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Contextualizing Communities in an Instructional Improvement Initiative: Exploring STEM Faculty Engagement in Teaching-Related Conversations

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/j098zj17w

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  • An oft-cited strategy for fostering instructional improvements to STEM education is creating faculty communities, where instructors can share and learn best teaching practices. Despite research-documented benefits, relatively little is known about why (and with whom) faculty engage in teaching-related conversations, including those fostered by initiatives. We explored how STEM faculty engage in teaching-related conversations, via faculty interviews and social network analysis, to identify factors potentially influencing teaching-related conversations over the life of an initiative. Our results suggest aspects that might inhibit STEM faculty from engaging in teaching-related conversations, including: 1) faculty members’ autonomy around teaching practices; 2) varied interests concerning teaching improvements; 3) varied degrees of support to engage in teaching-related conversations; and 4) a lack of inclusive and non-judgemental spaces to talk about teaching. We suggest that those hoping to foster meaningful faculty communities should consider working with others across the institution to map the diverse instructional improvement opportunities STEM faculty may already take part in and attend to areas lacking support. Initiative leaders and designers must elicit and build off members’ teaching-related knowledge and concerns. These spaces must be inclusive and safe, to help faculty share real teaching-related challenges and insights to respectful and responsive listeners. We additionally recommend spaces where faculty can meet and talk with community members beyond departmental boundaries, across the institution. Finally, our study echoes the results of prior research by drawing attention to the importance of administrative support for instructional improvement initiatives, which can help foster and sustain opportunities for faculty to talk about teaching-related topics and learn instructional improvements.
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  • Aster, E., Bouwma-Gearhart, J., Quardokus Fisher, K. Contextualizing Communities in an Instructional Improvement Initiative: Exploring STEM Faculty Engagement in Teaching-Related Conversations (working paper, 2021). Oregon State University.
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