Longitudinal outcomes of a large-scale implementation of the discipline-based education specialist model: the legacy of the Science Education Initiative

The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (cwsei.ubc.ca) transformed teaching and learning in the mathematics and science departments at the University of British Columbia (UBC) over the period of 2007-2017, with a core mechanism of the change being the introduction of discipline-based education specialists. These specialists were embedded in departments to partner with faculty on bringing research-informed teaching practices into courses and evaluating their impact on student learning. While aspects of this model at UBC and the University of Colorado Boulder have been shared at previous Transforming Institutions meetings, this presentation will add to these by highlighting a series of key outcomes from the UBC initiative, including: Teaching Transformation, with substantial uptake among our faculty and new practices sustained to a high degree; Student Outcomes, with longitudinal improvement in grades and retention in STEM programs; and Broader Impact beyond UBC, via research publications, meaningful career trajectories for the specialists, and the adoption of this model at a number of other institutions. Post-initiative activities at UBC include a paired teaching program to incorporate subsequent hires and an evolution of the embedded specialist model on our campus and elsewhere. Approaches to evaluation in each of these areas as well as high-level estimates of costs versus impact will be discussed.