A message from Jeanne Narum about this project...

Engaging Science and Advancing Learning was the theme of the AAC&U conference in November 2008. This theme was threaded through discussions about how colleges and universities are creating a positive climate for engaging students with STEM learning in courses designed for general education and for majors. A lesson learned from the sessions is that what works is when there are visible and operative institutional policies and practices that guide collective and substantive efforts to advance STEM learning of students. At the AAC&U meeting in January 2010, facilitators and participants will first consider insights from the 2008 conference about: a) how to develop and embrace a culture in which faculty across campus collectively and collaboratively explore and innovate in their approaches to delivering STEM learning opportunities; and b) how to create and communicate institutional structures and rewards that sustain such a culture over the long-term. Following that, participants will advance that conversation, discussing in small groups their individual experiences in leading and empowering faculty to explore and experiment with new approaches to engaging students in STEM learning. Reporting out from small groups will conclude the session. The facilitators, have either summarized experiences at their institutions, conversations with colleagues at other institutions and, with your help, thoughts that you provide on this blog. Taken together, the information collected here will serve as resources for this session.