HSI Conference: Catalyzing Progress in Undergraduate STEM Education with Insights from Midwestern HSIs

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A conference on enhancing undergraduate STEM education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions will be organized and hosted at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) in Chicago, Illinois. The conference will attract participants from regional public two-year and four-year public and private Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the Midwest. The conference will weave together two intersecting threads: 1) Best practices in STEM pedagogy, and 2) HSI identity. A particular focus will be students' transition points and momentum points (academic achievements that tend to propel a student forward). These transition points include K-12 to college, two-year to four-year, four-year to graduate school, and military service to college. The conference was proposed in response to a Dear Colleague Letter (17-092 - Improving Undergraduate STEM Education in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs)) issued by the National Science Foundation (NSF) calling for submission of conference proposals to inform the design of NSF's new Hispanic-Serving Institution program, to be established in fiscal year 2018.Through keynote speakers, panels, workshops, lectures, and breakout sessions, the conference will integrate the two threads by exploring tested practices in STEM education and pedagogy, and identifying issues related to HSI identity, including opportunities, needs, and challenges faced by these institutions. The overarching goal of the conference will be to explore potential actionable solutions to challenges and opportunities in undergraduate STEM education at HSIs. By identifying best practices, novel pedagogical approaches, and diverse institutional strategies, as well as providing a medium to catalyze networking and collaborative initiatives among regional HSIs, the proposed conference will contribute in important ways to the enhancement and improvement of STEM educational activities. Participants will include institutional leaders, department chairs,