Susan Elrod, Project Kaleidoscope at AAC&Uelrod@aacu.org

FIPSE Project Director’s MeetingNovember 7, 2011Washington, DC

http://www.aacu.org/pkal

Faculty Development and STEM Education Reform

Challenges1. Faculty knowledge about learning and

effective pedagogy and assessment One solution - faculty learning communities and

long-term programs to help faculty learn Examples from PKAL, universities, Center’s for

Teaching and Learning

Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) • National organization

dedicated to “advancing what works in undergraduate STEM education”

• Cross disciplinary community of nearly 7,000 people at over 1,000 colleges, universities, and organizations

• Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) affiliation

http://www.aacu.org/pkal

Challenges2. No motivation/incentive to change

teaching practicesOne solution – create standards and rubrics for

measuring effective teaching based on researchUse Chickering’s Good Practices, Recommendations

in Vision and Change report (AAAS, 2011), AAC&U’s High Impact Practices …

From AAAS Vision & Change• Focus on Student-Centered Learning– Engage students as active participants, not passive recipients.– Use multiple modes of instruction. – Ensure that undergraduate biology courses are active, outcome

oriented, inquiry driven, and relevant.– Facilitate student learning within a cooperative context.– Integrate multiple forms of assessment to track student learning.– Give students ongoing, frequent, and multiple forms of feedback

on their progress.– View the assessment of course success as similar to scientific

research and apply the assessment data to improve and enhance the learning environment.

Challenges3. Lack of leadership that promotes a focus

on undergraduate STEM learning and success

One solution – launch a coordinated initiative that links institutional goals with an action research agenda that is inquiry/data driven

Institutional Action Research • Start w/ institutional and program data to ask

strategic questions about student learning and success as connected to institutional goals, plans and priorities in STEM

• Engage faculty in discussion of data • Form teams, supported appropriately, to investigate

and create plans for solving critical issues • Continue to monitor progress, from an institutional

perspective

Institutional Retention Data

60.0%

65.0%

70.0%

75.0%

80.0%

85.0%

90.0%

95.0%

100.0%

90.5%

75.4%

72.6% 73.2%

64.7% 64.4%

0.9%

7.0%

6.7% 5.3%

11.8% 11.5%

Fall 2004 First-Time Freshman CohortAchievement Gap of Under Represented Minorities

Succ

ess

Rate

91.4%

75.9%76.5%

78.5%79.3%

82.4%

Under Represented Minori-ties

n = 317(Native American, Black, Hispanic)

Majority Studentsn = 2,582

* Persistence is a combination of students who either graduated OR are still enrolled.