RCN-UBE Incubator: Creating a Multi-Institution and -Disciplinary STEM Network to Improve Undergraduate Biology Education

跨多机构/多学科STEM（STEM）^2（“STEM平方”）网络的可持续，变革性参与将是一个区域性组织，旨在提高生物学专业的学术成功，包括那些从社区学院过渡到四年制院校的学生。（STEM）^2网络将连接生物学、化学和数学学科，以及参与的两年制和四年制院校之间存在的障碍。该网络方法的多学科性质将使其影响超出生物学范围，而将公立两年制和私立四年制学校包括在内将确保其成果适用于各类机构。该网络将在现有的支持STEM教育改革的组织中是独一无二的，因为1）重点将是确定跨学科课程和教育合作的领域; 2）多层次的方法将针对个人的课堂行为，跨学科的课程合作和创新的制度化。因此，它将使教师成为STEM改革的变革推动者，为研究和教育创造新的方向。预计学生的学术成功和保留率将增加，这反过来将有助于满足对更大和更多样化的STEM劳动力的需求。（STEM）^2网络将使用一系列协作工作室研讨会来实现以下总体目标：1）促进区域公立社区学院和四年制私立机构之间的合作; 2）赋予教师创造课堂之外的变革的能力;以及3）在本科生物学专业遇到的STEM学科之间建立持久的教学合作。该网络的理论基础包括组织变革的系统设计，STEM创新扩散的紧急结果模型，以及转型社区的基本原则。参与者将调整生物学，化学和数学学科的指导性教育文件，以鼓励跨学科合作。他们将通过开发机构系统地图来直接加强本科生物学教育，以战略性地确定可持续变革的机会。（STEM）^2网络将通过从工业/组织心理学的角度记录网络的发展以及对跨学科交流与合作、机构结构和教师态度的评估来促进知识的产生，以促进本科生物学教育的变革。该项目的共同资助由改善本科STEM教育（IUSE：EHR）计划提供，以表彰该项目与IUSE：EHR计划的总体目标的一致性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Sustainable, Transformative Engagement across a Multi-Institution/Multidisciplinary STEM, (STEM)^2 ("STEM-squared"), Network will be a regional group that aims to increase the academic success of biology majors including those who transition from community colleges to four-year institutions. The (STEM)^2 Network will bridge the disciplines of biology, chemistry, and math, as well as the barriers that exist between the participating two- and four-year institutions. The multidisciplinary nature of the Network's approach will extend its impact beyond biology, while the inclusion of public two-year and private four-year schools will ensure that outcomes are applicable across institution types. The network will be unique among the organizations that exist to support STEM education reform because 1) the focus will be on identifying areas for interdisciplinary curricular and educational collaborations; and 2) the multilevel approach will target individual classroom behaviors, curricular collaboration across disciplines, and institutionalization of innovations. As such, it will empower faculty to be change agents for STEM reform, creating new directions in research and education. It is anticipated that student academic success and retention will increase which, in turn, will help meet the need for a larger and more diverse STEM workforce.The (STEM)^2 Network will use a series of collaborative studio workshops to achieve the overarching goals of 1) promoting collaboration between regional public community colleges and four-year private institutions; 2) empowering faculty to create change beyond their classrooms; and 3) creating enduring pedagogical collaborations across STEM disciplines encountered by undergraduate biology majors. The theoretical foundations of the network include systems design for organizational change, an emergent outcomes model for diffusion of STEM innovations, and the principles underlying Communities of Transformation. Participants will align the guiding educational documents of the disciplines of biology, chemistry, and math to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration. They will directly enhance undergraduate biology education by developing institutional systems maps to strategically identify opportunities for sustainable change. The (STEM)^2 Network will contribute to knowledge generation by documenting the development of the network from an industrial/organizational psychology perspective and assessment of interdisciplinary communication and collaboration, institutional structures, and faculty attitudes to catalyze change in undergraduate biology education. Co-funding for this project is being provided by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE: EHR) program in recognition of the project's alignment with the overarching goals of the IUSE: EHR program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.