Emily M. Walter

Verified

Emily verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

Verified

Emily verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

• PhD Science Education
• Professor (Associate) at California State University, Fresno

Researchers, administrators, and policy makers need valid and reliable information about teaching practices. The Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey (PIPS) is designed to measure the instructional practices of postsecondary instructors from any discipline. The PIPS has 24 instructional practice statements and nine demographic questions. Us...

Researchers in various contexts have long struggled with an apparent disconnect between an individual’s level of understanding of biological evolution and their acceptance of it as an explanation for the history and diversity of life. Here, we discuss the main factors associated with acceptance of evolution and chart a path forward for evolution ed...

Background Current direct Likert measures for evolution acceptance include the MATE, GAENE, and I-SEA. Pros and cons of each of these instruments have been debated, and yet there is a dearth of research teasing out their similarities and differences when they are used together in a single context beyond the fact that their measures tend to be highl...

Southeast Asian American (SEAA) students have unique needs in higher education. We have historically struggled to achieve STEM degrees due to poverty, language barriers, struggles to assimilate, and lack of access to educational resources. Advising, tutoring, first-year experience programs, peer support, and mentoring are useful solutions to these...

Southeast Asian American (SEAA) students have unique needs in higher education. We have historically struggled to achieve STEM degrees due to poverty, language barriers, struggles to assimilate, and lack of access to educational resources. Advising, tutoring, first-year experience programs, peer support, and mentoring are useful solutions to these...

ABSTRACT The majority of academic institutions were underprepared for a global pandemic, leading to spikes in instructor anxiety and drops in student engagement with STEM courses. With many STEM professors teaching online for the first time, they independently sought out training in distance education and inclusive teaching practices. Had instituti...

This presentation explores the nature of the unique transdisciplinary, university-level STEM curricula that we have developed and implemented Egyptian high schools and universities. This work was supported by USAID.

Adoption of evidence based instructional practices is not widespread in American institutions of higher education. This is due in part to reforms focusing on individual teaching practices rather than conditions for system reform. Since measurement of organizational conditions is critical for widespread change, we developed and validated the Survey...

This chapter is designed to help you navigate common barriers that you may face in adopting active learning (or doing more active learning). Our commentary is a synthesis of the work done by STEM change researchers and a practical guide for STEM faculty and graduate students. We want to support you in seeking to adopt the best possible practices an...

This book explores evidence-based practice in college science teaching and investigates claims about the efficacy of alternative strategies in such teaching. It showcases outstanding cases of exemplary practice supported by solid evidence, and gives voice to practitioners who offer models of teaching and learning that meet the high standards of the...

Science practices play a central role in meaningful learning. We transformed a college introductory biology course to more practice-based learning environment, in which students constructed knowledge about evolution through explanation and argumentation. These practices, also known as mechanistic reasoning, are a form of scientific inquiry characte...

We validate the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) on undergraduate students using the Rasch model and utilize the MATE to explore qualitatively how students express their acceptance of evolution. At least 24 studies have used the MATE, most with the assumption that it is unidimensional. However, we found that the MATE is best...

Background Collecting data on instructional practices is an important step in planning and enacting meaningful initiatives to improve undergraduate science instruction. Self-report survey instruments are one of the most common tools used for collecting data on instructional practices. This paper is an instrument- and item-level analysis of availabl...

Efficacy of the Measure of Understanding of Macroevolution (MUM) as a measurement tool has been a point of contention among scholars needing a valid measure for knowledge of macroevolution. We explored the structure and construct validity of the MUM using Rasch methodologies in the context of a general education biology course designed with an emph...

Recent research suggests a relationship between understanding of macroevolutionary principles (such as phylogenetics) and acceptance of evolution in biology majors. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively investigate the relationship between ability to interpret phylogenetic trees (tree thinking) and acceptance of evolutionary theory for 92...