Measuring the Impact of UVA's CDI

For the first six or seven years of UVA's CDI, pre-/post-surveys probed changes in Participant Learning about teaching, particularly their attitudes. Several hundred syllabi, including both pre- and post-CDI syllabi, were also analyzed using a validated rubric to probe changes in participants’ beliefs and teaching practices.

This research was part of a multi-institutional study involving the observations of over 2,000 courses and 500 unique STEM instructors, including some who had participated in our CDI. We identified seven unique teaching profiles, ranging from “didactic” to “student-centered.”

We conducted 100+ classroom observations using a validated observation protocol, along with surveys and syllabi analysis, to better understand changes in Participant Practices following instructors’ participation in UVA’s CDI.

A syllabi perception study helped us probe Student Perceptions of non-CDI-designed and CDI-designed syllabi, considering how a syllabus might shape students' views of a course and instructor.

In this ambitious study, we were able to connect CDI experiences to Student Outcomes in the form of DFW (students who earn a “D,” “F,” or withdraw from a course) rates.