STEM Pedagogies Workshop

“Do I belong here?” Oftentimes, this is the first question students ask themselves when they are in new and unfamiliar academic environments. Students’ answers to this question are critical because welcoming learning experiences in the classroom can encourage students to persist in their STEM majors and bolster their science identities. […]

So, you’ve heard the terms scholarly teaching, SoTL, TAR, and DBER, but what do they mean? How are they related? In this workshop for graduate students and postdocs, we will define various modes of pedagogical research and discuss similarities and differences between them. Participants will also learn about qualitative and […]

Active learning has been defined as learning that engages students in the process of learning through activities and/or discussion in class, as opposed to passively listening to an expert. It emphasizes higher-order thinking and often involves group work. Research overwhelmingly supports the shift from passive learning environments to more active […]

Incorporating student writing into a course can be an effective way to engage students in science concepts and to enhance students’ critical-thinking skills. In this advanced-level workshop, participants will discuss best practices for incorporating formal and informal writing into a STEM course. Topics will include key components of an effective, […]

Societal gender norms affect how people have traditionally been grouped and named in many aspects of our lives. These norms have been applied implicitly or explicitly to the design of problem banks, examples used in textbooks and other educational materials. In this workshop, we explore strategies for updating assignments and other […]

Societal gender norms affect how people have traditionally been grouped and named in many aspects of our lives. These norms have been applied implicitly or explicitly to the design of problem banks, examples used in textbooks and other educational materials. In this workshop, we explore strategies for updating assignments and other […]

A research experience is high impact educational practice that can provide many benefits for students: career support, a sense of belonging, and access to resources to graduate programs. For underrepresented and first-generation students, these opportunities greatly enhance student success and positively shape one’s science identity.  This workshop is designed to […]

Learning how to critically read and interpret scientific literature is an important skill for students to gain in their education and necessary for their continued success in STEM fields. However, as instructors, we must recognize that this is a new kind of writing that students may be unfamiliar reading or […]

Education research suggests that students acquire and retain knowledge most effectively by engaging in collaborative learning groups with peers. In this workshop, we will discuss the structure and philosophy behind a number of formal evidence-based, collaborative group structures such as POGIL (Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning), TBL (Team-Based Learning), and PBL (Problem-Based […]

Understanding how students learn is an important part of being an effective instructor. In this workshop, participants will examine how to translate three principles from learning sciences to their teaching: 1) testing effect —deliberately retrieving information from memory, 2) conceptual change — identifying and reconstructing one’s conceptions, and 3) scaffolding […]

Assessing student learning is a critical component of effective teaching. Effective assessments provide both the student and the instructor with important feedback for determining if students are meeting the established learning goals. Assessments can be formative (lower stakes and ungraded) or summative (high stakes and graded). Participants in this workshop […]

Assessing student learning is a critical component of effective teaching. Effective assessments provide both the student and the instructor with important feedback for determining if students are meeting the established learning goals. Assessments can be formative (lower stakes and ungraded) or summative (high stakes and graded). Participants in this workshop […]

A research experience is high impact educational practice that can provide many benefits for students: career support, a sense of belonging, and access to resources to graduate programs. For underrepresented and first-generation students, these opportunities greatly enhance student success and positively shape one’s science identity.  This workshop is designed to […]