ChangingFacultyPractice:PromotingtheScholarshipofTeachingwithFacultyMentoringNetworksJeremyWojdak1,SamDonovan2,CarrieDiaz-Eaton3,KristinJenkins4,M.DrewLaMar5,

NicoleChodkowski1,GabrielaHamerlinck3, DeborahRook3,EliaCrisucci2, HayleyOrndorf25Dept.ofBiology,RadfordUniversity;2Dept.ofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofPittsburgh;3DigitalandComputational

Studies,BatesCollege;4BioQUESTCurriculumConsortium;5Dept.ofBiology,CollegeofWilliamandMary

Resourcesandtoolsforscholarlyteaching

Hurdle1:Engagingfaculty

Hurdle2:Maintainingmomentum

Mechanismstopromoteteachingasscholarship:

FacultyMentoringNetworksandOpenEducationResources

Acknowledgements: QUBES can only function because of deep community involvement by individual faculty,professional societies, and curriculum projects – sincere thanks for partnering with us. Funding support fromthe National Science Foundation under DBI 1346584, DUE 1446269, DUE 1446258, and DUE 1446284. Posterprinting thanks to the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) at Radford University.

MovingdisciplinarycultureQUBES works with professional societies and educationprojects to push the disciplines towards more effectiveSTEM instruction.

BenefitsofparticipatinginaFacultyMentoringNetwork• Connectionswithacommunityofcolleagues(relatedness).• Increasedconfidencewithquantitativecontent,biologicalcontexts,

evidence-basedinstructionalpractices,(competence/autonomy).

Surprisingly little is known about what motivates faculty toparticipate in teaching professional development, butrecent literature1 points to:

• relatedness - desire to have connections with peers.• competence - worries about teaching efficacy.• autonomy -gaining comfort with extreme independence

to determine instructional practices.

Notably, traditional faculty development models (occasionaltopical workshops) often do little to build community amongpeers (relatedness), and true competence is only likely todevelop through sustained interaction and reflective practice.

QUBESHub hosts education resources with teacher notes,assessments, adaptations, reviews, and extensions producedby FMN participants. Open computational software lowersbarrier for student and faculty use, and facilitates versioning.

LearnmoreaboutupcomingFMNs:https://qubeshub.org/community/fmns

Exploremoreresourcesandtoolsathttps://qubeshub.org/qubesresources

References:1Bouwma-Gearhart.2012.ResearchuniversitySTEMfacultymembers’motivationtoengageinteachingprofessionaldevelopment:Buildingthechoirthroughanappealtoextrinsicmotivationandego.JSci Educ Technol 21:558–570.

2Shadleetal.2017.Facultydriversandbarriers:layingthegroundworkforundergraduateSTEMeducationreforminacademicdepartments.InterJSTEMEduc 4:8.

3BrownellandTanner.2012.Barrierstofacultypedagogicalchange:Lackoftraining,time,incentives,and… tensionswithprofessionalidentity?CBE—LifeSciencesEducation11:339–346.

At least eighteen barriers to STEM education reform forfaculty have been identified2, with adequate training, timefor reform, and incentives for change high on the list3. Howcan we foster faculty persistence in teaching reform?

Theroleoffacultyidentity3STEM faculty were nearly all trained primarily asdisciplinary. scholars, and research prowess has higherprofessional status than teaching. Personal interest inteaching is often hidden.

Leverstopromoteteachingasscholarship:tappingintofacultyidentityasscholars

1. Incorporate in graduate/new faculty training.2. Build/support outlets for publishing.3. Leverage professional societies influence on disciplines.

Remedy:TeachingasscholarshipJustlikeanyscholarship,teachingshould:• Startwiththeliterature• Buildfromknowledgeofothers• Becollaborativeandmultidisciplinary• Featureopenmethods,tools,resources• Isnotfinisheduntilresultsareshared!

RecentFacultyMentoringNetworks

Explorepartner’sactivities:https://qubeshub.org/community

• 40 FMNs have reached ~500 faculty at diverse institutions.• Professional societies provide goals, funding, recognition.

Facultyreceivemeaningfulrecognitionforteachingscholarship

Professionalsociety-sponsoredFacultyMentoringNetworkmultiplies

valueofOERresource

Originalpeer-reviewedopeneducationalresource

FacultyMentoringNetworksare:• Online peergroups,typically6-10

facultymemberspersubgroup.• Contentand/orpedagogymentors.• Meetevery1-2weeksfor

sustainedsupportoversemester.• SharingOpenEducational

Resourcesbacktothecommunity.

Themes Quotes

Community(senseofbelonging)

“TheFMNsareallaboutcommunity.”

“I’manFMNjunkie.Ican’tgetenoughofthecommunity feeling.”

“Itisanoutlet formetohavesupport.Iamatasmalluniversity.SoIhavepeopletoshareorrunmycurriculumbyforfeedback.”

Careeradvancement

“MyparticipationinQUBESFMNshelpedmytenurepackage...itshowsthatIamactivelyparticipatinginthefield.”

“Asaformermemberofatenure committee,Iwouldpayattentiontoaletteroutliningwhatisinvolved.”

Formalrecognition

“Myuniversitywouldpayattentiontoatitlenameinanationalorganization.”

“Atitlenameishelpful[showsIamactiveinthegreatercommunity..].”

ExampleFMNhostedbytheEcologicalsocietyofAmerica2016

IncentivesfacultyseeforsharingOpenEducationalResources