[Forwarding an email from Michael Feder <[email protected]> of National Academy of Sciences]
Save the Date "Barriers and Opportunities to 2- and 4-Year Undergraduate STEM Degrees" A Workshop January 21-22, 2014 National Academy of Sciences Beckman Center, Irvine, CA RSVP at: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/EventRegistration/public/Register.aspx?event=5EC5627C Meeting the challenges of the 21st century requires both a robust Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics workforce and a scientifically and technologically literate citizenry. Although there is debate about the level of future demand for scientists and engineers with advanced degrees, many occupations requiring two or four-year STEM degrees are growing rapidly. At the same time, in our increasingly technological society, all citizens will require increased understanding of STEM concepts and issues to make informed civic and personal decisions, and some research suggests that successful completion of undergraduate STEM courses is critical for developing the relevant capacity. Yet, there are significant barriers to completing undergraduate degrees in STEM fields, as evidenced by the large percent of students that enter college interested in STEM degrees but do not earn STEM degree, especially among students from underrepresented groups. There is growing evidence that the high rate of attrition from STEM majors (compared to the attrition rate in non-STEM majors) is related to problems with institutional culture, social factors, instructional practices, and co-curricular factors such as mentoring, peer-networks, and counseling. The issue of STEM completion is therefore also a question of the quality of the overall education experience and the effectiveness of higher education in providing students opportunities to succeed. Fortunately, empirical studies and various innovative practices of institutions of higher education around the country have illustrated some potential strategies for improving the overall undergraduate STEM education experience for all students. As part of a consensus study on the barriers and opportunities to 2- and 4-year undergraduate STEM degree completion, the National Research Council's (NRC) Board on Science Education (BOSE), in collaboration with the Board on Higher Education and Workforce (BHEW), the Teacher Advisory Council (TAC), and the National Academy of Engineering will host a workshop that will bring together education researchers; social science researchers, college and university associations; higher education leadership, policy makers, and other relevant stakeholders to: - explore ways to gauge whether institutions are successful in providing a quality undergraduate STEM education to all students; - identify the pathways in which students attain STEM degrees and the barriers that students encounter in these pathways; - discuss effective strategies to remove the barriers from students who are seeking a STEM degree, and the evidence for these strategies; and - highlight examples of 2- and 4-year institutions that are implementing effective, evidence based-practices with significant benefits to their students' ability to earn a STEM degree. This project is funded by S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and National Science Foundation. See more information about this project at: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DBASSE/BOSE/CurrentProjects/DBASSE_080405 Ben Wu, Texas A&M University
