An Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate STEM Teaching

Week 1 – Principles of Learning, Part 1
We start by exploring a few key learning principles that apply in all teaching contexts such as student’s prior knowledge, mental models and knowledge organization. We’ll consider the research supporting these principles and examples of how faculty implement them.

Week 2 – Principles of Learning, Part 2
We continue our exploration of learning principles that apply in all teaching contexts, Including effective ways of providing feedback to students and their motivations for learning. We’ll consider the research supporting these principles and examples of how STEM faculty put them into practice.

Week 3 – Learning Objectives
Designing an effective learning experience for students means beginning with the end in mind. This week, we will identify ways to craft learning objectives for students and discuss strategies for incorporating those objectives into your instruction.

Week 4 – Assessment of Learning
Once we have outlined and implemented our learning objectives we must consider ways of assessing those learning objectives. We will discuss strategies for designing assessments that will align with your learning goals as well as how student mindset can influence their performance on these assessments.

Week 5 – Active Learning
We beginwith a description of the benefits of active learning and how it fits into the overall learning cycle. Then, the module outlines two key features of active learning, teamwork and critical thinking, by showcasing several manifestations of active learning.

Week 6 – Inclusive Teaching
We will discuss inclusive teaching and many of the issues instructors can face when teaching classes composed of students of varying ethnicities and genders. We provide examples of teaching practices and language that can isolate certain student populations along with strategies to avoid these practices.

Week 7 – Lesson Planning
This week you will create an annotated lesson plan for a class you might teach in the future incorporating many of the principles covered in this course.

Week 8 – Conclusion
In the final week of the course, you’ll provide feedback to your peers on their lesson plans and receive feedback on your lesson plan.