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School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

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What's The Research On...?

Higher Education

Most WCER research examines ways to improve education at the K-12 levels, yet a significant number of studies investigate improving the educational experiences of college students, graduate students, and the faculty who teach them. Past and current projects have investigated ways to improve the important first-year experiences of majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, for example. First-year undergraduates in these disciplines need to develop critical thinking skills and life-long learning habits; and educators should provide high expectations in a supportive environment.

WCER research also aims to enhance the experiences of prospective classroom teachers. For example, future teachers take a multidisciplinary course in statistics to develop decision-making skills. A web-based video learning environment called STEP, developed for prospective teachers, led to significant growth in students' ability to activate and combine concepts from the learning sciences. A program called Teach for Diversity addresses the problem that few new teachers in urban schools receive adequate training as they enter the profession.

Graduate students benefit from participating in the UW-Madison DELTA project, which gives them experience conducting research into their own teaching and facilitates professional community. Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment set the stage for UW-Madison instructional staff to create their own peer review processes for improving their teaching and assessment.