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STEM HIGHER EDUCATION – CHANGING ROLES WITH A PARADIGM SHIFT

Krish MathurU.S. Department of Education

Office of Postsecondary Education

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US Department of Education Mission - To promote student achievement

and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

HEOA (Higher Education Opportunity Act) created DoED Programs

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Goal

• Produce more than 8 million graduates from community colleges, 4-year colleges and universities by 2020 (‘An inspirational goal’ – Arne Duncan)

Goal

• Create and support opportunities for every American to commit to at least one year of higher education or advanced training in his/her lifetime

Result

•“Best educated, most competitive workforce in the world” (increase from 41% to 60% graduates with 2- or 4-year degree) •Accelerate American Achievement•Close the Achievement Gap among high school grads•Provide students the highest quality education in the world

President Obama’s 2020Strategic Vision and Goals

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Access Increased access facilitates greater numbers of students completing an advanced

program of study (IHEs, adult education, career-technical education, apprenticeships, etc)

Completion Increased retention and persistence lead to more students completing degrees,

certificates and industry-recognized credentials Quality

High quality research is the engine of America’s social and economic prosperity High-quality research and data enable us to know what practices work best to increase

student success High-quality teacher preparation programs produce teachers and principals who are

better equipped to positively impact the educational achievement of students High-quality integrated data systems allow us to track progress toward the goal, improve

educational delivery systems and implement best practices

Resilience and Prosperity IHEs and their partners must together build or sustain capacity to enable students to

continue to learn and adapt to the inevitable changes that will take place over time in our workplaces, environment and society; this resilience is the purpose behind the President’s goal

Higher Education Agenda

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Higher Education – Specific Programs

Access Equal opportunity for under-served and under-represented minorities Undergraduate enrollment will increase from 17.6M (2009) to 19.6M in 2020

Affordability Disadvantaged students Average tuition and fees (2008-09) at a 4-year institution was $12,100 and institution

expenses per FTE student $23,398 Retention

Learning support, interest and motivation Quality

Skills, team-work, critical thinking, decision-making, communication, etc Completion

Only 60% students graduate in 6-years Accountability

Transparency of learning ‘gains’ – For parents, students, policy makers, and other stakeholders

APLU and AASCU program on VSA (Voluntary System of Accountability)

Key implications for STEM Education PK-20 Strategy. Neither K-12 strategies nor higher education strategies alone are

likely to drive dramatic improvements. Whole system change—and system leadership—is necessary.

STEM-capable K-12 teachers are vital to increasing the pool of likely STEM majors. At the elementary level, this means focusing on recruiting, preparing, and hiring

teachers with appropriate content knowledge background. At all levels, this means providing tools as well as focused preparation and

professional development on content and pedagogy. Inspire potential STEM majors. The pool of proficient and interested 12th graders is

small; a larger pool of proficient and not interested 12th graders could be motivated and inspired to pursue STEM majors.

Make quick undergraduate wins. Focusing on increasing retention of undergraduate education could yield early and significant progress towards goals.

Connect with school systems : State and Local Education Authorities (SEAs and LEAs) will need access to STEM expertise that generally resides at universities and in STEM-focused businesses.

Federal agencies work together for greater impact: Large STEM education focused resources exist throughout the Federal government. ($3.7B total)

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Department of Education STEM education programs -2011 obligations

Developing HSI STEM and Articulation Programs – 100MGraduate Assistants in Areas of National need – 40MMaths and Science Partnerships (K12) – 175MMinority Science and Engineering Improvement Program -

9.5MTeachers for a competitive tomorrow – Bachelors and Masters

degrees in STEM – 0 (2.2M in 2010)Upward Bound Math-Science – 34MWomen’s Educational Equity – 2.4MFIPSE – Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education

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Education and PolicyHow shall we move forward when - The United States has no federal Ministry of Education

There is no centralized authority exercising single national control over Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) in the U.S.

IHEs in general are permitted to operate with considerable independence and autonomy.

As a consequence, American educational institutions can vary widely in the character and quality of their programs.

The 50 States assume varying degrees of control over K-20 education

How should Universities collectively contribute to STEM Higher Education?

How to encourage IHEs to adopt best teaching practices?

