Supporting Faculty: Resources from Professional Societies and Online Communities Marsha Lakes Matyas, Ph.D. Director of Education Programs American Physiological Society, Bethesda, MD mmatyas@the-aps.org www.the-aps.org/education www.lifescitrc.org Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Overview Why we need educator communities How to get involved Benefits of communities for educators APS communities: Life Science Teaching Resources Community or LifeSciTRC Physiology Education Community of Practice or PECOP Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Dispensing Knowledge = Tradition! PowerPoint? Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Is traditional lecture useful? Content Reading Lecture Competencies Lab skills Experimental design Data analysis Communication skills Asking which teaching technique is best is analogous to asking which tool is best—a hammer, a screwdriver, a knife, or pliers. In teaching as in carpentry, the selection of tools depends on the task at hand and the materials one is working with. Bransford, How People Learn, 2004 Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Is there one universal best teaching practice? Bad practices Changing student body Want student-centered Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

student-centered learning clickers service learning student-centered learning team teaching formative assessment summative assessment peer-grading flipped classroom active learning classroom setups that support interaction core concepts research experiences “blooming” objectives core competencies video lectures teaching with ultrasound learning contexts teaching portfolios interdisciplinary courses blended courses online teaching integrated courses greater diversity PBL inquiry

Will it work with MY students? What resources do I need to do this? clickers service learning student-centered learning How do you DO that? Does it work? Will it work with MY students? What resources do I need to do this? Who else is doing this? CAN THEY HELP ME? team teaching formative assessment summative assessment peer-grading flipped classroom active learning classroom setups that support interaction core concepts research experiences “blooming” objectives core competencies video lectures teaching with ultrasound learning contexts teaching portfolios interdisciplinary courses blended courses online teaching integrated courses greater diversity inquiry

Which is more common? Researchers Bench Educators Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

I’m working in isolation Want a sense of belonging and to be part of a group with shared values & passion for teaching * I am currently the sole full-time faculty member teaching science at [my institution]…I crave a community of science educators to which to belong and establish relationships with… * Our jobs are mostly done alone. Even within our departments, frequently there is limited exchange of teaching methods and rarely do we get to learn from and teach other educators in our subfield… Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

I’m new to teaching Unsure of professional standards of practice, especially in context of newer pedagogy and increasing student diversity. * I jumped right into teaching as naïve as I could be. I knew nothing about curriculum development, pedagogy, or Bloom’s taxonomy…my department is dominated by professors who have been teaching for many years and are comfortable in their way of instruction and see no reason to try anything different. This is fueled because our students are still highly successful sometimes I think in spite of us and our old-fashioned teaching styles… Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Support/guidance -> confidence When you are trying something new, you need support and guidance, especially from those who have used this successfully * …the experiences I have found most beneficial all included a cohort, or network, of individuals that would support each other. I suspect this is critical to making sure that someone doesn’t just learn about a “new” idea and then soon forget it, but provides a continuous mechanism to keep people on track and aid them when problems arise. Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

How do I teach physiology? Generic training is useful but physiology educators want to learn how to teach physiology * My current community of educators consists primarily of people with expertise in chemistry, Earth science, and physics. I value this diversity of perspectives because it forces me to communicate clearly and to integrate my life science training with other areas of science. However, I need checks and balances on my accuracy, clarity, and coherence in developing life science curriculum that only comes from being challenged by other biologists, and especially physiologists. Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Networks support departmental change Working with a broader community on new teaching methods can help transform my whole department, not just my own classes * Networking with a group of educators who share similar values and passion for students has greatly helped me to influence colleagues who are initially skeptical about any changes in teaching. My ability to share new ideas of teaching with peers at home institution has greatly increased as a result. Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Professional Societies Promote Connections Provide information Journals, websites, teaching materials, meetings, workshops, social media, APS Connect Establish professional standards of practice Research, teaching, ethics Offer opportunities for professional socialization Meetings, social media

Society Support for Education Growing at all levels Increasing staffing PSALSE PSALSE study of 29 Life Science Societies Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Life Science Society Support for UG Education is Increasing Significant increases in: Membership for UG students (discounted) UG student travel grants and research awards UG student networking sessions with scientists at meetings Society-sponsored UG chapters/clubs on campus Faculty awards for educational research Inclusion of education sessions in scientific meetings Exhibiting/workshops at education conferences Offering multimedia teaching resources at website Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Among 29 life science societies Travel grants for UG students to attend scientific meetings >90% UG student memberships Use other revenue to fund educ activities >80% Scientific meetings include educ sessions >70% UG faculty teaching awards >60% Peer-reviewed curriculum resources Peer-reviewed multimedia resources 50% Use strategic reserves for educ activities >40% Peer-reviewed education journal >30% Among 29 life science societies

What is a Community of Practice? “ . . . groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” Critical Characteristics Physiology Educators Members share a particular topic or issue in which they have an interest, commitment, and competence that distinguishes them from other people. Shared interests (enhancing student learning in physiology) and expertise Members engage in discussions, help each other, and share information Roles in the community (educator, researcher, facilitator, author, etc.) Members are practitioners in their domain…they share resources, strategies, experiences, etc. Practitioner status (educators, collaborators, authors, program managers, etc.)

