Impacts on teaching practices from a solar photovoltaic institute faculty professional development program

Abstract

The Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education (CREATE) and Madison College has run a Solar Photovoltaic Institute for STEM Educators for the past three years. The institute provides three days of intensive professional development for high school and two-year college instructors who seek to incorporate solar photovoltaic technology into their curriculum. Participants work with the tools of the trade to install and commission residential sized solar arrays, including sloped roof, flat roof, and dual axis tracking systems. Instruction includes electrical fundamentals, code compliance, and safe workplace practices. The outdoor hands-on instruction is complemented with several smaller bench scale lessons and activities that can be replicated easily in the classroom. In 2017, CREATE and Madison College conducted a follow-up study to assess the impacts of the Solar Institute on the participants' teaching practices. The results showed significant changes to participants' curriculum and instruction. The findings yielded several useful lessons learned, and recommendations for future faculty professional development programs in the STEM fields are suggested.