How do highly structured courses foster student achievement, and how can these practices be effectively implemented in a community college classroom?
Join us for an interactive discussion with Scott Freeman and Pamela Pape-Lindstrom as we examine the research supporting high-structure courses and explore actionable strategies to enhance student success in your classroom.
Research indicates that high-structure course design significantly narrows achievement gaps for less prepared students. Beyond reviewing the literature, we will delve into practical considerations for implementation, using your most common course challenges as our guide.
Featured Article & Reading
Please read the paper prior to the discussion. This preparation will be helpful so we can have a rich and productive conversation. Here’s a link to the publication:
“Community College Students Rise to the Challenge—Meeting the Time Demands of Highly Structured Courses" by Scott Freeman, Pamela Pape-Lindstrom, Anne Casper and Sarah Eddy, Journal of College Science Teaching, Vol. 49, No. 5, May/June 2020
If you are unable to access the article, please indicate this on your registration form to receive a copy.
Key Topics of Discussion:
Defining High-Structure Course Design: Exploring the core principles of highly structured courses and data on how they impact student achievement, including in a community college setting;
Balancing Time and Preparation: Examining whether community college students have adequate time for pre-class preparation and discussing ways to support them;
Expanding Student Support: Identifying additional evidence-based strategies to help students overcome barriers and thrive in STEM;
Collaborative Problem-Solving: Addressing participants' specific classroom challenges and developing practical, actionable solutions together.
Dr. Scott Freeman is Lecturer Emeritus at the University of Washington. The recipient of a UW Distinguished Teaching Award, he has published research on how innovative approaches to teaching science benefit all students, but particularly students from disadvantaged backgrounds. He is the author of the textbooks Biological Science and Evolutionary Analysis, which have sold over 500,000 copies and been translated into multiple languages, and the popular book Saving Tarboo Creek, which is for general audiences.
Dr. Pamela Pape-Lindstrom earned a PhD in biology from the Univ. of South Carolina studying marine ecology with a combination of traditional field research and immunochemical techniques. She taught majors biology at Everett Community College integrating course undergraduate research experiences from 2000-2017. In 2012 she became a founding Fellow of the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education working on organizational change initiatives in STEM education. In 2017, she became the Dean of STEM at Harford Community College in Bel Air, MD. Dr. Pape-Lindstrom has had past NSF support for research in biology education and organizational change in life sciences education. Presently she is a co-PI on an ATE grant to improve access to biotechnology certificate and degree programs for under-represented students at HCC.