Project Grant 2236318

This National Science Foundation project grant award of $990,856 provides funding from June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2028 to explore the impact of classroom observation protocols on instructor motivation and teaching practices under the federal STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076). The University of California San Diego, in collaboration with the University of California Riverside, will deliver professional development and research on instructional improvement to 60 science and math faculty across the two institutions. Specifically, the award will support collecting and sharing data from structured and informal classroom observations with 48 instructors, as well as surveys, interviews and additional observations to measure the effects on teaching conceptions and practices. A comparison group of 12 instructors will receive traditional unstructured observation results. The mixed methods research aims to identify best practices for using observation data to efficiently and effectively support faculty and benefit student learning outcomes.