Awareness & Debunking Myths: OLC International Study & Professional Development Opportunities

Concurrent Session 5

Brief Abstract

This interactive session highlights 2021/22 OLC international study results on the awareness of general knowledge about the brain, neuromyths, and evidence-based practices among instructors, instructional designers, and administrators. It also explores the connection between professional development and awareness. Join us to expand your “neural” network and leave with extensive resources.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Kristen Betts, Drexel University: School of Education

Dr. Kristen Betts is a Clinical Professor in the School of Education at Drexel University. Dr. Betts has over 20 years of experience in higher education and serving in key leadership positions within private, public, and for-profit institutions. Dr. Betts teaches in the Mind, Brain & Learning certificate program, the Master’s program in Higher Education Leadership, the Master’s program in Creativity & Innovation, and the Doctoral program in Educational Leadership & Administration. She is also the founding Director of the Education, Learning and Brain Sciences (E-LaBS) Research Collaborative. Additionally, she serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Freddie Reisman Center for Translational Research in Creativity & Motivation. Dr. Betts’ expertise is in online and blended education, curriculum and instructional design, and evaluation. Her research focus is on Mind, Brain, and Education Science, creativity, technology-enhanced learning, Online Human Touch, and professional development. Dr. Betts is a Fulbright Specialist, Middle States Commission on Higher Education peer evaluator, and an instructor with the Online Learning Consortium certificate programs. Dr. Betts is a grant reviewer for the Hong Kong Grants Council and has been a reviewer for 14 journals and publishing companies. Dr. Betts has also been a keynote and invited speaker at conferences and government-supported events in Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, and across the United States.

Co-presenter: Michelle Miller, Northern Arizona University

Michelle D. Miller is Director of the First Year Learning Initiative, Professor of Psychological Sciences, and President's Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Northern Arizona University. Dr. Miller's academic background is in cognitive psychology; her research interests include memory, attention, and student success in the early college career. She co-created the First Year Learning Initiative at Northern Arizona University and is active in course redesign, serving as a Redesign Scholar for the National Center for Academic Transformation. She is the author of Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology (Harvard University Press, 2014), and has written about evidence-based pedagogy in scholarly as well as general-interest publications including College Teaching, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, and The Conversation. Dr. Miller's current work focuses on using psychological principles to help instructors create more effective and engaging learning experiences, and to help students become more effective learners.

Co-presenter: Tamara Galoyan, Drexel University

Co-presenter: Brian Delaney, Auburn University (Virtual Presenter)

Co-presenter: Andrew Swindell, Online Learning Consortium Inc. (Virtual Presenter)

Co-presenter: Dylan Barth, Online Learning Consortium Inc.

Dylan Barth is the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Learning and a Co-Director of the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL) at the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). Dylan provides strategic vision and oversight for professional development, research and publications, and the Quality Scorecard Suite at OLC. He has 20+ years of experience teaching in higher education and 12+ years working in faculty and instructional development. Dylan holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with an emphasis on masculinities in contemporary post-apocalyptic fiction.

Additional Authors

Extended Abstract

Research indicates there is a relationship between an instructor’s beliefs and their instructional practices (Hellmich et al. 2019; Schwab & Alnahdi, 2020). Furthermore, instructional practices can affect student learning and epistemological beliefs (Tan et al., 2021, Brownlee et al., 2017; Johnston, Woodside-Jiron, & Day, 2001). The OLC 2021/22 international study was designed to examine the “beliefs” of instructors, instructional designers, and professional development administrators from the lens of their awareness of general knowledge about the brain, neuromyths, and evidence-based practices in two- and four-year IHEs across on-campus, blended/hybrid, and online programs. The study also sought to explore the effect of professional development on beliefs and pedagogical practices. 

Over the past 15 years there has been growing research on neuromyths and general knowledge about the brain. Neuromyths are described as false beliefs often associated with education and learning that stem from misconceptions or misunderstandings about brain function. The Organization of Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD) published a seminal international report on neuromyths in 2002. Since then, there has been increasing research worldwide in on the awareness of neuromyths in education and general knowledge about the brain. Much of the research has traditionally focused on K-12 education. However, there has been an increase in research in higher education focusing on faculty, instructional designers, and administrators (Betts et al., 2019; Gleichgerrcht et al., 2015).

This interactive panel session will share results from the 2021/22 OLC international study that examined the awareness of general knowledge about the brain, neuromyths, and evidence-based practices among instructors, instructional designers, and professional development administrators in higher education. Panelists will discuss the connection between professional development and awareness. Data will be shared regarding interest levels of instructors, instructional designers, and professional development administrators in scientific knowledge about the brain and perceived value to teaching, instructional design, and professional development. Lastly, the panelists will discuss how instructors, instructional designers, and professional development administrators perceive the higher education landscape post-pandemic.