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Institutional Change – UMBC example Establish Priorities and Change Culture

Use resources effectively and efficientlyCulture: Values, practices, habits, relationships among all. Involve all in change process.Examine policies, practices, attitudes: Take a critical look at yourselfChemistry course re-design increased majors by 70%Process requires○ Senior leadership○ Development of institutional vision and buy-in○ Capacity for transformation and maintaining change○ Leveraging resources – e.g. on professional development for faculty

- Ref Institutional Change in Higher Education – Innovation and Collaboration by Freeman Hrabowski et al

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UMBC– Changes Process Increasing access and success

Create a climate that encourages○ Open communication about key questions○ Honesty about strengths and challenges○ Development of innovative strategies

Use technology to learn about students and track their progress○ Move beyond test scores and grades to learn about

their backgrounds and aspirations○ Conduct follow up interviews with students who

have left

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UMBC - Outcomes Retention and graduation rates for URM

students (including not in the Meyerhoff Program) equal their rates for ALL students, both in STEM fields and across ALL disciplines.Catalytic effect on STEM teaching paradigm on

campusCatalytic effect on all other disciplines

All science courses are now being re-designed. New curricula on their website.

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Socio-cultural Aspects Is U.S. a victim of its own excesses?

Kids have too much? ○ Less desire to compete and achieve is when they have

everything provided? How to inspire them?Are URM falling into similar mindset?IHEs should work with schools, parents and

community to portray correct image of Higher Education○ Demands of the ‘global’ work place in the new world

order: Ethics, integrity, team work, communication.○ ‘Science can be fun’ as well as demanding (it is hard)○ Re-build the image of engineering (as was in the past)

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Sustainability and ROI Institutionalization

How many IHEs continue programs after government funding ends (my guess – less than 20%)

How to maximize impact of our investment? (Director Suresh at CEOSE meeting) In last 10 years NSF funding for Higher Education increased

Across the board – 67% Broadening Participation – 127% HSI – 200%

We have a long way to go .We need greater impact (better return) and ability to sustain.

Ref - CEOSE – Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (2009-2010) Biennial Report to Congress

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Ecosystem

High School Articulation

Work with high schools to provide a seamless connection (We have a boundary condition) This may require re-designing K-20 curricula. PCAST Report on K-12 has recommended re-designing science curricula

Achieve, Inc (Supported by NGA and CCSSO) Developed Math and English core standards Now developing sciences core standards Also, with a grant from ED (Race to the Top) developing appraisal

standards ○ Working with 24 State school system and IHEs ○ To ensure the standards are acceptable to IHEs

K-12 College Society

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Community Colleges Work with community colleges

Of the nations 14 M undergraduates, more than 40% attend community colleges

Forty (40%) are enrolled part time Thirty (30%) are older than 24 years

Many exemplars including FIUThey are also supporting teacher education

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STEM STEM is not just for a career in science and technology

Let me (not) preach to the choir“All” students should understand the nature of science to help their

reasoning abilities, problem-solving skills, and creative thinking. ○ ‘What makes people successful are their motivation, drive and

ability to learn from mistakes, and how hard they work’. (Vivek Wadhva)

○ PCAST report on K12 on how to teach sciences Engage non-STEM students with STEM students in projects that

address today’s challenges in climate change, energy, environment, and need for much more innovation and investments in new technologies, such as nanotechnology and biotechnology.○ Note: Among 652 U.S.-born chief executive officers and heads of

product engineering at 502 technology companies - only 37% held degrees in engineering or computer technology, and just 2 percent held them in mathematics. (Vivek Wadhva in NYT)

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Beyond Learning a Discipline Think of your students as future leaders, innovators,

entrepreneurs, as well as part of the workforce needed to sustain and grow our economy

Students’ (and employers’) expectation of a solid ‘disciplinary’ training may appear to be in conflict with educational goals of preparing them for the (global) society, for the workforce (vis-à-vis the new knowledge economy), lifelong learning and resilience

Balance both sets of expectations: “Broad-based” education debate is not over – yet.

