Table 5 Comparison of department activities and changes reported by more than a third of department respondents
From: Adapting the CACAO model to support higher education STEM teaching reform
Dept | Key Department Activities (see Table 2) | Department Changes reported by > 33% of department respondents (see Fig. 1) | Individual Changes reported by > 33% of department respondents (see Fig. 4) |
|---|---|---|---|
Dept. 1 | Summer retreat to foster collaboration and discussion around teaching Informal meetings about student success, assessment, and curriculum alignment | Increased dialogue Developed a sense of community around teaching | Increased participation in professional development Increased interaction w/ others |
Redesigned courses to promote active learning and improve course coordination and sequencing | Increased exploration or adoption of EBIPs | Integrated low and high threshold EBIPs Revised assessment methods | |
Dept. 2 | Course coordination projects focused on content, activities, and assessments Instructor retreats for new instructors of coordinated courses | More coordination across courses/curriculum | Added or revised homework and resources Revised assessment methods |
Regular teaching focused discussions | Increased dialogue | Â | |
Implemented specific EBIPs Hosted a summer workshop on use of specific EBIPs | Â | Integrated low and high threshold EBIPs | |
Dept. 3 | Regular discussions at department meetings, including highlighting individual practices | Increased emphasis/value on teaching effectiveness and EBIPs | Increased participation in professional development |
Coordinated content and activities across different sections of the same courses Implemented EBIPs in specific courses | Â | Added or modified in-class activities Integrated low-threshold EBIPs | |
Dept. 4 | Encouraged peer observations | Increased dialogue More coordination across courses/curriculum | Increased interaction with others |
Encouraged faculty adoption of EBIPs by providing resources Incorporated EBIPs in courses | Â | Added or modified in-class activities Revised assessment methods or practices | |
Dept. 5 | Developed program-level assessments Reviewed program learning outcomes; curriculum mapping | Increased focus on outcomes/assessment | Revised assessment methods |
Regular discussion of EBIPs at faculty meetings | Increased dialogue | Â | |
Developed new skills-based activities to implement across the curriculum | Increased exploration or adoption of EBIPs | Modified course design Integrated low-threshold EBIPs | |
Dept. 6 | Developed activities for an upper-level course Discussed EBIPs in faculty meetings | No changes commonly reported | Integrated low-threshold EBIPs Added or modified in-class activities |