NSF I3: Towards a Center for STEM Education National Science Foundation Reverse Site Visit 26 Mar 2012 Noah Finkelstein Robert Parson University of Colorado Boulder and Rachel Scherr (external evaluator)

Introduction Who are we? Program Activities Institutional Integration Impacts Conclusions / Discussion

Introduction – Principal Investigators Phil DiStefano, Chancellor Russ Moore, Provost Todd Gleeson, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Lorrie Shepard, Dean of the School of Education Rob Davis, Dean of the College of Engineering & Applied Science Noah Finkelstein, Associate Professor of Physics

Introduction – Project Management Team Noah Finkelstein, Physics Mike Klymkowsky, MCD Biology Valerie Otero, School of Education Robert Parson, Chemistry & BioChemistry, JILA Derek Reamon, Integrated Teaching & Learning Program, & Mechanical Engineering Daria Kotys-Schwartz, Mechanical Engineering Diane Sieber, Herbst Program of Humanities for Engineers Eric Stade, Mathematics Katherine Kidder, Project Manager

Introduction – Goals of I3 grant Establish a center of STEM education research and transformation Currently beginning year 4 Towards a Center for STEM Learning

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

The University of Colorado as a national hub of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education research and reform University of Colorado is a national center for: Education in STEM disciplines Research on STEM education STEM teacher preparation Program Activities – Creating a Center

Better education U.S. ranks: 21 out of 30 in science 25 out of 30 in math - PISA 2006 International Rankings (science) Program Activities – Addressing National Need

Better education More and better teachers 2/3 Physics Out of Field Less than 50% stay Physics Teachers with degrees in: Program Activities – Addressing National Need

Better education More and better teachers More and better STEM grads 1 Million more STEM grads needed by 2018 and growing Program Activities – Addressing National Need

US surpassed by Europe and Asia in S&E PhD production Higher education & research More and better teachers More and better STEM grads Better education Program Activities – Addressing National Need

the National Academies Program Activities – Addressing National Need A Era of Significant Attention: the White House Professional Societies

the National Academies Program Activities – Addressing National Need A Era of Significant Attention:

Congress & the Whitehouse Program Activities – Addressing National Need

A Era of Significant Attention: Professional Societies Program Activities – Addressing National Need

The University of Colorado as a national hub of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education research and reform University of Colorado is a national center for: Education in STEM disciplines Research on STEM education STEM teacher preparation Program Activities –Creating a Center

STEM Educational Transformation Discipline-Based Education Research Teacher Prep College & K12 Program Activities –Creating a Center

STEM Education (K12) STEM Educ. Research (DBER) STEM Research (college teaching) Undergraduate STEM Students Current STEM and Education Faculty Administrative Structures / Support Graduate STEM Students Program Activities –Creating a Center

Organizational Structures: Organizational structure (PMT & Pis) Mission and vision statements By-laws, Center proposal Developed a budget Communication: Branding/marketing/PR strategy Communication structure/ plan Funding: Long term funding avenues Programmatic Activities – Institutional Integration Community building Symposia, Seed Funding, Seminars... Program Activities – Creating a Center

Organizational Structures: By-laws, Center proposal Developed a budget Communication: Branding/marketing/PR strategy Communication structure/ plan Funding: Long term funding avenues Programmatic Activities – Institutional Integration Program Activities – Creating a Center Mission and vision statements Organizational structure (PMT & PIs) Community building Symposia, Seed Funding, Seminars...

Program Activities – Mission & Vision Mission: To improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at the University of Colorado Boulder, and to serve as a state, national, and international resource for such efforts.

Program Activities – Mission & Vision Vision: To maintain an infrastructure of institutional support in order to transform STEM education, support education research within and across STEM fields and departments, and promote K20 teacher recruitment, preparation, and professional development. To facilitate change in STEM education by integrating an interdisciplinary community of scholars, promoting, sustaining, and evaluating existing reform efforts, sponsoring new programs, advocating for diversity and access, influencing relevant policy, fundraising, and communicating with the public.

Building on Four Categories of Change Strategies For more details: C. Henderson, A. Beach and N.D. Finkelstein, ““Facilitating Change in Undergraduate STEM Instructional Practices: An Analytic Review of the Literature” J. Research Science Teaching, 48 (8), (2011). For more details: C. Henderson, A. Beach and N.D. Finkelstein, ““Facilitating Change in Undergraduate STEM Instructional Practices: An Analytic Review of the Literature” J. Research Science Teaching, 48 (8), (2011). Program Activities – Theoretical Foundations

Prescribed Final Condition Emergent Final Condition Individuals Environment/Structures DEVELOPING Policy DEVELOPING Curriculum & Pedagogy DEVELOPING Shared Vision DEVELOPING Reflective Teachers Program Activities – Theoretical Foundations

Project Activity – Center Structure

INSTITUTIONA L INTEGRATION

IT InfrastructureProgrammatic support / linkingCommunication, Policy, PR Symposia Evaluation Chancellor Awards DBER Seminars Integration – Building Community Infrastructure

Third annual symposium, October 10 th 2011 More than 160 people Representing 55+ departments, programs, & partners. Introduction by Lt. Gov. Garcia Participation by: Legislators, media, public, & university Integration – Annual Symposia & Events

Integration – Chancellor’s Awards These awards fund: faculty (up to $10,000) and graduate students (25% RA) for DBER and/or educational course transformation. iSTEM has supported 45 individuals through this award program.

