A cross discipline study of reformed teaching by university science and mathematics faculty.(Report)

Researchers observed 28 university faculty in graduate and undergraduate science and mathematics courses in a three-year, longitudinal study of teaching. Subjects were selected from five higher education institutions in the state where faculty had a two- to five-year association with a reform-based NSF professional development program. Observer field notes and a researcher-designed observation instrument were used to describe and compare teaching practices. The participants in this study taught science and mathematics content courses for majors, non-majors, as well as education majors. Our observation method created a descriptive profile that enabled comparisons across a variety of teaching contexts. The main results showed that the faculty lacked practices that supported development of divergent thinking, conceptual thinking, and metacognitive thinking skills. Observed differences in the profiles of instruction included greater emphasis on real-world connections in science and greater use of cooperative problem solving in mathematics. A case study of a large lecture course describes reformed teaching practices in even the most challenging setting.

**********

What is the effect on the teaching practices of a new high school teacher of all those years in college science and mathematics courses? Borko and Putnam (1996) called this the extended apprenticeship of a teacher. The NSF broadly addressed this issue by funding 35 large-scale, five-year Collaboratives for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (CEPT) in as many states from 1993 through 2002. The CEPT program was motivated by long-standing concerns over the quality of teaching in college level science and mathematics (National Research Council [NRC], 1996; NRC, 1999; National Science Foundation [NSF], 1996) and the national need to address the attrition of students from these majors. Before answering the question directly the authors, working through the Oregon Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (OCEPT), collected data on university faculty who participated in some aspect of OCEPT and were identified by prospective teachers as previous instructors. These data represent what we have learned about the teaching practices of the university science and mathematics faculty.

K-12 teachers have nine months to incorporate reform-based strategies in their classrooms where college faculty have at most four months in a semester based system. Both school teachers (Manouchehri, Azita, & Goodman, 1998) and university faculty (Matney, Hurtado, & Ziskin, 1999) who are receptive to reform guidelines, view time as a critical challenge to making changes. Another challenge is that the principles and standards contained in reform documents are often described in recitation-size classrooms. Classes with over 100 students are quite common on most college and university campuses and especially in research oriented institutions. How do instructors apply reform guidelines in larger classrooms? What benefits, if any, could this system accrue for undergraduate students who take courses from faculty who are committed to reform standards? These questions motivated this project describing efforts at reforming collegiate teaching.

Conceptual Framework

There is motivation to analyze collegiate teaching in science and mathematics from both inside and outside the college campus. Reports from outside, present data that suggest the educational experience in college is not compelling. The Higher Education Research Institute annually conducts a survey of first year students. The 2005 administration was conducted in 141 four-year colleges and universities around the country (Hurtado et al., 2007). Students indicated they were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the quality of instruction (71.8%). However, looking a bit deeper 43.5% indicated that they "frequently felt bored in class" and only 24.1% marked that they "frequently felt that your courses inspired you to think in new ways." This survey suggests that students are "satisfied" with a passive role in college classes.

Student passivity towards their education may be behind concerns about the capabilities of students who leave with degrees and enter the workforce without skills critical for high performance in competitive jobs (Baer, Cook, & Baldi, 2006; National Center on Education and the Economy, 2007; Resnick & Wirt, 1996). The large number of students who enter post-secondary education but do not complete a degree is indirect evidence that students simply do not see the point of this educational experience. Estimates of the overall college completion rate are as low as 50% for both two- and four-year degrees and certificates (Silverberg, Warner, Fong, & Goodwin, 2004).