for  instruction

From  my  own  SoTL  journey

in  Genetics  

Copyright  2010  by  Susan  Elrod.  All  rights  Reserved  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 SOME  A SSESSMENT  T IPS
Tie  it  to  learning  outcomes  and  don’t  do  it  just  because  
you  can  (par=cularly  when  it  comes  to  technology)
Use  pre/post  ques=ons  (e.g.,  concept  inventories)  to  
assess  prior  knowledge  as  well  as  learning  gains.  
Use  forma=ve  (during  the  learning)  methods  to  inform  
instruc=on  (both  the  learner  and  the  teacher)
✦ Clickers,  one-­‐minute  paper,  concept  maps,  brainstorms,  mini-­‐maps  of  
key  terms,  strip  sequence  of  textbook  images,  etc.    

Use  summa=ve  (aRer  the  learning)  methods  to  evaluate  

learning  and  hold  learner  accountable;  use  rubrics  to  
assess  complex  learning  
Copyright  2010  by  Susan  Elrod.  All  rights  Reserved  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 INTENTIONAL
CURRICULUM DESIGN
Think-­‐pair-­‐share:  Think  about  a  class  you  teach.  

1)  Iden=fy  ONE  LEARNING  OUTCOME  you  have  for  students.  

2)  What  do  you  know  about  student’s  PRIOR  KNOWLEDGE?        

         How  could  you  gather  informa=on  about  it?    

3)  Aher  instruc=on,  how  would  you  know  students  LEARNED?

4)  What  are  the  implica=ons  for  INSTRUCTION?  

Copyright  2010  by  Susan  Elrod.  All  rights  Reserved  

Friday, February 4, 2011

 DATA  A NALYSIS  

Smith,  M.  et  al.  2008  CBE-­‐Life  Sciences  Education

Friday, February 4, 2011

 So,  why  aren’t  all  our  
STEM  classrooms  
transformed?  

Learning  gains  in  interacAve-­‐engaging  physics  courses  (Hake,  1998)

Friday, February 4, 2011

 Carl Wieman, et al., (2010) Transforming
Science Education at Large Research
Universities, Change, March/April 2010

It  takes  a  village,  which  includes  leadership  beyond  

the  department.  Five  core  strategies  common  to  
transforming  ins=tu=ons:  1)  senior  administra=ve  
support,  2)  collabora=ve  leadership,  3)  flexible  
vision,  4)  staff  development,  and  5)  visible  ac=on.  
(Eckel  and  Kezar  (2003)  Taking  the  Reins:  Ins-tu-onal  Transforma-on  in  Higher  Educa-on)

* Achieving the necessary commitment and

coordination across more than two or three faculty
teaching the same course at the same time has been
difficult.

Friday, February 4, 2011

 What  is  one  great  idea  you  have  learned  at  
this  symposium  that  you  will  use  
when  you  get  home?  

Copyright  2010  by  Susan  Elrod.  All  rights  Reserved  

ONE  MINUTE  WRAP  UP  

Friday, February 4, 2011