A Southern California PULSE Vision & Change Institute

California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Southern California (SC) Partnership for Life Sciences Education (PULSE) Institute (SCPI) will launch a network of faculty and administrators from diverse institutions in Southern California to promote departmental adoption of recommendations from Vision and Change (V&C). As a unique part of the developing ecosystem of PULSE in the complex and densely populated LA Basin, the proposed SCPI will serve as a pilot for future institutes in the Southwest as well as other regions. The participants will develop strategies and action plans for transforming life science at their institution and will be committed to assessment of the project with the results informing other STEM-reform initiatives. The SCPI will use a "systems thinking" approach as a strategy that has been shown to be successful for a variety of other organizations. A unique aspect of the institute will be the formation of the PULSE Catalyst Program (PCP) which will accelerate the spread of V&C in the Southern California regions via a grass roots strategy that is synergistic with other PULSE efforts. The Southern California and Southwest region has unique demographics compared to other PULSE regions, and this effort will significantly impact Hispanic Serving Institutions and community colleges which are in important stakeholders. The SCPI team will hold a 1.5 day planning meeting followed by a 3-day institute for teams of three representatives from several schools representing four institution types: research universities, comprehensive universities, four year colleges, and community colleges. Specific objectives of the institute include assessing departments and building capacity for change, taking action and supporting implementation, and assessing and improving action plans. The SCPI will use research-based assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts, and "close the loop" by using evidence to continuously improved reform efforts across Southern California and the Southwest. Additional elements include initiating strong regional support networks between departments and professional organizations such as the Society for Native Americans and Chicanos in Science (SACNAS) and addressing the need to increase the number of Hispanic and Native American students in science research, leadership, and teaching careers at all levels. The SCPI will also encourage broader collaborations between the institutions. The institute will include participants from diverse backgrounds in order to provide the broadest perspective and lead to sustainable change. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/).