Integration – Chancellor’s Awards Kimberly Trenbath: First CU graduate ATOC Education Researcher. The materials key to revision of two courses in atmospheric sciences at CU. Continuing to faculty position

Integration – Chancellor’s Awards Drs. Falconer & Nicodemous, Engineering, Develop & teach with screencasts posted on our iTunes U at Colorado. More than 500 screencasts over 200,000 hits in the last two months. Leading to TUES proposal

Integration – DBER Weekly Discipline Based Education Research (DBER) seminars For Faculty, staff, and graduate students Ave 20+ participants, 80+ faculty, grads, staff in last year. 40 different programs and departments 4 schools/colleges DBE R

2009: 09 September - Leilani Arthurs, Geological Sciences 16 September - Clayton Lewis, Computer Science 23 September - Eric Frew, Aerospace Engineering 30 September - Steven Pollock, Physics 07 October - Laurie Landgon, Chemistry 14 October - Valerie Otero, School of Education … 2010: 22 February- John Basey, Environmental Biology 01 March- Mike Klymkowsky, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology 15 March- Angel Hoekstra and Bethany Wilcox, Sociology and Physics 29 March- Garret Nicodemus & Falconer, Engineering 12 April- Laura Border, Graduate Teacher Program …. 27 April - Kim Trenbath, Atmospheric Science … 2012: 28 February- Luana Prevost, MSU 06 March- Jamie Engel, Students for Education Reform 13 March- Tiffany Ito, Psychology and Neuroscience … Integration – DBER

Integration – DBER as a Communication Hub DBE R

Integration – Evaluation Three levels of evaluation: Increased capacity for constituent programs. Integration of constituent programs. Institutional capacity and commitment to a center Internally: (under the direction of the iSTEM directors) Externally (external evaluator, Dr. Rachel Scherr).

Integration – Evaluation Colorado Learning Assistant Program: Model for educational transform Impacting ~10,000 students/year, 200+ LAs/year, dramatically increased the learning gains in large-enrollment classes, nearly tripled the number of K12 teachers, esp. in hard to staff areas

Teacher Recruitment & Preparation Curriculum and course transformation Institutional change Discipline-Based Education Research

Teacher Preparation Course Transformation These LAs make up the pool from which we recruit (and prepare) new K-12 teachers Teacher Preparation Traditional Transformed

Longitudinal Impacts on Content Knowledge Students enrolled in traditional intro course as freshmen (no LAs) Students enrolled in course transformed with LAs as freshmen Students who served as LAs in intro course Score on Test Same Electricity and Magnetism Test* but taken after completing junior-level E&M

LAs make the difference No LAs LAs

Recruitment to Teacher Certification Approximately 15% of undergraduates (UGs) who participate in LA program go on to enroll in a teacher certification program

Recruitment into Teaching by Discipline

Integration – STEM Education Research Our research is published in leading journals For example: in a recent study, we have found a brief intervention (values affirmation) can eliminate the gender gap in physics. (Science,330(6008 ), 2010).

Integration – Publications More than 75 Publications in the past 2 years Science J of College Science Teaching J of Res. on Science Teaching Change J of the ACM J Chem Education ACS Symposium Series CBE Life Sciences Physical Review AERA Il Nuovo Cimento C J of Science Education and Technology

LA Program a broad network on campus

Integration – Synergies

Growth of Individual Programs, for example: LA program development (near tripling) Science Education Initiative Expansion (more departments) CUTeach growth (Engineering) More programs offered through Science Discovery More Opportunities, for example: PhD programs in DBER (Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, ATOC, APS, Education) Development of CEERA New Campus programs, for example: Annual fall symposium Mini-symposia by topic Funding, publicity, and communications Inter-programmatic collaboration, for example: LA program – SEI – CU Teach DBER / Science Discovery Integration – Program Growth

IMPACTS

Center Structure Communication Information Technology Foundation Support Impacts – Infrastructures

Impacts – Publicity Articles Featuring CU STEM Education in:

Impacts – Regional & State Engagement

Impacts – National Policy

Serving the Nation: DiStefano at the White House Educate to Innovate Finkelstein testifies Congressional COMPETES Act Otero advising Nat’l Governor’s Assoc Race to the Top Impacts – National Policy

Impacts – Replication University of Colorado at Boulder Auburn University Black Hills State University Boise State Boston University California Polytechnic State California State University - LB Cornell University Florida International University Indiana University (UTA Program) James Madison (Planned 11/12) Louisiana State University Marshall University (Planned 11/12) New Jersey Institute of Technology North Dakota State University Rutgers University Seattle Pacific University South Dakota State Towson University UNC Chapel Hill University of Arizona University of Arkansas University of Maine University of Maryland University of Minnesota - St Paul University of Oklahoma University of Texas - Austin University of Texas - El Paso Utah State University Virginia Tech Western Kentucky University

NSF i3 at CU Boulder Enhancing the quality and access to STEM education for CU, the state and the nation: Tools, resources and models for: DBER educational transformation teacher and faulty professional development Integrating 50 programs across 4 colleges at CU: Active educational transformation across 14 departments / programs Dozen PhDs supported Dozens of faculty supported Hundreds of faculty staff and grads engaged Thousands of undergrads students impacted Establishing CU Boulder as a national hub: Education in STEM disciplines Research on STEM education STEM teacher preparation This material is based upon work supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation, Award number: DRL Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.