A pressing need in STEM undergraduate education is well-trained faculty who are versed in evidence-based practices and effective teaching techniques. One step towards filling this gap is implementing professional development programs for early-career academics and future faculty. The Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching IV (FIRST IV) program focused on developing research-based teaching approaches in biology postdocs from 2009-2012. Since engaging in the program, many alumni are now in faculty positions at a variety of institution types. Our unique research design - FIRST IV faculty and paired faculty for comparison from the same department - examines the outcomes of former FIRST IV participants within the context of their departments and institutions. Using data collected over the next three years from both FIRST IV alumni and paired faculty in their departments, we are investigating the relative influences of experience, training and external factors on biology teaching practices. Sources of quantitative data include video recordings scored with the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP), course syllabi and exams characterized with the Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol (3D-LAP), and surveys of student perceptions of biology using the Maryland Biology Expectations Survey (MBEX).
Results/Conclusions
Preliminary results suggest that while the comparison groups are relatively similar in backgrounds and experience, FIRST IV participants report teaching as more student-focused courses based on the Approaches to Teaching Inventory instrument (ATI). Additionally, we connected faculty approaches to teaching to variation in assessments using 3D-LAP. This study provides a model for assessing long-term impacts of faculty professional development programs, and over the coming years will provide insight into how departmental context influences outcomes for faculty teaching and student learning through the Experiences of Teaching and Learning Questionnaire (ETLQ) and the Maryland Biology Expectations Survey.