Community Roles Lurkers Novices Leaders Insiders Elders Nielsen-Norman Group, 2006; Socius, 2011

Why Lurk? Nothing to contribute Understand the COP Fear negative responses Get ready to contribute Better things to do The point is, ladies and gentleman, that lurking, for lack of a better word, is good. Lurking is right, lurking works. PECOP LifeSciTRC Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Why do users engage? It enhances their professional reputations They have experience/knowledge to share They are strongly connected to the community and/or its members They want help others by sharing information, ideas, and experiences They want to participate in a professional community of colleagues and peers. They want to set the record straight Wasco & Faraj, 2005, Society of New Communications Research, 2011

Don’t laugh at the badges… What we gain… Active users receive more useful help than do lurkers Positive reputation in community Perceive real impact on communities Important motivators Kollock, 1999 Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

10 Society collaborative 7,000+ peer-reviewed resources Blogs American Assn. of Anatomists American Physiological Society Genetics Society of America Human Anatomy & Physiology Society American Society of Plant Biologists Massachusetts Society for Medical Research Northwest Assn. for Biomedical Research Society for Developmental Biology Society of Toxicology The Physiological Society 10 Society collaborative 7,000+ peer-reviewed resources Blogs Discussion boards User rated items Public and private communities PECOP Physiology Majors Interest Group K-12 Educators Undergraduate Educators LifeSciTRC Scholars/Fellows *PECOP Fellows *Zebrafish Education Network *Six Star Science Teachers *APS UG Summer Research Programs *PSALSE ** Publication Ethics ** Controls in Animal Studies * Private ** Forthcoming, Private

PECOP Physiology Educators Community of Practice Dynamic and growing community of physiology educators at ALL education levels who… interact, share resources, and collaborate on an ongoing basis; learn and apply effective scientific teaching methods in their classrooms, such as student-centered learning; and use scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) methodologies to improve their teaching. Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

PECOP Goals Support physiology educators at all levels. Encourage physiology educators to explore and engage in evidence-based scientific teaching, SOTL, and DBER. Empower physiology educators to become leaders in physiology education reform efforts. Catalyze collaboration among physiology educators in education and research to enhance student learning. Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

PECOP Activities Past activities include… PECOP Fellowships for UG faculty; Thought Leaders for the COP; PECOP blog (http://blog.lifescitrc.org/pecop/) with bimonthly posts on education topics from practitioner standpoint EB Networking sessions Workshops and discussion boards on key topics Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

What’s on the Horizon? PECOP Blog* SOTL/Research groups* Research paper discussion boards* Research methods discussion boards* 2017 PST, “Becoming an effective teacher” ** NSF RCN-UBE proposal planning* Survey of needs/wants, Advisory Board, PST on research design and statistics?? Exhibit &/or workshops at HAPS, IAMSE, NABT* *Sign up sheets at the exhibit table Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

How do I become a member? Go to www.LifeSciTRC.org Log in or register Complete your profile Under “Other Information” check PECOP Member You will be added to the community. In the meantime…you can read the blog/boards When your membership is approved, you can post! Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Engage! I met a wonderful colleague…who had been teaching for years. She had a wealth of knowledge and resources but was hesitant to use modern educational technologies. Just like the line from Forrest Gump, “Jenny taught me how to climb, I taught her how to dangle”; through collaboration we shared resources and that benefited us both. What do YOU have to teach to a colleague and what do YOU want to learn? Engage! Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Thank you! My collaborators: Miranda Byse, APS Elizabeth Ruedi, GSA Katie Engen, ASPB Amy Chang, ASM Barb Goodman Jenny McFarland Members of: PECOP APS LifeSciTRC Partners Thanks to the APS Education Office staff Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism

Wish list! What would you want to see PECOP or the LifeSciTRC do? What resources should we ask for the NSF RCN proposal? (research seed grants? Travel awards?) How can we increase applications for the APS Tching Career Enhancement Award? Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism