This document summarizes a presentation given at the 2022 AERA Annual Conference exploring academic literacy infusion in STEM contexts. Over a four-year project at UTSA, researchers designed professional development for STEM faculty to increase diversity in STEM fields by engaging curriculum change and addressing achievement gaps for Latinx students. The presentation focuses on one engineering instructor's lesson on mass spring systems over multiple iterations and modalities (in-person and online synchronous). Researchers analyzed transcripts using codes related to academic discourse, instructional framing, modeling, visual literacy, and student interactions. Findings showed the instructor intentionally infusing literacy practices to support student comprehension and more inclusive learning across modalities. Lesson study enhanced the instructor's ability to promote

1. AERA Annual Conference April 22, 2022
Exploring Academic Literacy Infusion
in Tertiary STEM Contexts
Jorge Solís1, Juliet Langman1, Lina Martin Corredor2, Nguyen Dao1,
Héctor R. Castrillón-Costa1, Andrew Walton1
1The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2Metropolitan State University of Denver

2. UTSA a HSI: Background & Context
4 year project and study
designed to:
◼ increase diversity in the
STEM workforce,
◼ address inequities of Latinx
achievement in tertiary
STEM,
◼ engage in curriculum
change through STEM
faculty professional
development
◼ Passing rates:
Non-Latinx: 61%
Latinx 56%
Figure 1. Student Self-identified Ethnicity (501/749) Figure 2: Faculty Race/Ethnicity

3. LA STEM Framework
The Language, Literacy, and STEM (LA-STEM)
conceptual framework focused on:
◼ socio-cultural principles of teaching and
learning STEM (Vygotsky, 1978; Solís et al., 2016)
◼ exploring the infusion of academic language and
literacy in STEM (Langman & Hansen-Thomas, 2017;
Snow, 2010)
◼ creating affordances for student interaction.
The delivery method of the LA-STEM framework was
Lesson Study model (Lewis et al., 2006) adapted for
tertiary contexts.

4. Lesson Study Data & Longitudinal Analysis

5. Purpose & Research Questions
◼ Purpose: Support STEM faculty in infusing LA-STEM into their planning and
delivery of lessons in culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD)
undergraduate courses
◼ Today’s question: How does one engineering instructor infuse LA-
STEM in the teaching of a single lesson over time and across
modalities?

6. Context and Participants
LS designed and redesigned on:
● Mass Spring Systems (MSS)
● Dr. Flores (pseudonym), a bilingual engineering
instructor from Mexico with 5+ years’ teaching
experience at university level.
● approx. 90 students in each of 4 sections
● Learning challenge focused on:
○ translating word problems related to MSS into
differential equations with initial conditions
○ solving these equations
○ giving physical interpretations of the solutions.
Time
Allotted
Lesson Focus
5 minutes Introduction and iClicker Activity:
“Apply concepts of second-order ODEs
to model mass-spring systems”
20
Minutes Group Activity: Analysis of a Mass-Spring
System in Free Undamped Motion
20
Minutes
Theoretical Analysis of a Mass-Spring
Systems in Damped Motion
5 Minutes Closure: Follow-up IClicker Activity
Table 1: Overview of the Lesson

7. Data Collection and Analysis
◼ Transcripts and artifacts from instructor and students of 4 iterations of the MSS lesson.
◼ Qualitative, discourse analytic approach to identify how LA STEM literacy activities and practices developed
and changes over time and modality.
◼ Performative and intersubjective stance, rather than an evaluative stance, to understand how Professor FH may
be developing his pedagogical orientation over time.
◼ Comparative analysis of LA STEM events and practices across modalities related to the same target LS
lesson.
Spring 2020
Fall 2020
(Covid-19)
Modality:
Face-to-Face
EGR 2323. Course 1
EGR 2323. Course 2
Modality:
Online Synchronous
EGR 2323. Course 3
EGR 2323. Course 4
Table 2. Lesson Study Focus: Mass Spring Systems (MSS)

8. Analysis
Table 3. Analytical Codes for Investigating LA STEM
LA STEM CODE Description
Academic Discourse
Features
Refers to explicit focus on academic language to display STEM knowledge
regarding key mathematical concepts and procedures.
Instructional Framing Discussion of content competencies in terms of connection to prior
knowledge and accomplishment of learning goals of the lesson unit.
Teacher Modeling A pedagogical tool used to explain STEM concepts and procedures. A
connection of a tool such as a visual with an oral description of how to
accomplish a task.
Visual Literacy Strategic integration of graphs, charts, formulas, diagrams, and realia to
support teaching and learning specific STEM knowledge.
Affordances for Student
Interactions
Opportunities for active discussions of content, display expertise, and cross-
check of understanding among students.

9. Findings

10. Linking Literacy Tasks in The Experiment:
Modeling a Mass Spring System
Ln Transcript
1 Now, in addition to this scale, in the main row we have
a connecting row from which we will attach the spring and
the corresponding mass.
2 The idea in this activity guys is to do an experiment and
see how the system oscillates once we induce motion
3 ((moves right hand up and down at podium))
and then we will do a theoretical analysis to predict the
position of the mass assuming (inaudible) parameters such
as the period of free vibration, the frequency of free
vibration, and the amplitude of vibration.
Face-to-face lesson

