Kate Cammack & Kristen Cecala
Was there a specific point in time where you felt like you might be a “science person”?
What experiences – positive or not – contributed to your sense of confidence and ability within STEM?
As educators, we have a precious opportunity to cultivate & encourage students’ interests, sense of self-efficacy (belief that they are capable and can succeed), and belonging in our learning spaces.
Within STEM disciplines, expanding students’ sense of belonging helps to broaden the diversity of students who explore, pursue, persist in, and complete STEM majors/minors. It also enhances students’ “buy-in” to introductory (often G5-linked) STEM courses, which builds a more scientifically literate citizenry regardless of their eventual major/minor. Both require students seeing themselves as capable and able to succeed in STEM.
But there’s a lot to learn, and little of what we need to know was taught to us – or modeled – in our STEM training.
This past fall, eight Sewanee faculty, representing seven of our STEM departments/programs, joined our first faculty learning community (FLC) on DEIBJ in STEM. Our FLC goals were to (a) identify, share & discuss evidence-based approaches that enhance DEIBJ in STEM, (b) cultivate comfort and confidence to implement these approaches, and (c) develop changes/deliverables to implement in our classrooms.
We used the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project (a 6-week online edX course) as a framework for in-person discussions and workshops. We all completed that week’s edX materials (see below), then met in the CfT for an in-person debrief and discussion. Our in-person meetings allowed us to experience productive discomfort and personal growth throughout our edX experience, and to contextualize this content in ways specific to our Sewanee community. This work continued for 6 weeks, from Sept – early Oct.
While this edX course is offered regularly throughout the year, our FLC structure enabled us to engage off-cycle, at a time that works better for Sewanee faculty. It also allowed us to meet in person to discuss the Sewanee-specific aspects of our learning and discuss the specific opportunities facing our community with respect to DEIBJ in STEM.
This FLC will be offered again in early Fall 2025, and hopefully regularly after that – please consider joining us. It’s been a valuable way to engage with colleagues across disciplines, find common goals & synergies, strengthen and expand our on-campus network of DEIBJ-engaged STEM faculty, and contribute to transformative institutional change. You are needed!
Stay tuned for more info to come, including a Brightspace page dedicated to teaching & learning resources for DEIBJ in STEM. We’re also starting to build capacity with the support of a 2024 McCrickard Grant and welcome your contributions, thinking, and help.