Integrating Research, Teaching and Learning: Preparing the Future National STEM Faculty

摘要

A network of universities (Howard, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Univer-sity of Colorado at Boulder, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Vanderbilt) have created a National Science Foundation-funded network to prepare a future national STEM (sci-ence, technology, engineering, mathematics) faculty committed to learning, implement-ing, and advancing teaching techniques that are effective for the wide range of students enrolled in higher education. The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL; http : //www. cirtl . net) develops, implements and evaluates pro-fessional development programs for future and current faculty. The programs comprise graduate courses, internships, and workshops, all integrated within campus learning communities. These elements are unified and guided by adherence to three core prin-ciples, or pillars: "Teaching as Research," whereby research skills are applied to eval-uating and advancing undergraduate learning; "Learning through Diversity," in which the diversity of students' backgrounds and experiences are used as a rich resource to enhance teaching and learning; and "Learning Communities" that foster shared learn-ing and discovery among students, and between future and current faculty within a department or institution. CIRTL established a laboratory for testing its ideas and practices at the Univer-sity of Wisconsin-Madison, known as the Delta Program in Research, Teaching and Learning (http : //www. delta. wise . edu). The program offers project-based gradu-ate courses, research mentor training, and workshops for post-does, staff, and faculty. In addition, graduate students and post-does can partner with a faculty member in a teaching-as-research internship to define and tackle a specific teaching and learning problem. Finally, students can obtain a Delta Certificate as testimony to their engage-ment in and commitment to teaching and learning. Delta has proved very successful, having served over 1500 UW-Madison instructors from graduate students to full pro-fessors. UW-Madison values the program to the point of now funding it internally.