Collaborative Research: Using Communities of Practice to Transform STEM Education

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). This project aims to serve the national interest by improving STEM education for Latinx students at two-year Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Latinx people are the fastest-growing segment, nearly 30%, of the U.S. population, and yet the demand for skilled workers in STEM fields will be difficult to meet unless the nation’s STEM workforce reflects the diversity of the population. While Latinx students have shown to be just as likely as White students to major in STEM, their numbers drop dramatically when it comes to completing STEM degrees, lagging behind other ethnicities. Two-year HSIs wishing to serve their Latinx students are at the forefront of the efforts to close achievement gaps in STEM education and improve Latinx STEM student outcomes. This project will focus strictly on STEM Planning Teams (faculty, staff, administrators, and students) as Communities of Practice (CoPs) at 16 two-year HSIs as a promising element leading to institutional transformation of STEM teaching and learning. The project goal is to study the CoPs influence on STEM teaching and learning to transform the institution and signal intentionality to improve outcomes for Latinx STEM students across 2-yr HSIs. The project scope is to provide 2-yr HSIs with a framework that brings together cross-functional, cross-disciplinary STEM teams to perform college-wide STEM assessments, develop multi-year STEM Plans, and act upon those plans. The framework is a STEM Evidence-based Student Serving (STEM-ESS) self-assessment and planning process that incorporates research outcomes from Subject Matter Experts on Latinx student servingness, equity, and intentionality. STEM teams at participating institutions will be assisted by project leadership and subject matter experts as they self-assess, analyze strengths and gaps, prioritize high impact activities, and develop a strategic STEM plan. In pursuing high impact activities, teams will look to adapt and implement evidence-based solutions and/or develop proposals for federal funding. Regular professional development webinars and workshops are planned for high-impact topics, e.g., undergraduate research at community colleges (CCs), industry connections, and active learning. Individualized and team support will be provided monthly, with more frequent meetings for teams needing additional support. The methodology of this four-year project will validate the STEM-ESS framework using a mixed methods, embedded case study design. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected and analyzed at the individual, CoP, and institutional levels to provide evidence for organizational transformation. Triangulated findings and outcomes of the formative and summative evaluation reports will add new knowledge to the STEM teaching and learning field and advance understanding of how cross-disciplinary and cross-functional STEM CoPs serve as institutional change agents to advance institutional capacity-building for STEM educational equity for Latinx students. Findings will also be disseminated to practitioner- and scholar- focused audiences through virtual, conference, and journal outlets, and collaborations with broader networks. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program 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 project is also supported by the NSF IUSE:HSI program, which seeks to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity at HSIs. 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.