Initial Publication Date: September 11, 2017

Using Community-Built, Online Resources to Support Professional and Institutional Development in LSAMP Alliance Institutions

This workshop is part of the program for the 2017 LSMCE Annual Conference

LSMCE Conference Agenda (Acrobat (PDF) 133kB Sep11 17)

Sunday October 8, 2017, 9:45-11:15am, Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel at Keystone Crossing

Conveners:

Jim Swartz (Grinnell College), Cailin Huyck Orr (Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College)

Workshop Overview:

LSAMP Alliance institutions have the advantage of being able to draw from experiences across the Alliance and to share experience and successful practices from a variety of institution types. However, this has to be done in the context of limited time and resources to come together in face-to-face experiences. It also has to work across institution types. We have been working with the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College to build online resources, drawn from the experience of Alliance members, that can be used to promote professional development across Alliance institutions.

The IINSPIRE LSAMP alliance is in its sixth year of funding and is comprised of three public universities, 2 R-1 and one comprehensive, 5 community colleges, all from Iowa, 7 liberal arts colleges and a tribal college from Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois. While some groupings of the institutions had previously collaborated, the Alliance overall had no collective history and had different approaches to supporting students of color in pursuing STEM education. Some of the institutions had a considerable history of efforts to achieve the goals of the LSAMP program, others had little. By bringing together people from across these institution types, we have been able to foster cross-institution information sharing that is then documented for the parts of the community who have not participated in person.

For example: Bridging programs are one of several mechanisms that can be used to attract students to STEM disciplines in higher education. These programs provide several benefits which can smooth transitions. To support students who transfer from 2YC to 4 year colleges and universities, it's important to provide a suite of support mechanisms to help students succeed. To facilitate program development we brought together suggestions and examples of how programs are providing this support including topics such as:

  • improving basic skills
  • advising and supporting students coordinating
  • career information, early on; some programs begin even earlier at the K12 level to ensure students know and find STEM disciplines and know about potential careers.

Workshop Program

Contact Jim Swartz (Swartz@grinnell.edu) with any questions.