Wider Implementation of STEM Educational Reforms (WISER) Practices Planning Grant:
Setting the Stage for Institutional Commitment to Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning
Farooq A. Khan, Anne Gaquere, Scott Sykes, S. Swamy-Mruthinti and Cher Hendricks
University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA
GOALS OF NSF-WIDER GRANT
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
- Examine ongoing teaching and learning practices and innovations
- Find ways to increase the institution’s commitment to supporting faculty members in
the use of evidence-based teaching and learning practices
- Overarching goals of this project are (1) to facilitate the creation of a shared vision
across the STEM disciplines for using evidence-based teaching and learning practices to
(a) improve student learning, (b) increase the number of majors, (c) increase retention
and (d) increase timely graduation, and (2) to create a plan to institutionalize this vision.
KEY PERSONNEL
PI (Dean); 4 co-PI’s (1 Associate Dean; 1 Director of Center of Teaching and Learning;
2 faculty members in leadership roles), a Core Learning Team (CLT) with departmental
representatives (7)
ACTIVITIES (FALL, 2014)
- Anonymous surveys (Developed by External Evaluator with input from CLT and
administered by CLT members in their respective departments)
- Availability of limited support for experimentation with evidence-based instructional
practices at the department and college levels
- Availability of support for evidence-based practices through the Center for Teaching
and Learning;
- Existence of barriers for experimentation with evidence-based instructional practices in
the form of limited time and lack of recognition
- SoTL Discussions (PI, co-PI’s, CLT members) conducted by Dr. Cher Hendricks,
Director, Center for Teaching & Learning
- Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference co-organized by the Association of
American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and PKAL in November, 2014, in
Atlanta, GA (PI, co-PI’s, most CLT members)
ACTIVITIES (SPRING, 2015)
- Visit to UMBC (All co-PIs and CLT members invited); attended by six individuals
- Excellent team work between faculty members, staff, and administrators
- Innovative approaches to student success
- Visit to Georgia State University; attended by 5 individuals
- Emporium classrooms for Mathematics;
- Model will be implemented at West Georgia starting, Fall, 2016
ACTIVITIES (FALL, 2015 AND SPRING, 2016)
- Faculty-led conversations through the COSM dean’s teaching and learning
seminar series workshops (biology, chemistry, physics)
November, 2015: “Workshops in Chemistry, Biology and Physics” by Ms. Dusty
Otwell, Dr. Nancy Pencoe and Dr. Julie Talbot, Departments of Chemistry,
Biology and Physics
February, 2016: “Using Risk and On-Campus Resources to Increase Student
Success”, by Ms. Carrie Thielemier Carmack, Mathematics
February, 2016: “Assessing Student Responses to the Flipped Classroom”, by
Dr. Janet Genz, Biology
April, 2016: “Designing and Implementing a Transdisciplinary STEM
Laboratory Course for First-Year STEM Majors” by Prof. Sarah Formica (Fuller
E. Callaway Professorial Chair, Department of Physics) and Prof. Royce
Dansby-Sparks (Department of Chemistry), University of North Georgia
- Interviews by external evaluator with campus administrators, CLT members,
co-Pi’s, PI and faculty survey
FUTURE OUTLOOK
- Visioning process at College Level
with new Dean
- Pursuit of external grants, Georgia
BOR and NSF
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
- NSF, WIDER, # 1347719
SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES
-SEEP – Georgia BOR STEM Education
Improvement Plan
- UWise – Georgia BOR STEM II
Initiative
- STEM to STEAM English sections