Evaluating the Contextualize to Learn (C2L) Program

• In Event: 51.040 - Promoting STEM Success and Persistence for Traditionally Disadvantaged Students: Evaluating Higher Education Student Success Programs

Abstract

Contextualize to Learn (C2L), funded by the National Science Foundation (2017-2020), addresses math contextualization for faculty and students in STEM fields of study at 2-year institutions. Guided by a partnership of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers and faculty at Madison College and Milwaukee Area Technical College, the project entails the following three key activities:

1. Offer professional development (PD) for two-year college faculty on adopting a contextualized approach to teaching remedial and college math courses that serve STEM students.

At each institution, faculty teaching technical math courses and math faculty teaching courses that serve STEM students participate in summer PD workshops on math contextualization (approximately 40 hours, including contact and individual project hours for faculty enrolled in the workshop). Lead faculty from both math departments and technical education programs collaborate to develop the workshop curriculum. They will share their knowledge and experiences contextualizing math courses and assist PD participants in working toward a more contextualized approach to their own teaching, such as creating a companion hands-on workshop or contextualizing math concepts using manufacturing examples. Other components of the summer workshops include follow-up webinars and support activities with online materials, as well as an end-of-summer planning session on implementation.

2. Cultivate a community of practice around math contextualization among faculty PD participants.

A community of practice for math contextualization (the Community) is developed at each college, coordinated by each institution’s team of lead faculty. In-person group meetings and an online collaboration forum (college-specific and cross-institutional) facilitate the Community by creating venues for faculty to share ideas about teaching math, discuss opportunities and challenges related to implementing contextualization in their math classes, and collaborate on best practices. Community activities also involve identifying and developing additional faculty mentors to provide infrastructure for sustaining contextualization professional development and support.

3. Conduct embedded research.

Research is being conducted to investigate: a) faculty engagement with and utilization of PD in the classroom, and b) the impact of contextualization on students’ experiences and outcomes. The project team collects and analyzes longitudinal interview data with faculty participants and conducts a social network analysis of classroom observations. To study the impact of contextualization on students, the team will integrate quantitative data collected from classroom surveys and official transcript records as well as qualitative data collected from interviews with students.

Preliminary findings from this project indicate that, whether and how faculty adopt math contextualization in their STEM classrooms as a result of the PD is the outcome of a complex sense-making process of negotiating multiple identities and how they are activated when presented with prior and new knowledge and experiences. Pilot findings also show that, compared to otherwise similar students, two-year college students enrolled in the math classes taught by early adopters of contextualization report positive and validating learning experiences and perform better in regard to course grades and math tests. The full study of the impact on students will be conducted in Fall 2018, with the findings available by April 2019.

Author

• Xueli Wang, University of Wisconsin - Madison