1. Innovation in T&L: moving the needle?
Professor Teri Balser, Dean T&L
Curtin University Science and Engineering

2. STEM pipeline leaking badly (Across race, gender, SES, etc.)
Concern about STEM (we need all the minds)
STEM pipeline leaking badly (Across race, gender, SES, etc.)
53% Women
81% Men
In 2001, there were a bit more than 4 million 9th graders. Four years later, 2.8 million of them graduated and 1.9 million went on to two- or four-year college; only 1.3 million were actually ready for collegge work. Fewer than 300,000 were majoring in STEM fields and only about 167,000 are expected to be STEM college graduates by 2011.
Year 9
Year 12
Uni
STEM

3. U.S. Biology Education Reform
Rapid growth and change across the biological sciences in the past 30 years
Concern about scientific literacy in general, and U.S. competitive success (U.S. needs one million new STEM degrees for the next decade to maintain global leadership)
National calls for reform in STEM (and especially life sciences education) starting in the late 1980s

9. 2009
American
Association
for the
Advancement
Of Science
(AAAS)

10. Core Elements of Vision and Change
It is recognized that:
American global competitiveness requires a well-educated citizenry in all areas of STEM
21st Century Biology is an integration of scholastic skill sets across life sciences, chemistry, physics, computer sciences, statistics, and mathematics
The Information Age and multimedia technologies have changed the mechanisms of dissemination of information across the sciences and science curriculum
Emerging student-centered pedagogy has been shown to be more effective with a new generation of students, particularly under-represented students in STEM and college in general
These call for a nation-wide, systematically new approach to education in the life sciences.

11. In the 2009 Call to Action, recommendations focus on:
What students should know and be able to do
Innovative pedagogy that focuses on student-centered environments across the curriculum
Integration of authentic research experiences into classes and programs
Assessment of student success both as measured within programs and success in the workforce and professional programs
Professional development for current and future faculty for teaching success
Engagement of administrative and other institutional levels
Resources and tools to facilitate and support changes at various academic levels

12. 2011: Still stuck!

13. How to get the nation’s life sciences community to engage in Vision and Change?

14. PULSE: Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education

15. PULSE Leadership Fellows

16. PULSE Change Leadership Inclusive National Effort
pulsecommunity.org
Change Leadership
40 Leadership Fellows; all with leadership experience in educational change
Driving change at the Department level or higher
Inclusive National Effort
Anyone can join (students, faculty, administrators)
More than 2,000 members (in 2017)

17. How does PULSE work? Leadership Fellows are drawn from
Leadership Fellows are drawn from
Liberal arts colleges
Comprehensive universities
Research universities
Community colleges
Role of Leadership Fellows
Produce roadmaps for Departmental change
Engage community for feedback
Refine strategies for change

18. First Set of Working Groups:
Raising the PULSE – PR campaign
Taking the PULSE – Designing a self-assessment rubric and a recognition/accreditation framework
Faculty Networks – Developing resources for faculty development
PULSE ambassadors – Training PULSE members to work as departmental facilitators
Other

19. PULSE Activities Regional Networks, Institutes, and Workshops
Resources for Departmental Self- assessment and Planning
Ambassadors (Site visits and change leadership development)
Recognition Program
Other

20. Example: Developing Rubrics for Self-Study and a Recognition Program
Goal
To develop set of rubrics, based on the guidelines and principles outlined in the Vision & Change report, for Biology Departments to use to assess progress

21. FIVE RUBRICS -Curriculum Alignment -Assessment
-Faculty Practice/Support
-Infrastructure
-Climate for Change

22. Example

23. Intended Use of Rubrics
1) Departmental self-assessment
Where is my department on the path to Change?
Develop strategic plan to move toward Vision & Change goals
2) Tiered Recognition Program (Modeled after LEED for Sustainable Building Construction)
Pilot program completed in 2013

24. Recognition program pilot test
Call for applications / EoI for site visits (80 applications for initial pilot program!)
Selected programs complete the rubrics
PULSE Teams conduct site visits (interview staff and senior leadership, observe classes, etc.)
Provide post-site visit report to school for comment or revision
Analyse and assign recognition level
Announce results publically/nationally

25. Using the rubrics

26. CBE-Life Sciences Education Vol. 15, Winter 2016

27. Highlights? Conclusions?
Successful national-level change and innovation initiative!
Built from the ground-up following instigation from national funding agencies
Provides opportunity for academic staff to be part of something ongoing and important at a grass-roots level
Institutional-level mentoring, and change that “spirals outward” (ongoing, sustainable)

28. Sustainable action toward change!
Summary of the First PULSE Workshop
October 15 – 18, 2012

29. Thank you! Questions?
InsightEducation.org