Professors Who Signal a Fixed Mindset About Ability Undermine Women’s Performance in STEM (link to summary)

Elizabeth A. Canning , Elise Ozier, Heidi E. Williams, Rashed AlRasheed, and Mary C. Murphy

This paper outlines the results of two studies on how the mindset beliefs of STEM faculty impact student outcomes. Both studies collected students’ perceptions of professor’s mindset beliefs, based on cues in a syllabus and based on early experience in the course. The studies also collected perceived or experience of professor’s endorsement of gender stereotypes, the students’ expected or experienced sense of belonging in the course. The results of those surveys were then combined with student outcomes, score on a math placement test and final course grades. Both studies found that if the students perceived the professor to have more fixed mindset beliefs they expected or believed the professor endorsed more gender stereotypes. In those cases the students also expected or experienced feeling less like they belonged in the course. In both studies the women’s performance was negatively affected by the professor’s fixed mindset beliefs, expected or experienced. 

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Here are some resources you can download

• Canvas Shell: Course shell that contains examples and resources for developing an inclusive classroom
  • How to Upload Canvas Shell
• Pre and post-exam wrapper: Tool that can be used by students to evalute their readiness for an exam, as well as evaluate what they were unprepared for post-exam. This can be used as a discussion tool with the instructor, turned in for extra credit, or used by the instructor to evaluate how they may need to alter their instruction. 
• Post-Exam Metacognition: Helps students evaluate their strengths and weaknesses post-exam

Equity in Grading

• Improved Grading Makes Classrooms More Equitable by Joe Feldman
• Grading For Equity by Joe Feldman
• Why I Don’t Grade by Jesse Stommel
• How to Ungrade by Jesse Stommel

Inclusive Teaching

• How To Make Your Teaching More Inclusive
• Traditional Teaching May Deepen Inequality
• Breaking the Cycle of Mistrust: Wise Interventions to Provide Critical Feedback Across the Racial Divide
• Creating Inclusive Syllabi

Unconscious Bias/ Social Identity Threat

• The Many Questions of Belonging
• There’s an unconscious bias in virtual meetings. Here’s how you can avoid it by Caroline Brooks
• A descriptive study of race and gender differences in how instructional style and perceived professor care influence decisions to major in STEM
• Stereotype Threat and College Academic Performance
• Empirically Validated Strategies to Reduce Stereotype Threat

Growth Mindset/ Student Motivation

• Creating Growth Mindset
• STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes
• Student motivation journal club: What do students say matters for their motivation? by Cynthia Brame
• "This is what learning looks like" 

• Assessment Circuit Board: Approaches to grading and assessment
• Diversity Circuit Board: Examples of inclusive/diversity practices
• Social Belonging Circuit Board: Social belonging messaging/language used
• Wise Feedback Circuit Board: How to use wise feedback throughout the year