Major Nationwide Research Findings on Faculty and Student Mindset to be Presented at the 2024 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting

Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) researchers to share results of longitudinal study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation involving more than 1,600 professors at 10 colleges and universities nationwide

NEW YORK, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Researchers from the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) will present new faculty and student impact findings at the 2024 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, the world's largest gathering of education researchers and a showcase for groundbreaking, innovative studies, April 11-14 in Philadelphia. This new research was selected by AERA for the rigor of its methodology and meaningfulness of the findings.

"Realizing Faculty Potential: Impacts of Faculty Development on Faculty's Mindsets and Self-Efficacy" will be presented on Saturday, April 13, from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. This study, funded through a research grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, investigated the effectiveness of professional development courses focusing on faculty self-efficacy and mindset growth. Faculty from 10 U.S. colleges and universities who participated in ACUE comprehensive professional development courses were studied.

Faculty were surveyed four times over two years, including using mindset items originally developed by noted researcher Carol Dweck. Students enrolled in gateway courses taught by faculty who participated in ACUE's comprehensive Effective Teaching Practice Framework courses were also surveyed to identify changes in mindset and self-efficacy. In total, the study involved over 1,600 professors over two years, representing one of the largest quantitative studies of faculty mindset ever conducted.

The results demonstrate positive changes in faculty self-efficacy and mindset, especially in evidence-based teaching practices. Student surveys suggest that faculty professional development also positively impacted students' academic self-efficacy and growth mindset.

Presenters include ACUE Research Associate Paloma Benavides, Ph.D. in social psychology from Korea University focusing on cross-cultural differences in motivation; Sarah Diehl, Senior Manager, Program Evaluations, and doctoral candidate in law and policy at Northeastern University; Elizabeth K. Lawner, Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Connecticut and co-author of "Breaking Through! Helping Girls Succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math"; and Theo Pippins, Ph.D., a co-author of the paper and now Lead Education Research Analyst, D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

"Decades of rigorous research prove the impact of effective teaching on student success and retention. Faculty have a more positive outlook when they are supported to teach with proven approaches. ACUE's new research adds to this literature, and it's an honor to be selected to present at AERA. These findings further demonstrate the importance of accelerating the teaching excellence movement across higher education," said Meghan Snow, Ed.D., Chief Data Officer at ACUE.

ACUE will also present its paper, "Exploring Themes in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training Feedback Using the Meaning Extraction Method," at a roundtable on Friday, April 12 at 9:45 a.m. This research investigates the perceptions and experiences of course-takers in a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional development course for higher education faculty and staff using the Meaning Extraction Method (MEM), a novel mixed-methods approach. By analyzing 394 comments, 17 themes emerged, elucidating key elements of course-takers' comments, including raised awareness of belonging and of DEI concepts, implementation of new techniques, among others. Presenters include ACUE's Benavides and Lawner and Merrisa Lin, Ph.D. student, University of Connecticut. These findings are particularly relevant to current DEI discussions on campuses.

Insights into how to accelerate great teaching in higher education like the ones shared AERA 2024 and more will also be presented at the second annual National Higher Education Teaching Conference (NHETC), the only gathering of administration and faculty leaders exclusively focused on the core of the collective enterprise—great teaching and learning—June 13-14, 2024, at the Hilton Minneapolis. For more information on the conference program and to register today, visit https://nhetc.acue.org/.

About ACUE

The Association of College and University Educators' (ACUE) mission is to ensure student success through quality instruction. ACUE delivers the highest-quality courses, pathways, and certifications with quick-to-implement teaching practices that make a measurable impact on student success including higher grades and closed achievement gaps. ACUE Certified instructors are proven to boost persistence and completion for students, improve faculty confidence and engagement, and help institutions meet their strategic retention and graduation goals. Endorsed by the American Council on Education, ACUE's online, facilitated, and cohort-based, courses are delivered through institutional partnerships and open enrollment courses. ACUE is higher education's only provider of nationally recognized college teaching certifications. To learn more visit acue.org.

Media Contact

Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications for ACUE, 1 3129538085, [email protected], www.acue.org 

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SOURCE Association of College and University Educators (ACUE)