Implementation Project: From Learning Community to Teaching Community - A Grass Roots Approach to STEM Undergraduate Teaching and Learning

Albany State University, Albany GA

Investigators

Abstract

Implementation Projects provide support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to design, implement, study, and assess comprehensive institutional efforts to increase the number of students receiving undergraduate degrees in STEM and enhance the quality of their preparation by strengthening STEM education and research. The project at Albany State University seeks to build on previous successful efforts to increase participation of African-American students in STEM disciplines. A component of the project is a Learning Community-as-Teaching Laboratory where faculty will focus on pedagogical approaches that best assist students to develop the skills needed for success in the STEM disciplines. The project will employ a cross-disciplinary approach, using faculty from both the natural sciences and education, who will employ evidence-based methods of teaching to enhance student learning. The project has four specific goals: 1) to increase the number of entering freshmen in STEM majors; 2) to increase the STEM graduation rate; 3) to develop strong STEM skills, such as problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, research skills, and the application of the skills in the content areas in gatekeeper courses; and 4) to implement a professional development partnership in STEM teaching. The goals will be accomplished through faculty professional development, a support system for students, a learning community, and an integrated vertically aligned curriculum. The project seeks to create an intensive Sustained Support System for Students who are interested in STEM but who are at risk of not performing well and dropping out, providing them with the skills and motivation to persist in STEM majors. Through the evaluation plan, the project seeks to study the effects of these interconnected approaches as models for other HBCUs that are predominantly teaching institutions.