Aspirational Goal for STEM Reform at Your Institution and at Scale
Enhance educational outcomes and implement reformed practices, facilities, and cultural changes in STEM education. Identify barriers hindering the vision and explore ways to overcome them. Discuss strategies for achieving 3fold gains in education quality, equitable access, and affordability at institutions.
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Worksheet opening activity: Begin ASAP 1. What s your aspirational goal for STEM reform at your institution and at scale? Its educational outcomes (name 5) and/or Most important reformed practices, facilities, cultural change? (name 5+) 2. What s standing in the way of that vision? The most immovable barriers? 3. Other barriers that could be lowered if enough people got together and pushed? ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 1
Improving Institutional Outcomes: Quality, Equitable Access, and Affordability: A Co-Requisite for Transforming STEM Education Stephen C. Ehrmann, Ph.D., Independent scholar and consultant ASCN Transforming Institutions conference, June 12, 2023 My 52nd wedding anniversary
Outline I. First 20 minutes: quick explanation of one case history, develop concepts useful for an institution interested in 3fold gains II. You ll apply some of those concepts to identify your institution s current assets for pursuing 3fold gains. (30 minutes) III. Open discussion questions, suggestions Plus a post-workshop activity ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 3
ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 1. Is it possible for a university to improve its quality of learning, equitable access, and affordability simultaneously? (to make 3fold gains ) 2. How can an institution today make 3fold gains? What strengths need it have. 3. How have some institutions developed these capabilities over the years? My research over the last seven years 4
ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com Georgia State University Governors State University College for America at Southern New Hampshire University Six Case Histories Guttman Community College University of Central Florida University of Central Oklahoma 5
Georgia State Case History Georgia State Case History In 2003, 20,000 students on this Atlanta campus (24,000 now). Only 32% of White students, and only 26% of African American students, entering GSU in 1997 graduated from GSU within six years. Only 50% of African American students made it to sophomore year. Pell-eligible students also succeeded at far lower rates than non-Pell. ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com Slide 6
Initiatives cumulative impact on graduation rates Growth of GSU constellation o Each initiative was planned to be sustainable at scale. o Each initiative continued through at least 2019. ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com Slide 7
ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com Learning-centered changes in educational strategies, such as First Year Learning Community (HIP), ePortfolios (HIP), (quality) These same practices also: Improve retention, graduation rates, and speed to graduation (equitable access) Thereby improving affordability for students, others and earning budget increases for the university: +$3M/yr from each percentage point gain in graduation rates. (affordability) Beating Heart of GSU s Pursuit of 3fold Gains (1) Questions? Objections? 8
ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com Educational strategies necessary but not sufficient Also needed: Clean up and centralize data (Organizational Foundation) Coordinate the work through a student success office with high level reports to two VPs (Org Fdn) Build a national reputation for student success, influencing hiring, grants, etc. (Wider World) Key: Many of these realignments make STEM reform more feasible (and other learning- centered initiatives, too) Beating Heart of GSU s Approach (2): 9
Three Domains of Georgia States constellation ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com Educational strategies Organizational foundations GSU interactions with its wider world QEP projects First-year learning communities Data integration Redesigned intro math courses Office of Student Success Georgia State is the national model for student success. Supplemental Instruction Enhanced academic advising (more staff and better tech) Works with other institutions in projects, associations Working assumption: the three domains are of equal importance for sustainable institutional pursuit of 3fold gains (transformation). 10
Questions? ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 11
Outcomes: GSU Graduation Rates: 2003 and 2019 Caucasian 32% African American 26% Hispanic 22% 2003: graduated w BA from GSU within 6 years 2019: graduated w BA from GSU within 6 years 2019: graduated w BA from somewhere within 6 years 50% 58% 57% 78% 78% 81% ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com Slide 12
A new way to improve quality, access, and affordability. Constellation of means for achieving these goals aligned across three domains Compelling institutional goals Quality of learning (effective, essential learning outcomes), including STEM reform outcomes. Educational Strategies (institutional patterns of T&L, including STEM reform) Organizational foundations (e.g., institution s culture, services, infrastructure) Equitable Access (inc STEM) Interactions of the institution with its wider world (e.g., recruiting new students, QEP) Stakeholder affordability, esp. students (ditto) ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 13
Workshop Activity: Your Institutions Current Assets for 3fold Gains Educational strategies Organizational foundations Interactions with its wider world ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com If you finish early, list barriers to 3fold gains or STEM reform within these three domains Educational strategies Organizational foundations Interactions with its wider world 14
In a Nutshell Some institutions have found (similar) ways to improve their quality of learning, equitable access, and affordability. They can use their achievements and aspirations to gain a distinctive edge Accomplishing these goals requires: Paying equal attention to educational strategies, organizational foundations, and wider world interactions Dividing attention in order to create coalitions around low-hanging fruit specific constellation elements that would be easiest and most rewarding to change soon. ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 15
Resources To buy book at 30% off from Stylus, use code STY30. https://bit.ly/3fold-Stylus (ask your library to add it to their collection) Resource handout. https://bit.ly/3foldresource Articles, for example, on using tech to help institution pursue 3fold gains more info about the book videos definitions updated info from Georgia State Research summary: why it s urgent for colleges and universities to pursue 3fold gains: https://bit.ly/3foldevidence Stay in touch. ehrmannsteve@gmail.com; http://3foldgains.net coming soon ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 16
Reactions? Questions? Discussion? It takes a village . . . Possibly an African proverb Alexander Dumas All for one, one for all Things take time . . . Poem in Piet Hein s Grooks Know what to leave out. Dan Jenkins, sportswriter These slides and the handout are available on the conference website. ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 17
The End ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 18
EXTRA SLIDES ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 19
The old way to improve an institution s: Mostly uncoordinated, small-scale, and short-term initiatives, each with a different quality goal, all clamoring for attention and support Quality of learning Equitable Access Mostly uncoordinated, small-scale, and short term Stakeholder affordability, esp. students Financial aid. Mostly uncoordinated budget cuts. Don t spend (much) more than your budget. Initiatives typically have local def n of goals (e.g., quality of my syllabus) ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com
Paradigms Influence Practices. Institutions are Beginning to shift allegiance from the Instruction Paradigm and toward the Learning Paradigm. Instruction Paradigm Assumptions (selected) Learning Paradigm Evidence-Based Assumptions Student capabilities are fixed; content delivery rules Student capabilities can be developed; improve learning and equity outcomes Improve quality means 1) Add new expertise for teaching, research; 2) add more required courses for major; 3) more resource$ per learner. Improve quality means continually refine courses of study to improve the capabilities and achievements of graduating students Improving access always lowers academic standards unless costs grow enough to increase resource$/student ( Iron Triangle of Higher Education By using educational strategies such as active and collaborative learning (e.g., HIPs) and guided learning pathways, institutions can improve quality of learning, equity, and affordability, simultaneously Aligned practice: close packed classroom w fixed seats Aligned practice: flexible classrooms for presentations, active and collaborative learning The paradigm shift is discussed in depth in Chapter 6 of the book ASCN 2023 - ehrmannsteve@gmail.com 21
