Shaping the Future NSF 98-128 _____________________________________________________________________________ Volume II: Perspectives on Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Contributions to the Review of Undergraduate Education by the Advisory Committee to the National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources ________________________________________________________________________________ Notices from the National Science Foundation The Foundation provides awards for research and education in the sciences and engineering. The awardee is wholly responsible for the conduct of such research and preparation of the results for publication. The Foundation, therefore, does not assume responsibility for the research findings or their interpretation. The Foundation welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists and engineers and strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in any of the research and education related programs described here. In accordance with federal statutes, regulations, and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from the National Science Foundation. Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research assistants) to work on NSF projects. See the program announcement or contact the program coordinator at (703) 306-1636. The National Science Foundation has TDD (Telephonic Device for the Deaf) capability, which enables individuals with hearing impairment to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment, or general information. To access NSF TDD dial (703) 306-0090; for FIRS, 1-800-877-8339. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: CFDA 47.076 NOTICES OF DISCLAIMER 1. This publication is a companion volume to the report Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NSF 96-139) and its stand-alone Executive Summary (NSF 96-141), published by the National Science Foundation in 1996. The views, opinions, and recommendations expressed in this report are those of participants in the Review of Undergraduate Education, the "National Year of Dialogue" and the Advisory Committee to NSF's Directorate for Education and Human Resources; they do not necessarily represent the official views, opinions, or policy of the Foundation. 2. As employed in the text of the report, the pronouns we, our, and us refer alternatively to the general population, the academic community at large, or those segments of either with special interest in undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology, not to the National Science Foundation or to its representatives. ________________________________________________________________________________ SHAPING THE FUTURE Volume II: Perspectives on Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Contributions to the Review of Undergraduate Education by the Advisory Committee to the National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources ________________________________________________________________________________ The EHR Advisory Committee CHAIR: James M. Rosser VICE-CHAIR: Kerry Davidson Susan Agruso Edward W. Bales Director, Authentic Assessment Director of Education, External Systems State Department of Education Motorola Corporate Offices Columbia, SC Schaumberg, IL Joan Barber George Boggs Director for Student Life President North Carolina School Palomar College of Science and Mathematics San Marcos, CA Durham, NC Sadie Bragg Diane J. Briars Acting Dean of Academic Affairs Mathematics Specialist City University of New York Office of Educational Design Borough of Manhattan and Assessment Community College Pittsburgh Public Schools New York, NY Pittsburgh, PA Kerry Davidson Alfredo G. de los Santos, Jr. Deputy Commissioner Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research for Educational Development Louisiana Board of Regents Maricopa Community Colleges Baton Rouge, LA Tempe, AZ Denice D. Denton Charlotte K. Frank Electrical and Computer Engineering Vice President University of Wisconsin, Madison Research and Development Madison, WI The McGraw-Hill Companies New York, NY Alan J. Friedman Melvin D. George Director President Emeritus New York Hall of Science St. Olaf College Flushing Meadows Corona Park, NY Northfield, MN Peter Gerber N. Gerry House MacArthur Foundation Superintendent Chicago, IL Memphis Public Schools Memphis, TN Jane Butler Kahle Charlotte Keith Condit Professor Indian Trail High School of Science Education Olathe, KS Miami University Oxford, OH Mary M. Lindquist Stanley S. Litow School of Education Director, Corporate Support Programs Columbus College IBM Columbus, GA Armonk, NY Jack R. Lohmann Charles Merideth Associate Dean President College of Engineering New York City Technical College Georgia Institute of Technology Brooklyn, NY Atlanta, GA Robert E. Parilla Diana Garcia Prichard President Photoscience Research Division Montgomery College Eastman Kodak Company Rockville, MD Rochester, NY James M. Rosser David A. Sanchez President Department of Mathematics California State University Texas A&M University Los Angeles, CA College Station, TX Maria Santos Robert Schwartz Supervisor The Pew Charitable Trusts Math and Science Department Philadelphia, PA San Francisco Unified School District San Francisco, CA Calvert H. Smith Gwendolyn W. Stephenson Office of Systemic Reform Chancellor State of Ohio St. Louis Community College System Cincinnati, OH St. Louis, MO Uri Treisman Leon Ukens Department of Mathematics Department of Physics University of Texas at Austin Towson State University Austin, TX