(L to R) TSEC's Greg Rushton, Brooke Busbee, and Sarah Bleiler-Baxter at the TSEC annual retreat.

Fifty-two educators from across Middle Tennessee gathered at the Miller Education Center on the MTSU campus on November 8, 2023, for Innovative Educator Workshops devoted to topics pertaining to elementary education. The workshop was lead by TSEC's Dr. Kevin Ragland as part of the Middle TN STEM Hub grant.

Workshops included: 
Day 1 to Day Done: Planning a Science Content Storyline 
Stephanie Finley and Vickie Stem, Rutherford County Schools 

Integrating Computer Science in the Elementary Classroom with Blue Bots and Dash Kimberly Kahle, Murfreesboro City Schools 

Integrating STEAM Throughout the School Day Lea Bartch, Murfreesboro City Schools 

Computer Science Crash Course: How to integrate computer science into your elementary curriculum! Annie Head and Katie Robertson, Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools 

Finding the ARTS in STEAM Without Losing Everything Else 
Lea Bartch, Murfreesboro City Schools 

Creating a Collaborative Culture Kristy Lewis and Kim Inglis, Murfreesboro City Schools 

Dr. Kevin Ragland, TSEC associate director, presents in the morning time to the 52 attended educators.

STEM K-12 educators are introduced and practice with new model robots for the classroom.

Rutherford County School's Science and STEM Specialist, Stephanie Finley, demonstrates STEM programing to middle Tennessee elementary educators. 

The Innovative Educator Workshops are supported by a $35,000 grant Dr. Kevin Ragland and the Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub received from Battelle Education through the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network to conduct teacher professional development for K-12 teachers on strategies that expand the teaching and learning of STEM education. 

Innovative Educator professional development workshops for middle school and high school STEM educators will be offered during the summer of 2023 by the Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub.

TSEC participates in the sixth annual Raider Roundup event, hosted by MTSU's School of Agriculture and Collegiate FFA, on September 27th. The event featured dozens of agricultural-related activities, spanning the Tennessee Livestock Center, Stark Agribusiness and Agriscience Center, Horticulture Center, and Academic Classroom Building. 

Dr. Kevin Ragland, TSEC Associate Director, introduces students to a variety of ingredients used in pet food.

Eskie, participated in a dog food preference experiment. 

The nearly 600 high school students observed demonstrations and were challenged with individual subject matter competitions. One such workshop, titled Pet Nutrition, was conducted by TSEC's Dr. Kevin Ragland. The student's learned about the pet food industry, vital nutrients, palatability testing, and how to decipher a pet food label.

Following the workshop the students were given the opportunity to exhibit what they had learned. The MTSU School of Agriculture and Collegiate FFA recognized the top performers in the competition and provided awards.

The Tennessee STEAM Festival (TSF) engages the next generation by invoking curiosity and promoting interest in STEAM. TSEC is proud to contribute to TSF's efforts by creating excitement around STEM education and increasing the awareness of STEM careers! 

The Tennessee STEAM Festival kick-off event, STEAM-A-PALOOZA, was held on Saturday, Oct. 14th, at Murfreesboro's Discovery Center. TSEC, MTSU departments, and various local groups and businesses participated in this educational event.

TSEC offered an opportunity for participants to get their hands dirty with an engaging activity that taught the attendees about the defense mechanisms of the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), native to Central and South America. The plant, when touched, quickly closes its leaves and droops, thought to scare off browsing herbivores. The participants were mesmerized to see the plant respond to just a gentle brush of their finger.  Afterward they planted Mimosa pudica seeds to nurture for themselves at home. See the sensitive plant in action below!

 

Event on-goers learn about the unique properties of the Mimosa plant.

Witness the sensitive plant's rapid movement when touched!

Video production credits: wideweb/Pond5.com, @Zygeoehasnobrain/Dreamstime.com, @Lianem/Dreamstime.com, @Denys Kotun/Dreamstime.com

 

This 2024 S2ERC conference will be hosted at MTSU on Friday and Saturday, January 12th - 13th 

NEW! Extended Registration Deadline is December 20, 2023

We look forward to seeing you in January!

This event brings together great minds to engage in conversations about empirical studies in STEM education and their applications to practice in K–20 learning environments. For more information about the conference, please visit our website.

Dr. David E. Drew

David E. Drew is a Professor of Education at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California and holds the Joseph B. Platt Chair in the Management of Technology. His principal appointment is in the School of Educational Studies, where his teaching focuses on quantitative research methods, statistical techniques, and data analytics. For ten years Dr. Drew served as dean of the School of Educational Studies.

