STEM Communities Learning Assistant program Events for CoSE Faculty

May 15-21, 2004 9am-4pm, Ingram Hall 

Who Can Attend:
Learning Assistants and Faculty who have taught or will teach courses that will have LA support in the next academic year: BIO 1330, BIO 1331, CHEM 1320 and CHEM 1341, PHYS  1335, and PHYS 1345.

Goals for the Summer Institute is for participants to:

- Reflect on how your team's work has been going for the past year(s), and identify strengths and areas of
improvement.
-Continue to develop a shared vision for your team’s evolving instructional approach, including content and pedagogy, by working on goals provided by your team leaders.
-Engage with the project leaders and other teams to think about cross-disciplinary challenges and opportunities related to your course.

1. Share and learn from instructional practices that members of our community have experienced and/or implemented.
2. Challenge yourselves to generate new ways to enhance community-building among our students that are inspired by educational theory and research, including at least one specific new pedagogical change to try out in Fall 2024 that aims to be culturally relevant / responsive / sustaining, with the goal of improving students’ academic performance and sense of belonging.
3. Share specific successes, challenges, and other takeaways from your team’s work during the Summer Institute with other teams, and get feedback on what you share.

May 18-24, 2023 9am-4pm, Ingram Hall 

Who Can Attend:
Learning Assistants Faculty who have taught or will teach courses that will have LA support in the next academic year: BIO 1330, BIO 1331, CHEM 1341, CHEM 3375, PHYS  1335, and PHYS 1345

Goals for the Summer Institute is for participants to:

- Reflect on how your team's work has been going for the past year(s), and identify strengths and areas of
improvement.
-Continue to develop a shared vision for your team's evolving instructional approach, including content and
pedagogy.
-Map out alignment between your key concepts, activities, and assessments, and identify strengths and areas of improvement; or work on goals set by your
team leaders:
     -BIO 1330: Work on refining the first month of the course to better onboard students, and consider alignment with upper-division course expectations.
     -BIO 1331: Continue to work on aligning course assessments with the course concept map and course objectives, and consider alignment with upper-division course expectations.
-Engage with other teams and project leaders in thinking about challenges and opportunities related to your course redesign.
-Share successes and takeaways from your course redesign work with other teams and the broader university community.

Thursday, November 10, 2022, 2:00 – 3:00 PM, Comal 103 (in person).

44% of students at Texas State identify as first-generation college students. In this session, we will facilitate an open-formatted dialogue amongst faculty and students to discuss “first-generation” student experiences in STEM. Participants will hear stories from students and faculty who identify as first-generation college students and share their own personal narratives. We will discuss the significance of attending an HSI, how our interests for STEM came to fruition, our cultural histories / backgrounds, and how all these relate to our experiences in the classroom. We will end by considering how this experiential knowledge can help us to create positive learning environments in our classrooms. Participants will leave with a better sense of first-generation STEM student experiences and how they can support first-generation STEM students in the classroom.

Thursday, October 20, 2022, 2:00 – 3:00 PM, In Person.

Higher education is a multifaceted experience where students not only learn in classrooms, but through various student organizations, clubs, and intramurals. This educational experience cultivates more holistic individuals. This event is an open-formatted discussion with various STEM-majored student leaders involved with extracurricular activities. Through the use of story-telling as an instructional tool to (re)construct instructional environments and resources, participants will leave with a broader perspective of students’ interests and motivations for learning.

Thursday, October 6, 2022, 2:00 – 3:15 PM, Online.

Following remote instruction, how can instructors (re)discover their students’ strengths and motivations for learning? And while content has not significantly changed, how might instruction be (re)adjusted for today’s students? Metacognition is the process of “thinking about our own thinking,” and is a critical skill for learning. In this event, we will learn about the stages of metacognition and how instructors can (re)enforce it within STEM classrooms. A focus on metacognition can help students recognize their strengths and identify skills they can develop. Participants will leave with examples of how to support students' metacognition through instruction.

May 18-27, 2022 (Ingram Hall) 

Participants: Learning Assistants and Faculty who have taught or will teach courses that will have LA support in the next academic year.