Towson, MD Donna L. York Science Curriculum Coordinator Anchorage School District Anchorage, AK Table of Contents ________________________________________________________________________________ The Charge to Revitalize Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Introduction to the Second Volume I. Activities in the Reform of Undergraduate Education Since Volume I of Shaping the Future Introduction Shaping the Future NextSteps External Assignment of Dr. Robert Watson Regional Workshops for "Shaping the Future" Strengthening Participation by Corporations and Foundations Working Through Scientific Societies and Professional Associations Chronological List of Conferences Sponsoring Workshops & Presentations in Support of Shaping the Future NextSteps Bibliography of New Publications in Support of Shaping the Future of Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology II. Program History of Undergraduate Activities at NSF Since the Neal Report (NSB 86-100) Leadership Leveraged Program Support III. Written Remarks Contributed as Part of the EHR Advisory Committee Public Hearings on Undergraduate SME&T Education Remarks Contributed to the Hearing on Disciplinary Perspectives Invited Speakers MRC Greenwood, Dean, Graduate Studies & Vice Provost, Academic Outreach University of California at Davis Rita R. Colwell, President, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) & President, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute Alan Tucker, Distinguished Teaching Professor, State University of New York-Stony Brook & Chair, Education Coordinating Council of the Mathematical Association of America Eleanor Baum, Dean of Engineering, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (NY) Winfred Phillips, Dean of Engineering, University of Florida Peter J. Denning, Associate Dean for Computing, George Mason University (VA) Don K. Gentry, Dean of Engineering, School of Technology, Purdue University (IN) Durward R. Huffman, President, Northern Maine Technical College & Academic Officer, Maine Technical College System Ernest L. Eliel, Professor of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Angelica M. Stacy, Department of Chemistry University of California, Berkeley Robert C. Hilborn, Professor of Physics, Amherst College & President-Elect, American Association of Physics Teachers Eric Mazur, Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics, Division of Applied Sciences & Professor of Physics, Harvard University Tanya Atwater, Professor of Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara Remarks Contributed to the Hearing on Institutional Perspectives Invited Speakers Pamela A. Ferguson, President, Grinnell College (IA) Thomas Morris, President, Emory and Henry College (VA) Bruce Leslie, President, Onondaga Community College (NY) Gwendolyn W. Stephenson, Chancellor, St. Louis Community College David R. Pierce, President, American Association of Community Colleges (DC) Frederick S. Humphries, President, Florida A&M University William E. Kirwan, President, University of Maryland, College Park Paula P. Brownlee, President, American Association of Colleges and Universities (DC) Saul K. Fenster, President, New Jersey Institute of Technology Judith A. Ramaley, President, Portland State University (OR) David Ward, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin - Madison Homer A. Neal, Vice President for Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Remarks Contributed to the Hearing on Employers' Views Invited Speakers Walter G. Amprey, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Baltimore City Public Schools (MD) Eugene Galanter, Professor of Psychology, Columbia University Peggy Ruth Cole, Director of Program Planning and Development, New York Hall of Science Israel J. Galvan, President, GHG Corporation Albert L. Moye, University Relationships Manager, Hewlett Packard Company Robert W. Ritchie, Director, University Affairs, Hewlett Packard Company John H. McMasters, Senior Principal Engineer, Aerodynamics Engineering, The Boeing Company James D. Lang, Director of the Technology Division, New Aircraft and Missile Products, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Roberts Jones, Executive Vice President, National Alliance of Business John L. Sisler, Manager of Exploration and Production Training, Shell Exploration and Production Company Patrick White, Vice President, Strategy, Bell Atlantic Corporation Remarks Contributed to the Social Sciences Workshop Participants in the Social Sciences Workshop Overview Andrew Abbott, Professor in Sociology and Master, Social Sciences Collegiate Division, University of Chicago John F. Dovidio, Department of Psychology, Colgate University Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Vice President for Academic Programs, Palnning, and Budgeting, Cornell University Kenneth E. Foote, Associate Vice President for Research, The University of Texas at Austin Rochel Gelman, Professor of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles Maureen Hallinan, White Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame Jill H. Larkin, Department of Psychology and Center for Innovation in Learning, Carnegie Mellon University Frederick Reif, Department of Physics, Carnegie-Mellon University Nora S. Newcombe, Department of Psychology, Temple University Neil Stillings, Cognitive Science Program, Hampshire College IV. Findings from the Focus Groups Conducted During the Review of Undergraduate Education Introduction Summary of Employer Focus Groups Summary of Teacher