Building a Networked Improvement Community: Lessons in Organizing to Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

In 2016, 10 universities launched a Networked Improvement Community (NIC) aimed at increasing the number of scholars from Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) populations entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty careers. NICs bring together stakeholders focused on a common goal to accelerate innovation through structured, ongoing intervention development, implementation, and refinement. We theorized a NIC organizational structure would aid understandings of a complex problem in different contexts and accelerate opportunities to develop and improve interventions to address the problem. A distinctive feature of this NIC is its diverse institutional composition of public and private, predominantly white institutions, a historically Black university, a Hispanic-serving institution, and land grant institutions located across eight states and Washington, DC, United States. NIC members hold different positions within their institutions and have access to varied levers of change. Among the many lessons learned through this community case study, analyzing and addressing failed strategies is as equally important to a healthy NIC as is sharing learning from successful interventions. We initially relied on pre-existing relationships and assumptions about how we would work together, rather than making explicit how the NIC would develop, establish norms, understand common processes, and manage changing relationships. We had varied understandings of the depth of campus differences, sometimes resulting in frustrations about the disparate progress on goals. NIC structures require significant engagement with the group, often more intensive than traditional multi-institution organizational structures. They require time to develop and ongoing maintenance in order to advance the work. We continue to reevaluate our model for leadership, climate, diversity, conflict resolution, engagement, decision-making, roles, and data, leading to increased investment in the success of all NIC institutions. Our NIC has evolved from the traditional NIC model to become the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) AGEP NIC model with five key characteristics: (1) A well-specified aim, (2) An understanding of systems, including a variety of contexts and different organizations, (3) A culture and practice of shared leadership and inclusivity, (4) The use of data reflecting different institutional contexts, and (5) The ability to accelerate infrastructure and interventions. We conclude with recommendations for those considering developing a NIC to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

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Problematizing teaching and learning mathematics as “given” in STEM education

International Journal of STEM Education ◽

10.1186/s40594-019-0197-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Yeping Li ◽

Alan H. Schoenfeld

Keyword(s):

Mathematics Education ◽

Stem Education ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Science Technology ◽

Teaching And Learning Mathematics ◽

Learning Mathematics ◽

Alternative Approach ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Scientific Engineering

AbstractMathematics is fundamental for many professions, especially science, technology, and engineering. Yet, mathematics is often perceived as difficult and many students leave disciplines in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as a result, closing doors to scientific, engineering, and technological careers. In this editorial, we argue that how mathematics is traditionally viewed as “given” or “fixed” for students’ expected acquisition alienates many students and needs to be problematized. We propose an alternative approach to changes in mathematics education and show how the alternative also applies to STEM education.

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Breaking Boundaries: Pressing Issues in Equity, Computing, and Problem-Solving in STEM Undergraduate Education

Journal of Research in STEM Education ◽

10.51355/jstem.2018.31 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 2-12

Author(s):

Anna Bargagliotti ◽

Dorothea Herreiner ◽

Jefrey A. Phillips

Keyword(s):

Problem Solving ◽

Undergraduate Education ◽

National Science Foundation ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Main Research ◽

Science Technology ◽

The Common ◽

Research Questions ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Education Conference

The April 2017 National Science Foundation-funded Breaking the Boundaries in STEM Education conference brought together Southern California science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) faculty to explore equity, problem-solving, and computing in an interdisciplinary manner. Two main research questions guided the overall scope of the conference: (1) What are the common threads across disciplines to approach the teaching and learning of skills that are relevant in STEM? (2) What are the challenges and barriers that need to be overcome in order to foster collaboration across disciplines to impact the teaching and learning of skills relevant in STEM? We describe the background of the conference and provide an overview of the questions addressed.

