Undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants (TAs) are tasked with instructing undergraduate courses with little to no professional development (PD). To better develop PD opportunities, it is important to understand the benefits of improving TAs' self-efficacy and the stressors associated with their roles. This study investigated how stress…

Recent reform efforts in postsecondary science teaching have called for shifts in instructional methods to include more evidence-based instructional practices. However, a myriad of factors play a role in whether an instructor adopts these more student-centered methods. One such factor is teaching perspective. In this study, we explored the…

The Five Minute Teach (5MT) serves as both a training tool for graduate teaching assistants (TAs) and a format for explicit discipline-based writing instruction. Here the authors describe the development and execution of the 5MT as part of a professional development course for TAs in the sciences. Specifically, the 5MT uses learning objectives and…

Long-term impacts from a senior course in Environmental Studies were evaluated by a survey of program graduates (36 respondents, 50% response rate) who had participated in the course over an 8-year permiod. Each year, the Senior Seminar used a service-learning pedagogy with a different environmentally focused project ranging from web resource…

Two Summer Institutes funded by the National Science Foundation were held for current and future college science faculty. The overall goal was to promote learning and practice of inquiry-based college science teaching. We developed a collaborative and active learning format for participants that involved all phases of the 5E learning cycle of…

Although the majority of the teaching faculty at U.S. universities is composed of people who are scientific experts, research has found that most scientists do not have information about effective teaching methods (DeHaan 2005). Traditional lecture-style college science teaching does not reflect knowledge about best teaching practices based upon…

Points out the lack of standards and benchmarks guides for college science teaching. Questions whether it is necessary to attempt to establish national science standards for college science teaching and considers professional development, motivation, and teaching strategies. Recommends teacher preparation experience for college science faculty.…