Attracting Students to STEM Careers

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Attracting Students to STEM Careers

• Gabriela C. Weaver, Chair
• Kamyar Haghighi, Co-Chair
• Douglas D. Cook
• Christian J. Foster
• Sidney M. Moon
• Pamela J. Phegley
• Roger L. Tormoehlen

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Factors and Pathways in STEM Education
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Three Main Initiatives

• STEM Student Experience and Success
• STEM Public Policy and Leadership
• Research and Scholarship in P-20 STEM Teaching
  and Learning

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STEM Student Experience and Success
Three inter-related components.
Better Preparation and Increased Diversity of
Entering Students
Student Support Services and Mentoring
Reformed Pedagogy and Corresponding Reward
Structure
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Entering Class Preparation and Diversity

• Increase preparation and diversity of entering
  classes.
• Work with the state and states teachers and
  schools to increase level of math preparation of
  students and encourage the Core 40 curriculum for
  students interested in STEM majors.
• Increase out-of-state recruiting, especially in
  high diversity areas, and create substantial
  financial assistance packages for high-ability
  out-of-state students
• Adjust mechanisms for applying to take more
  factors into consideration
• Develop an attractive and inspirational
  recruiting message about STEM careers try to
  capture top students who are admitted but dont
  enroll.

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Student Retention and Support

• Change the learning experience (yrs 1 2)
• Reduce class sizes
• Increase small-group experiences, such as LCs
• Reduce DFW rates to lt25 maintain standards
• Provide experiential learning opportunities to
  all
• Increased and Centralized Student Support
• Center for mentoring/advocacy/peer advising
• Increase number of academic advisors
• Increase use of Learning Communities
• Increase reach of support programs for women and
  minorities

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Faculty Development and Reward Structure

• Need a major cultural shift from teaching to
  learning and to thinking about the student
  experience
• Revise PT policies for increased emphasis on
  pedagogy/teaching/educational activities
• Engage faculty in professional development in
  pedagogy
• Establish oversight body at the University level
  and guidelines for review of teaching
• Develop uniform standards for TA training

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Three Main Initiatives

• STEM Student Experience and Success
• STEM Public Policy and Leadership
• Research and Scholarship in P-20 STEM Teaching
  and Learning

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STEM Public Policy and Leadership

• Establish a multi-disciplinary Institute for STEM
  Public Policy and Leadership
• Address the urgent and well-documented national
  need to stem the rapid erosion of scientific and
  technological leadership in the United States.
• Build support for educating a competitive
  workforce for a global, technologically complex
  knowledge economy.

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P-20 STEM Research and Scholarship in Teaching
and Learning

• Articulation to Classroom Practice.
• Catalyze and support translational research
• Combine under a unifying body (e.g., DLC)
• Increase targeted cluster hiring of STEM
  education researchers.
• Create public forum for exchange of ideas between
  education researchers and education practitioners
  (all who teach).