Change at the Core: A Collaborative Model for Undergraduate STEM Education Reform

核心变革（C-Core）是一个多学科、跨机构的项目，正在改变西华盛顿大学（WWU）、Whatcom社区学院（WCC）和斯卡吉特山谷学院（SVC）的本科STEM教育。C-Core通过在每个机构和每个STEM部门培养一批理解并定期使用循证教学实践的STEM教师，提高学生在STEM领域的参与度、学习能力和成功程度。参与者包括教职员工、系主任、院长和助教，他们正在成为变革的推动者。为了实现项目目标，参与者和项目工作人员正在为转变本科STEM教育创造一个共同的愿景和模式。该模式包括基于证据的实践暑期学院，随后是专业学习社区（plc），以支持整个学年的实施。学院和plc也专注于实施战略，以促进代表性不足的少数民族（URM）学生在STEM领域取得成功。学习评估（AL）是C-Core的总体框架，以学生为中心的策略为支持，如同侪学习、翻转课堂和真实的研究经验。C-Core正在为两年制和四年制院校创造有关组织变革的新知识，包括协调机构和部门的政策和实践，以支持以学生为中心的学习，使用plc和变革推动者，以基于证据的实践创造一批教师，促进教师实践和信念的积极和持久的变化，以及提高URM学生的成功和对STEM课程、专业和职业的兴趣。严格的评价和传播计划使C-Core成为涉及两年制和四年制院校的机构改革的适应模式。为了提高URM学生在STEM领域的参与度、保留率和成功度，C-Core正与高中到大学的桥梁项目合作，招募更多URM学生进入STEM专业，并利用研究机会、辅导和学生俱乐部来促进学业成功。此外，教师们正在接受培训，以解决孤立、文化和身份问题，作为支持URM学生在STEM领域取得成功的方法。为了在区域和全国范围内传播C-Core模型，世界自然大学、世界科学中心和生命科学中心正与其他机构直接合作，与万花筒项目（PKAL）、科学教育资源中心（SERC）和本科生生命科学教育伙伴关系（PULSE）等学科组织和网络合作，在专业学会会议上举办研讨会，并开发“核心变革”网络研讨会系列。

Change at the Core (C-Core) is a multi-disciplinary, inter-institutional project that is transforming undergraduate STEM education at Western Washington University (WWU), Whatcom Community College (WCC), and Skagit Valley College (SVC). C-Core is improving student engagement, learning, and success in STEM by creating a critical mass of STEM faculty at each institution and in each STEM department who understand and regularly use evidence-based teaching and learning practices. Participants include faculty members, department chairs, deans, and teaching assistants, who are becoming agents of change.To achieve project goals, participants and project staff are creating a shared vision and model for transforming undergraduate STEM education. This model includes Summer Institutes on evidence-based practices, followed by professional learning communities (PLCs) to support implementation over the academic year. Institutes and PLCs are also focusing on implementation of strategies to promote underrepresented minority (URM) students' success in STEM. Assessment for Learning (AL) is C-Core's overarching framework, supported by student-centered strategies such as peer-learning, flipped classrooms, and authentic research experiences. C-Core is generating new knowledge about organizational change at both two- and four-year institutions including alignment of institutional and departmental policies and practices to support student-centered learning, use of PLCs and change agents to create a critical mass of faculty using evidence-based practices, promotion of positive and lasting changes in faculty practices and beliefs, and improvement of URM student success and interest in STEM courses, majors, and careers. Rigorous evaluation and dissemination plans are enabling C-Core to become an adaptive model for institutional reform involving two- and four-year institutions.To increase participation, retention and success of URM students in STEM, C-Core is partnering with high school-to-college bridge programs to recruit more URM students into STEM majors and leverage research opportunities, tutoring, and student clubs to promote academic success. Additionally, faculty are being trained to address issues of isolation, culture, and identity as ways to support URM student success in STEM. To disseminate the C-Core model regionally and nationally, WWU, WCC, and SVC are working directly with other institutions, collaborating with disciplinary-based organizations and networks such as Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), the Science Education Resource Center (SERC), and Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE), conducting workshops at professional society meetings, and developing a Change at the Core Webinar series.