Transforming Undergraduate STEM Education Supporting Equitable and Effective Teaching (2025) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
10 Recommendations for Current Action and Future Research
10 Recommendations for Current Action and Future Research
Pages 264-284
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From page 264... ...
Working toward equitable and effective instruction involves continuous improvement with repeated cycles of reflection and innovation by instructors, both individually and collectively. This work demands the support of academic units and institutional leadership.
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From page 265... ...
The evidence is not as robust that changes to policies and priorities can support those necessary changes to teaching practices. However, together these changes have a high likelihood to help achieve a system in which all undergraduate STEM students experience equitable and effective learning experiences, feel belonging, and have the opportunity to succeed in their STEM courses and programs regardless of their identity or background.
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From page 266... ...
Recent changes in the demographics of the student population and pressures on higher education to meet the demands of the 21st century STEM workplace underscore the need to re-evaluate instructional practices in STEM and improve the learning experiences of undergraduate students in STEM courses. Instructional practices that take students' interests and experiences into account and provide them with authentic opportunities to engage with disciplinary content, practices, and analysis have been shown to be more effective than instructional practices that rely solely on lecture, reading, and memorization of content, procedures, and algorithms.
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From page 267... ...
• Principle 6: Flexibility and responsiveness to situational and contextual factors support student learning • Principle 7: Intentionality and transparency create more equitable opportunities. Realizing equitable and effective teaching through the adoption of these Principles is a multi-level endeavor that involves individuals, academic units, and institutions.
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From page 268... ...
Academic unit decisions and policies related to teaching can impede or promote the implementation of equitable and effective teaching strategies. Institutional leadership can articulate and prioritize goals that align with the seven Principles and provide the financial and human resources that are needed for significant change at the system level.
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From page 269... ...
to create the professional learning, support, and guidance that instructors will need to equitably and effectively use their products. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VALUING AND SUPPORTING INSTRUCTORS Changes to courses and instruction as recommended in the previous section require that academic units and institutions value teaching itself and the efforts instructors make to learn about and provide equitable learning experiences for students.
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From page 270... ...
The reasons for this vary but include lack of funding for time spent on PLD, exclusion from faculty or academic unit meetings and functions, and lack of appropriate venues for connecting with other instructors. Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars need professional learning and development to prepare for potential roles as future faculty in addition to professional learning and development related to any existing roles as instructors or teaching assistants.
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From page 271... ...
for developing or revising courses to align with equitable and effective teaching practices, potentially including changing lesson goals, changing instructional practices, and/or changing instructional tools. Recommendation 5: Academic unit and institutional leaders should foster a support structure for instructors (e.g., centers for teaching and learning, STEM education centers)
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From page 272... ...
Once hired, instructors should receive mentoring related to equitable and effective teaching and be provided with opportunities to engage in ongoing professional learning and development. Recommendation 9: Academic unit leaders should use the Principles for Equitable and Effective Teaching as professional standards that form the basis of teaching evaluation processes.
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From page 273... ...
Institutional efforts to support continuous improvement are complex and require action on multiple levels within the institution as well as support and guidance from national actors such as funders and researchers with specialized expertise or resources. The following recommendations provide actions for leaders of institutions and academic units (Recommendations 11 and 12)
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From page 274... ...
Administrators can also analyze and reform policies and practices so that the institutional reward system for faculty, instructors, and academic unit leaders is aligned with the goal of equitable and effective teaching and all stakeholders are supported in change efforts. For example, grades and the approaches to assigning them do not fully convey the complexity and extent of student learning; policies that support student learning and that promote more equitable and effective grading approaches might be explored.
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From page 275... ...
Academic units should analyze transition points, course offerings, student experiences, and student outcomes and use the information to remediate obstacles that limit student learning or student progress towards a credential, especially obstacles that disproportionately impact students who are members of underserved groups. Recommendation 13: Professional, academic, and disciplinary societies and organizations should publicly endorse and elevate the Principles for Equitable and Effective Teaching and adopt them to guide their work related to undergraduate education.
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From page 276... ...
While many have already begun work to improve teaching and learning, we provide here some starting points for a few selected key actors who are beginning or ramping up this work: institutional leaders, academic units, and instructors. Prepublication copy, uncorrected proofs
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From page 277... ...
They are also an organizing unit for the instructors who teach these courses. Leaders of academic units can start advancing this work by leading an effort to review curriculum and program learning goals and the structure of STEM programs (Recommendation 2)
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From page 278... ...
As discussed above, instructors need academic unit and institutional leaders to support them in this work by providing the reward structures (Recommendation 10) and professional development opportunities (Recommendations 4 and 5)
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From page 279... ...
Further research could help determine to what extent grades correlate with increased student understanding due to their experiences in courses or reflect differences in knowledge or privilege that students possess when they enter courses. Potential research questions in this theme include: • What methods for more holistic approaches to evaluating the capabilities of STEM students work best to demonstrate learning?
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From page 280... ...
Research could explore the impact this may have had on the culture of academic units and institutions, including its potential impact on attitudes about teaching. Potential research questions in this theme include: • Are there differences in the approaches taken to teaching by those who more strongly identify as scientists versus educators?
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From page 281... ...
• What rewards and incentives, given to faculty either individually or as a group/cohort, contribute to their use of instructional practices that create equitable and effective learning environments for all students? • In which way can instruments for students' evaluation of teaching be co-created by faculty, administrators, and students?
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From page 282... ...
Using Institutional Data Research could help to improve understanding of effective approaches for sharing data throughout an instructional system in ways that support equitable student outcomes and explore the kinds of data and ways of visualizing that data that instructors and administrators find most helpful in supporting their goals. • What are some of the effective ways to share data with instructors and department administrators regarding equitable outcomes in course and programs while taking an asset-based approach and focusing on systemically improving educational outcomes?
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From page 283... ...
To what extent have there been increases in non-completion rates due to mental health challenges Artificial Intelligence and the System of Undergraduate STEM Education Research on generative and other forms of AI could help determine issues that should be addressed if AI is used to analyze system data; support student learning, and/or support instructors in creating or implementing courses and learning experiences. • What potential benefits and potential drawbacks might arise from the use of AI to assist in the interpretation of qualitative data from students about their learning experiences?
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From page 284... ...
284 TRANSFORMING UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION necessary to provide the information, tools, and resources needed to address future challenges facing our society and our planet. Prepublication copy, uncorrected proofs
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