Author(s):
OverviewThe STEM Equity Institute on Culturally Inclusive Teaching is a 3-year project that seeks to broaden participation in STEM career fields by students from diverse backgrounds, i.e., Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). It also seeks to address the institution’s challenge in retaining and graduating BIPOC STEM students. During summers in 2022, 2023, and 2024, a virtual, three-week summer institute was delivered to 24 community college faculty and 17 regional high school teachers. The institute emphasized culturally responsive pedagogy, i.e., pedagogy that requires faculty to understand how to incorporate multiple methods of instruction that are based on students’ life experiences and backgrounds. Faculty participants received mentoring and support during the follow-on academic year. Specifically, the professional development approach focused on educating STEM faculty regarding BIPOC needs, connecting faculty to resources to incorporate culturally inclusive pedagogy into their courses, mentoring faculty during implementation, and monitoring the institution’s progress towards retaining STEM students.Guiding Questions:How does this project influence faculty to incorporate practices that would advance equity and inclusion in their classes?Does faculty mentoring around equitable practices positively impact classroom instruction?To what extent do faculty feel prepared to work with BIPOC students as a result of participation?What positive results have BIPOC students experienced as a result of this project?Faculty OutcomesPost institute and follow-up surveys using an adapted form of Siwatu’s (2007) Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy (CRTSE) instrument were administered to 2 cohorts of faculty participants. These surveys showed faculty confidence across the CRTSE items was sustained between the end of the summer institute and the end of the Fall semester. In addition, participants report that they increased their confidence to modify lesson plans so students remain actively engaged throughout the entire class period as a result of their participation in the summer institute.Student OutcomesPreliminary evidence supports the claim that the College will witness an increase in retention and persistence of Black and Latinx students in STEM due to faculty training about culturally inclusive teaching practices. That is, STEM Black and Latinx student achievement was shown to increase in STEM courses taught by project participants. In all other STEM courses taught by non-participants, during this same timeframe, the percentage of BIPOC students achieving a grade of C- or higher remained largely unchanged. These findings provide preliminary evidence of the positive impact that the project is having on faculty teaching practices and student experience in STEM courses at MassBay.Broader ImpactThis project is an integral part of the institution’s “equity agenda”. By providing STEM faculty development and mentoring on the use of culturally inclusive teaching practices, the project has the potential to positively impact the performance, skills, or attitudes of these faculty’s respective BIPOC students that will improve BIPOC student access to and/or retention in STEM careers.
Coauthors
Meredith Watts, Massachusetts Bay Community College, Wellesley Hills, MA; Jayne Ryczkowski, Massachusetts Bay Community College, Wellesley Hills, MA; Lynn Moore, Massachusetts Bay Community College, Wellesley Hills, MA
