University of Michigan’s Tim McKay will present a review of research on teaching foundational STEM courses at research universities on March 7 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in Jorgensen Hall, Room 136. "Equity and Efficacy: Why Structural Change is Needed in Intro STEM Courses" is open to campus with no registration required.
McKay will focus on new multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary results from the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses collaboration, and will argue that increasing the efficacy and equity of these courses requires structural change.
He will also argue that foundational STEM courses at research universities often adopt a shared set of structures, including large class sizes, passive lectures, high stakes, inauthentic examinations, extensive content coverage, and more. Decades of research suggest that many of these structures are both less effective and less equitable than alternative approaches. Continued reliance on them has earned these courses a long-standing, nation-wide reputation as exclusionary; as driving away capable students interested in STEM disciplines; and as constructing inequitable barriers to success for a variety of student groups.
McKay is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of physics, astronomy, education, and associate dean for undergraduate education at the University of Michigan. He joined the faculty in 1995. He received a bachelor's of science in physics from Temple University, where he was a first-generation, commuter student, and earned his doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago.
Questions about the event should be directed to Nick Monk at nmonk@unl.edu.
More details at: https://go.unl.edu/mckay