Workshops

The Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS) is a tool that can be used to characterize how instructors and students are spending their time in the classroom (Smith et al. 2013). COPUS is a commonly used observation protocol by both practitioners, centers for teaching and learning, and education researchers at individual, departmental, and institutional levels (Denaro et al., 2021; Lund et al., 2015; Smith et al., 2014; Stains et al., 2018; Tomkin et al., 2019). Participants will be asked to read the article “The Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS): A New Instrument to Characterize University STEM Classroom Practices” (Smith et al., 2013) ahead of the workshop, and to reflect on their teaching practices and how they might be documented throughout the session. In this interactive workshop, participants will gain familiarity with COPUS and how the quantitative information can be used in teaching portfolios as measurable evidence of teaching effectiveness. Participants will work individually and in small groups to practice applying COPUS codes to an example classroom observation, and then will engage in larger group discussions to brainstorm ways to use classroom observation data to document professional growth in teaching. Discussions will be guided by polling questions to provide multiple mechanisms for active engagement. This workshop is appropriate for participants with any level of experience with classroom observations and anyone preparing materials for the job market, promotion and tenure, or teaching awards.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Summarize how the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS) can be used to document instructional practices.

• Apply instructor and student COPUS codes to example classroom observations.

• Explore how example classroom observation data can be visualized.

• Describe how COPUS data can be used as evidence of teaching effectiveness for job materials, promotion and tenure, and/or teaching awards.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are hot topics within education research and among educators. However, much of the focus in DEI is situated around race and gender, leaving disability to be widely unaddressed. Between 80 and 90% of all disabilities are invisible and students, particularly non-white and non-male students, often go un- or underdiagnosed. Ongoing data analysis indicate that upwards of 40% of students in a classroom self-identify as disabled, but less than 15% of those that self-identify as disabled have accommodation letters. One common traits most disabled students share is executive dysfunction. We often see the impacts of executive dysfunction play out in the classroom. This workshop focuses on disability, executive dysfunction in particular, and how to innovate and implement accessible and inclusive classroom practices. At the end of this workshop, it is expected that participants will have a better understanding of access, disability, and the challenges many disabled students deal with. Participants will work together to create a toolbox of accessible and

inclusive strategies for implementation in future courses.

By the end of the workshop participants will:

• Have a base knowledge of disabiltiy and access that can be used to advocate for their students

• Participants will have a better understanding of executive dysfunction and that, contrary to popular myth, student’s cannot just “knuckle down and get through it”

• Participants will leave with a toolbox of strategies and techniques to be implemented in their classroom practices and structure to create a more accessible learning environment for all students.

The workshop will provide a comprehensive introduction to STEM education research. The workshop will cover key topics and research questions being addressed in the field and discuss potential ways to address these questions using research designs that support both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The workshop will also review different ways to measure student success outcomes using course-level data, student survey data, and focus group/interview data. These discussions will revolve around both academic outcome measures and non-academic outcome measures (e.g., social-psychological measures that capture student experiences and engagement). Participants will be given the opportunity via small group discussions to outline a research design.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Generate research questions relevant to their interests and goals

• Identify relevant outcome measures

• Establish next steps in terms of design and implementation of their research study

There are persistent national calls to advance instructional practices in biology classrooms to be more inclusive and evidence-based such that we may ultimately increase the pool of diverse students graduating with a science degree (AAAS 2011, PCAST 2012). Teaching Assistants (TAs) are responsible for a large portion of current undergraduate instruction, particularly in biology, and they are our future faculty. By training TAs in inclusive and evidence-based teaching methods early in their careers, we can support TAs in their current positions, improve the educational experiences of their students, and train the next generation of biology educators. In this way, the NSF-funded Evolving the Culture of Biology (ECB) program (IUSE # 2142742) is engaging diverse groups and individuals in contextually rooted, reflective processes to develop or hone existing Teaching Assistant Teaching Professional Development (TA-TPD) programs at their respective institutions.

