Expanding Sustainable Interdisciplinary Research to Inspire Undergraduate Success

University Enterprises, Incorporated, Sacramento CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing STEM curricula that promote inclusion of all learners and foster interdisciplinary problem-solving skills. Issues faced by society today are complex, and STEM graduates with diverse perspectives and real-world problem-solving skills are needed to solve them. These skills may be developed through undergraduate research or internships, but access to these experiences can be limited and unevenly available. This project will engage students at California State University, Sacramento and the four Los Rios District community colleges in course-based Authentic Learning Experiences. These learning experiences will engage students in the same processes that professionals use in the field to solve problems with unknown outcomes. The learning experiences further focus on the common scientific theme of human impacts on Northern California’s waterways, thus engaging students in a local, socially relevant problem. As part of this project, more than 50 faculty teaching 67 courses at five institutions will engage in an interdisciplinary, faculty-led community of practice with a shared vision for STEM education reform. The faculty learning community aims to 1) elevate faculty expertise in curriculum design and innovative pedagogies, 2) promote collaboration across disciplines and institutions and 3) support the implementation of course-based authentic learning experiences to broaden participation in research experiences. The project will examine how faculty across different disciplines and institution types collaborate to build, implement, and assess new curricula. It will further provide data on the impacts of experiential curricula on students from ten disciplines, as well as seek to generate new knowledge about Northern California’s water ecosystems. This project is supported by the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Institutional and Community Transformation track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.