Preparation Focus Groups Summary of Student Focus Groups Summary of Recent Graduate Focus Groups Summary of Parent Focus Groups V. Background Data and Information Influencing the Conclusions and Recommendations of Shaping the Future by Staff of the Division of Undergraduate Education Overview Education Concerns: precollege Education Concerns: undergraduate Post-Secondary Education Issues Public subsidies and faculty priorities Rising costs Pressures on public revenues Where are the undergraduate students? By type of institution By discipline and type of institution Distribution of Federal Funds for Science and Engineering, by type of institution Faculty Teaching Methods and Class Size, by type of institution and discipline Employers' Perspectives on Features of a Well-Educated Undergraduate Electronic Technology and Systemic Reform VI. Contributors to the EHR Advisory Committee Review of U.S. Undergraduate Education in SME&T Acknowledgment of Participants by Melvin D. George The Request for Comment from Luther Williams, NSF Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources Respondents to the Letter from Luther Williams, NSF Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources Undergraduate Convocation Program Steering Committee for From Analysis to Action Participants in From Analysis to Action, April 9-11, 1995 The EHR Advisory Committee EHR Committee for the Report Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology NRC Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education Committee on Undergraduate Education NRC "Year of Dialogue" Steering Committee Participants in the EHR Advisory Committee Public Hearings on Undergraduate Education in SME&T Participants in the Shaping the Future Conference, July 11-13, 1996 VII. Bibliography for the Review of Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology ________________________________________________________________________________ SHAPING THE FUTURE Volume II: Perspectives on Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Contributions to the REVIEW OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION by the Advisory Committee to the National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources ________________________________________________________________________________ NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES Review of Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology June 1995 CHARGE TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE I appoint a Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee to the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (ACEHR) to conduct a Review of the state of undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SME&T); to identify its recent successes and to point out both its needs and opportunities for its improvement. Members of the Subcommittee will be: Drs. Melvin George (chair), Sadie Bragg, Frederick Brooks, James Rosser, David Sanchez, and Carolyn Meyers (consultant). [Drs. Alfredo de los Santos, Jr., Denice Denton, Mary Lindquist, and Mr. Peter Gerber were later added to the membership of the Subcommittee.] The Subcommittee should consider the needs of all undergraduates attending all types of U.S. two- and four-year colleges and universities that provide undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. In particular, the review should address issues of preparation of K-12 teachers in these fields, the needs of persons going into the technical work force, the preparation of majors in these areas, and the issue of science literacy for all. The review should cover the full range of general issues in undergraduate education- curriculum, educational technology, pedagogy (including the degree to which student learning is infused with research), institutional practices and the need for comprehensive reform, and key student transitions between levels of education (from high school, between undergraduate institutions, and to graduate school) and from undergraduate studies to employment. The review should draw upon a full range of constituent groups having a stake in undergraduate education-students, parents, faculty, administrators, scientific societies, accrediting groups, employers, and state and local education officials. The Subcommittee is requested to develop a schedule of draft reports and activities leading to a Final Report. The Final Report should be action oriented, recommending ways to improve undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology for all students in all types of colleges and universities. Recommendations should be directed not just to NSF but, as appropriate, to mission-oriented Federal agencies, business and industry, academic institutions and their faculties and administrations, professional societies, private sector organizations, state and local government, and to other stakeholders in undergraduate education. The recommendations should reflect an assessment of accomplishments during the recent past [i.e., those following completion of the National Science Board study Undergraduate Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education (NSB 86-100, 1986)] and be based on the comments and ideas submitted by individuals and groups during the course of the Review and on findings and analysis by the Subcommittee. The Report should consider carefully future roles for sponsors of educational improvements and the nature of their efforts to improve undergraduate education. In particular, guidance is sought for the National Science Foundation regarding