Chapter 3 Educational Material Development
3.0.0.0.1 Instructors’ use of curriculum materials is believed to have three general types of outcomes: (1) improvement of educators’ pedagogical knowledge and “design capacity”; (2) increased opportunities for students to engage in “ambitious science,” aimed at developing their skills in both generation and use of scientific knowledge; and (3) improved student learning outcomes (Davis et al., 2016). The ATE program supports the creation, validation, and dissemination of educational materials in print or digital formats to be used for instructional or assessment purposes. Such materials include—but are not limited to—tests, lab experiments, instructional modules, and textbooks.
3.0.0.0.2 The PIs whose projects developed educational materials were asked to report the type and number of materials they developed or adapted and how those materials were disseminated beyond their institutions.
3.1 Educational Material Development
3.1.0.1 Forty-three percent of ATE projects created or substantially modified educational materials.
3.1.0.1.1 One hundred twenty-seven ATE projects developed or modified over 5,460 educational materials in 2024.
ATE projects also developed 240 other types of educational materials. Additional materials developed include 140 program curricula, 100 instructor guides, and 20 textbooks.
Educational materials created in 2024 by ATE projects were primarily disseminated through the conference presentations or booths (76%) and ATE Central (the ATE program’s archiving platform; 64%). This was followed by projects’ websites (61%), workshops (57%), and commercial publication (6%).
Ninety-five ATE projects disseminated educational materials that were created prior to 2024. These materials were primarily course curricula (55%), modules or instructional units (52%), and program curricula (38%). ATE projects also reported continued dissemination of lab experiments (44%), assessment activities or tests (38%), and lesson plans (39%) created in previous years.
“Conference presentations or booths” (80%) was the most prominent avenue for disseminating materials created in previous years. Of those who disseminated materials created in previous years, 62% distributed materials at workshops and 55% on a project webpage or website.
Sixteen of the 153 projects that developed and/or disseminated educational materials kept track of which other institutions are using their program and/or course curricula.
