Evidence-based teaching means thinking about courses as scholarly projects by using teaching practices that are grounded in evidence of their effectiveness to maximize student learning.

Blumberg (2011) defines evidence in two ways:

• Internal evidence based on the faculty's exploration of teaching practices from their own courses
• External evidence from pedagogical research

FIU's conceptualization of Evidence-Based Teaching (EBT)

Collecting & Using Internal Evidence

We often teach without knowing which aspects of our teaching are most effective and/or how to identify and improve those aspects that could use refinement. However, by collecting data on student learning and performance in our classroom, we can inform course enhancement and allow for more targeted refinements. We can also draw from existing research to identify instructional strategies that can help address specific challenges in our classroom, then collect data from students to examine the effectiveness of those strategies.

Using External Evidence

Informed by the scholarship of teaching and learning, faculty can make better decisions about their instructional design and practices. To begin the process of using external evidence for decision making in teaching, Blumberg (2011) suggests reading pedagogical literature in your own discipline or broadly across other disciplines and consulting with teaching and learning experts. At the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT), we take a consultative approach where we can help you interpret your data and identify appropriate EBT practices. We can also direct you to DBER faculty at FIU who have expert knowledge of and/or experience using research validated strategies.

Examples of evidence-based practices and how they benefit students.

A general consensus across findings from research on cognition and learning is that the one who does the work, does the learning. Thus in an effective learning environment, students do the bulk of the cognitive work while the instructor functions as facilitator.

Learning-Centered Teaching (LCT) practices refer to instructional techniques that seek to enhance student learning by encouraging greater cognitive engagement and participation during the learning process.

What does LCT look like in the classroom? LCT relies on instructional methods that are based on documented cognitive research on how learning takes place, including (but not limited to):

1. Active learning, in which students solve problems, answer questions, formulate questions of their own, discuss, explain, debate, or brainstorm during class with faculty serving as expert when the need arises.
2. Collaborative learning, in which students engage in group work with peers on assignments and projects that include structures and scaffolds to ensure both positive interdependence and individual accountability.
3. Inquiry-based learning, in which students are first presented with challenges or questions to which they are expected to solve or seek answers.

These instructional methods provide a framework for pedagogical design and can be tailored to specific domains/topics.

Examples of active learning, collaborative learning, and inquiry-based learning.


Empirical Insights on Teaching & Learning
Findings from decades of research on memory and cognition have uncovered valuable insights with important and direct implications for teaching and learning. Becoming familiar with some of these findings can help instructors design their course(s) in a way that facilitates and maximizes student learning and motivation.

Brief summaries of important findings from research on learning and their implications for LCT.

Inclusive/culturally responsive educators strive to create inclusive learning environments that leverage diversity, student backgrounds, and lived experiences as resources for learning and success. They enhance learning and meaning through relevant and challenging learning experiences that connect new concepts to students' existing knowledge (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 1995; 2009; Hammond, 2015).

Ginsberg & Wlodkowski's (1995) model includes the following four elements:

• Establishing Inclusion: Creating a learning environment in which learners feel capable, respected, accepted, and connected to one another
• Developing Attitude: Creating a favorable disposition toward the learning experience through personal relevance and choice. It's important that teachers first acquire some understanding of students' existing knowledge of subject matter, interests, and cultural background.
• Enhancing Meaning: Creating challenging learning experiences that include learners' values and perspectives, past experiences, emotions, goals, and an awareness that their state of mind influences the learning process.
• Engendering Competence: Recognizing the varied ways in which students can perceive meaning and authenticity, then developing assessments that account for these differences.

Framework for inclusive/culturally responsive teaching, including characteristics of classroom structures and practices that embody each element.


Integrating Inclusive/Culturally Responsive Teaching into Your Course
Incorporating inclusive/culturally responsive teaching does not require comprehensive change to course design or content. In fact, inclusive/culturally responsive teaching practices can be easily embedded into existing course structures.

List of common course structures and pedagogical elements and provides specific examples of inclusive/culturally responsive teaching practices for each: