Redesigning STEM Culture. Advancing Institutional Transformation Through Faculty Professional Development for (JEDI-focused) Inclusive Teaching Excellence

This poster highlights a multi-year faculty development initiative designed to foster departmental and institutional transformation in STEM education at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Centered in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), the project aims to build faculty capacity and self-efficacy to implement inclusive, culturally sustaining teaching practices that address perpetual disparities in STEM degree completion for historically underrepresented student groups.

Our institution enrolls a student population that identifies as 61% female, 73% students of color, and 41% first generation college students. Recent retention efforts have improved overall first-year persistence in STEM; however, significant attrition persists as students matriculate from sophomore to senior status. These outcomes mirror national data. Our initiatives seek to leverage faculty professional development strategically for systemic change in teaching and learning.

Faculty cohorts engage in an intensive year-long professional development that includes bi-weekly online modules, in-person faculty sessions, curriculum redesign focused on gateway courses, and reflection through focus interviews. To assess impact, faculty participants complete pre- and post-assessments using validated instruments: the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (CRTSE) and the Culturally Responsive Teaching Outcome Expectancy Scale (CRTOE) to evaluate shifts in mindset and instructional practices.

Preliminary results demonstrate an 80% increase in teaching self-efficacy for biology, chemistry, and mathematics faculty. Moreover, successful curricular revisions and preliminary integration of culturally sustaining pedagogy have been reported. Ongoing participation from faculty in physics, computer science, and biology has expanded institutional reach and fostered cross-departmental collaborations.

By prioritizing faculty development in the natural sciences division as a catalyst for transformation, this project offers a replicable model for other academic departments seeking to embed inclusive teaching practices that lead to systemic change.