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STEM Framework
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The framework provides a set of key institutional elements that need to be addressed in order to bring about sustainable change. The framework is intended to be a living resources that showcases innovative institutional efforts that are already being conducted by universities to implement elements of the framework.
Showcased below are institutional efforts mapped to the elements of the framework. As institutions move to improve their usage of evidence-based teaching practices, AAU hopes these examples will serve as a resource for all colleges and universities working to improve undergraduate teaching and learning in STEM.
AAU institutions provided the reform efforts listed below. AAU has not evaluated these reforms and encourages you to contact the institution directly to learn more about the reform efforts.
In early 2016, the REBUILD committee harnessed the momentum provided by REBUILD to launch a university-wide Foundational Course Initiative. In partnership with Michigan’s Center for Research on Teaching and Learning, we talked to hundreds of administrators, faculty, staff, and students representing numerous schools and colleges, departments, student support programs, residential learning communities, and other units at Michigan.
Yale’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) promotes equitable and engaged teaching throughout the University, and supports students across the curriculum as they take ownership of their learning. As part of the CTL’s mission, it encourages innovation and enhancement in teaching and learning through the considered use of technology.
Yale’s Foundations Biology Course is a year-long interdepartmental biology sequence consisting of four half credit modules. The series provides an excellent interdisciplinary biology foundation for students considering careers in the biological sciences or health sciences.
The "Being Human in STEM” project started as a class in fall 2016, adopting the same format as a course from Amherst College by Dr. Sheila Jaswal. The project will help establish a dialogue between STEM students and faculty, while working together to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of STEM at Yale.
The Helmsley Charitable Trust supports four Helmsley Postdoctoral Teaching Scholars at Yale University, two in physics and two in math. The Helmsley Scholars pioneer innovative teaching approaches in their respective Yale departments as well as at area partner institutions, employing the use of instructional technology and evidence-based teaching methods shown to increase student persistence in STEM.
Led by Yale’s Shizuo Kakutani Lecturer in math, James Rolf, Online Experiences for Yale Scholars (ONEXYS) provides a cohort of incoming Yale students with the opportunity to prepare for the rigors of quantitative study at Yale before arriving on campus in the fall.
The Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching work to transform STEM education through evidence-based practice. At regional Summer Institutes, college and university faculty, instructional staff, and future faculty develop teaching skills at multi-day workshops. Workshop topics focus on current research, active learning, assessment, and inclusive teaching provide to create a forum to share ideas and develop innovative instructional materials designed for implementation at home campuses.
Freshman Scholars at Yale (FSY) provides a cohort of incoming first-year students with the opportunity to engage early-on in the Yale experience by living and studying on campus for five weeks in the summer. At no cost to the students, Freshman Scholars participate in activities, coursework, seminars, and trips designed to facilitate and enhance their transition to Yale.
The Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory course introduces undergraduates to research by providing them an opportunity to discover novel microorganisms in the Amazonian rainforest and screen them for natural products with applications for human health and the environment. The students learn about biodiversity, the process of scientific inquiry, and the open-ended possibilities available for scientific investigation.
The Yale Scientific Teaching Course works to improve undergraduate STEM education by training a new generation of scientific teachers to bring the spirit and rigor of research into the undergraduate classroom. Graduate students and postdocs who take Theory and Practice of Scientific Teaching develop a working knowledge of scientific teaching, namely how to engage students through active learning, how to effectively use assessments to gauge student learning, and how to build an inclusive learning environment for all students
