The Call to Transform Postsecondary Stem Educational Practices and Institutional Policies

IntroductionThe health and longevity of our Nation's citizenry, economy and environmental resources depend in large part on the acceleration of scientific and technological innovations, such as those that improve health care, inspire new industries, protect the environment, and safeguard us from harm. Maintaining America's historical preeminence in the STEM fields will require a concerted and inclusive effort to ensure that the STEM workforce is equipped with the skills and training needed to excel in these fields.- President, National Science and Technology Council (2013)For the past 30 years since the 1983 National Commission on Excellence in Education report A National at Risk was issued, attention has been focused on the inadequacies of K-12 education. More recently there has been heightened urgency placed on developing students who can excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects (National Academy of Sciences, 2007).Paralleling the attention given to issues in STEM education at the K-12 levels has been the increasing attention paid to related STEM education issues at the postsecondary level. Numerous reports were published in the mid- to late 1990s by the National Science Foundation (NSF; 1996), the National Research Council (NRC; 1996, 1999), and the Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University (1998) calling for change. These reports stressed the importance of improving undergraduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. At least 13 federal civilian departments and agencies have spent billions of dollars on more than 200 programs to realize this goal. Most of that spending has come from the NSF and the National Institutes of Health (Government Accountability Office, 2005). Many private foundations also have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in efforts to improve undergraduate STEM education. For example, since 1988, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute has awarded more than $1.5 billion in grants to improve science education at the precollege and college levels.Of particular concern are STEM course quality, instructional engagement, and minority access within higher education. The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST; 2012), for example, cites complaints from college students that include uninspiring introductory courses for high-performing students, insufficient mathematics support, and an unwelcoming faculty in STEM courses. One set of data shows that of the students who entered college with an interest in STEM subjects between 2003 and 2009, nearly half (48%) had left the field by 2009. And equity issues persist, with more Blacks and females leaving the field (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). Higher education STEM course quality, instructional engagement, and minority access are viewed as persistent and critical problems.In response to these growing concerns about the adequacy of STEM education in higher education, PCAST's Engage to Excel recommends the widespread implementation of evidencebased teaching in STEM subjects taught and career paths provided, as well as the integration of discovery-based laboratories to enhance retention.Much of this effort at postsecondary education reform has focused on the need to change courses. Recently, increased emphasis has been placed on changing instruction. That is, instead of traditional lecture courses that focus on facts and factoids, instruction needs to be more engaging, deliberately structured to involve a range of cognitive processes, and oriented toward deeper understandings. The format of a lecture followed by a lab or work session is no longer seen as the only way of structuring a course, as research, internships, and other extender activities are viewed as valuable.The National Research Council (2012) provides an analysis of effective practices and a research agenda for continuing to build the STEM education knowledge base. …