NOVA Evaluation Report NOVA Evaluation Report

Higher Education Faces Significant Challenges Nation at Risk (1983) Benchmarks for Science Literacy, Project 2061 (American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science 1993) Shaping the Future (NSF 1996) NASA Strategic Plan, Implementation Plan for Education (1999 – 2003) No Child Left Behind (2002)

Higher Education Faces Significant Challenges Higher education faculty are attempting to improve the effectiveness of undergraduate science and math courses. In the past the process has been slow and the results limited.

NOVA Professional Development for Higher Education STEM Faculty NASA Opportunities for Visionary Academics (NOVA) A professional development program assisting faculty in developing innovative STEM curricula.

NOVA Objectives Disseminate NASA’s pre-service education model. Promote development of the model. Sustain the change process. Increase collaboration. Stimulate and conduct research.

Phases of the NOVA Program Phase I—Professional Development Workshop and Proposal Development Phase II—Research and dissemination Phase III—NASA Field Center Program, online course enhancements Leadership Development Conference Research and evaluation, including on- site assessment

NOVA Evaluation Evaluation of NOVA included extensive and diverse data. The NOVA Evaluation Report is organized around ten central points or question.

1. Characteristics of NOVA Institutions, Faculty, and Students 240 institutions attended workshops from February 1996 to February 2003.

1. Characteristics of NOVA Institutions, Faculty, and Students 240 institutions attended workshops from February 1996 to February In 44 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

1. Characteristics of NOVA Institutions, Faculty, and Students 240 institutions attended workshops from February 1996 to February In 44 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 308 multidisciplinary NOVA faculty funded from 88 institutions

1. Characteristics of NOVA Institutions, Faculty, and Students 240 institutions attended workshops from February 1996 to February In 44 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 308 multidisciplinary NOVA faculty funded from 88 institutions. 154 courses; over 42,000 students, increasing by 12,000 annually.

1. Characteristics of NOVA Institutions, Faculty, and Students 240 institutions attended workshops from February 1996 to February In 44 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 308 multidisciplinary NOVA faculty funded from 88 institutions. 154 courses; over 42,000 students, increasing by 12,000 annually. Institutions range from Doctoral/Research I to Associate of Arts Community Colleges.

2. Dissemination of the NOVA Model 23 Phase I Workshops. Over 150 journal articles, reports, and conference presentations. Research-supported best practices shared within and between institutions. Over 100 NOVA-related national, regional, and local workshops.

A Sample of National Conferences AAPT AERA AIAA ASEE AETS ATE ACS AAAS NCTM NARST SCST QEM International Conference on Mathematics/Science Education & Technology 12th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning Project Kaleidoscope Conference

2. Dissemination of the NOVA Model Non-NOVA faculty in over half of NOVA institutions implemented NOVA-type change. Clone and NOVA-like spin-offs. Administrators reported faculty incorporating inquiry-based activities into non-NOVA courses. Springboard to other grant writing. A third of non-funded Phase I teams made changes based on NOVA model.

2. Dissemination of the NOVA Model Evolution over 8 years from innovative institution-based courses to a national dissemination and collaboration network. Personnel, data, and materials from NASA Enterprises incorporated in a wide population of higher education institutions and students.

3. Congruency of the NOVA Model with Major Reports on Teacher Preparation Eight major elements aimed at changing how science and math are taught in K-12 classrooms by influencing “how” content is taught at the college level.

3. Congruency of the NOVA Model with Major Reports on Teacher Preparation 1. Continuous professional development. 2. Sustained collaboration among interdisciplinary teams of faculty and administrators. 3. Courses based on national standards for science, math, and technology. 4. Courses utilize content based on NASA Strategic Enterprises.

3. Congruency of the NOVA Model with Major Reports on Teacher Preparation 5. Program improvement at NOVA institutions through ongoing research. 6. Instructional strategies that are inquiry based and center on student interaction. 7. Extensive use of technology. 8. Collaborations among institutions in the NOVA network.

