LInc Seminar
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Is it working? How to turn your teaching innovations into research
Senior Lecturer on Applied Physics
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Research Associate - LInc
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Overview
How do we know when teaching innovations we try in the classroom actually work? Increasing emphasis on evidence-based teaching strategies in STEM education, grounded in rigorous, high-quality research confirms the importance of understanding research design, methodology, and results. Such research can provide valuable insights into best practices for educators; however, the accuracy and reliability of their results can be profoundly influenced by study design and methods. In this program, participants will learn how to measure and communicate the effectiveness of their teaching innovations, and support one another in putting these approaches into practice.
During this program, participants will review and compare illuminating STEM education research articles involving the science of teaching and learning, curriculum redesign, evaluation of novel teaching, and learning strategies, and engage in several quantitative study design exercises—including how to design studies in their own classrooms. Additionally, as part of a learning community, participants will help each other generate ideas, tackle challenges, and bring scientific rigor to their innovations.
Biographies:
Kelly Miller is an Associate Senior Lecturer of Applied Physics at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Kelly received her B.Ed. in secondary school science from McGill University, and her Master's in physics from the University of Vermont. Kelly received her Ph.D. in applied physics from Harvard University in 2014. Before graduate school, Kelly taught middle and high school science at various schools in Toronto, Rosseau, Montreal, and Vermont. She spent a year sailing around the world while teaching physics for Class Afloat, an experiential education program for high school students onboard a tall ship. While teaching high school physics, Kelly developed a passion for teaching and scholarship in education. Her Ph.D. focussed on the use of technology and interactive teaching strategies in undergraduate physics classrooms. She currently teaches Applied Physics 50, a flipped, introductory physics class for engineering undergraduates at Harvard. She is also a co-founder of Perusall, a collaborative reading platform to help get students prepared for class.
Robert Haussman is a Research Associate with the SEAS Learning Incubator (LInc), working to develop, assess, and implement effective pedagogy in the applied sciences. Prior to his arrival at SEAS, Robert completed his undergraduate degrees in physics and mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and earned his doctorate in theoretical soft matter physics at Carnegie Mellon University. As a LInc Pedagogical Fellow, Robert collaborates with diverse teams of faculty to design courses with updated and innovative evidence-based teaching formats which can be translated into reproducible and scalable approaches for the wider educational community. To date, Robert has contributed to the design and implementation of 15 courses across SEAS, HGSE, and HKS, including mathematical modeling, data science, systems and control, and strategic finance, to name a few.