ABSTRACT: 2015 ELATE Institutional Action Project Poster Symposium
Project Title: A Fellowship Program in STEM Higher Education
Name and Institution: Risa Robinson, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Collaborators: Edward Hensel, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Michael
Eastman, Dept. Head for Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering
Technology, Nicole Boulais Assoc. V.P. in the Division of Student Affairs.
Challenge and Opportunity: The ME Department has awarded more BS degrees annually than any
program across the four STEM colleges at RIT for each of the past five years. The ME department excels
at student advising, student monitoring, and intervention and has among the highest first year
persistence of any academic program at RIT, a rate in excess of 90% for a decade. A well-defined
curriculum and mature process of assessment has grown over the last 10 years to maintain consistent
quality in the face of growing faculty, increased emphasis on research and class sizes that repeatedly
exceed the target enrollment. The culture in the ME department is one of inclusion and teamwork,
where the curriculum is managed by shared faculty leadership with transparency and consensus. RIT has
demonstrated a clear and sustained commitment of effort, personnel and infra-structure to enhancing
student learning, and is well positioned to take on the challenges facing 21st century higher education.
Among these challenges are changing student demographics. Students from more diverse backgrounds
will be entering STEM programs with needs, expectations and preparation quite different from that
which faculty have become accustomed. The vision of this institute action project (IAP) is to achieve a
paradigm shift in the mindset of faculty from one that believes “we must prepare students for our
classroom,” to one that believes “we must prepare our classroom for students.”
Objectives: The objective of this IAP is to establish a multi-faceted fellowship program in STEM higher
education that engages faculty and doctoral students in a blended set of activities, developed by experts
in STEM education to prepare innovative engineering graduates who are responsive to 21st Century
national priorities and grand challenges.
Approach: The proposed framework for the fellowship program includes 12 modules of one semester
credit each, delivered in a blended format of video vignettes, teaching practice, on-campus sessions,
learning communities and peer mentoring. Fellows will be guided through extensive literature to
examine the existing beliefs of STEM faculty entrenched in a traditional teaching paradigm and
transition them to an understanding and implementation of practices based on prevailing educational
research. The first class of fellows will be recruited from RIT faculty and PhD students. The program will
ultimately be marketed to universities nationwide.
Outcomes and Evaluation: The fellowship program will infuse knowledge in an efficient, self-paced
manner, allowing practice and feedback from experts in STEM education, and community building for
sustained growth throughout their career. Fellows will (1) earn an Advanced Certificate in STEM Higher
Education, (2) publish their fellowship project in a peer reviewed journal, and (3) engage in a growing
network of STEM educators to cultivate continuous improvement of their teaching practices. Fellows
will impact students by (a) providing a more inclusive and accessible education environment, (b)
reducing barriers to career entry and (c) improving academic performance, persistence and graduation
rates. The impact will be evaluated within the context of the Kotter change theory, guided by a logic
model that accounts for culture change and student achievement.