1. Assembled an inter-disciplinary science team to revise non-majors science courses Developed assessment tools, student learning outcomes, and course ideas Created a centralized depository for literature and other relevant materials Developed and presented a plan for lower division science courses to campus administration, as a model for campus-level coordinated development of lower-division curriculum Catalyzed a campus-wide effort to revise lower-division courses and create a holistic student first-year experience Created a forum with regional colleges to discuss and share ideas on STEM pedagogy and educational best practices research Build and implement non-majors science curriculum, then monitor its success by: assessing attitudes and understanding of “nature of science” measuring recruitment and retention for students completing the revised courses. PRODUCTS ACTIONS BARRIERS & CHALLENGES SUSTAINABILITY NW-PULSE @ NW Biology Instructors Conference 2015 We believe that this plan is sustainable because it has momentum across the division and the campus. The workgroup within the division of Sciences & Mathematics has been active and committed. Our assessment strategy is sustainable because these tools will be administered through online technology. Long-term data will be centrally located and accessible. VISION & GOAL – Increase recruitment and retention of first-time-in-college science majors, including under-represented groups. – Decrease science-phobia and increase ability to apply the “process of science” among non-science majors Bonnie Becker, Erica Cline, Jutta Heller, Megan Schwartz Transforming Non-Majors Science Courses University of Washington - Tacoma MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS – Assembled an interdisciplinary team that developed curriculum and assessments for lower division non- majors science courses, building momentum around transformation. Became campus-wide model for change. Specific Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for the non-majors sciences courses A list of selected exercises/assignments to assess these learning outcomes. Online surveys to assess science attitudes and skills (based on TOSRA 1 & TOSLS 2 ) This work was supported in part by an NSF RCN UBE award # 1345033. FUTURE GOALS Lack of faculty ownership of non-majors science curriculum Programmatic and campus-level changes require time UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES Our vision for lower division non-majors science courses became a model for a campus-wide transformation of the lower- division curriculum. Acceptance to 2015 AAC&U Institute on General Education and Assessment (Admission is competitive). UW-Tacoma students collecting samples in the field as part of their non- majors science course. Photo courtesy of J. Masura. UW-Tacoma students analyzing water samples in the lab as part of their non- majors science course. Photo courtesy of J. Masura. 1) Fraser, B.J., 1981. Test of Science-Related Attitudes. Australian Council for Educational Research. Hawthorne, Australia. 2) Gormally, C., et al. 2012. CBE-Life Sci Educ, 11(4):364-377.