Science Cornerstone Project: Institution-Wide Reform of Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology

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Portland State University has launched an institution-wide reform effort that has attracted national attention as a potential model for other colleges and universities. The heart of the reform is the University Studies Program, which encompasses the general education curriculum for all students. Throughout this reform, ongoing efforts to bolster science literacy for all students and to develop and evaluate innovative approaches to teaching and learning in the sciences, math, engineering, and technology have served as catalysts and guides for the transformation of the curriculum. Over the three-year grant period, the proposed Science Cornerstone Project will augment and extend these efforts by establishing a flexible framework for interdisciplinary coursework aimed at achieving science literacy for students majoring in fields outside of the sciences, math, engineering, and technology. This project reflects the university's mission as an urban institution serving a diverse population to improve educational opportunities and success for all students. The specific outcomes will include eleven innovative upper-division course sequences (each sequence comprising two four-credit courses offered during consecutive terms). Each two-course sequence will include a laboratory, practical, or field experience. Existing courses will be refined or replaced in order to create courses that involve students in an in-depth examination of a particular theme or project (e.g., Water in the Environment or The Science of the Atmosphere). The evaluation plan will produce objective qualitative and quantitative data to gauge the project's effectiveness as a model of systemic reform.