STEM Education Innovation Programs

Submit a Program Description » The goal of this database is to serve as a searchable collection of effective practices and programs that support improving undergraduate STEM education. Use the text search and the boxes at the right to narrow the collection based on particular aspects that you are interested in.

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Current Search Limits:
Non-tenure Track Faculty

Results 1 - 5 of 5 matches

Enabling Faculty to Adopt Deliberative Democracy Pedagogy: a tool to broaden and engage
Gwen Shusterman, Portland State University
This project has been focused on catalyzing pedagogical innovation in introductory science courses. In particular, structures have been put in place to facilitate the implementation of the model of Deliberative Democracy Pedagogy (DDP). DDP is an active learning strategy, based on deliberative democratic models of citizen engagement in science policymaking. This integrative pedagogical approach, revises the delivery of conventional introductory science content around modules that engage students with current science policy controversies. Teaching teams of faculty and graduate students have attended summer pedagogical workshops, developed curricular modules, implemented the modules and participated in regular Communities of Practice meetings.

Activity Types: Teaching Circles/Learning Communities, Workshops
Program Components: Professional Development:Student Assessment, Curriculum Development, Pedagogical Training, Diversity/Inclusion, Institutional Systems:Incentive/Reward Systems, Interdepartmental Collaboration, Outreach:Outreach to K12 Teachers and Students, Supporting Students:Student Engagement, Outreach:Presentations/Talks, Supporting Students:Professional Preparation
Target Audience: Undergraduate Majors, First-year College Students, Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty, Transfer Students, Non-tenure Track Faculty, Teaching/Learning Assistants, Underrepresented Minority Students, First Generation College Students, Graduate Students
Point of Intervention: Course
Institution Type: Doctorate-granting Universities:Higher Research Activity

STEM Professional Academy to Reinvigorate the Culture of Teaching (SPARCT)
Laura Frost, Florida Gulf Coast University
A multidisciplinary STEM faculty professional development program called STEM Professional Academy to Reinvigorate the Culture of Teaching (SPARCT) is completing its second year at Florida Gulf Coast University. SPARCT includes a 36-hour summer STEM academy and a commitment to a faculty learning community during the subsequent academic year. We chronicled faculty development progress through video interviews with participants, student retention, interest, and confidence in SPARCT participant classes, and faculty feedback on programming.

Activity Types: Teaching Circles/Learning Communities, Workshops
Program Components: Professional Development:Advising and Mentoring, Pedagogical Training, Curriculum Development, Outreach:Inter-Institutional Collaboration
Target Audience: Non-tenure Track Faculty, Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty
Point of Intervention: Institution
Institution Type: Master's Colleges and Universities

Crossing Boundaries for STEM Teaching through Mini-Conferences
Shande King, The University of Tennessee
Partnering with other STEM faculty members across the university campus, the our center hosted their first mini-conference, open for K-12 STEM educators as well as university faculty members, researchers, and other community outreach organizations. In this abbreviated PechaKucha-style conference, speakers from all university STEM and education departments, local K-12 schools, and other local STEM organizations presented different research highlighting educational practices that focused on advancing K-12 and undergraduate student engagement and inquiry into STEM fields. Concurrent sessions of 10 minutes allowed various departments and other education representatives to highlight their specific fields of interest, followed brief question-and-answer sessions. Sessions were grouped according to similar themes, and upon the completion of each theme's presentations, connections were made to underline the practices already advancing STEM education. Further, presenters and attendees provided helpful feedback for continued improvement in STEM education, and in this comfortable environment, they exchanged information for future collaboration.

Activity Types: Conferences, Workshops
Program Components: Professional Development:Pedagogical Training, Student Assessment, Supporting Students:Student Engagement, Outreach:Presentations/Talks
Target Audience: In-Service K12 Teachers, College/University Staff, Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty, Non-tenure Track Faculty, Pre-Service K12 Teachers
Point of Intervention: College/School
Institution Type: Doctorate-granting Universities:Highest Research Activity

Systemic Transformation of Education through Evidence-based Reform (STEER)
Gerry Meisels, University of South Florida
STEER seeks to create a culture that reflects a strong balance between teaching and research, and values both. STEER promotes the adoption of evidence-based teaching practices in all science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses, especially in the large-enrollment gateway courses. To facilitate systemic change, the University of South Florida (USF) and Hillsborough Community College (HCC) are partnering to offer professional development for faculty and strengthening coordinated student advising, because the number of STEM community college students transferring to USF exceeds the number who began their studies at USF. STEER's comprehensive approach also addresses other factors that may influence students' academic experiences, such as graduate teaching assistant (GTA) training, student advising, course alignment, institutional policies related to teaching, and physical infrastructure such as classroom configuration. This effort is supported in part by the National Science Foundation, grant number DUE1525574.

Activity Types: Teaching Circles/Learning Communities, Workshops
Program Components: Outreach:Inter-Institutional Collaboration, Policy Change, Professional Development:Cultural Competency, Institutional Systems:Incentive/Reward Systems, Professional Development:Curriculum Development, Pedagogical Training, Advising and Mentoring, Diversity/Inclusion, Outreach:Presentations/Talks, Institutional Systems:Evaluating Promotion and Tenure, Supporting Students:Mentoring Program, Student Engagement, Institutional Systems:Evaluating Teaching, Physical Infrastructure, Interdepartmental Collaboration, Strategic Planning
Target Audience: Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty, Non-tenure Track Faculty, College/University Staff, Underrepresented Minority Students, Institution Administration, First-year College Students, Teaching/Learning Assistants, Transfer Students
Point of Intervention: Multiple Institutions
Institution Type: Doctorate-granting Universities:Highest Research Activity

Active Learning Pedagogy Support: Disciplinary faculty learning communities supported by Learning Assistants
Charles De Leone, California State University-San Marcos
The Active Learning Pedagogy Support (ALPS) program supports faculty development, course transformation, and cross-campus coordination by creating discipline-based faculty learning communities and supporting them with Learning Assistants. Initiated at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) and Palomar Community College (Palomar), the project has supported ALPS cohorts in mathematics and chemistry. The ALPS program was developed as part of the NSF-funded STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) project "Increasing STEM Talent through Regional Partnerships, Recruiting, and Retention," DUE-1068477.

Activity Types: Teaching Circles/Learning Communities, Journal Clubs/Brown Bags
Program Components: Professional Development:Curriculum Development, Pedagogical Training, Institutional Systems:Incentive/Reward Systems, Supporting Students:Academic Support, Outreach:Inter-Institutional Collaboration
Target Audience: Non-tenure Track Faculty, Tenured/Tenure-track Faculty, Teaching/Learning Assistants
Point of Intervention: Major/Department
Institution Type: Master's Colleges and Universities