2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 215: Applying Research Results in Instructor Development to Reduce Student Resistance to Active Learning: Project Update

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session

In this paper we provide an update in our research studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructor development in classrooms. Our overarching goal is to expand the adoption of active learning in STEM classrooms. For this study, we created a workshop to educate STEM instructors on what active learning is and ways to implement it into their classrooms. Additionally, this workshop sought to provide instructors with evidence-based strategies that focused on reducing student resistance to active learning. This study used a conducted randomized control trial to investigate the impact of this workshop on: (1) how this workshop impacted STEM instructors’ attitudes towards using active learning, (2) their behaviors in using active learning, and (3) their use of strategies for reducing student resistance to active learning. We collected data from 173 instructors and 1676 students.

This paper focuses on our preliminary results as well as next steps for the project. Thus far, we have analyzed the impact of the workshop on our instructor’s use of active learning, and the student responses to these changes.

Authors

Ms. Lea K. Marlor http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7780-7599 University of Michigan [biography]

Lea Marlor is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan, studying Engineering Education Research. She joined the University of Michigan in Sept 2019.

Previously, she was the Associate Director for Education for the Center for Energy Efficient Elec
Dr. Cynthia J. Finelli http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9148-1492 University of Michigan [biography]

Dr. Cynthia Finelli is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Professor of Education, and Director and Graduate Chair for Engineering Education Research Programs at University of Michigan. She is Fellow of both the ASEE and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), associate editor for the European Journal of Engineering Education, and member of the Governing Board of the Research in Engineering Education Network. She was previously chair of EECHA, chair of the ERM Division of ASEE, co-chair of the ASEE Committee on Scholarly Publications, deputy editor for the Journal of Engineering Education, and associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Education.

Dr. Finelli studies the academic success of students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), social justice attitudes in engineering, and faculty adoption of evidence-based teaching practices. She also led a project to develop a taxonomy for the field of engineering education research, and she was part of a team that studied ethical decision-making in engineering students.
Dr. Michael J. Prince Bucknell University [biography]

Dr. Michael Prince is a professor of chemical engineering at Bucknell University and co-director of the National Effective Teaching Institute. His research examines a range of engineering education topics, including how to assess and repair student misco
Dr. Jenefer Husman University of Oregon [biography]

Jenefer Husman, Professor in the Education Studies department at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on students' motivation for learning in engineering contexts. She is particularly interested in the ways students' thoughts about the future influence their effort, choice, and self-regulation.
Dr. Matthew Charles Graham
Ariel Chasen http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6889-3202 University of Texas, Austin [biography]

PhD Student in STEM education at University of Texas at Austin

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