Building robust learning environments in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

EDITORS' NOTES (Jeanne L. Narum, Kate Conover).PART ONE: Social Demands and Student Needs.1. The National Context for Reform (G. Doyle Daves, Jr.):Educational cultures must be changed to strengthen the learning of allstudents.2. New Truths and Old Verities (Judith A. Ramaley):The leaders of educational institutions must work to ensure that undergraduatesgain mastery of the ideas and ways of thinking of science andmathematics.PART TWO: The Curriculum and the Sequences of Learning.3. Changing Assumptions About Who Can Learn (George Campbell, Jr.):We must address our failure as a nation to develop a more diverse cadreof students and to bring them into the natural sciences, mathematics,and engineering professions.4. Science for All Americans (George D. Nelson):This chapter proposes a project to ensure that in ten years, all studentsgraduating from American colleges and universities will be literate inmathematics, science, and technology.5. A Multidisciplinary Core Curriculum (Trace Jordan):A major research university has made a strong commitment to generalmathematics and science education for its undergraduate students.It is addressing the educational challenge of mathematical and scientificliteracy for undergraduate students.6. Building Natural Science Communities (Thomas E. Brady):A community collaborative is formed to ensure academic opportunityand success for a diverse region of the country. Emphasis is placed ona standards-based curriculum, better teacher preparation, and theincreased engagement of leaders, parents, teachers, and faculty from allparts of the community.7. Cognitive Science and the Work of Reform (Diane F. Halpern):Research in how people think, learn, and remember can be used as aguide in redesigning higher education.8. Effective Assessment and Institutional Change (Christine Brooks Cote, Marianne Jordan):The assessment process contributes to keeping teaching ideas fresh andresponsive to student needs.PART THREE: Investing in Science Education.9. Investing in Faculty (Project Kaleidoscope, Core Institution Task Force):Investing in faculty must be an institutional priority.10. Learning and Teaching Centers: Hubs of Educational Reform (Susan R. Singer):Learning and teaching centers maximize the forward momentum ofeducational reform.11. Linking Departmental and Institutional Mission (J. K. Haynes):A departmental mission statement frames planning and provides consistentprogrammatic activities, thereby creating a closer community ofscholars.12. A Perspective on Campus Planning (Arthur J. Lidsky):Campus planning is the process of guiding the development of a campusso that it supports functional, aesthetic, and economic goals withinthe context of the institution's history, mission, and vision for thefuture.13. Investing in Digital Resources (David McArthur):Emerging technologies enhance existing methods of learning and createnew ways for institutions of higher education to fulfill their coreteaching and learning missions.PART FOUR: The Perspectives of Leadership.14. The Variables of Positive Change (Daniel F. Sullivan):A strategy for systemic reform must involve faculty innovators andadministrative leaders working together.15. The Role of the Grants Officer (Lee W. Willard):Grants officers have a central role to play in promoting institutionalprogress.16. The Role of the Science Dean (James M. Gentile):One college's science dean is a campus and divisional leader who helpsfaculty to frame programs that suit institutional and disciplinary needsand is a key advocate for those programs inside and external to the institution.17. Fund Development for Science Facilities (James R. Appleton):A president shares his wisdom on the critical elements of a capital campaignprogram.18. The People and Process of Investing in Facilities (Elizabeth S. Boylan):The author offers working principles that appear to lead to more satisfactoryand satisfying outcomes in planning and building new facilities.19. Communication in Reform (Melvin D. George):A communications plan is an integral prelude to and part of any majorcurricular or pedagogical change.20. Assessment to Improve Student Learning (David F. Brakke, Douglas T. Brown):Efforts to improve student learning must be tied to ongoing evaluationand assessment.INDEX.