This workshop will be a condensed version of the ECB program’s three day workshop where a subset of our team will provide tools to facilitate the growth of TA-TPD at each participant’s institution. The goals of this workshop will be achievable for participants regardless of how advanced or introductory TA-TPD offerings are at their respective institutions. In this workshop participants will engage in an environmental mapping exercise of the landscape of TA-TPD at each participant’s institution, evaluate one institutional TA-TPD offering using our novel online assessment tool (TPD Web) which examines 16 features of TA-TPD, and identify one to two features of the TA-TPD offering to be improved upon. By the end of the workshop participants will: (1) create a map to visualize the TA-TPD landscape at their institutions, (2) utilize an assessment tool that will serve as the foundation for proposed reform, and (3) develop a plan for how to advocate for and/or implement a proposed change to each participant’s TA-TPD programing.

We aim to facilitate a space for critical reflection, conversation and collaboration as participants begin to think through their institutions current TA-TPD offerings. This workshop will allow for participants to either work as individuals or with others from their institutions on their TA-TPD environment maps and proposed reforms. We recommend this workshop for those in a position to train or mentor TAs, as well as other stakeholders who can advocate for effective and evidence-based TA-TPD.

Participants will:

• Create a resource map to better help visualize the TA-TPD offerings at their institutions

• Complete an assessment tool for one TA-TPD offering to use as the foundation for proposed reform

• Design a plan to advocate for and/or implement a proposed change to each participant’s institutional and/or departmental TA-TPD offerings

• Receive tips and tools for assessing impacts of current and future TA-TPD offerings (e.g., pre/post surveys, reflections, etc).

This workshop aims to demonstrate how to apply for a teaching position at community colleges. This workshop offers a step-by-step exploration of the application process, providing participants with invaluable insights, practical strategies, and hands-on exercises to effectively present their qualifications and stand out as strong candidates. The workshop will include the topics of Understanding the Community College Environment, Crafting a Compelling Application Package, Showcasing Relevant Experience, Emphasizing Inclusivity and Diversity, Engaging with Community College Culture, Navigating the Interview Process, and Preparing for a Teaching Demonstration.

The overall goal of this workshop is to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary to successfully navigate the application process for teaching positions at community colleges. By the end of the workshop, participants should be able to craft compelling application materials, effectively address the unique aspects of community college environments, and present themselves as strong candidates who align with the mission and values of these institutions.

Exposure to undergraduate research, whether through hands-on research via course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) or through incorporating primary literature into STEM classes, have been shown to be beneficial for growth in students’ scientific knowledge, science identity, science confidence, and scientific literacy (e.g., Ahmad & Al-Thani, 2022; Corwin et al., 2015; Krim et al., 2019; Rodenbusch et al., 2016; Goodwin et al., 2023). However, CUREs can be hard to implement and sustain, especially at institutions with limited space and financial resources. Furthermore, without scaffolding, students can miss key aspects of the research process, as well as more complex and nuanced aspects of research.

Research deconstruction (RD) is a pedagogical strategy that offers students the opportunity to be engaged in the research process in a scaffolded way. Specifically, RD immerses students in the process of scientific inquiry through in-depth analysis of a PhD-level research seminar (Clark et al. 2009). In its original incarnation in a stand-alone course, the instructor breaks down the seminar over several classes, introducing the underlying basic science and working with students to identify major questions, examine experiments designed to address these questions, and analyze data presented. To expand the feasibility of this approach, we developed and integrated RD modules including video tutorials to support deconstruction into existing courses at both 2- and 4- year institutions. Importantly, students reported significant gains in their science confidence and increased scientific understanding. Furthermore, faculty implementers appreciated that they were able to utilize the existing resources of RD and implement the module in ways that best served their students.

