Publisher Description

Higher education is coming under increasing scrutiny, both publically and within academia, with respect to its ability to appropriately prepare students for the careers that will make them competitive in the 21st-century workplace. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that many global issues will require creative and critical thinking deeply rooted in the technical STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines. However, the existing and ingrained structures of higher education, particularly in the STEM fields, are not set up to provide students with extensive skill development in communication, teamwork, and divergent thinking, which is needed for success in the knowledge economy.

In 2011 and again in 2014, an international conference was convened to bring together university leaders, educational policymakers and researchers, and funding agency representatives to discuss the issue of institutional transformation in higher education, particularly in the STEM disciplines. Central to the issue of institutional transformation is the ability to provide new forms of instruction so that students can gain the variety of skills and depth of knowledge they will need. However, radically altering approaches to instruction sets in motion a domino effect that touches on learning space design, instructional technology, faculty training and reward structures, course scheduling, and funding models. In order for one piece to move, there must be coordinated movement in the others, all of which are part of an entrenched and interconnected system.

Transforming Institutions brings together chapters from the scholars and leaders who were part of the 2011 and 2014 conferences. It provides an overview of the context and challenges in STEM higher education, contributed chapters describing programs and research in this area, and a reflection and summary of the lessons from the many authors' viewpoints, leading to suggested next steps in the path toward transformation.

Author Biography

Gabriela C. Weaver serves as vice provost for faculty development, director of the Center for Teaching and Faculty Development, and professor of chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA.

Wilella D. Burgess serves as managing director for Purdue University's Discovery Learning Research Center, an interdisciplinary center that examines the science of learning and seeks more effective ways to transfer cutting-edge research to learners.

Amy L. Childress is the center operations manager for Purdue University's Discovery Learning Research Center. Childress currently is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Studies within the College of Education.

Linda Slakey served at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1973–2006 in various capacities. From 2006 through 2011, she was director of the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation. At present, she has a consulting practice in Washington, DC, USA.

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Carl Wieman Introduction 1. Why Now is the Time for Institution-level Thinking in STEM Higher Education, by Gabriela C. Weaver 2. Transforming Undergraduate STEM Education: Responding to Opportunities, Needs and Pressures, by Martin Storksdieck A. Theories and Models of Institutional Transformation 1. The Reform of Undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education in Context: Preparing Tomorrow?s STEM Professionals and Educating a STEM-Savvy Public, by Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Layne Scherer, and Susan Rundell Singer 2. Institutional Transformation in STEM: Insights from Change Research and the Keck-PKAL Project, by Adrianna Kezar and Elizabeth Holcombe 3. The Role of Cultural Change in Large-Scale STEM Reform: The Experience of the AAU Undergraduate STEM Education Initiative, by Emily R. Miller and James S. Fairweather 4. Increasing Student Success in STEM: An Overview for a New Guide to Systemic Institutional Change, by Susan Elrod and Adrianna Kezar B. Case Studies?Projects at the Institutional Level 1. Advancing Evidence-Based Teaching in Gateway Science Courses Through a Mentor-Apprentice Model, by Kelly A. Hogan, Jennifer Krumper, Laurie E. McNeil, and Michael T. Crimmins 2. Developing Faculty Cultures for Evidence-Based Teaching Practices in STEM: A Progress Report, by Gail D. Burd, Debra Tomanek, Paul Blowers, Molly Bolger, Jonathan Cox, Lisa Elfring, Elmer Grubbs, Jane Hunter, Ken Johns, Loukas Lazos, Roman Lysecky, John A. Milsom, Ingrid Novodvorsky, John Pollard, Edward Prather, Vicente Talanquer, Kay Thamvichai, Hal Tharp, and Colin Wallace. 3. From Grassroots to Institutionalization: RIT?s CASTLE, by Scott V. Franklin 4. Towards a Model of Systemic Change in University STEM Education, by Daniel L. Reinholz, Joel C. Corbo, Melissa H. Dancy, Noah Finkelstein, and Stanley Deetz 5. The Science Education Initiative: An Experiment in Scaling Up Educational Improvements in a Research University, by Stephanie V. Chasteen, Katherine K. Perkins, Warren J. Code, and Carl E. Wieman 6. Planning Transformation of STEM Education in a Research University, by Robert Potter, Gerry Meisels, Peter Stiling, Jennifer Lewis, Catherine A. B

Promotional "Headline"

Wilella D. Burgess serves as managing director for Purdue University's Discovery Learning Research Center, an interdisciplinary center that examines the science of learning and seeks more effective ways to transfer cutting-edge research to learners. Amy L. Childress is the center operations manager for Purdue University's Discovery Learning Research Center. Linda Slakey served at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1973-2006 in various capacities. From 2006 through 2011, she was director of the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation. At present, she has a consulting practice in Washington, DC.

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