11. Linking Literacy Tasks in The Experiment:
Modeling a Mass Spring System
Ln Transcript
1 Now, in addition to this scale, in the main row we have
a connecting row from which we will attach the spring and
the corresponding mass.
2 The idea in this activity guys is to do an experiment and
see how the system oscillates once we induce motion
3 ((moves right hand up and down at podium))
and then we will do a theoretical analysis to predict the
position of the mass assuming (inaudible) parameters such
as the period of free vibration, the frequency of free
vibration, and the amplitude of vibration.
Face-to-face lesson
Face-to-face lesson

12. Supporting Visual Literacy
Ln Transcript
1 So what we are trying to do right now, is to see by eye
((holds up object and visually connects eye motion))
2 if this scale and the tip of the spring are completely aligned
so the tip of the spring aligns with zero, right.
((points left to right motion to spring))
Face-to-face lesson

13. Linking Literacy Tasks in The Experiment:
Framing a Validation Study
Ln Transcript
1 So, the central idea of today’s activity is to analyze a special system
that contains a spring and a mass.
2 The idea is to apply the theory of second order differential
equations to predict the position, velocity and acceleration of a mass
that is attached to a spring, once the motion is induced in the
system.
3 And so for that, what we are going to do in this activity is to first
conduct a set of experiments using software that is freely available
in internet, and once we conduct these experiments. We will try to
predict the results of those experiments using theory. So, the
process of comparing experiments and theory, theoretical results is
what we call a validation study. So today we are going to [do] a
validation study of a mass-spring system.
Online synchronous

14. Linking Literacy Tasks in The Experiment:
Framing a Validation Study
Ln Transcript
1 So, the central idea of today’s activity is to analyze a special system
that contains a spring and a mass.
2 The idea is to apply the theory of second order differential
equations to predict the position, velocity and acceleration of a mass
that is attached to a spring, once the motion is induced in the
system.
3 And so for that, what we are going to do in this activity is to first
conduct a set of experiments using software that is freely available
in internet, and once we conduct these experiments. We will try to
predict the results of those experiments using theory. So, the
process of comparing experiments and theory, theoretical results is
what we call a validation study. So today we are going to [do] a
validation study of a mass-spring system.
Online synchronous

15. Supporting Visual Literacy
Ln Transcript
1
So the first line in blue will represent the position where I
have only the natural length of the spring right. This is just
the reference position for us
2
and then I will have a mobile line in red that will allow me
to determine the position of the mass once I induce
movement, once I induce motion.
3
We are going to apply a ruler here in the schematic
diagram, so we can track the position of the mass in time.
Online synchronous

16. Discussion
Face-to-face Online Synchronous
Instructional framing: laid the groundwork for
focus on academic literacy; connected
experiment to specific types of problems.
Instructional framing: created opportunities for
creative digital adaptations where attention to
visual literacy was sustained; framed
experiment as a validation study.
Teacher modeling: a careful progression of how a mass spring system works, variables,
relationships, and observations.
Visual literacy: use/reference multiple texts,
images, & sources with physical MSS; Focus on
the process & approximations (not exact
solution)
Visual literacy: use/reference multiple texts,
images, & sources with digital MSS; Focus on
precision of measurement (exact solution)

17. Implications
◼ Intentional infusion of STEM literacy (visual literacy, discourse features, writing
conventions, reading tools) into STEM courses supports student comprehension
and more inclusive learning environments.
◼ Key academic literacy practices: (i) instructional framing, (ii) teacher modeling, (iii)
affordances for student interactions, (iv) discourse features, and (v) visual literacy as
crucial to improving student learning and addressing learning challenges.
◼ Lesson study: enhances teachers’ abilities that purposefully promote these
academic literacy practices in STEM courses.

18. Course Instructor:
“...The course has changed in a radical way from let's say a year ago from now.
Not only because of the online environment, but also in the way instructors are now
delivering materials. We have been departing from the traditional lecturing in
which we just put a set of materials in a slide... And now we have the interaction of
students through specific activities, this is what we call the lesson study… And I also
visualize myself as, as a student: how would I like to take a class, right? What
would be the, the key aspects that I would like to have in a class, so that I'm
engaged?…And with these, we have seen an increase in the overall performance in
students…”
(Dr. Flores, Sustainability Meeting 2, 03.05.2021)

19. Transforming STEM Undergraduate
Education through Academic Literacy,
Mentoring and Professional Development
project
National Science Foundation
Improving Undergraduate STEM Education:
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program).
Grant #1832388
Contact Information:
Email: Jorge.Solis@utsa.edu
Email: LA_STEM@utsa.edu
Website:
https://engineering.utsa.edu/buildingcapacity/

20. References
Langman, J., & Hansen-Thomas, H. (Eds.). (2017). Discourse Analytic Perspectives on STEM
Education: Exploring Interaction and Learning in the Multilingual Classroom. Springer International Publishing.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55116-6
Lewis, C., Perry, R., & Murata, A. (2006). How should research contribute to instructional
improvement? The case of lesson study. Educational Researcher, 35(3), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X035003003
Snow, C. E. (2010). Academic Language and the challenge of reading for learning about science.
Science, 328(5977), 450–452. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1182597
Solís, J.L., Kattan, S., & Baquedano-López, P. (2009). Locating time in science classroom activity: Adaptation as a theory of learning and
change. In K.R. Bruna and K. Gomez (Eds.). Talking science, writing science: The work of language in multicultural classrooms
(pp. 139–166). New York: Routledge/Taylor Francis.
Solís, J. L., Bravo, M. A., & Mosqueda, & E. (2016). Capitalizing on the synergistic possibilities between
language, culture, and science. In Supporting K-12 English Language Learners in Science (pp. 180–208). Routledge.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind and society. Harvard University Press.

21. Thank You!