Workshop Information

There are persistent national calls to advance instructional practices in 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 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 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.

Teaching Professors are increasingly being asked to take part in course and curricular redesign projects especially in STEM introductory curriculums that often span multiple departments and have large enrollments. This discussion-based workshop will offer several models for how this process has gone in different departments and on different campuses.  We will consider how to engage research faculty and other stakeholders in the process, where the sticking points have been and strategies for overcoming them, how to leverage administrators and chairs in the process, and more.  We encourage any participants that have been engaged in their own course and curricular redesign efforts to bring their experience to share with the group as well.  Participants will leave with multiple models for approaching this work that can be applied to different contexts and a greater understanding for how teaching professors can take different kinds of leadership roles in these complex processes. 

Visual representations are essential for communicating an understanding of complex biological phenomena. However, representations are necessarily simplifications, including or excluding aspects of a structure or process that sometimes create misconceptions in viewers. Training biologists to analyze the use of layout, color, size, scale, and other graphical elements of visual materials, as well as the process in which these components are combined, may improve the learning value of visualizations. The Visual Science Communication Toolkit uses multimedia (2D animations and an interactive activity) to introduce the principles of visual science communication design to undergraduate life science students. Toolkit users apply what they have learned through an interactive design task, becoming more critical consumers and designers of visual materials through the process. The Toolkit is a free web resource comprising two short videos and an interac9ve ac9vity where users apply design principles (Layout, Alignment, Proximity, Repetition, Contrast, and Color) to create a scientific image in response to a cell biology prompt. Previous Toolkit tes9ng with faculty showed that completing the design task, especially when done collaboratively in pairs, provided users with the opportunity to verbalize their understanding of scientific processes and to think critically about design choices as sources of misconception. In this workshop faculty will explore the Toolkit, work in pairs to complete the embedded design ac9vity, and then develop a Toolkit exercise for their own biology course. Although the Toolkit interac9ve design task uses a cell biology prompt, faculty can create prompts in any area. Students in a large (n=1000) Introductory Biology course successfully created visual representa9ons in response to prompts in gene9cs. Students submi]ed both an image and short paragraph explaining how they used key visual elements in designing their image. Submissions demonstrated an understanding of genetics, an exciting level of creativity, and a burgeoning familiarity with visual design. VISABLI welcomes suggestions for other images and prompts that would be of general interest as additions to the web Toolkit.

Participant Outcomes:

1. Participants will have a framework for Visual Literacy as part of a GE curriculum.

2. Participants will be familiar with the Visual Science Communication Toolkit (a free on-line resource).

3. Participants will have experience using the basic elements of visual design (Layout, Alignment, Proximity,

Repetition, Contrast, and Color).

4. Participants will be able to lead discussions on misconceptions resulting from design choices.

5. Participants will have a visual design exercise to use with their students.

As Teaching Professors, we are often asked to prepare teaching portfolios and documentation to showcase excellence in teaching. Beyond traditional teaching statements, there are multiple ways of providing evidence about our teaching practices. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about how to use quantitative information from classroom observation protocols, how to quickly screen qualitative responses and identify summarized themes, and brainstorm ways of documenting their own teaching practices for teaching portfolios as measurable evidence of teaching effectiveness.

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

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

• Identify an observation protocol or mechanism for documenting their teaching practices

• Choose an analysis they will employ to analyze their own teaching practices

Over the last two decades, the scholarship of teaching learning has provided an extensive set of evidenced-based suggestions for creating student-centered, inclusive, and equitable courses. However, these strategies often overlook the unique challenges faculty encounter at large public institutions. Instructors at these schools frequently manage several large classes each term, complicating the adoption of labor-intensive, inclusive teaching practices that call for highly personalized attention to students. Moreover, they teach diverse student populations facing both symbolic and structural inequities, issues not easily resolved within a single course or academic term. This workshop introduces a systematic approach to understanding and addressing the challenges that both students and instructors face at these institutions. It offers practical methods for enhancing course inclusivity and equity. Organized around a case-study methodology, the workshop is an interactive experience from beginning to end.

Upon completion of this workshop, partcipants should be able to:

• Identify the distinctive features of symbolic forms of exclusion and how they contribute to the achievement gap between students.

• Identify the distinctive features of structural forms of exclusion and how they contribute to the achievement gap between students.

• Identify methods and resources to make their courses more inclusive and equitable in a manner that is manageable given their multiple responsibilities and the complex character of their institutional setting.

There are several teaching/learning approaches available to instructors. These include the use of a blended learning environment, an augmented reality learning experience, and a problem-based learning approach. This workshop will concentrate on Project Based Learning, which is unique among these learning approaches. It will introduce how to use Project-Based Learning in the classroom as an effective learning tool in any instructor’s repertoire. Unlike formally taught courses with tightly defined parameters, this workshop will concentrate on introducing instructors to a teaching/learning experience based on the requirements and challenges specific to their field of expertise.

Participants will be given a 30-minute overview which will include the use of an example project based on the modeling and design of an energy system for a cold storage facility located in the California Central Valley. Using the presented content as a guide, participants will be divided into teams of 2 to 4 based on their discipline. They will be asked to apply their scientific knowledge in their field of expertise to develop their own discipline-specific project. Interactive discussions will be held throughout the workshop to give participants the opportunity to share: their developed project, plans for implementation, thoughts on improvements as well as questions and concerns.

By the completion of the workshop, the participants will have gained an enhanced knowledge of how to develop a discipline specific project for their classroom. Additionally, each participant will have experienced firsthand the benefits Project-Based Learning can provide and how it can serve as an effective pedagogy when integrated into their curriculum and design courses.

This session will be an opportunity for administrators (e.g. Deans, Associate Deans, Chairs, Vice Chairs, individuals involved in Academic Personnel matters, etc) to consider means to support Professors of Teaching (PoTs) and maximize their impacts on their departments, schools, and campuses. The roundtable discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Linda Adler Kassner (Associate Vice Chancellor of Teaching & Learning, UCSB) and Dr. Jody Greene (Associate Campus Provost for Academic Success, UCSC). Both have significant administrative experience and have worked with administrators and PoTs extensively at their campus and across the UC system. This will be an opportunity to learn from their expertise and collaboratively develop novel means for UC to maximize the benefits of this unique faculty line while providing ample support for PoT faculty success. Discussion topics will be guided by the session participants and may include PoT hiring practices, support for merit and promotion, improving integration in the department and campus, and support of scholarly work, amongst others.