Work with professional and accreditation bodies (ABET etc) to redefine ‘disciplinary training’ and thus the Body of Knowledge (BOK) to include higher order learning skills

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Higher Order Learning SkillsWith a grant from ED, AAC&U recently developed the following set of meta-

rubrics to measure higher order learning skills• Inquiry and analysis • Critical thinking • Creative thinking • Written communication • Oral communication • Quantitative literacy • Information literacy• Reading • Teamwork • Problem solving • Civic knowledge and engagement—local and global • Intercultural knowledge and competence • Ethical reasoning and action • Foundations and skills for lifelong learning • Integrative learning

One or more rubrics now being used by 2000 institutions in the U.S., and also in Japan, HK, Australia and UAE

39 institutions in the U.S. using these for institutional collaborationAvailable for download from AAC&U website

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K-12 Science Education Engineering education change should reflect

a new paradigm for K-12 education PCAST report on K-12 recommendations:

Science and engineering education ○ Should focus on a limited number of disciplinary

core areas and cross-cutting concepts○ Be designed so that all students continually build

on and revise their knowledge and abilities○ Support such integration to engage in scientific

inquiry and engineering design

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K-12 PCAST recommends that science education be built

around three dimensionsScientific and engineering practicesCross cutting concepts that unify the study of science and

engineering through their common application across fields

Core ideas in four discipline areas1. Physical Sciences2. Life Sciences3. Earth and space sciences4. Engineering, technology and the application of science

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PCAST - STEM in Higher Education

PCAST (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology) set up a working group in January 2011 to study the Higher Education system.

Report “Engage to Excel” released in February 2012The task for the working group is○ To determine the reasons for low retention and graduation rates

in STEM disciplines ○ To recommend model programs – if any – that have successfully

overcome these challenges ○ To suggest to the federal government ways of enhancing STEM

education ○ To suggest ways of monitoring STEM education in future

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Problems – Some of them… Uninspiring introductory courses Unwelcoming atmosphere, especially for minorities Difficulty in maths even for low-performing students

with high interest and aptitude in STEM careers Faculty not aware of and/or not using modern

teaching methods Inadequate reward and incentive systems for faculty

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Engage to Excel – Report Recommendations1. Catalyze widespread adoption of empirically validated

teaching practices.2. Advocate and provide support for replacing standard

laboratory courses with discovery-based research courses.3. Launch a national experiment in postsecondary

mathematics education to address the math preparation gap.

4. Encourage partnerships among stakeholders to diversify pathways to STEM careers.

5. Create a Presidential Council on STEM Education to provide strategic leadership for transformative and sustainable change in STEM undergraduate education.

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Learning Research: Into Practice

Provide leadership Apply findings from learning theory in the

classroom○ Cognitive science, neuroscience, educational

psychology and organizational theory have provided useful insight into how a human brain learns and how the brain structure changes with the (complexity of) learning gains

○ Disseminate effective practices (See ‘How Students Learn’ from National Academies

Press)

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Faculty Development – Part of Institutional ChangesSupport, Motivate and Develop young faculty

To adopt new instructional strategies that engage students in their own learning

To adopt new curricular materials that encourage inquiry and active investigation (active pedagogy)○ These will require rewarding faculty for teaching excellence○ As part of professional development activities, establish a

community through which faculty can share ideas, problems and solution

○ Requires deep institutional changes such as providing tenure and research funding for teaching excellence

○ Build communities of colleges that are willing to take a leadership in this change (PKAL – Project Kaleidoscope at AAC&U)

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New Delivery Methods Digital revolution and Online learning

Digital textbooks will be the major source in 10 years Apply new delivery methods to deliver “content” (basic

knowledge and procedural knowledge) New media can make teaching more inquiry-based than set of

procedures College presidents and public differ on its value (Pew Research

Report, August 28, 2011) The future is in hybrid learning NETP calls for revolutionary transformation than evolutionary

tinkering National Educational Technology Plan (US Department of Education 2010)

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Video GamesVideogames can change a person's brain and, as researchers are

finding, often that change is for the better….. People who played action-based video and computer games

made decisions 25% faster Scientists also found that women—who make up about 42%

of computer and videogame players—were better able to mentally manipulate 3D objects, a skill at which men are generally more adept.

