| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | April 27, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 27, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 2029749 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Ellen Carpenter
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | May 15, 2020 |
| End Date: | April 30, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $113,316.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $113,316.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
4000 CENTRAL FLORIDA BLVD ORLANDO FL US 32816-8005 (407)823-0387 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
4000 Central Florida Boulevard Orlando FL US 32816-0001 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | IUSE |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in unprecedented, nation-wide disruption of academic institutions. As a result, there is an urgent need to understand the acute effects of this disruption on undergraduate STEM education in the U.S. This project will examine experiences of faculty and students resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent institutional changes. Initiated during a time of uncertainty, this project will: (1) capture the ephemeral nature of undergraduate education experiences before national recovery milestones are achieved; and (2) inform efforts to adapt undergraduate STEM education during crises. The project team will collect data about institutional characteristics and crisis communication messages, as well as about experiences of individual faculty and students. These data will be analyzed to identify pathways through which the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced teaching and learning within undergraduate STEM education. The findings of this project will be used to develop actionable recommendations for institutions of higher education, including crisis communication strategies, guidelines for pedagogy in times of crisis, and checklists of resources. As the STEM workforce plays a critical role in the economic health of the U.S. in normal and disaster situations, this effort to rapidly collect data and learn from this situation will contribute to the security and well-being of society. It is expected that the results will also support a more resilient, globally competitive next generation of STEM workers.
The project?s specific aims are to: (1) examine teaching and learning experiences of undergraduate faculty and students in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) examine the effects of faculty and student reactions on undergraduate STEM teaching and learning; and (3) leverage findings to develop actionable recommendations for colleges and universities to best prepare and protect their faculty, staff, and students and the integrity of undergraduate STEM education. The goal of these activities is to answer key research questions: How do institutions? COVID-19 policies influence faculty and student attitudes, perceptions, and behavior related to STEM teaching and learning? What teaching and learning resources were most important for undergraduate STEM faculty and students? How do these effects on undergraduate STEM education develop over time? Given the rapidly changing nature of the situation, individual-level data that are needed to answer the research questions are inherently ephemeral. Faculty and students are unlikely to accurately later recall the extent to which they were able to adapt to changes, the extent to which changes created distress, and how they coped with events. Using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, faculty and students from a stratified random sample of representative institutions will be recruited to participate in an online survey and semi-structured interviews conducted across three time points. Grounded in the research literatures of crisis communication, organizational science, and disaster management, this project addresses gaps in undergraduate STEM education research related to faculty and student reactions to disruptive contexts, characteristics of institutions that make them resilient toward disruptive contexts, and institutional learning from disruptive contexts. The findings will be disseminated to institutions of higher education and through a public web site relating to the resources most critical for fostering resilience among faculty and staff when adapting to a disrupted educational context. In addition, participating institutions and individuals will receive customized reports and resources. By evaluating the immediate impact of COVID-19, this project aims to enhance the undergraduate education infrastructure, improve the delivery of STEM education during and after disruptions, and help to protect the well-being of faculty and students collectively experiencing this crisis. This RAPID award is made by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program in the Division of Undergraduate Education (Education and Human Resources Directorate), using funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project concluded in April, 2022 and involved hundreds of undergraduate faculty and students from institutions of higher education across the United States. Overall, we sought to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate education across disciplines by measuring COVID-19 experiences, faculty and student stress, well-being, and teaching and learning efficacy. The following outcomes are summarized from analyses of survey data, interviews, and messages sent from institutions to their communities from Fall 2020 to Spring 2021. First, both students and faculty reported a high level of impact of the pandemic on their daily lives as well as concerns among both students and faculty that the pandemic would negative impact students? education?with the majority of students (72.9%) and faculty (82.1%) anticipating negative effects during the Fall of 2020. This changed little by the Winter of 2020. By the Spring of 2021, the pandemic?s daily impact had lessened for many, but faculty and students still expressed negative views of how the pandemic has shaped students? education. Although faculty expressed greater concerns about the pandemic itself, students coped more as indicated by higher levels of stress and exhaustion reported throughout the study. Second, several institutions instituted austerity changes in response to the pandemic (e.g., reduction in faculty or staff salary, hiring freezes, layoffs, elimination of programs). These changes were associated with greater faculty exhaustion, poorer faculty commitment to the institution, greater concerns about the future viability of higher education, and a more negative view of the pandemic?s impact on students. Third, 28.3% of students felt insecure about the future of their chosen industry as a result of the pandemic. This insecurity was positively associated with student exhaustion, stress, and poorer self-efficacy for learning, especially by the Spring of 2021, and poorer self-efficacy for change. Fourth, our findings suggest that initial experiences during the pandemic persisted over time, pointing to the importance of initial efforts to help students and faculty respond to the pandemic. Fifth, many institutions provided timely and relevant information in their messaging; communication could be enhanced by providing more ways for recipients to internalize the message, or accept it as personally meaningful to them. Finally, each participating institution received a custom 16-page technical report. The report summarized the methodology of the study, detailed the institution?s aggregate results in variables related to student and faculty well-being and performance?compared the results to institutions with similar characteristics and all institutions within our sample?and provided recommendations based on study results. The recommendations highlight the importance of helping faculty and students manage fear and uncertainty during disruptive events, providing resources to avoid or mitigate burnout, promoting efficacy during times of institutional change, and ensuring the helpfulness of institutional communication strategies and resources offered to students and faculty.
Last Modified: 08/03/2022
Modified by: Kristin A Horan
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