STE2M Center
The STE2M Center shapes policy and facilitates collaboration across the public and private sectors through the collection and analysis of data-driven evidence to improve STEM education and workforce development in the state of Utah.
Provost's Office, Utah State University
Established: 2013
Profile submitted by David Feldon
Vision and Goals
The Center is an independent unit within the university structure, and the director reports directly to the USU provost. Its mission is fourfold:
- to deepen scholarly understanding of the interactions between cognition, instruction, and disciplinary knowledge within and across STEM disciplines through discovery of robust principles supported by data, creation of models for effective practices, and facilitation of productive change in educational practices used to prepare future members of the STEM workforce from childhood through postgraduate and professional training;
- to provide an interdisciplinary environment for students, faculty, and STEM professionals to work collaboratively towards improving the success of learners navigating the STEM pipeline by crossing traditional boundaries of primary, secondary, postsecondary, and workplace education;
- to provide thorough evaluation of STEM interventions and educational practices through intensive analyses of data informed by a deep understanding of issues specific to the STEM disciplines and STEM education; and
- to develop assessments, instructional materials, and training that disseminate best practices supported by robust evidence of effectiveness.
Center/Program Structure
The Center is an independent unit within the university structure, and the director reports directly to the USU provost. 4 staff members currently work in our STE2M Center, director, staff assistant, evaluator and grant coordinator.
Description of Programming
Successes and Impacts
The biggest successes of the Center have been the infusion of data into decision-making processes around STEM education policy and support of meaningful evaluation of STEM
programs seeking external funding. The Center produced a report examining the pipeline of secondary science teacher preparation for undergraduates at Utah State University that combined student transcript and enrollment data with state licensure data and student survey data to identify substantial "leaks" in the current system. Proposals derived from these analyses were considered by the teacher education program. Similar data analyses were also provided to the state legislature as it considered incentive programs to attract people with high levels of content expertise to the teaching profession. In support of external funding for STEM programs, the Center contributed evaluation and assessment plans to ~$42 million in grant proposals, representing collaboration with 30 departments and research centers across six USU colleges as well as other academic and government institutions in Utah and across the country.
Elements Contributing to Success
The most important elements contributing to the success of the Center have been its organizational positioning under the office of the provost without affiliation to any one college within the university and a stable commitment from the university president to fund both personnel and discretionary operating costs. This political and fiscal independence permits the Center to operate in an egalitarian manner to engage all disciplines as well as to serve as an independent evaluator for funded and unfunded projects.