Goals for New Teams:

• Establish a shared vision for how your team will work together to improve a course. 
• Start to establish a shared vision for your revised instructional approach, including content and pedagogy.
• Prepare student-centered activities to be included in the first few weeks of your course.
• Try out implementing one of your activities and receive constructive feedback from the project team and other course redesign teams.

Goals for Returning Teams

• Establish a shared vision for how your team will work together to improve a course. 
• Start to establish a shared vision for your revised instructional approach, including content and pedagogy.
• Prepare student-centered activities to be included in the first few weeks of your course.
• Try out implementing one of your activities and receive constructive feedback from the project team and other course redesign teams.

Thursday, April 21, 2022, 2:00 – 3:20 PM

In this session, we will discuss stereotype threat, implicit bias, and microaggressions in the classroom. In particular, we will consider how their existence within STEM fields impacts our efforts to create interactive, culturally responsive, and inclusive learning environments. We will consider ways to mitigate stereotype threat, counteract implicit bias, and dissect and respond to microaggressions. Our aim is to educate ourselves about how we can practice allyship to support our students’ success.

Thursday, March 24, 2022, 2:00 – 3:20 PM

In this session, we will unpack what makes us unique and consider how our identity influences our interactions with students. We will then consider instructional strategies we can implement in our classes that create opportunities for students to share about their own identities and enhance their sense of belonging.

Thursday, February 17, 2022, 2:00 – 3:20 pm 

In our first professional development session of the semester, we will discuss traditional, progressive, and culturally responsive pedagogies and consider the different ways that our instruction draws on these paradigms. We will then consider the distinctive affordances that culturally responsive teaching can bring for our students and classroom environments. We will leave with a deeper understanding of our own teaching practices and what we can improve on in the coming semester.

Multiple dates during Spring 2022

Are you looking for a way to network with other faculty to support STEM students in the classroom? Or are you curious about how other faculty are implementing innovative STEM instructional practices? This semester, we will facilitate several communities of practice among STEM faculty, centered on learning about inclusive and equitable STEM instruction. Each community will build a shared vision about how to address a specific set of challenges related to STEM instruction by drawing on STEM education research and sharing their expertise. By the end of the semester, our aim is to be able to share resources from these groups with the broader Texas State and STEM instructor community. These groups will meet bi-weekly and times will be scheduled based on your availability. If you are interested in expanding your instructional practice and building lasting relationships with peers, this is for you! Sign up here by January 28 to let us know that you are interested and when you are available.

November 18, 2021, 2:00 - 3:20 PM

In this session, we will discuss stereotype threat, implicit bias, and microaggressions in the classroom. In particular, we will consider how their existence within STEM fields impacts our efforts to create interactive, culturally responsive, and inclusive learning environments. We will consider ways to mitigate stereotype threat, counteract implicit bias, and dissect and respond to microaggressions. Our aim is to educate ourselves about how we can practice allyship to support our students’ success.

October 21, 2021, 2:00 - 3:20 PM

How can we draw on our identities and navigate identity differences to build meaningful relationships with students and promote inclusive learning environments? In this session, we will unpack what makes us unique and consider how our identity influences our interactions with students. We will then consider instructional strategies we can implement in our classes that create opportunities for students to share about their own identities and enhance their sense of belonging.

September 23, 2021, 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Join us for an opportunity to hear about our Department Instructional Assessment (DIA) process. We are recruiting new faculty teams who are willing to learn more about their students and potential inequities present in the courses of interest, which will be helpful in creating inclusive and student-centered classrooms. We will discuss what the DIA process entails, what our project team can offer, and the initial application process.

September 27, 2021, 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Join us for an opportunity to hear about our Department Instructional Assessment (DIA) process. We are recruiting new faculty teams who are willing to learn more about their students and potential inequities present in the courses of interest, which will be helpful in creating inclusive and student-centered classrooms. We will discuss what the DIA process entails, what our project team can offer, and the initial application process.

