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

波特兰州立大学发起了一项全机构范围的改革努力，作为其他学院和大学的潜在模式，引起了全国的关注。 改革的核心是大学学习方案，其中包括所有学生的普通教育课程。 在整个改革过程中，不断努力提高所有学生的科学素养，并开发和评估科学、数学、工程和技术领域的教学和学习创新方法，这些都是课程改革的催化剂和指南。 在三年的资助期内，拟议的科学基石项目将通过建立跨学科课程的灵活框架来加强和扩展这些努力，旨在为科学，数学，工程和技术以外的专业学生实现科学素养。 这个项目反映了大学的使命作为一个城市机构服务于不同的人口，以提高教育机会和所有学生的成功。 具体成果将包括11个创新的高年级课程序列（每个序列包括两个连续学期提供的四学分课程）。 每个两门课程的序列将包括实验室，实践或现场经验。 现有的课程将被完善或取代，以创建让学生深入研究特定主题或项目的课程（例如，环境中的水或大气科学）。 评价计划将产生客观的定性和定量数据，以衡量该项目作为系统改革模式的有效性。

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.