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Data Literacy and Citizenship

Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design - Handbook of Research on Driving STEM Learning With Educational Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2026-9.ch004 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 65-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Eddy L. Borges-Rey

Keyword(s):

Big Data ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

New Technologies ◽

Data Access ◽

Data Sampling ◽

Public And Private ◽

Data Literacy ◽

Vital Fluid ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Access Data

This chapter explores the challenges that emerge from a narrow understanding of the principles underpinning Big data, framed in the context of the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics. This study considers the materiality of computerised data and examines how notions of data access, data sampling, data sense-making and data collection are nowadays contested by datafied public and private bodies, hindering the capacity of citizens to effectively understand and make better use of the data they generate or engage with. The study offers insights from secondary and documentary research and its results suggest that understanding data in less constraining terms, namely: a) as capable of secondary agency, b) as the vital fluid of societal institutions, c) as gathered or accessed by new data brokers and through new technologies and techniques, and d) as mediated by the constant interplay between public and corporate spheres and philosophies, could greatly enhance the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in the framework of current efforts to advance data literacy.

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Transforming African Education Systems in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Using ICTs: Challenges and Opportunities

Education Research International ◽

10.1155/2019/6946809 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Alcardo Alex Barakabitze ◽

Anangisye William-Andey Lazaro ◽

Neterindwa Ainea ◽

Michael Hamza Mkwizu ◽

Hellen Maziku ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Skills Training ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Education Systems ◽

Science Technology ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Living Labs ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

And Mathematics

This paper presents the role of ICTs in transforming Africa’s Education Systems (AES) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects/courses. The paper highlights on a positive shift across Africa in using ICT to improve the quality of teaching and learning through activities such as intensive ICT skills training to teachers, increase in ICT equipments and applications in schools, and emergence of living labs (LLs) and innovation spaces/centres (InnoSpace). We first provide some of the challenges of integrating ICTs in education followed by a description of key past and current ICT initiatives supporting the adoption of ICTs in schools using a number of case studies in sub-Saharan Africa. We further present various ICT-based models for education, as a transformational approach towards integrating ICTs in AES. Moreover, we provide various ICT platforms deployed for education service delivery in disadvantaged African society (e.g., rural areas) including LLs and InnoSpace across the continent. Finally, we highlight our main findings and observations in terms of opportunities and future ICT for education research directions in Africa. Our aim is to provide some guidelines and ensure that Africa uniformly meet the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 4, which is to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning, particularly using ICTs.

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The Pedagogical Leadership of the Mathematics Faculty: A Systematic Review

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci8040217 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 217

Author(s):

Inmaculada García-Martínez ◽

José Ubago-Jiménez ◽

Jesús López-Burgos ◽

Pedro Tadeu

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

School Leadership ◽

Student Performance ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Organizational Structures ◽

Teacher Professionalism ◽

Educational Improvement ◽

Positive Leadership ◽

And Mathematics

Background: Research on educational leadership has transcended the international sphere. Numerous studies have been developed on this factor of educational improvement. Few is their number, contextualized in the mathematics area and specifically the teachers. Methods: This paper presents a systematic review that highlights the importance of school leadership and mathematics education, providing empirical evidence on the positive impact that the former has on the latter. The method has been adapted to the guidelines promulgated in the PRISMA declaration, to ensure its systematicity. Results: Regarding the results, most of the research included in this review has found positive leadership effects on teacher professionalism, teaching and learning processes, and student performance. Conclusions: As limitations, the prescriptive nature of legislation and organizational structures has been found, which impedes the implementation of more effective leadership modalities.

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Scientific Performance and Mapping of the Term STEM in Education on the Web of Science

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12062279 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 2279 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Francisco-Javier Hinojo-Lucena ◽

Pablo Dúo-Terrón ◽

Magdalena Ramos Navas-Parejo ◽

Carmen Rodríguez-Jiménez ◽

Antonio-José Moreno-Guerrero

Keyword(s):

Teaching And Learning ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Research Papers ◽

Scientific Performance ◽

New Era ◽

Word Analysis ◽

Science Technology ◽

Women And Science ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Educational Field

Technological progress is causing terms such as “STEM”, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, to burst into the educational arena, marking a new era in the application of innovative and motivating teaching and learning processes. The objective of this research is to analyze the trajectory and the transcendence of the “STEM” concept in the educational field, having as reference the reported literature of Web of Science. The methodology applied in this research is based on bibliometrics, analyzing both the performance and the structural and dynamic development of the concept through a co-word analysis. The total number of documents analyzed is 4390. The results show that the scientific community mainly uses English and research papers to present their results. From 2015 onwards, the main lines of research are beginning to be established, which focus on “women” and “science”. It can be concluded that the term “STEM” in education is beginning to have a greater incidence and impact on the processes of teaching and learning, especially in the field of science, although there are currently discrepancies between men and women in its use.