Dr. Drew's research interests focus on social justice and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). His work addresses discriminatory barriers that prevent many marginalized students from accessing STEM courses. Working with school districts, colleges, and universities on programs that remove those barriers and facilitate both student access and student success. His book, STEM the Tide was published by Johns Hopkins University Press. He also conducts research in and writes about topics in higher education, technology, and public health. 

Prior to joining the CGU faculty, he held senior research positions at the Rand Corporation, the National Research Council, and the American Council on Education. Previously he had held a research faculty position at Harvard University, from which he received his PhD, and served as head applications programmer at the Harvard Computing Center. 

He is the author of more than 200 publications, including 10 books, about the improvement of mathematics and science instruction at all levels of education, the development and evaluation of effective undergraduate programs, building strong university research programs, and health education.

This 2024 S2ERC conference will be hosted at MTSU on Friday and Saturday, January 12th - 13th 

Extended Registration Deadline is December 20, 2023

Samantha Fletcher, PhD Student, Mathematics Education, MTSU

Trevor Chapman, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences, ETSU 

Alyssa Mullins, recent PhD graduate in Exceptional Learning in STEM Education, TTU  

Eunsung Park, PhD, Assistant Professor, Learning Design and Technology, TTU 

Katy Hosbein, PhD, Assistant Professor, Chemistry, MTSU

In 2023 TSEC Associate Director, Dr. Kevin Ragland, managed to help secure five new grants as either PI or CO-PI.

Dr. Ragland attributes his early success to being able to work with key collaborators that share common interests and have had a history of successful grant experience including Drs. Chaney Mosley, Ying Jin, and Song Cui and CHHS Outreach Specialist, Sarah Gwinn.

Dr. Ragland indicated, “It was critical for me to model my efforts after those who had been successful. My colleagues generously shared their time, knowledge, and experience with me. That was vital to my success.’ 

Dr. Kevin Ragland, TSEC Associate Director

Dr Ragland also acknowledged the encouragement he received from TSEC Director, Dr. Greg Rushton, to be bold with goals and to work collaboratively with colleagues across the university and at other universities as well.

The TSEC team and guests traveled to Montgomery Bell, a local Tennessee state park, for the annual TSEC retreat this summer.

The two-day event was designed to strengthen partnerships, bolster productivity, provide vision and direction while integrating quality professional development sessions. 

Programming included:

Scaling your Influence and Impact by Dr. Heather Brown, former MTSU Director and Professor at the School of Concrete and Construction Management and now Vice President of quality control and quality assurance with Indiana-based Irving Materials Inc.

Lessons Learned & Vision for the Future by CBAS Dean Greg Van Patten and Dr. Kevin Bicker.

Partnering with Departments and Offices with Chairs and Directors.

Executive Education led by Dr. Kim Sokoya, Associate Dean for Graduate and Executive Education, Jones College of Business.

One attendee's reflection about their time at the TSEC retreat:

Dr. Kim Sokoya leading a panel during the impactful Executive Education session.

Drs. Sarah Bleiler-Baxter, Chaney Mosley, Grant Gardner, and Greg Rushton enjoy conversations over lunch with guest speaker Dr. Heather Brown.

 

(L:R) Winners of the TSEC Trivia challenge, Andrea Reeder, Heather Brown, and Casey Penston display their prizes.

Dr. Heather Brown shares her story of success with the TSEC Team.

Dr. Gregory Rushton recalls two Turkish visiting scholars, Dr. Demet Kirbulut and Dr. Bilal Gunes, visiting TSEC in 2019 for a year working as researchers. The professors worked on a collaborative project with the National Science Foundation.

Their goal was to study the experiences of underrepresented populations within large enrollment undergraduate STEM courses. The pair left in 2020 but Demet remained a collaborator on the project with the goal of remaining in contact with TSEC for further research of the topic. 

This year in August of 2023 Dr. Rushton had the opportunity to network with STEM professionals abroad once more.  Dr. Rushton, along with Dr. Kirbulut, was given the opportunity to present on behalf of the United States at the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) international conference held in in Cappadocia, Turkey.

Dr. Rushton enjoying dinner at his hotel in Cappadocia.

Dr. Rushton notes from his time in Turkey the efficient strategies of their recruiting STEM educators. Turkey spends a lot in scholarships to adequately prepare students in a serious and prestigious program. This preparation generates high quality educators that continue the cycle stream of having many effective teachers in the field. Dr. Rushton believes that a similar model could be developed in America to recruit and produce more teachers in a time where currently there is a shortage of STEM teachers. He also strongly considers a foreign exchange program to incorporate Turkish talent in the United States directly. The challenge would be that many of those teachers are taught by their universities in the Turkish language, so a transfer may be complicated due to translation differences.  