In this workshop, we will provide a brief overview of two RD modules designed for use in introductory biology courses for majors and non-majors, along with the affiliated online resources. Facilitators will then lead a discussion with participants about the various ways that faculty have implemented RD in their own introductory biology courses across different institutional contexts. Finally, participants will break into small working groups based on the course(s) they teach, and work with a RD implementer to explore how an RD module could be adopted and integrated in their course. Participants are asked to bring a sample syllabus that they wish to discuss and work on with their colleagues.

By engaging in this workshop, participants will be able:

• Describe the process of Research Deconstruction

• Consider the benefits and challenges of using Research Deconstruction in the classroom

• Appraise if Research Deconstruction is a fit for your course and student population

• Modify your existing course to incorporate Research Deconstruction, when applicable

This workshop will engage participants in exploring several submodules of an open-access Scientific Teaching Course (STC) that is currently in development. The workshop goal is to both engage participants in the training materials and, in the process, provide input into the design of their own materials. Because the course is being designed using a community of practice approach, we welcome all suggestions and resources, along with providing support in using the already existing materials.

Despite their demonstrated value, many instructors continue to struggle in implementing active and inclusive learning strategies. These practices are underutilized either because instructors lack the time and training required to design a high-structure course, or lack institutional support for such teaching practices. Thus, instructors need access to concise but impactful professional development that will help them design and teach aligned, high-structure courses with an AJEDI (antiracist, just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive) lens. To address this need, we engaged a diverse community of four educators along with two leads and two postdocs over the 2022-2023 academic year to build a course based on the original Scientific Teaching book (Handelsman, Miller, and Pfund, 2007). The new course also draws from years of developing and testing materials for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Tiny Earth project.

Participants will:

• Engage with and complete activities for several sub-modules of the online Scientific Teaching Course.

• Write learning objectives and design an aligned activity and assessment with an AJEDI approach for one learning objective.

• Provide feedback on the flow, clarity and materials included in the modules, which will contribute to the eventual uptake of evidence-based teaching practices in biology classrooms.

Assessment of student learning is critically important for teaching biology and evaluating our teaching of biology. If we don’t assess what is important, what is assessed becomes important! Designing assessments that demonstrate students’ knowledge and abilities to use knowledge are key to transforming undergraduate biology education. V&C (2011) works with the idea of multidimensional learning that helps instructors define what they want students to learn (core ideas), what they want students to do with their knowledge (scientific practices), and how they want students to focus their knowledge through multiple lenses (crosscutting concepts). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (2012) advocates a similar framework for pre-college students.

Using this framework, researchers (Laverty et al 2016 and Bain et al 2020) are working to transform gateway science courses by moving beyond active learning to incorporate what is known as three-dimensional learning (3DL), the dimensions that are used in concert by practicing scientists and engineers when they apply their knowledge to investigate and reason about phenomena. This workshop will use two protocols developed by these researchers that characterize the extent to which assessments and instruction in introductory biology, physics, and chemistry courses provide opportunities for students to engage with three dimensions. The tools are useful for both research and teaching professional development. Additionally, given the assessment climate with widespread introduction of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, participants will receive a brief primer in LLMs and how to best engineer their

assessments to avoid conflicts with AI systems and assess what is important.

Participants will engage in groups based on the courses they teach or are researching in biological sciences to redesign and develop open-ended and multiple-choice assessment items, use case studies, and learn how to use and apply the criteria of Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol (3D-LAP). Facilitators will assist participants as they use the protocols for item development and instruction with a focus on scientific practices. These tools can be used to evaluate courses, individual classes, and support research on course transformation efforts. Please bring a sample exam that you wish to work with as well as the core ideas students should learn in the course (learning goals). Upon completion of the workshop, you will be able to design and/or characterize any assessment item using the 3D-LAP. Both tools are useful for research and teaching development because they can reliably document how assessments in course change over time.

Participants will:

• Describe and use the 3D-LAP

• Design and characterize assessment items using the 3D-LAP.

• Apply knowledge of LLMs and multi-dimensional learning to modify existing assessment items and build new ones.

•  Use the 3D-LAP as a tool for evaluating assessments for research and teaching.