Aligning Institutional Programs to Improve STEM Education to the National Landscape: Insights from the Coalition for the Reform of Undergraduate STEM Education (CRUSE)

Effective and equitable policies and practices are critical for cultivating an institutional culture in which efforts to improve undergraduate STEM education can thrive. In this symposium, participants will explore key institutional types, levels, stakeholders, and mechanisms being used to support equitable learning for all members of the campus community, and consider how these campus-based efforts align with and contribute to a landscape of national work.

Since 2011, The Coalition for the Reform of Undergraduate STEM Education (CRUSE) has worked to align and coordinate national associations and societies efforts to support the widespread and sustained adoption of high-structured evidence-based teaching practices in undergraduate STEM courses that are known to be especially powerful for increasing the learning and success of students historically marginalized (e.g., women, students from racial or ethnic minority groups, first-generation college students, and students from low-income backgrounds) in higher education. The members of CRUSE have also focused on creating more student-centered educational environments by identifying and dismantling inequitable structures and practices in academia. Representatives from CRUSE will draw from our experiences working in multiple academic and administrative roles, institution types, and higher education associations to facilitate the workshop session.