Professional development for evidence-based teaching: an investigation of university STEM faculty's instructional reform efforts

Active learning (AL) instruction is a powerful tool for improving student learning outcomes and retention in university STEM, but teaching in this way is difficult. To promote wide-spread adoption of AL instruction, professional development programs (PDP) are created to support university faculty. However, these programs frequently achieve limited success in affecting instructional change. This dissertation is composed of two manuscripts which explore previously under-investigated elements of the instructional reform process in university STEM. The first manuscript examines the relationship between STEM faculty’s use of AL instruction and the physical orientation of their classroom post-participation in one of various PDPs. Using observational data of instructors’ and students’ classroom behavior, the degree of AL instruction is interpreted in the context of classroom space and PD received. This manuscript indicates a strong relationship between classroom space and degree of AL instruction over-and-above the influence of PD. Implications of this manuscript include that while PDPs are essential for instructional change, they must provide specific support for the instructional constraints classrooms may place on AL instruction. The second manuscript is a longitudinal mixed-

methods extension of the first. Using interview and observational data, this study examines how STEM instructors’ experience with and use of AL instruction changes over time. This manuscript promotes efforts to support instructional change by describing how barriers to AL instruction arise long after participation in PD and how these barriers affect instructors’ practice. Implications of this manuscript include the need for continuing, individually-responsive forms of instructional support to enhance the longevity of instructional change efforts in university STEM.