September 16, 2021, 2:00-3:30 PM

In our first professional development session of the semester, we will discuss traditional and progressive philosophies of education and consider the different ways that our instruction fits in these paradigms. We will then consider the distinctive affordances that culturally responsive teaching can bring for our students. We will leave with a deeper understanding of our own teaching practices and what we can improve on in the coming semester.

September 9, 2021, 2:00-3:30 PM

Are you a new faculty member in the College of Science and Engineering? Have you heard about the STEM Communities project from colleagues but haven't participated in our events yet? This event is for you! Come and learn about what the STEM Communities project is and the many ways you can become involved. Participants can also join us afterwards for an informal, in person, social gathering.

May 19-28, 2021 (VIA Zoom)

Participation from all faculty and students (Learning Assistants) who will be engaged in a multi-semester, team-based course redesign process with the STEM Communities project -- as discussed above -- is strongly encouraged. Please contact your team leader or our project team (STEMCommunities@txstate.edu) with questions.

Participating teams will:

1. Establish a shared vision for how your team will work together to improve a course; 
2. Establish a shared vision for your revised instructional approach, including (a) prioritizing course goals and (b) identifying key pedagogical changes;
3. Prepare student-centered activities to be included in the first few weeks of your course; and
4. Try out implementing one of your activities and receive constructive feedback from the project team and other course redesign teams

April 29, 2021, 2:00 - 3:30 PM

Join us in this community support session as we celebrate our successes this Spring semester. We will also discuss our next steps in transitioning and going into Summer.

April 15, 2021, 3:30 - 5:00 PM

In this final session of the series, teams will debrief the peer observations and discuss what we can improve in our teaching based on peer observations. Faculty will leave with an understanding of COPUS profiles and an increased awareness of their own instructional profile.

April 8, 2021, 2:00 - 3:30 PM

In this session, we will learn how to use case studies as a way to transform our teaching activities to become more relevant to students' interests. Faculty will leave with strategies and resources they can use to adapt case studies to their teaching objectives.

View our padlet with resources

April 1, 2021, 3:30 - 5:00 PM

Please join us this Thursday for a working session on COPUS. We will practice coding a video-recording of a Zoom class. Faculty teams will then use the remainder of the time coding video recordings of their own classes.

March 25, 2021, 3:30 - 5:00 PM

Join us for Part 1 of a 3-part series on building peer mentorship. In this session, we will explore the reasons why peer observations can improve our teaching. Over the next 3 sessions, we will learn classroom observation techniques and have opportunities to observe one another's teaching, and give and receive feedback.

View our padlet with resources

March 11, 2021, 2:00 - 3:30 PM

In this session, we will unpack first-generation LatinX student experiences. Faculty will learn ways to support first-generation Latinx students by hearing from a student panel, as well as considering recommendations from other local Texas State experts. Faculty will also leave with a toolkit of resources that they can explore further.

View our padlet with resources

February 11, 2021, 3:30 - 5:00 PM

In this session, faculty will gain an increased awareness of problematic assumptions regarding students’ learning behaviors and abilities and generate ways to counteract these assumptions.

January 28, 2021, 2:00 - 3:30 PM

Join us in this Community Support Session as we check in on one another's first week. We will discuss challenges we anticipate this Spring semester and collectively find ways to keep the community alive throughout the semester.

January 13, 2021, 2:00 - 3:30 PM

In this Coffee Hour, we will share our successes from Fall 2020. We will share and brainstorm strategies we use(d) to keep students' online engagement. Faculty will leave with a portfolio of tools that can be used in an online classroom.

November 16 / 19, 2020

November 9 / 12, 2020

October 29 / November 2, 2020

October 22 / 26, 2020

Over the course of 4 sessions, we will learn strategies for observing and giving useful feedback on teaching and apply them in STEM instructional contexts. We will have opportunities to observe one another’s teaching, reflect on student learning, and adjust our instructional approaches based on the feedback we receive. Faculty will leave with a basic understanding of how to use a variety of peer review of teaching protocols. We recommend bringing a colleague to work with, or you may partner up with other attendees.

View our padlet with resources

October 8, 2020

September 24 / 28, 2020

Interested in learning about how minoritized students are faring in your courses? Looking to strengthen relationships with your department colleagues?

