Dr. Noah Finkelstein, Center for STEM learning, Physics Education Research Group

Title: “Taking a scholarly route to evaluating and promoting quality teaching: theory, practice and tools to support educational transformation”

Abstract: Despite numerous calls for the transformation of undergraduate education, there is still a lack of successful models for creating large-scale, systemic cultural changes at our institutions. To date, change efforts have generally only focused on one of three scales: developing reflective teachers, disseminating curricula and pedagogy, or enacting institutional policy. These efforts illustrate many of the challenges of institutional change; in particular, they highlight the need for a holistic approach that integrates across all three of these levels: individual faculty, whole departments, and university policymakers. I present current work on models of change, some of our action-research projects that are enacting two approaches to change, and new research-based tools to support our change efforts.  In particular I look forward to interactive discussions around an effort to enact a Teaching Quality Framework that outlines both a scholarly approach to evaluating our education practices and a process for enacting such a tool.

The STEM Education Seminar & Journal Club Series is sponsored by the Helmsley Charitable Trust.