its support of innovation in educational practice through a portfolio of programs ranging from sponsorship of individual investigator-led efforts to catalysis of institutional programs of comprehensive change and covering the full range of educational settings. I ask that the Subcommittee complete and transmit its Report to me by March 1996. Thereafter, the Report will be submitted to the full ACEHR for its comment and approval and, when that is obtained, will be submitted to the NSF Director and to the Director's Policy Group for approval as a NSF Report. Luther S. Williams Assistant Director ________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction to the Second Volume ________________________________________________________________________________ This is a companion volume to Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NSF 96-139), the 1996 report of the Advisory Committee on Undergraduate Education to the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Education and Human Resources. For this supplement, we have selected the materials that helped to initiate the discussion and debate of the review, and provided the framework for the Recommendations presented in the first volume of Shaping the Future. No single document could purport to fully represent the breadth and depth of the expansive and complicated endeavor of higher education and its reform. While the EHR Advisory Committee did a formidable job of soliciting broad-based community opinion, synthesizing the issues facing contemporary undergraduate education, and summarizing this process in its report to NSF, the material presented in this second volume provides an essential resource for anyone wishing to explore these issues more completely, without the benefit of interpretation or distillation. To this end, we have made every effort to allow these authors to express their views in their own words and present references and data without undue editorial revision or comment. The review of undergraduate education and the Shaping the Future report have already generated much discussion and activity in the U.S. education community. In recognition of this, the National Science Foundation has initiated its "NextSteps in Shaping the Future" campaign to capitalize upon this enthusiasm, coordinate regional efforts, and help guide discussion towards a national movement to achieve even greater excellence in higher education. We begin this volume with a summary of these ongoing, follow-up activities. Section II of this volume presents a detailed account of NSF programs in undergraduate education since NSB 86-100, Undergraduate Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education: Role for the National Science Foundation and Recommendations for Action by Other Sectors to Strengthen Collegiate Education and Pursue Excellence in the Next Generation of U.S. Leadership in Science and Technology, the last substantive review of undergraduate education in this nation. Section III presents the written remarks contributed as part of the public hearings on undergraduate education held in October and November, 1995, as well as an overview of the Social Sciences workshop held in February, 1996. Section IV summarizes the series of national focus groups conducted by NSF in 1995 and 1996, while Section V presents data from a variety of sources that contributed many-but certainly not all-essential facets to the overall analysis. Finally, no accounting of this remarkable, cooperative achievement would be complete without proper acknowledgment of the participants and contributors to this process (Section VI) and the benchmark publications upon which the current appraisal was founded (the References of Section VII). The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education Arlington, VA August, 1998 ________________________________________________________________________________ Section I: Activities in the Reform of Undergraduate Education Since Volume I of Shaping the Future ________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction During the review of undergraduate education by NSF Advisory Committee for Education and Human Resources, the deliberate process of acquiring information from a broad cross-section of the undergraduate community ensured a broad level of participation by many educators, administrators, employers, and students. This process occurred during April 1995 to June 1996, and culminated in three milestones in the summer of 1996: (1) the publication of the Committee's report Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NSF 96-139): (2) the publication of the National Research Council's report From Analysis to Action: Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (National Academy Press, 1996): and (3) a major conference in Washington DC to air key findings and recommendations in these reports, and to continue discussions about how to implement their recommendations. ("Shaping the Future: Strategies for Revitalizing Undergraduate Education," held during July 11-13, 1996). The proceedings of this Conference are available at NSF Division of Undergraduate Education Web site (http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/DUE/start.htm). It was the intent of the Committee from its inception to write a living report, stimulating an active and vigorous process of reviewing, debating, and improving undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SME&T) in all types of post-secondary institutions across our nation. This chapter reviews the types of activities