Santangelo Jessica, Hobbie Lawrence, Lee Jacqueline, Pullin Michael, Villa-Cuesta Eugenia, Hyslop Alison
Hofstra University, 1000 Hempstead Turnpike, Hempstead, NY 11549 USA.
Adelphi University, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530 USA.
Int J STEM Educ. 2021;8(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s40594-020-00262-z. Epub 2021 Jan 29.
Transforming the culture of STEM higher education to be more inclusive and help more students reach STEM careers is challenging. Herein, we describe a new model for STEM higher education transformation, the Sustainable, Transformative Engagement across a Multi-Institution/Multidisciplinary STEM, (STEM), "STEM-squared", Network. The Network embraces a pathways model, as opposed to a pipeline model, to STEM career entry. It is founded upon three strong theoretical frameworks: Communities of Transformation, systems design for organizational change, and emergent outcomes for the diffusion of innovations in STEM education. Currently composed of five institutions-three private 4-year universities and two public community colleges-the Network capitalizes on the close geographic proximity and shared student demographics to effect change across the classroom, disciplinary, institutional, and inter-institutional levels.
The (STEM) Network has increased the extent to which participants feel empowered to be change agents for STEM higher education reform and has increased collaboration across disciplines and institutions. Participants were motivated to join the Network to improve STEM education, to improve the transfer student experience, to collaborate with colleagues across disciplines and institutions, and because they respected the leadership team. Participants continue to engage in the Network because of the collaborations created, opportunities for professional growth, opportunities to improve STEM education, and a sense that the Network is functioning as intended.
The goal to increase the number and diversity of people entering STEM careers is predicated on transforming the STEM higher education system to embrace a pathways model to a STEM career. The (STEM) Network is achieving this by empowering faculty to transform the system from the inside. While the systemic transformation of STEM higher education is challenging, the (STEM) Network directly addresses those challenges by bridging disciplinary and institutional silos and leveraging the reward structure of the current system to support faculty as they work to transform this very system.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40594-020-00262-z.
将STEM高等教育文化转变为更具包容性并帮助更多学生进入STEM职业领域具有挑战性。在此，我们描述了一种STEM高等教育转型的新模式，即跨多机构/多学科STEM的可持续、变革性参与（“STEM平方”）网络。该网络采用通往STEM职业的路径模式，而非管道模式。它基于三个强大的理论框架：变革社区、组织变革的系统设计以及STEM教育创新传播的涌现成果。该网络目前由五所机构组成——三所私立四年制大学和两所公立社区学院——利用紧密的地理位置和共享的学生人口统计数据，在课堂、学科、机构和机构间层面实现变革。
（STEM）网络增强了参与者成为STEM高等教育改革变革推动者的能力感，并增加了跨学科和机构的合作。参与者加入该网络的动机是改善STEM教育、提升转学生体验、与跨学科和机构的同事合作，以及因为他们尊重领导团队。由于建立了合作关系、提供了职业发展机会、改善STEM教育的机会，以及网络按预期运作的感觉，参与者继续参与该网络。
增加进入STEM职业领域的人数和多样性的目标，取决于将STEM高等教育系统转变为采用通往STEM职业的路径模式。（STEM）网络通过赋予教师从内部改变系统的权力来实现这一目标。虽然STEM高等教育的系统转型具有挑战性，但（STEM）网络通过弥合学科和机构的隔阂，并利用当前系统的奖励结构来支持教师努力变革这一系统，直接应对了这些挑战。
在线版本包含可在10.1186/s40594-020-00262-z获取的补充材料。
