Impact Snapshot: UMass Faculty Leverage Dialogue for STEM Courses
STEM courses often have much content to cover, making it challenging to find time for students to connect scientific ideas with their own experiences or perspectives.
However, two faculty members at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst are proving that integrating Reflective Structured Dialogue into their classrooms can positively impact how students engage with intricate scientific concepts and each other.
Through a dialogic fellowship program sponsored by UMass, Professors Joseph Bergan and Christiane Healey have been reimagining the STEM classroom by bringing EP’s dialogic approach into their curricula.
“When students are connecting deeply with the class topic, they are much more willing to learn all the cool things you're teaching. They’re now more open-minded. They're more excited. They're more curious. Dialogue makes it easier for the students to be invested in their learning and to be fully present in our classroom.”
Dr. Christiane Healey
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Connecting Neuroscience to Societal Questions
Dr. Bergan, an Associate Professor of Psychology and Brain Sciences, initially sought dialogue to address complex topics that naturally arose in his introductory neuroscience courses. Subjects such as neuroscience and the law, animal research ethics, and sex differences often led to spontaneous conversations.
“I wanted it to be a conversation that was respectful,” Dr. Bergan said, “where people actually could think about this at a high level, but also be thoughtful about the variety of opinions.”
As a result, Dr. Bergan decided to apply some of the tools he had gained from EP’s Dialogic Classroom training to his intro neuroscience course. He dedicated five days of his semester to short structured dialogues, beginning each with a low-stakes icebreaker, like asking students their favorite kitchen utensil, to build a foundation of community and relationships. He required students to read research papers and submit personal reflections. Finally, he used Reflective Structured Dialogue to promote student participation and bring different perspectives into the classroom.
“I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy it is to implement some of these structures and make it so that the topic was more approachable, more accessible,” said Dr. Bergan. “It engaged more people.”
Fostering Community in a Large Class
While RSD supports STEM professors in tackling complex conversations, it can also help foster community within the classroom.
Dr. Healey, a Senior Lecturer in Biology, faced the daunting task of fostering community in large lecture halls. Her introductory biology class had up to 230 students. Dr. Healey found that RSD provided the structure students needed to interact and build relationships with one another.
“I appreciate the Essential Partners approach of a very structured dialogue because it provides a safety net that makes students feel more courageous,” noted Dr. Healey.
Despite the limitations of a large class, Dr. Healey successfully integrated dialogic principles into her curriculum. It ensured that students met new people and stepped outside their comfort zones.
In addition to the biology course content, she invited metacognitive reflections and asked students to consider their own learning processes in preparation for exams. “Because it’s a large class and these are first-year students, I also asked questions like, ‘How did things go?’ ‘What got in the way?’ ‘How are you preparing next?’ ‘What are you concerned about?’ ‘What are you excited about?’”
Engaged Learning
Both Dr. Bergan and Dr. Healey acknowledged the tension between making time for dialogue and the content requirements of STEM syllabi. However, they also observed that small moments of reflection could help students engage more deeply with the material and with one another.
“When students are connecting deeply with the class topic, they are much more willing to learn all the cool things you're teaching,” remarked Dr. Healey. “They’re now more open-minded. They're more excited. They're more curious. Dialogue makes it easier for the students to be invested in their learning and to be fully present in our classroom.”
For Dr. Bergan, the experience has prompted him to think more broadly about the role of dialogue in teaching neuroscience. Rather than reserving dialogue for a handful of complex topics, he is exploring how brief opportunities for reflection and conversation can be integrated more regularly into the classroom, giving students more opportunities to connect scientific ideas with their own experiences and with questions that matter beyond the classroom.
As Dr. Healey transitions into a new role as Associate Dean in the Honors College, she plans to encourage faculty to explore dialogue as well. “I hope to spread the word and encourage faculty to explore this,” she said.