Improving Undergraduate STEM Education One STEP

at a Time

Susan Rundell Singer

Division Director

Undergraduate Education

National Science Foundation

Datapalooza@ed.gov

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STEPing into the IUSE future: New name, but STEP goals remain

Increase the number of students receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in STEM fields

Activities aimed at adapting and implementing best practices that will lead to an increase in the number of students

Make a significant impact on the culture at an institution(s) with the expectation that major portions of the impact will be sustained after the completion of the project

STEP goals align with key recommendations

Engage to Excel: Producing one-million additional college graduates with degrees in science technology, engineering, and mathematics (PCAST)

Discipline-Based Education Research: Understanding and Improving Learning in Undergraduate Science and Engineering (NRC) Practitioner volume in the works

Federal-level responses

FY 2013 Cross-agency Priority Goal

In support of the President’s goal that the U.S. have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020, the Federal Government will work with education partners to improve the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels to help increase the number of well-prepared graduates with STEM degrees by one-third over the next 10 years, resulting in an additional 1 million graduates with degrees in STEM.

Graduate 10K+ NSF Joins Forces with Intel and GE to Move the

Needle in Producing U.S. Engineers and Computer Scientists

Under "Graduate 10K+", $10 million is awarded to nine institutions whose projects aim to increase retention of undergraduates in engineering and computer science

UCF STEP Pathways to STEM: From Promise to ProminenceUniversity of Central Florida

0 1 2 3 4 5 60.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%Effect of STEP on Retention Rate

2006 EXCEL (n=185)2007 EXCEL (n=174)2008 EXCEL (n=203)2009 EXCEL (n=183)2010 EXCEL (n=203)2006 CONTROL (n=1066)2007 CONTROL (n=790)2008 CONTROL (n=879)2009 CONTROL (n=997)2010 CONTROL (n=987)

Year of Program

Rete

ntio

n Ra

te

ENG^2: Engineering Engagement for Student SuccessLouisiana State University & Agricultural and Mechanical College

Federal-level responses Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and

Mathematics (STEM) Education 5- year Strategic Plan (CoSTEM report)

Undergraduate Goal 1: Identify and broaden implementation of evidence-based instructional practices and innovations to improve undergraduate learning and retention in STEM and develop national architecture to improve empirical understanding of how these changes relate to key student outcomes.

Evidence-based and evidence-generating strategies in STEP

Faulty development on pedagogical strategies

Preparatory mathematics courses as pre-requisites for calculus and introductory STEM courses to lessen delay in curriculum advancement

Summer Bridge programs Residential STEM learning communities Peer mentoring

STEPing up the evidence base

Pathways to STEM Bachelor’s and Graduate Degrees for Hispanic Students and the Role of Hispanic-Serving Institutions, PI: Alicia Dowd, University of Southern California

Becoming Scientists: Practices in Undergraduate Education that Contribute to Degree Completion and Advanced Study in STEM Disciplines, PI: Sylvia Hurtado, University of California, Los Angeles

The Price of STEM Success: Explaining the Impact of Need-Based Financial Aid on STEM Student Behavior, PI: Sara Goldrick-Rab, University of Wisconsin

Resource for STEP PIs

Resource for STEP PIs

http://ies.ed.gov/pdf/CommonGuidelines.pdf

NSF Investment Strategies

DUE is a division of learning engineers

WIDERTUES

STEP

IUSES-STEM

Noyce

ATE

• IUSE supports the improvement of the undergraduate STEM education enterprise through funding research on design, development, and wide-spread implementation of effective STEM learning and teaching knowledge and practice, as well as foundational research on student learning.

• Proposals should describe projects that build on available evidence and theory, and that will generate evidence and build knowledge.

NSF IUSE Program(Improving Undergraduate STEM Education)

Geosciences – Building capacity in MSIs and community colleges

Engineering – Addressing social inequality in engineering education and practice

Biology – Integrating mathematics and computing

NSF IUSE Ideas Labs

Opportunities ahead

Preparing a globally competitive workforce, including:

Future teachers and A scientifically literate populace

depends on our collective success in furthering a Robust research and Implementation infrastructure

srsinger@nsf.govQuestions?