Strategic Transformation: Fostering an Interdisciplinary Community of Practice to Sustain Implementation and Research in Undergraduate STEM Education

Association Of American Colleges And Universities, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Quality teaching, in the form of evidence-based curricular and co-curricular practices, is one of the strongest and most consistent predictors of student interest and retention in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). To date, however, there has been only minimal success in developing a common language for articulating successful teaching practices to STEM faculty and education/social science researchers. Under the auspices of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the project team plans to establish and sustain an interdisciplinary community of practice that includes STEM faculty and education/social science researchers in increasing the implementation of evidence-based practices and the examination of factors and conditions associated with student success, retention, degree completion, and institutional change in STEM. The project,Strategic Transformation: Fostering an Interdisciplinary Community of Practice to Sustain Implementation and Research in Undergraduate STEM Education, plans to offer three forms of faculty development to broker and sustain joint efforts by faculty and researchers to engage in R&D projects. This innovative model for developing interdisciplinary teams of STEM faculty and researchers will be developed and the effectiveness of the model will be tested as an approach to tackling the issues associated with the success and retention of low income students in STEM. In the past fifteen years there has been an increase in interdisciplinary research and development as academics and policy makers recognize the benefits of this approach to generate new ideas for addressing long-standing and new problems. As the nation continues to pursue avenues to increase student success and degree completion in undergraduate STEM programs, the project brings together two groups of experts in undergraduate education to understand and address the challenges facing low income students as they pursue their dreams to become STEM professionals. Faculty members in STEM programs at institutions of higher education along with education/social science researchers provide the essential leadership to overcoming these impediments. The AAC&U is launching an ambitious and innovative approach to tackle the problem of student success and persistence in STEM, by developing an interdisciplinary approach to designing, implementing, and investigating factors associated with the teaching and learning of STEM. Three types of faculty development activities are to be implemented and tested. Knowledge Studios/Exchanges are designed to develop thought leaders and action oriented teams to create R&D efforts to address the challenges facing low income students in their pursuit of STEM degrees. The Regional Clinics will be designed to sustain momentum and provide support for teams to move forward on their projects to foster the uptake of and research on evidence-based curricular and co-curricular practices. The STEM Central web platform will be enhanced to foster interaction and to continuously connect STEM education researchers and disciplinary faculty in ways that sustain the viability of the interdisciplinary community of practice.