Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST IV) is a multi-institution professional development program for biology postdoctoral scholars that will shape their beliefs about and approaches to teaching undergraduate biology. Upon completion of the program, each will have an introductory biology course developed based on scientific teaching and learner-centered instruction, ultimately resulting in improved student learning. FIRST IV uses expert faculty in the FIRST national network to implement professional development workshops, provide mentoring in teaching, and long-term support for postdocs. Our initial research question investigates the extent to which FIRST participants apply what they learned from the workshops during their mentored teaching experience. We are assessing the professional development of postdocs using direct observation of their teaching, surveys of their practices and their beliefs about teaching and student perceptions of the postdocs’ teaching practices. During year one, 100 postdocs completed a week-long workshop followed by one or more mentored teaching experiences. Each will return for a second workshop in summer 2010. A new cohort of 100 postdocs will be recruited in fall 2010 for workshops beginning in May 2011.
Results/Conclusions
Thirty-eight postdocs taught semester long lower- and upper-level biology courses, and 53 taught sections of another instructor's course directly impacting approximately 10,000 students in the 2009-2010 academic year. During fall 2009, 75% of postdocs teaching an entire course (n=20) reported using learner-centered teaching approaches that focused on helping students develop conceptual understanding. In addition, postdocs received high ratings from students for characteristics of the teaching and learning environment which students believed were important to their learning of content and skills. Student perceptions of postdoc teaching practices differed significantly from those of students in traditional classes taught by non-FIRST faculty. As part of the mentoring-teaching network, a listserv was established to facilitate exchange of ideas and support. Since July of 2009, the listserv has generated 138 emails across 40 threads, with nearly half of the postdocs actively participating in the discussion. FIRST IV will continue to facilitate biology teaching reform nationally by validating the utility of professional development early in one’s teaching career. During the FIRST IV project, 200 postdocs will gain an expertise in teaching that is currently sought by many biology departments.