the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) has undertaken with the undergraduate SME&T community following the July 1996, national conference on Shaping the Future. Additionally it provides a bibliography of studies, reports, and recommendations that have been published during the past several years on the same theme. Because these activities had been underway even before the summer of 1996, this overview extends from March 1996 through July 1997. Shaping the Future NextSteps The activities have the underlying similarity of engaging educators, academic administrators, and employers in discussions of methods to improve undergraduate education in SME&T. Generally, the efforts sponsored by DUE have identified and disseminated information about needs and opportunities to improve undergraduate student learning-particularly opportunities for developing effective teaching practices-and overcoming barriers to the widespread adoption of these practices. The basic thrusts of these activities are: o promoting greater understanding, and identifying ways to improve student learning; o designing further improvements in courses and learning experiences to improve learning by all students; o supporting interdisciplinary course and curricula development work by faculty from different SME&T disciplines working collaboratively; o strengthening internal connections across departments (within all types of academic institutions) in support of improved undergraduate education for future teachers, and students majoring in non-SME&T disciplines, and students preparing to enter technical fields and the professions; and o expanding links with SME&T "communities" (government agencies at all levels, schools, scientific societies, professional associations, policy makers, public interest groups, and employers): The Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE), assisted by members of the Advisory Committee for NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), has addressed the need for such improvements in a variety of ways. Some of these are: o Providing the full-time support of the Division Director (on assignment from the Division of Undergraduate Education) Dr. Robert Watson, to the task of disseminating important information to the national undergraduate SME&T community from November 1996, through November 1998. During this period he has been leading and participating in workshops at regional events and scientific and professional meetings. o Leveraging professional staff attendance at scientific and professional society meetings as occasions to disseminate findings and recommendations in Shaping the Future. o Inviting academic institutions to host regional or local workshops in order to discuss and actively encourage faculty to participate in reform of undergraduate education in SME&T, with some logistical and financial support from NSF. o Encouraging scientific and professional societies to continue to address the issues raised in Shaping the Future. o Suggesting that NSF grantees participate in these same types of outreach efforts on their own or jointly with NSF program directors. o Incorporating principles enunciated in Shaping the Future in the DUE Program Announcement, and seeking to evolve our programs in directions considered to be most fruitful to further the recommendations of Shaping the Future. o Forming an alliance with major corporations and foundations through a Memorandum of Understanding, with the purpose of seeking their advice, counsel, and support. o Continuing to fund the Institution-wide Reform initiative through FY 98. o Emphasizing in all DUE programs the need to educate all students, especially those preparing to be teachers or to join the technical workforce armed with greater flexibility and enhanced skills. External Assignment of Dr. Robert Watson A key feature of the past several years is that these objectives are being pursued not only programmatically through NSF's competitive grant process, but also through extensive outreach activities by NSF/DUE program officers and principal investigators. The external assignment of Dr. Robert Watson, Division Director (on assignment) from the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education, has provided many professional groups assistance in accomplishing the objectives of encouraging improvements and reform in undergraduate SME&T education at the national level. Dr. Watson accepted a two-year special assignment during the period November 1996, to November 1998: as visiting scholar at The American University in Washington, DC (where he is serving as Scientist-in-Residence) and at the National Research Council, where he is working with the leadership of colleges, universities, education associations, scientific and professional organizations, and with groups representing employers of college graduates (business, industry, school systems, and governments). The primary purpose of this assignment has been to inform, encourage, and assist colleges and universities to implement key national improvements that have been developed, and to engage them actively and comprehensively in the reform of undergraduate SME&T education. The principal blueprint for these goals is the report of the EHR Advisory Committee, Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NSF 96-139), however other reports-notably the National Research Council's From Analysis to Action: Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology-and materials from NSF-supported projects and programs also are providing