HBCU-UP Implementation Project: Student-Centered Active Learning and Assessment Reform (SCALAR) at Florida A&M University

Faculty #45
Discipline: Science & Mathematics Education
Subcategory: STEM Science and Mathematics Education

Maurice Edington - Florida A&M University
Co-Author(s): Lewis Johnson, Desmond Stephens, Charles Weatherford, and Shanalee Gallimore, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL

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This presentation will highlight key results from Florida A&M Universitys (FAMU) HBCU-UP Implementation project Student-Centered Active Learning and Assessment Reform (SCALAR). The goal of the SCALAR project is to significantly enhance the overall quality of the STEM educational experience at FAMU by revamping the institutional approach for educating STEM students in lower-division courses offered by the recently established College of Science and Technology. By targeting lower-division gatekeeper courses, SCALAR seeks to improve teaching and learning in courses taken primarily by first and second year students, thereby strengthening their foundational knowledge and better preparing them for the rigor of upper division study. The presentation will highlight key project strategies and present data and results demonstrating how the project has increased student success. Specific project activities that will be discussed include faculty development efforts designed to increase faculty use of active/collaborative learning techniques, effective methods for assessing and enhancing critical thinking skills, and the use of Learning Assistants to improve student performance.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU) Grant award HRD-1332520

Faculty Advisor: None Listed,