PROGRESS in STEM Education Postdoctoral Fellowship

Postdoctoral Research Opportunities for Greater Retention, Engagement, Scholarship and Success (PROGRESS) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education

Weber State University’s first postdoctoral fellowship program, the PROGRESS Fellowship, will help four postdoctoral fellows become independent teacher-scholars and prepare them for employment at any higher education institution, government agency or in any industry.

Over the course of a two-year fellowship at WSU, the fellows will interact with the College of Science, the Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education, and foster engagement all across campus.

The majority of the approximately 66,000 postdoctoral researchers in the United States spend their time advancing scholarship, and the role of teaching is minimized.

However, the PROGRESS Fellowship will place an emphasis on teaching, using the teacher-scholar model for higher education, which is commonly used at regional colleges and universities, and primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs).

While some postdoctoral fellowships may include certificates in teaching on top of research responsibilities, our program is unique and leading the field for its focus on training and mentoring future teacher-scholars.

How Weber State Will Prepare You

WSU and the COS emphasize teaching, and there are multiple faculty members in the college focused on STEM teaching practices, including those in the Center for Science and Math Education. The COS has high teaching standards that are explicit in its promotion and tenure requirements, so PROGRESS fellows will become well-versed in comprehensive, high-impact teaching.
At WSU, a dual-mission university, PROGRESS fellows would be well positioned to gain the necessary experience for careers at two- or four-year institutions. WSU admits all applicants, resulting in a large cross-section of students enrolled. This provides multiple opportunities for PROGRESS fellows to further develop research and teaching methods to best support a wide variety of students.
In and out of the classroom, WSU has worked to include high-impact educational experiences (HIEEs), such as course-based undergraduate research, community-engaged learning and on-campus employment. PROGRESS fellows will have the opportunity to integrate HIEEs into their classes and interactions with students.
PROGRESS fellows will focus on how to manage a research program at a PUI. Faculty in the COS are well-versed in conducting research, in collaboration with undergraduates, and using available resources. Faculty will help PROGRESS fellows develop an appropriate research program that they will be able to build on in their careers as STEM education research scholars.

Teacher-Scholar Model
Under this model, teacher-scholars strive to:
- Engage in high-quality education in the classroom, usually with undergraduate students.
- Pursue research endeavors that inform their teaching.
- Integrate students into research activities to provide a more meaningful and transformative educational experience.
- Improve STEM education through the trial and assessment of different teaching methods.

Mentoring
PROGRESS fellows will be mentored by PROGRESS program directors as well as faculty. This will include opportunities for networking and cohort-building activities.
- As a core part of high-impact educational experiences (HIEEs), fellows will engage in regular self-evaluation to identify and reflect on their strengths and pinpoint areas for improvement as mentees. This process encourages regular collaboration and feedback.
- Fellows will further develop professional relationships and gain valuable experience by participating in a near-peer mentoring model, which places colleagues who are at similar stages in their respective careers together. Faculty mentors and near-peer mentors will meet regularly with fellows to provide support and guidance.
- As part of this mentorship model, fellows will be welcomed into the PROGRESS program by attending an institute for preparing future PUI faculty. This opportunity will introduce fellows to the WSU campus and help them network and start building meaningful collaborations with WSU faculty and staff.
- Fellows can log on to the Canvas page associated with the PROGRESS program for detailed information about the mentoring process.

Postdoc Resources

Documents and information covering PROGRESS Fellowship resources can be found on the associated Canvas class.

Individual Professional Development Plan
Postdoctoral Handbook
Postdoctoral Orientation

Postdoctoral Association
Mentoring Information

PROGRESS Program Directors

James Cohen

Department of Botany and Plant Ecology
Assistant Professor
TY 424
801-626-6174
jamescohen@weber.edu

Megan Hamilton

Department of Teacher Education
Assistant Professor
ED 332
meganhamilton1@weber.edu

Bridget Hilbig

Department of Botany and Plant Ecology
Associate Professor and Chair
TY 415
801-626-6176
bridgethilbig@weber.edu

Kristin Rabosky

Department of Physics and Astronomy
Associate Professor
TY 324
801-626-7973
kristinrabosky@weber.edu

PROGRESS Advisory Board

Camila Amaral, University of Utah
Gennie Parkman, Weber State University
German Vargas Gutierrez, Oregon State University

We gratefully acknowledge the National Science Foundation for the funding of this program under NSF - 2329490 and resources provided by WSU and Colleges of Science and Education.