News & Events

When

Date - September 30, 2020
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

What

Title: Barriers and Drivers to STEM Education Reform

Abstract:

Many educational and governmental agencies have called for and supported adoption of student-centered instructional strategies in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum. Student-centered strategies promote cognitive engagement with content and have been shown to increase student performance and decrease failure rates. Despite the evidence, lecturing is still the most prevalent instructional strategy in the US. A significant shift in the culture around teaching and learning in undergraduate STEM must occur for a successful reform in instructional practices to take hold and endure. For these changes to take place, instructors need support to overcome some of the barriers that stand in the way of reforming their teaching. In this presentation, we will examine some of the challenges that instructors face to shift their instructional practices from lecturing to student-centered. We will also investigate a variety of drivers that might help institutions alter teaching and learning norms.