Humanizing Online STEM: The Impact of Professional Development on Instructor Beliefs and Student Outcomes

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Wednesday 11:45am
  In Poster Session: Div J, Section 4 Poster Session 1

Abstract

This study examines the impact of the Humanizing Online STEM Academy, a professional development program designed to improve the effectiveness and equity in online STEM education through inclusive, student-centered teaching strategies. The study explores instructor beliefs using pre-/post- surveys and assesses student outcomes using administrative data. Survey results from 52 instructors across five institutions revealed significant improvements in instructors’ understanding of equity, increased self-efficacy in designing online courses, and greater use of humanized teaching practices. A difference-in-differences analysis based on over 30,000 course enrollments further shows that the Academy helped narrow racial disparities in course grades and persistence rates. Findings suggest that targeted professional development has the potential to meaningfully advance equity in online STEM instruction at scale.

Authors

• Gala Merari Ledezma, University of California - Irvine

• Di Xu, University of California - Irvine

• Michelle Pacansky-Brock, Foothill College

• Kimberly Vincent-Layton, Cal Poly Humboldt University