What We Are About!

Ain ShamsUniv., Cairo

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Tufts University

Lawrence University

Utah State

University

University of

Dubuque

College of Idaho

Madison AreaTechnical College

Augustana College

Pacific University of Oregon

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Grand Valley State University

North CarolinaState

University

Purdue University

Ball State University

Ohio State

University

Bethel University

Stillman College

University of

Louisville

UW - Madison

Southern Illinois

University

CIRTL Network MeetingSpring 2014Athens, GA

Earth’s Crust4.368 – 4.380 Gyr

The CIRTL mission is to enhance excellence in undergraduate education

through the development of a national faculty committed to implementing and advancing

effective teaching practices for diverse learners as part of successful and varied professional careers.

CIRTL Mission

MissionTo Advance STEM Undergraduate Learning

The Core IdeasTeaching-as-ResearchLearning Community

Learning-through-Diversity

StrategyPreparing Future Faculty

What Makes Us CIRTL?

The CIRTL Network – March 2014

22% of nation’s

PhD production

Current Focus:Effective and Supportive Evaluation

Goals

CIRTL Core Ideas in action => preparing future faculty

Another lens and dimension for sharing successes Formative improvement of activities and impact

Summative basis for future growth of the Network

Report to NSF and other funding agencies

Learning Outcomes

The Original New Ideas

CIRTL – KnowledgeDescribe and Recognize Value

CIRTL Practitioner – PracticeEngage

CIRTL Scholar – ScholarshipAdvance and Disseminate

Associate Fellow

Learning Outcomes

The Original New Ideas

Trees and Forest – Some Meta-Thoughts

Taking a synthetic, holistic view ….

Preparing future faculty capable of implementing and advancing effective teaching practices.

Ultimately this is the outcome that matters most.

The CIRTL hypothesis has been that future faculty will embrace [] research-based high-impact approaches to teaching by doing teaching-as-research, having learning community experiences, and experiencing learning-through-diversity—and furthermore, that their self-discovery will lead to deeper understanding and engagement with these ideas.

- NSF proposal

Trees and Forest – Some Meta-Thoughts

The core ideas are the CIRTL path to such future faculty.

Taking a synthetic, holistic view ….

Trees and Forest – Some Meta-Thoughts

Evidence that CIRTL core ideas prepare such future faculty.

Suppose that you are preparing to teach some scientific concept from your discipline (e.g., the nitrogen cycle, amplitude, redox reactions). Describe the steps that you will take.

Taking a synthetic, holistic view ….

Assessment & Evaluation Classroom Research Learning Outcomes

Literature Teaching Improvement

Teaching-as-Research Pillar Being Part of a Community

Classroom Environment Community (general)

Group Work Learning Community Pillar

Benefits of Diversity Diverse Instruction

Diverse Learners Diversity (general)

Equity and Social Justice Inclusive Teaching

Learning-through-Diversity Pillar Cognition, Learning & Development

Active Learning* Communicating with Learners

Generic Learning Knowing your Learners

Career Planning Teaching Philosophy

Teacher's Role

LC-R

elat

ed C

once

pts

Lea

rnin

g &

Lea

rner

s

0 50 100 150 200 250

Trees and Forest – Some Meta-Thoughts

Taking a synthetic, holistic view ….

Current education research (Ambrose et al., 2010; Svinicki & McKeachie 2010; Weimer 2002) supports the argument that the national goal of advancing STEM undergraduate learning will be advanced by STEM faculty who characterize and engage in their teaching similarly to the future faculty in this study.

- NSF proposal

Trees and Forest – Some Meta-Thoughts

Taking a synthetic, holistic view ….

Trees and Forest – Some Meta-Thoughts

The Learning Outcomes are our framework to realizethe CIRTL path to future faculty capable of implementing and advancing effective teaching practices

Our evaluations need to provide data on both the learning outcomes and the future faculty themselves.

Taking a synthetic, holistic view ….

Our evaluation approaches and instruments need to includeboth analytic and synthetic components.

Synthetic - Suppose that you are preparing to teach some scientific concept from your discipline (e.g., the nitrogen cycle, amplitude, redox reactions). Describe the steps that you will take.

Trees and Forest – Some Meta-Thoughts

Extremes

Analytic and synthetic approaches to evaluation

Analytic - Implement one or more LC strategies for students in a teaching experience.

Summative goal of our evaluation plans and instruments

Trees and Forest – Some Meta-Thoughts

Demonstrating that CIRTL participants will be STEM future faculty capable of implementing and

advancing effective teaching practices.

