Reforming STEM education: Examining change by discipline, 2004-2012

Abstract

Participants will gain awareness of trends in effective educational practices in STEM fields; explore how different STEM fields have or have not been changing; and consider trends as a basis for assessing effectiveness of STEM education reform efforts and what may be needed for ongoing reform. Much of the effort in reforming undergraduate STEM education over the last several decades has focused on improving undergraduate teaching and learning and demonstrating the effectiveness of certain educational practices. This session will highlight results from a current study using time series data from the National Survey of Student Engagement between 2004 and 2012 for a diverse cohort of institutions to assess trends in the use of effective educational practices in particular STEM fields. Discussion will focus on interpreting findings by comparing engagement between STEM and non-STEM and across STEM fields, and investigating trends in relation to reform efforts, including Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL). Results will be presented to encourage audience interaction and interpretation of findings with special attention to differences by field and what this suggests for institution, department, and STEM field transformation in teaching and learning.