Table 2 Department-focused activities in six representative departments
From: Adapting the CACAO model to support higher education STEM teaching reform
Dept | Activities Implemented by department-level change agents (FAST team) | Activities Implemented in departments through Partner Projects |
|---|---|---|
Dept. 1 | Established baseline EBIP usage in department Facilitated short workshops in department meetings Encouraged Partner Project proposals Held informal meetings about student success, assessment, and curriculum alignment | Held a summer retreat to foster collaboration and discussion around teaching Redesigned large-enrollment upper and lower-level courses to promote active learning and improve course coordination and sequencing Activities involved ~ 10 faculty |
Dept. 2 | Held formal meetings about student success, assessment, and curriculum alignment in the department Highlighted faculty use of EBIPs in the department Facilitated short workshops in department meetings Provided discipline-specific resources for EBIP adoption Encouraged peer observation of teaching | Course coordination projects focused on content, activities, and assessments for pre-requisite sequences Hosted regular teaching-focused discussions outside of department meetings Implemented specific EBIPs in select courses Hosted a summer workshop on use of specific EBIPs Held instructor retreats for new instructors of coordinated courses Activities involved ~ 18 faculty |
Dept. 3 | Conducted regular discussions at department meetings, including highlighting individual practices Established baseline EBIP usage in department Held one-on-one meetings with faculty interested in particular EBIPs | Coordinated content and activities across different sections of the same courses Implemented specific EBIPs in specific courses Redesigned lab courses and activities using backward design Activities involved ~ 12 faculty |
Dept. 4 | Encouraged faculty participation in professional development Encouraged faculty adoption of EBIPs by providing resources and highlighting benefits/impact Encouraged peer observations of teaching | Developed new lab activities and incorporated EBIPs in introductory courses Implemented EBIPs in upper-level courses Supported faculty to attend discipline-based professional development Activities involved ~ 12 faculty |
Dept. 5 | Facilitated review of program learning outcomes, curriculum mapping, and assessment plans Facilitated short workshops in department meetings Engaged faculty in embedded assessment project Encouraged colleagues to submit partner project proposals Conducted regular discussions about EBIPs at department meetings Participated in MOOC learning community | Developed program-level assessments Developed new skills-based activities to implement across the curriculum Supported a group of faculty to attend discipline-based professional development Activities involved ~ 10 faculty |
Dept. 6 | Negotiated for time in department meetings to focus on teaching Discussed EBIPs in faculty meetings Encouraged peer observations of teaching Encouraged colleagues to submit partner project proposals Participated in MOOC learning community | Developed activities for an upper-level course Incorporated learning assistants in an upper-level course Promoted peer mentoring for faculty Activities involved ~ 6 faculty |