Trees and Forest – Some Meta-Thoughts

1400

700

100

Associates

Practitioners

Scholars

Outcome Level

Ann

ual G

oal

Closing thought on roles and responsibilities

Closing thought on roles and responsibilities

Trees and Forest – Some Meta-Thoughts

1) The Learning Outcomes describe what a CIRTL participant at a particular level is able to do.

2) Each institution has the freedom and the responsibility to decide how to prepare their CIRTL participants to do these outcomes.

3) Each university has the freedom and the responsibility to judge whether a participant has achieved a given level of capablity.

Associate, Practitioner, ScholarLearning Outcome Levels YesProgramming Framework UsefulGoals for our Participants ?

A bit of history

We have never attracted students by marketing our labels; we attract students by marketing who they become.

(With certification being all to the better … from student perspective …)

Some Thoughts on Marketing

Benefits of Involvement in CIRTL Networkfor (Senior) Future Faculty

“You’re interviewing for the academic job of your dreams … they ask for evidence of excellence in your teaching. What will you say thatdistinguishes you from the crowd?”

• I am part of a national learning community of graduate students, post-docs and faculty who are advancing ways to integrate research, teaching, and learning.

• I have been exposed to and worked with undergraduate teaching and learning at diverse institutions across the nation. These institutions serve a wide range of students, much like your diverse student body.

• I have presented my teaching-as-research results across the nation.

• I am a player in a national movement to improve research, teaching, and learning in STEM.

• The CIRTL Network will continue to serve as a national forum for easy dissemination of my

disciplinary and teaching-as-research work. And I can connect you to the Network too.

III. Demonstrated skills in teaching and learning...

Curriculum Vitae

Your UniversityYour Name

i) Knowledge and skills in evidence-based, high-impact teaching and learning

ii) Experience in developing, implementing and evaluating new ways of teaching

iii) Ability to apply research skills to the improvement of student learning

iv) Leadership in a learning community focused on teaching and learning

v) Awareness of how to promote successful learning with diverse student audiences

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Network Exchange Program

Obtain funding to present and conduct your disciplinary research and your teaching-as-research projects across a national network of universities.

Apply for funding to develop, implement and evaluate your teaching-as-research ideas, at UW and throughout the CIRTL Network

STEM Education Scholars

Prepare for diverse teaching roles through a summer immersion experience for early faculty, postdocs, and senior graduate students

Graduate Seminars

University of Colorado

Boulder, CO

Howard University Washington, DC

Texas A & M University

College Station, TX

Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN

University of Wisconsin

Madison, WI

The CIRTL CaféBuild professional connections and collaborations through this online portal for the national CIRTL Network learning community

Learning-through-Diversity in ActionLearn from the successful learning-through-diversity practices implemented across the CIRTL Network.

Contact: www.cirtlcafe.net

Explore and develop your skills in teaching with graduate students, postdocs and faculty from diverse research universities across the nation

Seed Grant Program

The CIRTL Network:

Your National Connection to Future Faculty

DIVERSE by DesignNATIONAL in Purpose

Connection to Your Future Faculty Career

CIRTL @ [Your University] !

Network Expansion Process – 20112016

80% Ph.D.’s

108 Research Universities

2-yr College

Liberal Arts

Masters University

Comprehensive University Research

University

Undergraduate Education

CIRTL Strategy

• BOTTOM LINE – Preparing a significant number of future faculty to have dynamic and effective faculty

careers that integrate research, teaching and learning based on the three CIRTL pillars.

• BOTTOM LINE - Institutionalized local CIRTL programs that continue to accomplish above.

• BOTTOM LINE – Understand the impact of cross-Network activities on future faculty preparation

• TARGET GOAL - Expansion of the CIRTL Network to increase above.

What Represents Success for our prototype CIRTL Network?

(from 2009 meeting)

In order to have a major impact on future STEM undergraduate education, we presume that CIRTL needs to influence future faculty preparation at substantially more graduate schools than those of the current six universities in the prototype CIRTL Network.

Thus the prototype CIRTL Network must expand

We also presume that the timescale for national change in STEM faculty is longer than timescales of NSF funding.

and become independently sustainable.

Premise of this Meeting(from 2009 meeting)

2002 NSF funds CIRTL

2003 Delta Program opens as prototype

2005 FAST Program at MSU

2007 NSF funds CIRTL Network

2010 Growth Plan for CIRTL Network

2011 Recruitment for Expansion to 25

35 applications

2016 Recruitment for “Last” Expansion

N applications

A Bit of CIRTL History

Fall 2014

Iowa StateAmes IA

October 9-10, 2014