During his time in Turkey, Dr. Rushton noted that many of the same problems in STEM that are asked on a local level at home were the same problems scientists from other countries were dealing with to resolve too. He felt a sense of camaraderie and used the network to start conversations that offered expert viewpoints from new talent all over the world. These conversations tapped him in tune with the world’s collective scientific consciousness that exists because of scientists everywhere sharing the same arisen challenges and drive to develop better solutions.   

TSEC Associate Directors Receive Two USDA Grants to Train the Next Generation of Agricultural Leaders and Middle School Agriculture Teachers

TSEC Associate Directors, Dr. Chaney Mosley and Dr. Kevin Ragland, recently received two USDA grants totaling over $1.4 million to train the next generation of agricultural science leaders and to provide professional development to middle school agricultural science teachers. 

In addition to Mosley and Ragland, School of Agriculture Director Jessica Carter, Assistant Professor Dr. Samuel Haruna, and Associate Professor Dr. Song Cui are members of a MTSU team that is part of an inclusive collective of universities led by Tennessee State University that was awarded a five-year, USDA NextGEN grant of $18.1 million. The purpose of the grant is to help develop and train the next generation of agricultural leaders. The subaward to MTSU is more than $901,000.   

“MTSU’s contribution to this project can be characterized by a commitment to ensuring equitable opportunities for racially and ethnically diverse students,” said Chaney Mosley, MTSU School of Agriculture Assistant Professor and research grant project leader. 

Drs. Ragland and Mosley also received a 3-year, $500,000 grant from the USDA PDAL program earlier this year to train 100 middle school agricultural science teachers over three years in the AgXplore curriculum which uses unique and engaging hands-on activities that encourage student exploration.  The program was developed by the Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education.  

The USDA PDAL program seeks to increase the number of K-14 educational professionals trained in the food and agricultural sciences. Participants are expected to develop and apply skills necessary for integrating food and agricultural science concepts in their classes; explore the opportunities available in food and agricultural science career paths; and/or forge mentorships with professional and business leaders, and faculty at four-year institutions. 

The first cohort of teachers will begin the training at MTSU on January 8-9, 2024. 

 

This semester we welcomed our newest Faculty Fellow, Ms. Green. Ms. Green takes great pride in connecting with her students in the field of science. The MTSU MTeach program's executive leadership offered her the opportunity to advance from her high school biology teacher position to teach dual enrollment level classes, still in a high school setting, and reach a greater number of students interested in science through the university. 

 

Heather Green, MTeach Master Instructor
and TSEC Faculty Fellow

She uses her knowledge and ongoing commitment to teaching firsthand to inspire students and others inside and outside of the classroom. She is known for her energetic optimism, compassion, and innovation dedicated towards pursuing finer leadership and research results for the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. With the perseverance of this delightful new faculty fellow whose goal is to convince people of the importance of STEM and lessen the shortage of STEM educators, TSEC has embraced another creative edge for induction support of new talent!

 

Grants Submitted

 

Advancing the Culture of Teaching in STEM through Diffusion of Strength-Based Reflexivity. (ACT-STEM) Sarah BB (PI), Grant Gardner, Greg Rushton co-PIs Submitted to NSF July 2023 $1,334,669 

  

Collaborative Research: Improving Teacher Retention and Effectiveness through Knowledge Sharing (iTREKS): Studying STEM Teachers in High Need Schools across a Community of Practice. Greg Rushton (PI), Kim Evert (co-PI) Submitted to NSF August 2023 $1,117,559 

  

LEADS: Leaders in Education Advancing Data Science. Greg Rushton (PI), Seth Jones, Kevin Krahenbuhl, Keith Gamble, Kate Miller co-PIs Submitted to NSF August 2023 $2,990,932 

  
Active Grants 

 

Collaborative Research: Exploring the Impact of Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Programs on Teacher Retention: The Role of Motivation, Leadership, and School-Work Environment, Rushton, GT.  National Science Foundation (NSF) DUE-1949925, $214,350, 2020-2023.  

  

Collaborative Research: Investigating Classroom Discourse in Active Learning Environments for Large Enrollment Chemistry Courses, Rushton, GT. National Science Foundation (NSF) DUE-1914813, $609,435, 2019-2023.  

  

Using Research Practice Partnerships to Take Preliminary Steps towards a Full-fledged Investigation of the Influence of Teacher Leaders on STEM Teacher Effectiveness and Retention, Smith, W. (Yow, J.; Lotter, C.; Rushton, GT). NSF-2243377, $75,000, 2023-24.  