4. Participant Reactions to the NOVA Professional Development Model Positive Useful in developing innovative pedagogy. Helped develop skills in technology and curriculum innovation. Increased confidence and expectations. Reactions to the NOVA program:

4. Participant Reactions to the NOVA Professional Development Model Introduce innovative teaching and/or STEM courses. State education requirements, content standards. Help validate already innovative faculty. Recruit other faculty into a network of innovation. Reasons for participating in NOVA:

4. Participant Reactions to the NOVA Professional Development Model Team approach. Commitment to the project. Belief in the model. Use of NASA resources. Monetary support. Important factors facilitating change:

5. Impact of the NOVA Model on the Collaborative Work and Organizational Climate of STEM Faculties Increase in type and expertise of research- supported teaching practices Other funding or grant opportunities New department programs Professional dissemination Breadth of expertise, experience Faculty initiative, resolution of problems Campus climate focused on student learning

6. Effect of the NOVA Model on Higher Education Courses

Majority of courses at the freshman or sophomore entry level.

7. Impact of the NASA Mission, Data and Information, and Fundamental Questions on the NOVA Courses Multiple connections to NASA Strategic Enterprises. Used by NOVA students and carried into their K-12 classrooms. Shared between colleagues. Disseminated on institutional web sites. Presented at national conferences.

7. Impact of the NASA Mission, Data and Information, and Fundamental Questions on the NOVA Courses Multiple connections to NASA Strategic Enterprises. Used by NOVA students and carried into their K-12 classrooms. Shared between colleagues. Disseminated on institutional web sites. Presented at national conferences.

8. Aspects of NOVA Professional Development Model that are Effective in Creating and Sustaining Change Continuous faculty interaction. Administrative support. Sense of common purpose and trust. NOVA structural supports made possible and promoted change processes. Faculty action (practitioner) research Development and sustaining of teams - a key factor in accomplishing goals.

9. Impact of the NOVA Model on Classrooms and Students Faculty action research found significant improvement in student content knowledge, attitudes, and inquiry skills. Students had a higher efficacy to teach K-12 science.

9. Impact of the NOVA Model on Classrooms and Students Decrease in traditional classroom lecture and memorization approaches Greater use of an inquiry approach in teaching Emphasis on interactive, student-centered methods Use of NOVA courses as models for developing additional courses and for meeting state higher education guidelines

9. Impact of the NOVA Model on Classrooms and Students Undergraduate education majors’ science teaching efficacy, content mastery, and teacher performance positively affected. State standardized achievement test scores in science higher for students of NOVA courses. Studies on impact of NOVA courses on students:

Students experienced science and math as a process rather than being told about content. Integration of lecture and lab promoted experiential, inquiry learning. Increase in students’ STEM content knowledge. Female and minority interest in NOVA courses increased. 10. Impact of the NOVA Model on Science and Mathematics Literacy of Higher Education Students

Higher end-of-course growth and understanding than students in similar “non- NOVA” courses. Two national studies on student understanding of the nature of science and mathematics:

10. Impact of the NOVA Model on Science and Mathematics Literacy of Higher Education Students Two national studies on student understanding of the nature of science and mathematics: Higher end-of-course growth and understanding than students in similar “non- NOVA” courses. Increased interest and lowered anxiety about this content in their professional and personal lives.

10. Impact of the NOVA Model on Science and Mathematics Literacy of Higher Education Students Results related to students’ ability to succeed in science and math-related tasks and careers. Two national studies on student understanding of the nature of science and mathematics: Higher end-of-course growth and understanding than students in similar “non- NOVA” courses. Increased interest and lowered anxiety about this content in their professional and personal lives.

NOVA’s impact on higher education— 10. Impact of the NOVA Model on Science and Mathematics Literacy of Higher Education Students

NOVA’s impact on higher education— Important to professionals and our educated citizenry in a democratic society. 10. Impact of the NOVA Model on Science and Mathematics Literacy of Higher Education Students