The future of STEM education: Preparing the next generation of faculty

COFFEE_KLATCH · Invited

Abstract

More than 80\% of future STEM faculty that will teach the next generation in the 4,500+ institutions of higher education in the US receive their PhDs at fewer than 100 institutions. Preparing graduate students and postdocs now to use evidence-based instruction, active-learning, and effective teaching practices can change he future of higher education. We discuss the model of the Center for the Integration of Research Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) Network, a coalition of 22 universities preparing future faculty. To scale and reach the more than 43,000 STEM PhDs that graduate each year and 20,000 that take postdoctoral positions, we created a massive open online course, ``An Introduction to Evidence-based Undergraduate STEM Teaching.'' Remarkably, 50\% of postdocs and nearly 40\% of graduate students who signed up completed the course, demonstrating a significant need and success at serving our target audience.

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Authors

  • Andrew Duffy

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Central Connecticut State University, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, Wheaton College, Harvard University, Physics Department, Boston University, Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston University, Physics Department, Boston University, Electrical Engineering Department, Boston University, Biomedical Engineering Department, Boston University, Mechanical Engineering Department, Kirensky Institute of Physics, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Northeastern University, Rochester University, Boston University, Bridgewater State University