valuable examples and information about ways to achieve successful reform. A key strategy has been to engage scientific societies, professional associations, and educational associations in order to take advantage of their wisdom, and the great leverage and access that they have to many sectors concerned with undergraduate education. Dr. Watson has been engaged in doing this both directly and collaboratively with the assistance of NSF professional staff and members of the advisory committee to NSF's Directorate for Education and Human Resources responsible for writing the Shaping the Future report. The recommendations of both Shaping the Future and From Analysis to Action have been discussed and presented in large national and regional meetings sponsored by these associations and societies, and also in planning sessions with their leadership. Increasingly, these societies are themselves publicizing Shaping the Future and sending copies of the report to their membership and to others with a stake in improving undergraduate education. Members of the societies and associations are expressing interest in hosting regional workshops at their campuses. Campus-based regional workshops utilizing the report to directly promote reform serve as a second emerging mechanism. These workshops typically involve teams from institutions coming together to learn of national trends, of the work that others are doing, to share such information, and to develop their own plans. As word of these activities has spread, individuals have requested advice and assistance at an increasing rate in their own efforts to improve SME&T undergraduate education. In most cases these are not inquiries about potential NSF support, but rather, requests for help in identifying best practices, invitations to on-campus or in-state promotion of education reform, and nomination of others to provide this type of assistance. As one example of this, a university leader called to ask for advice and assistance on the proposal that they are preparing for submission to the legislature. Regional Workshops for "Shaping the Future" The regional versions of NSF's July 1996 "Shaping the Future" conference are particularly noteworthy. The purpose of these regional workshops is to: o facilitate specific regional and institutional plans to achieve widespread improvements in undergraduate education; and o provide information to faculty and administrators on NSF programs and national activities to support undergraduate education reform. The design of these workshops is determined by what is considered most effective by the host institutions with respect to their unique circumstances. The planning of these workshops generally embraces the following features: o participation of institutional teams, representing faculty, administration, students, and business partners; o significant involvement of employers of undergraduates; o participation of public policy makers to engender public support for undergraduate education; o development of institutional plans for reform of undergraduate education; o exhibits of innovations in undergraduate education; and o sessions to assist participants in developing projects and proposals. Institutions have been encouraged to seek other academic hosts to share in the planning and design of regional workshops. Follow-up activities for the participants are also expected to be an important part of the workshop planning. Strengthening Participation by Corporations and Foundations During the last several years, NSF has strengthened efforts to increase participation by members of the business and foundation community in undergraduate education reform. A Memorandum of Understanding, representing commitment to cooperation for revitalization of the nation's undergraduate education has been crafted for this purpose. It reads: In these rapidly changing times, the demands placed on the educational infrastructure of the nation, at all levels, are enormous and growing. This pace of change will continue to encourage cooperative relationships between all of those involved in, and all those who provide support for, the undergraduate education enterprise in the nation. We, the undersigned, are committed to nurturing the evolution of the highest quality undergraduate science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SME&T) education, and to catalyzing working relationships between all parties involved in its delivery, and its support. Towards this goal we intend to cooperate with our colleagues in other private, government or industry oriented funding organizations that support undergraduate education in the nation. We intend to share information about our funding plans and funding profiles, to work towards common and complete assessment of our funded projects, to encourage the widest possible dissemination of project results, and, when appropriate, to support these projects through cost sharing partnerships. We intend to meet as a group periodically to share successes and to cooperate in developing national strategies in education. Through cooperation, we intend to amplify the impact of our individual efforts. As of August 1997, the following signatories have joined this alliance: AirTouch Communications Lockheed Martin Bayer Corporation Lucent Technologies Bellcore Microsoft Corporation Boeing Motorola Business-Higher Education Forum Pew Science Program The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. Shodor Education Foundation DuPont Society of Manufacturing Exxon Education Foundation Engineers Education