{"id":884,"date":"2022-03-31T12:48:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T12:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darylilbury.com\/?p=884"},"modified":"2022-08-12T13:27:06","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T13:27:06","slug":"understanding-teaching-excellence-in-stem-subjects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darylilbury.com\/?p=884","title":{"rendered":"Understanding teaching excellence in STEM subjects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

STEM subjects \u2013 science, technology, engineering, maths \u2013 are undeniably important if we are to meet the needs of our increasingly globalised world. So knowing what encourages uptake of these subjects to the highest level is of the utmost importance. Good teaching might be an obvious answer, however we don\u2019t fully understand what constitutes \u2018teaching excellence\u2019 in STEM subjects. Dr Alfred Thumser, at the University of Surrey, UK, decided to ask bioscience students what they thought. The results were illuminating.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the more significant developments in senior secondary and tertiary education over the last thirty years has been the increased importance of teaching STEM subjects \u2013 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics \u2013 to meet the growing impacts of technological developments in an increasingly globalised world. However, for various reasons, the pace of change in the education of these subjects has been such that pedagogic concerns remain over knowledge and skills gaps, how the output of tertiary education will meet the needs of changing industry, and the under-representation of women and historically disadvantaged communities in STEM classes. Perhaps one of the keenest issues is how these subjects are taught; in particular, understanding how the quality of teaching influences students\u2019 eagerness to embrace them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was the question behind the illuminating and quite surprising research carried out by Dr Alfred Thumser, a teaching-focused biochemist at the University of Surrey, UK, and leader of the university\u2019s biochemistry teaching enhancement section. Working with Julia Matyjasiak, a BSc (Hons) biochemistry student, Alfred Thumser set out to examine how bioscience students at the university defined \u2018teaching excellence\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hypothesis behind the research was simple: surely more students would embrace STEM subjects if they were well taught?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dispensing wisdom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most STEM lecturers aim to be good researchers and teachers \u2013 unless, perhaps, they are employed at a research-focused university, where pressure to publish means teaching can come further down the list of priorities. As a consequence, teaching then often follows the classic didactic lecturing model \u2013 the authority dispenses wisdom to a grateful student body expected to soak it up. One outcome of this is a constant state of tension between the identities of researcher and teacher, and the rather peculiar academic notion that valuing teaching somehow sullies academic credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for those academics who do value teaching, how do they know if they\u2019re doing a good job? According to Alfred Thumser and Julia Matyjasiak, any measure of teaching excellence is usually indirect, obtained via module evaluations with relatively low response rates and student-led teaching awards, but there is no established measure of \u2018teaching excellence\u2019. The researchers surmise that this is the case at most universities, especially for the increasingly important STEM subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the student perspective on \u2018teaching excellence\u2019, and how does this definition of teaching excellence impact the broader student experience?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

However, there\u2019s a significant challenge in measuring excellence in STEM teaching: there is no one-size-fits-all approach to \u2018teaching\u2019. More academic-focused subjects such as physics and mathematics might be conducive to more didactic, lecture-based methods, while those with a stronger vocation- or skills-based focus, such as engineering and computer sciences, may benefit from more student-centric, active-learning strategies. So, how can you measure excellence in something if that \u2018something\u2019 is so varied?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defining teacher excellence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Alfred Thumser realised that if he wanted to answer this fundamental question, he needed to get the students\u2019 perspective on two broad questions: what is the student perspective on \u2018teaching excellence\u2019; and how does this definition of teaching excellence impact the broader student experience? This is where Julia Matyjasiak\u2019s input was critical \u2013 as a senior student she was well-placed to help phrase the survey questions. The researchers designed an online survey with three parts. The first presented a scale for respondents to rate 14 different phrases linked to teaching excellence, for example, \u2018clarity of lecture\u2019, \u2018personality of the lecturer\u2019, \u2018feedback after coursework or exams\u2019, \u2018small-group workshops\u2019 and \u2018difficulty of exams\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second part asked the students to rank the impact of various factors on their \u2018student experience\u2019. These factors were varied, and included lectures and practicals, the campus facilities and IT support, and peer- and mental-health support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third part asked the students what words and phrases described an excellent lecture. Phrases included, for example, \u2018didactic\u2019, \u2018interactive\u2019, \u2018includes relevant research\u2019, \u2018includes problem-based learning\u2019, and \u2018has challenging content\u2019. The respondents were encouraged to leave remarks and comments supporting their selections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers anonymised the survey and, via email, invited students from across the School of Biosciences and Medicine to take part. The results identified two broad clusters of ranked and submitted phrases that helped define teaching excellence, most notably linked to traditional didactic lectures. The highest-rated phrase linked to teaching excellence was \u2018clarity of lecture content\u2019. Related comments noted that lecturer planning and preparation were essential for the students, as were challenging content, clear explanations, and engaging lecturers. At the other end of the scale, the students strongly disapproved of content-intensive lectures, repeated content, and irrelevant information. Among the comments supporting the findings, the students highly rated evidence that lecturers invested time and energy in preparation, while they were frustrated by ill-prepared lecturers who would discuss irrelevant topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against spoon-feeding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The survey responses also served up some surprises, most notably that students didn\u2019t want to be spoon-fed from instruction to examination, even though this could provide an easier path to graduation. Lecturer support was critical for the students, but they didn\u2019t want a guiding hand throughout. What they did want \u2013 and this emerged across all the study programmes and year cohorts \u2013 was good feedback on their assignments and assessments. They wanted to be direct agents in their progression, with interactive involvement of academic staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this way, the students emphasised that \u2018teaching excellence\u2019 was only one part of an overall positive student experience. The \u2018supportive\u2019 components that were key for a positive experience emerged from the second cluster of phrases in the survey. Here, the students pointed to things such as the instructional facilities \u2013 the lecture theatres, laboratories, and IT rooms; the broader campus environment; the student support structures, such as those around mental health and financial support; and active learning sessions, such as small-group workshops, seminars, and visits by scientists and potential employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alfred Thumser and Julia Matyjasiak\u2019s study has provided the groundwork for a broader discussion on encouraging the uptake and embracing of STEM subjects by undergraduate students in the biosciences. The researchers say they would like to see the scope of such a study expanded into other STEM subjects such as physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and medicine. They also propose that STEM faculties establish educational research groups and opportunities for experienced instructors to share best practices, especially with senior faculty who may feel out of touch with innovations in teaching practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What may have worked in the past may no longer be fit-for-purpose for a student body more accustomed to sharing ideas and having their voices heard.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Student-staff partnerships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now that we have an idea of how students measure teaching excellence in STEM subjects, we have some guidelines for developing teaching methods that meet those measurements. The researchers say that upending the traditional model of one-way didactic instruction and creating more interactive faculty and student learning communities could nurture more enthusiastic and successful students. This could have a significant impact on enrolment in STEM courses at universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There would be another benefit to such communities of learning. They would encourage the introduction of different perspectives and provide a continually evolving and refreshed level of academic rigour. It would also introduce students to the complexities of teaching STEM subjects and enhance the prestige and scholarship of that teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the importance of STEM subjects and the need to encourage their uptake by undergraduate university and technical college students, how they view those subjects and how they are taught is critical. What may have worked in the past may no longer be fit-for-purpose for a student body more accustomed to sharing ideas and having their voices heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally published in Research Outreach, March 31, 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image: Jesse Orrico\/Unsplash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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