Author(s):
The shifting sands of higher education and a pandemic have made it difficult to find a stable pathway to achieving the transformation we envisioned at the start of the grant. We intended an effort that would approach change from three foundations: faculty development, developing undergraduate peer coaches, and establishing a set of common curriculum learning goals across the STEM gateway courses. The common materials were to focus on what we call Scientific, Mathematical, and Metacognitive Practices (SMMP). Specifically, the focus has been on graphical reasoning, proportional and covariational reasoning, and explanatory reasoning. The most successful component has involved undergraduate coaches in the form of Peer-Led Team Learning and Learning Assistants, now implemented across all of the gateway courses. The enthusiasm of student coaches to become partners in the educational mission of the institution is leveraging faculty engagement, student outcomes, and (hopefully) institutional commitments. Research questions have been pursued in parallel regarding covariational reasoning across disciplines, metacognitive growth of peer coaches, and what it means to be graphically literate in different disciplines.
