What is it about?

Frequent users of evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) are far more likely to engage one another than colleagues who are less familiar with such practices. We combine social network analysis of teaching discussions, a self-reported survey measure of individual use of evidence-based instructional practices, and qualitative interviews of a subset of faculty in three STEM departments at three research universities to better understand the limits of dissemination of EBIPs through departments. We outline measures that departments and universities can take to incentivise the spread of EBIPs.

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Why is it important?

In our study of three STEM departments at three universities we find that faculty networks alone are not enough to disseminate and drive the adoption of EBIPs that could improve undergraduate instruction and address inequities for students historically under-served by STEM classrooms.

Perspectives

For departments and universities hoping to improve STEM learning outcomes, we outline a number of practical measures that can be taken to go beyond a reliance on diffusion from early adopters to everyone else.

Professor John P Ziker
Boise State University

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Innovative teaching knowledge stays with users, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2012372117.
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