  

Beginnings: Creating and Sustaining a Diverse Community of Expertise in Quantum Information Science (EQUIS) Across the Southeastern United States, Terletska, H. (Naseri, N.; Otter, R.; Henderson, R.; Rushton, GT). NSF-2322591, $264,322, 2023-26.  

  

Research Initiation: Embodied and Student-Centered Robotics in the Professional Formation of Engineers, Zhang, H. (Rushton, GT). NSF-2306285, $199,683, 2023-25.  

  

Preparation and Refinement of Postdocs in STEM for Disciplinary-Based Education Research (PROPS for DBER), Gardner, G. (Barnes, M.; Bleiler-Baxter, S.; Kaplan, J.; Rushton, GT), NSF-2329405, $1,249,445, 2023-2026.  

 

AgXplore Professional Development Institute for Middle School Agriculture Teachers. Ragland, K., Mosley, C. 2023. USDA-NIFA-PDAL  2023-67037-39939. $500,000. 

  

Agri-analytics Fellowship: An interdisciplinary approach to expanding career pathways for undergraduate students. Ragland, K., Jin, Y., Cui, S., Mosley, C. 2023. USDA-NIFA-REEU 2023-67037-40313. $749,443. 

  

Sub-award: NEXTGENeration Inclusion Consortium: Attracting and Engaging the Underserved in the Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences Workforce. Mosley, C., Ragland, K., Carter, J., Cui, S., Haruna, S. 2023. USDA-NIFA-NEXTGEN 2023-70440-40157. $901,626. 

  

An Investigation of Virtual Reality Initiatives and Workforce Development Outcomes in Public Libraries. Mosley, C., Sloane, M.E., Jin, Y., Ragland, K. 2023.  IMLS-NLGL  LG-254869-OLS-23. $549,560. 

  

Promoting STEM Within the Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub. 000000797 Ragland, K. 2023.  Battelle Education. $35,000. 

  

Papers Published (2023): 

  

Nennig, H.T., Macrie-Shuck, M., Fateh, S., GÜNEŞ, Z.D.K., Cole, R., Rushton, G., Shah, L. and Talanquer, V., (2023). Exploring social and cognitive engagement in small groups through a Community of Learners (CoL) lens. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. DOI: 10.1039/D3RP00071K 

 

Reid, J.W., Polizzi, S.J., Zhu, Y., Jiang, S., Ofem, B., Salisbury, S., Beeth, M., Mohr-Schroeder, M., Sheppard, K., Roehrig, G. and Rushton, G.T., (2023). Perceived network bridging influences the career commitment decisions of early career teachers. International Journal of STEM Education, 10(1), pp.1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-023-00408-9 

  

Papers submitted/in review: 

  

Which factors contribute to standardized test scores for prospective general science teachers: An analysis of the PraxisⓇ General Science Content Knowledge Test. 

Accepted at Discover Education (with revisions) 

  

Fateh, S., Ayangbola, O.T., Reid, J.W., Kirbulut, G., Zubeyde, D., Phelps, A.J., Malone, A., Rushton, G., and Zakher, S., (2022). Small Group Conversations in a POGIL-based Class: How English Learners Engage in Joint Knowledge Construction Process to Reach a Shared Understanding. Journal of Chemical Education.

 

Fateh, S., Kirbulut, G., Zubeyde, D., Malone, A., Cote, G., and Rushton, G., (2023). Bridging the Gap: Examining student engagement in a hybrid POGIL General Chemistry class. Journal of Chemical Education.

 

Talanquer, V., Cole, R., and Rushton, G., (2023). Thinking and Learning in Nested Ecologies: The Classroom Level. Journal of Chemical Education.

  

"Modeling How Professional Development Interacts with Teacher Leaders' Outcome Expectancies and School Environment Perceptions" 

submitted to International Journal of Leadership in Education 

  

"Exploring the Impact of Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Programs on Teacher Retention: The Role of Motivation, Leadership, and School-Work Environment" has been successfully submitted online and is presently being given full consideration for publication in 

American Educational Research Journal. 
Your manuscript ID is AERJ-23-0691. 

  

What do teacher leadership frameworks reveal about teacher leadership 

International Journal of Leadership in Education 

(with Andrea Reeder) 

  

"Measuring Teachers’ Motivational and Behavioral Traits: Validation of Instruments for Professional Development and Program Evaluation" has been successfully submitted online and is presently being given full consideration for publication in 

AERA Open. 
Your manuscript ID is AERA-23-0363. 

NSF Award Search: Award # 1949925 - Collaborative Research: Exploring the Impact of Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Programs on Teacher Retention: The Role of Motivation, Leadership, and School-W...