We will give a short presentation on what kinds of student data collection and analysis our project team is offering to do in collaboration with you and your department colleagues. We will then open up a discussion about how you can form a department team and start working with the STEM Communities Project team. You will leave these workshops with a clear idea of what next steps you can take to form your teaching dream team with your colleagues and receive support from us.

All CoSE faculty, regardless of whether you attend these events, are invited to submit an initial questionnaire to indicate your interest in participating in our department instructional assessment process. 

September 21, 2020, 3:30 - 5:00 PM

Part 2 of a 2-part series.

September 14, 2020, 3:30 - 5:00 PM

Our racially minoritized learners often feel out of place in STEM. How do we become more culturally responsive in our instruction and cultivate their sense of belonging?

We will focus on culturally responsive teaching practices and how we can apply them in our STEM classrooms. You will leave with a list of instruction and student behaviors that you can look for and use to guide improvements to your own classroom. We will practice looking for these behaviors together using a video of an instructor and STEM learners.

August 31, 2020, 4:00 - 5:00 PM

This session is the continuation of our first event First Day Hacks: Strategies to Get to Know Our Students Better. We will briefly recall the strategies we discussed previously and discuss two new strategies we can use in getting to know our students.

August 18, 2020

August 11, 2020, 2:00- 3:30 PM

In this session, we will learn the importance of the identities we and our learners bring to the classroom and how they influence our teaching/learning. We will focus on strategies we can use on the first day of classes to get to know our students better.

June 10, 2020, 12:30 - 2:00 PM

We will discuss the article Does STEM Stand Out? Examining Racial/Ethnic Gaps in Persistence Across Postsecondary Fields by Riegle-Crumb et al., 2019 and brainstorm actions we can take to support Black STEM students at Texas State and in the surrounding community. While our goal is to focus this conversation on supporting Black students in STEM, we believe that many of the actions in support of this goal will also benefit students from other minoritized groups, particularly Latinx students. We encourage you to read the article ahead of time, but will also summarize it for those of you who are not able to do so. All CoSE faculty are welcome; white faculty are particularly encouraged to attend.

We are planning this gathering in conjunction with the national #ShutDownSTEM movement, which encourages non-Black academics, particularly white academics, to take this Wednesday to self-educate about anti-Black bias in the world and in academia, and to advocate for changes in their communities. This movement also encourages Black academics to take the day to do whatever feels appropriate and regenerative for them.

The STEM Communities project overall aims to cultivate learning about, and to be responsive to, STEM students’ experiences in our classrooms and outside of them. We recognize that the recent national protests will resonate with many of our Black students, and hope that by coming together as a community of STEM faculty to read, listen, and learn, we may gain a better understanding of Black students’ experiences and identify ways to better support them through our daily work.

May 18-22, 2020

April 16, 2020

April 8, 2020

March 5, 2020, 9:00 AM

Our series of events about STEM teaching continues tomorrow, March 5, at 9 AM in LAMP 407A with a discussion of research measuring students developing science identity and how that varies with gender, race, and ethnicity. We will begin with a summary of the attached article.  Please join us to share a cup of coffee and your experiences working with Texas State students. 

Read the article

February 28, 2020

November 22, 2019, 2:30 - 3:50 PM

This interactive session will invite STEM faculty to provide input on the recently-funded, 5-year NSF grant: “Creating Faculty-Student Communities for Culturally Relevant Institutional Change.” The project is focused on supporting improvements to undergraduate instruction within the College of Science and Engineering. A project overview will be provided, followed by a discussion about possible early project activities. All STEM faculty are welcome to attend. RSVP to STEMCommunities@txstate.edu is encouraged but not required.

October 30, 2019, 2:00 - 3:20 PM

This interactive session will invite STEM faculty to provide input on the recently-funded, 5-year NSF grant: “Creating Faculty-Student Communities for Culturally Relevant Institutional Change.” The project is focused on supporting improvements to undergraduate instruction within the College of Science and Engineering. A project overview will be provided, followed by a discussion about possible early project activities. All STEM faculty are welcome to attend. RSVP to STEMCommunities@txstate.edu is encouraged but not required.