Foundation General Electric Fund Stratagene Cloning Systems Global Wireless Education Consortium Technology Assessment and Transfer, Inc. Hewlett-Packard Company Texas Instruments Howard Hughes Medical Institute Toyota International Business Machines Wolfram Research Working Through Scientific Societies and Professional Associations Scientific societies, professional associations, and associations of colleges and universities are key to effective dissemination of the recommendations of Shaping the Future. Consequently, one of the key focal points of the "Shaping the Future NextSteps" campaign has been to reach these organizations through the active assistance of Dr. Robert Watson and members of the Advisory Committee for Education and Human Resources at NSF. The following organizations have participated in or otherwise sponsored activities in the reform of undergraduate education through the NextSteps campaign: Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology Inc. (ABET) Affiliated Colleges & Universities Office (ACUO) American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) American Association of State Colleges & Universities (AASCU) American Chemical Society (ACS) American Council on Education (ACE) American Geophysical Union (AGU) American Institute of Physics (AIP) American Mathematical Society (AMS) American Physical Society (APS) American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Association of Community College Trustees Association for Women in Science (AWS) Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) Council of Colleges of Arts & Sciences (CCAS) Council on Competitiveness Council of Scientific Society Presidents Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Education Commission of the States (ECS) Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Mathematical Association of America (MAA) National Academy of Sciences (NAS) National Research Council (NRC) National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges(NASULGC) National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) National Council for Resource Development (NCRD) National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) SEMATECH State Higher Education Executive Officers Sigma Xi Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Chronological List of Conferences Sponsoring Workshops & Presentations in Support of "Shaping the Future NextSteps" The following chronological list indicates many of the meetings, conferences, and workshops that have been employed by DUE staff to facilitate widening awareness and increased momentum towards improved undergraduate education in SME&T. Members of the Advisory Committee have often joined the DUE staff in these activities for Education and Human Resources. This list is not complete, but is representative of the breadth of activities undertaken. It extends back to March 1996, because by then many of the findings and recommendations of Shaping the Future were being discussed in draft form, in advance of the report's official release in July 1996. March, 1996 o 1-3: Meeting of the Education Committee of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Boulder, CO o 21-23: "The Genetics Revolution: A Catalyst for Education and Public Policy," a meeting for community college faculty sponsored by American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), local colleges, and Exxon Education Foundation, Dallas, TX o 24-26: 211th annual meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), New Orleans, LA April, 1996 o 13-15: Annual meeting American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Atlanta, GA o 16-18: Meeting of the Government-University-Industry Roundtable, Seattle, WA o 26: Special meeting (invited address) with a number of private firms, Phoenix, AZ May, 1996 o 2-5: Annual Washington, DC joint meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) o 7-10: International conference on Acoustics, Speech, & Signal Processing sponsored by the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and the Signal Processing Society, Atlanta, GA o 20-22: Spring meeting of the Geological Society of American (GSA), Baltimore, MD June, 1996 o 1-6: Annual meeting of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), New Orleans, LA o 13: Introductory Physics Reform Conference: An Undergraduate Faculty Enhancement (UFE) Project, Joliet, IL o 16-18: Conference on publishing strategies sponsored by DUE, Hampshire College, and Saunders Publishing Co., Amherst, MA o 27-28: The 6th biennial national conference of the Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC o 30-July 5: Gordon Research Conference - Innovations in College Chemistry Teaching, Plymouth State College, NH July, 1996 o 11-13: National conference, Shaping the Future: Strategies for Revitalizing Undergraduate Education, Washington, DC o 13-15: EHR annual Partnership Conference, Washington, DC o 27-30: Annual meeting of the American Society of Plant Physiologists (ASPP) and site visit to Trinity College, San Antonio, TX o 31- August 3: International Conference on Undergraduate Physics Education (ICUPE), College Park, MD August, 1996 o 4-7: 14th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Clemson University, SC o 4-8: 47th Annual meeting of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), Seattle, WA o 5-10: Summer meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), College Park, MD September, 1996 o 25: Meeting of the Texas Association of Schools of Engineering Technology (TASET), Austin, TX o 28-29: Meeting