This project is engaged in improving undergraduate teaching and student learning in the foundational courses across all STEM disciplines. This goal is being pursued by integrating two powerful teaching techniques, Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) and Peer Instruction (PI) within a Personal Response System. A goal is to combine these techniques in a coherent model across the STEM disciplines. This is a broad extension of previous efforts. A multidisciplinary team of faculty from Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Engineering, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics is engaged in creating a coherent, engaging, and effective student learning environment across these disciplines. Synergistic interactions among the classes in these disciplines - both at the content level and at the student experience level - is expected to result in enhanced student learning outcomes. Special attention is being paid to first generation college students through the deployment of specially-designed learning communities, because this demographic group has historically performed far below average in introductory STEM classes. This project is also designing a program of activities to assist new instructors to teach these redesigned courses in a collaborative, supportive, multi-disciplinary framework. The progress of these efforts is guided by the outcomes of carefully designed formative and summative evaluations.
" has as its goal to enhance and transform STEM undergraduate education by using active learning components including just in time teaching (JiTT) and peer instruction (PI) across all of the STEM disciplines, including Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, and Physics and to spread the use of active learning efforts within each of the departments. We wish to improve student learning and student retention in the STEM disciplines as well as to increase student learning in each of these large introductory courses. In addition, since the University of Cincinnati enrolls significant number of first generation college students in the STEM disciplines, we seek use specially crafted Learning Communities to meet the special needs of these students. Finally, we wish to design a program to integrate new instructors into these efforts. We provide below a succinct summary of the highlights of accomplishments of this grant for each of the STEM departments. Efforts in Biology have demonstrated both increased student learning and increased success in the course. The results were remarkable enough that the all sections are now being taught in an active learning format using a common set of learning outcomes, PRS, JiTT, and group work. Efforts in Chemistry have demonstrated a dramatic difference in student learning outcomes as measured by a common final block exam suggesting the efficacy of the instructor’s JiTT/PI efforts. These active learning efforts have spread to other large sections as well. The use of national-normed ACS examinations have indicated in a larger context that students in the active learning sections are performing above national average. Mentoring in active learning of new instructors in the large Introduction to Chemistry sections is ongoing. Efforts in Geology have resulted, with the appropriate use of extensive technology, in student performance and satisfaction that is just as high in an online course as with a face to face environment. Efforts in Mathematics have informed a large class of changes in the teaching of Calculus I that aid in the evaluation of change efforts. The department has now established uniform exams across all sections of Calculus 1 and in the combined pre-calculus/calculus1 sequence. The department has also extensively revised and update their Math Placement Test which should allow better and more appropriate placement of students in first year courses. The score required for being placed in Calculus 1 has been raised. Effort so far have not demonstrated the efficacy of active teaching activities in enhancing student mathematical achievement. Several mathematics faculty participated in a week long intensive seminar on active learning and are using these techniques in courses they are teaching presently. Efforts in Physics utilizing using an adaptive program to assess and review mathematical capabilities and a completely flipped classroom carried out in the usual lecture hall have resulted in a dramatic improvement of student performance in algebra-based Physics, including increasing the student success rate to nearly 80% and an improvement in student learning within both the upper quartile and lower quartiles. In calculus-based Physics several additional faculty members are now using the flipped classroom model and materials including two junior faculty members. In calculus-based Physics positive results were observed with a continuing upward trend of student success. We have carried out three pilot First Gen Learning Communities specifically designed to meet the unique needs of First Generation STEM students. Early evaluations show significant gains by the students participating in these specialized learning communities and point the way to additional improvements e. In a real sense this grant has fomented the formation of a STEM education community among the participating faculty. This has led to the spread of the use of some of the active learning elements that we wished to encourage, has resulted in increased student learning and success, and finally has accomplished broad and growing participation in collective activities to enhance STEM student learning. These advances are in some sense cultural and may well help sustain our efforts well beyond the present grant.