The violent action games that often worry parents most had the strongest beneficial effect on the brain.

○ Ref – Wall Street Journal – March 6, 2012

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Knowledge Growth Knowledge is growing exponentially

Content explosion! The plate is FULL!○ Think about what you covered in your high school physics vs. what

is in the curriculum today! Quantum theory, nanotechnology etcThe full body of knowledge cannot be imparted in the limited

time Leave room for students (even at high school stage) to

develop problem-solving and professional skills, and creativity

How much maths do engineers need? Even an intro maths course leaves students with the impression

that all STEM fields are dull and unimaginative (PCAST report)

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Re-engineering “Engineering Education” It is a tall order: Integrating components into

a cohesive whole; integrating new instructional methods, curricula, and delivery methods; Using new media and technology; etc etc

This is an agenda for re-engineering engineering education

Are we ready for this change and challenge?See ‘Educating Engineers – Designing for the Future of the

Field’, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, by Sheri Sheppard, et al

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Our changing roles in making them college and Career ready Educational Quality

How do your graduates measure up?Measure quality against our value system – vis-à-vis family,

society (relationships, diversity, globalization), work-environment (jobs, industry), country (security, democracy, citizenship), etc.○ Tests and grades would be misleading for our education mission

How do you refine or –redefine education with feedback from measuring (higher order) learning outcomes?

How a student perceives the education system vis-à-vis his/her own value system?

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Research Universities..○ You will keep receiving a continuous stream of bright

students○ You continue to educate them and also be leaders in

R&D○ Yet, you must lead the change, and be the role models

for others to follow○ Take a reality check: Can we turn the ship around?

Many (too many?) stakeholders Are stakeholders goals in conflict? Skill-set requirements of an

employer vs. lifelong learning and development. Value-for-money for parents and students vs. the intangibles

And the stakeholders need to act collectively

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So, to Our Research universities

Thank you for leading R&D and taking care of ‘superior’ students, who would thrive even when learning under ‘traditional’ (lecture based) teaching environment

Now become the leader and role model for others (who have to nurture average students) by introducing new teaching/ learning methods, and institutional changes needed to support educational changes

We must go through this change on order to meet the future workforce needs

Opportunities for Strategic STEM Initiatives

1 2 3Common Core Standards

Inspiration, focus, and motivation around STEM

Pure sciences for theoretical foundation

Incorporate PCAST K-12 recommendations: Teach science to explain the behavior of systems and materials, and maths as a tool to design, control and sustain systems.

Use nature, terrestrial systems, life sciences, and environment to motivate, inspire, support, and excite students about STEM and medicine, which is a paradigm change to top down learning.

Minimize teaching pure sciences, and only to build the foundation for college education, in alignment with a specific career cluster. Teach cross-cutting scientific concepts.

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4 5 6Preparation and capacity building in STEM teachers

Support from IHEs in transforming STEM education

Ownership of improving education quality by highest level leadership at IHEs

Develop and deploy tools and supports to increase the capacity of STEM teachers.Support STEM teacher training programs.

•Training in STEM pedagogy for professors.•Moving away from teaching subjects to teaching systems.•Problem-based, integrative teaching. •Engineering ‘clinics’ like medical diagnostics and operating rooms in hospitals.

•Require excellence in teaching for promotions.•Make teaching and scholarship carry equal weight

Opportunities for Strategic STEM Initiatives

7 8 9Support from all stakeholders for institutional change

Development of community Support

More and effective use of Educational Technology

Professional and accreditation organizations move away from examining subjects to evaluating the body of knowledge.Support content and pedagogy changes.

All stakeholders should seek community support to educate parents to develop a ‘culture of education’ at home.

•Scale up good examples of the use of electronic media and educational technology.•Integrate use with problem-based learning.•Provide larger solution space for deeper understanding – not just learning the steps.

Opportunities for Strategic STEM Initiatives

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To all of you -

“But I think all of you understand it will take far more than the work of government. It will take all of us. It will take all of you. And so today I want to challenge you to use your love and knowledge of science to spark the samesense of wonder and excitement in a new generation.”-- President Barak Obama, speaking to the National Academy of Science, April 27th, 2009

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Thank You