Building a Framework to Integrate STEM Curricular and Co-Curricular Innovations at UCLA

UCLA is among 12 universities nationally to be awarded a grant from the Association of American Universities (AAU) to fund workshops on campus over the next year, bringing together stakeholders and program leadership to share and discuss all co-curricular programs and curricular interventions that support and retain undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The first workshop was held on June 2, 2017. It focused on advising, tutoring, career and professional development, research and mentoring activities and other co-curricular student support programs. A second workshop, to be held on May 2, 2018, will examine changes in how courses are taught, how student outcomes are assessed, and how grades are assigned, as well as explore ways to change the culture in and outside the classroom to better support students in their educational goals. A third workshop, to be held in fall 2018, will bring all relevant stakeholders together to discuss best practices and identify opportunities for collaboration.

These workshops are being organized by life sciences professors Gina Poe (IBP) and Megan McEvoy (MIMG), Co-Directors of UCLA’s new Center for Opportunities to Maximize Participation, Access, and Student Success (COMPASS), and by Erin Sanders, Director of the Center for Education Innovation & Learning in the Sciences (CEILS). Nearly 200 STEM stakeholders across campus are being invited to participate in these workshops.

Each workshop is attended by the Deans of Engineering, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Public Health, the Dean and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, and other campus leaders. The goal is for the findings from these workshops to be used by campus leaders to inform funding priorities and to create lasting change in the teaching and learning culture across the university.

– click here for press release in UCLA Newsroom