The Earth & Ocean Sciences Science Education Initiative at

the University of British Columbia

Sara Harris with contributions from Francis Jones & Brett Gilley. Acknowledgement to Carl Wieman, Sarah Gilbert, and the many

UBC faculty and student participants.

Teaching Introductory Geoscience Courses in the 21st Century Virtual Workshop18 March 2014

Overview: The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative, 2007-2014

Course Design Principles:

Learning Goals aligned with Activities aligned withAssessments

Using Evidence to Improve Teaching & Learning

Using Evidence-Based Pedagogy in Introductory Classes

• Articulated Learning Goals (student-focused)• Pre-class preparation with accountability • In Class (active learning w/timely feedback): – Peer Instruction– Clickers– In-class Worksheets with Clicker Check-ins

• Assessment:– Pre-Post assessments (as validated as possible)– 2-Stage Exams (an example)

For CWSEI research papers: http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/SEI_research/index.html

Categories of Evidence(Evidence of “change” or “improvement” or “good stuff” in teaching

and learning)

• Student work/performance• Instructor-reported teaching practices and

attitudes• Student perceptions• 3rd party observations

Pre-Post Assessments for Feedback and Iteration

6 offerings, 2 different courses, 3 different instructors, nstudents= 76-150

Evidence supporting worksheets + clickers as more effective for student learning than lecture + clickers

Assessment to Support Learning: 2-Stage Exams

Gilley, B. and Clarkston, B., 2014. Collaborative testing: evidence of learning in a controlled in-class study of undergraduate students, Journal of College Science Teaching, Vol. 43, No. 3, 83-91.Video at: http://blogs.ubc.ca/wpvc/two-stage-exams/

Students take the exam individually, then immediately repeat the exam in a group of 4.

• Instant feedback• Students leave exam

knowing the answers• Measurably greater

improvement in subsequent testing of concepts discussed during exam, than for concepts tested individually only

Culture Change: Teaching Practices Inventory

http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/TeachingPracticesInventory.htm

“Effective Teaching Practices Fractional Score”

Wieman, C. and Gilbert, S., submitted. The Teaching Practices Inventory: A new tool for the evaluation and improvement of college and university teaching in mathematics and science.

Culture Change: Teaching Practices Inventory

http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/TeachingPracticesInventory.htm

More talking to colleagues!

Some more reading!

Not much change in

observation

Culture Change: Teaching Practices Inventory

http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/TeachingPracticesInventory.htm

2013: Barriers are about INSTRUCTORS

2007: Barriers were about STUDENTS & INFRASTRUCTURE

Student Learning Experiences Survey

Survey available at: http://eos.ubc.ca/research/cwsei/resources/studentsurvey-v3.pdf

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

l. Help from teaching assistants during classk. Opportunities you had to assess or comment on work of your peers

g. Questions asked of students in class NOT involving clickers of worksheetsm. Help from the instructor during class

h. Whole class discussions moderated by the instructorf. In-class activities in groups using worksheets or other resources

j. Discussions before, during, and/or after those demonstrationsb. "Socratic dialogues"; i.e. instructors teaching by constantly asking…c. Discussions about why material is useful, important or interesting

e. Discussions you had with other students about those clicker questionsa. Lecture presentations in class

i. Demonstrations, animations or simulations shown by the instructord. Clicker questions posed in class

4. Classroom practices - helpfulness

extremely

very

moderately

little

not

N/A

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

k. Opportunities you had to assess or comment on work of your peers

l. Help from teaching assistants during class

f. In-class activities in groups using worksheets or other resources

h. Whole class discussions moderated by the instructor

g. Questions asked of students in class NOT involving clickers of worksheets

m. Help from the instructor during class

j. Discussions before, during, and/or after those demonstrations

i. Demonstrations, animations or simulations shown by the instructor

c. Discussions about why material is useful, important or interesting

b. "Socratic dialogues"; i.e. instructors teaching by constantly asking…

a. Lecture presentations in class

e. Discussions you had with other students about those clicker questions

d. Clicker questions posed in class

4. Classroom practices - helpfulness

extremely

very

moderately

little

not

N/A

Student Learning Experiences Survey

Survey available at: http://eos.ubc.ca/research/cwsei/resources/studentsurvey-v3.pdf

Classroom Observations (COPUS):

Smith, M.K.,F.H.M Jones, S.L. Gilbert and C.E. Wieman, 2013. The Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS): A New Instrument to Characterize University STEM Classroom Practices, CBE-Life Sciences Education, Vol. 12, 618-627.

Long-term sustainability & Challenges

• Importance of involving new faculty• Importance of involving graduate students• Changing the norm• Collaborative co-teaching• Encouraging reflection and deliberate practice• Importance of administrative support

(evaluation, tenure, promotion, hiring decisions)

Resources

• http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca (lots of resources on evidence-based pedagogy for instructors!)

• http://eos.ubc.ca/research/cwsei/ (approaches & outcomes from EOS-SEI)– http://eos.ubc.ca/research/cwsei/eossei-times.html

(our “monthly” 2-page newsletter)• http://blogs.ubc.ca/wpvc/ (short video clips of

techniques in action, e.g. 2-stage exam; jigsaw activity; active learning in a large class; “tutoring” in a large class)