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Bioinformatics Education in High School: Implications for Promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Careers

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.12-11-0193 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 441-459 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Dina N. Kovarik ◽

Davis G. Patterson ◽

Carolyn Cohen ◽

Elizabeth A. Sanders ◽

Karen A. Peterson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Genetic Research ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Student Interest ◽

Stem Careers ◽

Career Information ◽

Science Technology ◽

Teachers And Students ◽

And Mathematics

We investigated the effects of our Bio-ITEST teacher professional development model and bioinformatics curricula on cognitive traits (awareness, engagement, self-efficacy, and relevance) in high school teachers and students that are known to accompany a developing interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. The program included best practices in adult education and diverse resources to empower teachers to integrate STEM career information into their classrooms. The introductory unit, Using Bioinformatics: Genetic Testing, uses bioinformatics to teach basic concepts in genetics and molecular biology, and the advanced unit, Using Bioinformatics: Genetic Research, utilizes bioinformatics to study evolution and support student research with DNA barcoding. Pre–post surveys demonstrated significant growth (n = 24) among teachers in their preparation to teach the curricula and infuse career awareness into their classes, and these gains were sustained through the end of the academic year. Introductory unit students (n = 289) showed significant gains in awareness, relevance, and self-efficacy. While these students did not show significant gains in engagement, advanced unit students (n = 41) showed gains in all four cognitive areas. Lessons learned during Bio-ITEST are explored in the context of recommendations for other programs that wish to increase student interest in STEM careers.

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Connecting Mathematics and Science in Primary School STEM Education: Modeling the Population Growth of Species

Mathematics ◽

10.3390/math9192496 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (19) ◽

pp. 2496

Author(s):

Genaro de Gamboa ◽

Edelmira Badillo ◽

Digna Couso ◽

Conxita Márquez

Keyword(s):

Stem Education ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Scientific Activity ◽

Scientific Practices ◽

Learning Sequence ◽

Mathematical Connections ◽

Science Technology ◽

Real Population ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Mathematics And Science

In this research, we explored the potential of using a research-based teaching and learning sequence to promote pupils’ engagement in practices that are coherent with those of real world mathematical and scientific activity. This STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematis) sequence was designed and implemented by pre-service teachers and science and mathematics education researchers with the aim of modeling the growth of a real population of rabbits. Results show explicit evidence of pupils’ engagement in relevant mathematical and scientific practices, as well as detailed descriptions of mathematical connections that emerged from those practices. We discuss how these practices and connections allowed the progressive construction of models, and the implications that this proposal may have for STEM task design and for the analysis of extra-mathematical connections.

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SCIENCE ANXIETY AS A PREDICTOR OF STUDENTS PREFERRED SUBJECT IN THE POST JUNIOR SECONDARY CLASSROOM

International Journal of Advanced Research ◽

10.21474/ijar01/13652 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1074-1079

Author(s):

Suleiman Rukijat ◽

◽

Ahmed Karimat ◽

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Science Anxiety ◽

Public And Private ◽

Science Technology ◽

Secondary Classroom ◽

Junior Secondary ◽

Simple Regression Analysis ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Educational Pursuits ◽

Positive Determinant

The world, including Nigeria, is increasingly seeking to improve its educational system to attain the desired scientific-driven society. Thus, education is geared towards science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). To this effect, Nigeria is investing in science-based education, and the students are encouraged to embrace science in their educational pursuits. Based on this, the present study examined students subject preference in the post junior secondary classroom based on science anxiety. One hundred and sixty-six students drawn from public and private secondary schools in the Kogi State participated in the study. Their level of science anxiety was assessed with the Science Anxiety Scale (Oludipe & Oludipe, 2019). The simple regression analysis performed on the data revealed that science anxiety statistically significantly predicted the respondents subject preference. Thus, the study concludes that science anxiety is a positive determinant of students choice of subject in the secondary school classroom.

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