of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Human Resources Committee), Washington, DC October, 1996 o 4: American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) regional meeting, Fargo, ND o 7-8: Meeting of the National Visiting Committee for the University of Cincinnati - American Chemical Society (ACS) project "Advanced Technological Education in Chemical Technology," Silver Bay, NY o 11-12: Annual meeting of Mathematical Sciences Department Chairs, Rosslyn, VA o 16-19: National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), Charlotte, NC o 25-27: Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) Workshop on Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching Science and Mathematics, Colby College, Waterville, ME o 30: American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Task Force on Academic and Student Affairs, Arlington, VA o 31-November 1: Annual meeting of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology, Inc. (ABET), San Diego, CA November, 1996 o 2: Mathematical Association of America (MAA), DelMarVa section, Frederick, MD o 3-5: Regional meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Fargo, ND o 5-8: Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE) meeting, Denver, CO o 6-9: 26th Annual meeting of "Frontiers in Education," Salt Lake City, UT o 7: Annual joint meeting of the Alabama College Chemistry Teachers Association, Columbia, AL o 7-10: Mathematicians and Education Reform (MER) workshop on "Teacher Education and Mathematics Departments," University of Illinois at Chicago, IL o 8: Regional meeting, Issues in Gateway Chemistry Courses, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD o 8-10: Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) workshop, "Revitalizing Undergraduate Biology," Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA o 12: NSF Forum on Distance Learning, Washington, DC o 12-17: Meeting of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC), Long Beach, CA o 13: Industry-University-Government Roundtable, Bethesda, MD o 14: American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting, University of Maryland, College Park, MD o 14: Annual meeting of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) - Deans, Philadelphia, PA o 14-17: NSF sponsored Task Force on "Educating the Next Generation of Information Specialists," Omaha, NE o 15-17: "Spheres of Influence: Shaping the Future of Earth Systems Sciences Education" Meeting, American Geophysical Union (AGU) headquarters, Washington, DC o 21-22: Meeting of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society Education Board, Pittsburgh, PA o 22-23: Workshop on the programs of DUE and key aspects of proposal preparation, Inter-American University, San Juan, PR December, 1996 o 10: "Results of NSF Review of Undergraduate Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (SME&T) Education," National Technological University (NTU) Faculty Forum (via live national satellite broadcast) o 15: Meeting with American Council on Education (ACE), Washington, DC o 28-30: Annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology o American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Presidents' workshop, Washington, DC o Annual meeting of the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB), San Francisco, CA o National Council for Resource Development national conference, Washington, DC January, 1997 o 4-10: Annual meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), Phoenix, AZ o 7: SUMMA (Strengthening Undergraduate Minority Mathematics Achievement) meeting, San Diego, CA o 9-11: NextSteps presentation at the 6th annual meeting of the American Mathematical Association (AMA) and the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), San Diego, CA o 15-19: NextSteps presentation at the meetings of the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE), San Diego, CA o 28: Regional Shaping the Future workshop sponsored by the University of Washington and Bellevue Community College, Seattle, WA o 30-February 2: Louisiana Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Education regional workshop on Shaping the Future, Baton Rouge, LA o 31-February 1: Oakton Community College workshop on Shaping the Future, Oakton, CA o Joint annual meeting of Mathematics Societies, San Diego, CA February, 1997 o 1-3: SEMATECH annual conference, Austin, TX o 9-15: American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), Santa Fe, NM o 25: Annual meeting of the American Council on Education (ACE), Washington, DC o 26: Meeting with the executive officers of the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), with the staff from the American Institute of Physics (AIP), College Park, MD o 28: Meeting of the American Psychological Association (APA), Washington, DC o 27-28: Annual meeting of the ACM Special Interest Group in Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) and the ACM 50th Anniversary, San Jose, CA o 27-28: Annual meeting of the National Visiting Committee of NSF Los Angeles Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (LACTE), Los Angeles, CA March, 1997 o 4: Meeting of the Federal Interagency Chemistry Representatives (FICR), Washington, DC o 6: National meeting of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Alexandria, VA o 6-8: Annual conference of Sigma Xi, New Orleans, LA o 10-11: North Louisiana Research Conference, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA o 13-19: Symposium, New Developments in Education in Analytical Chemistry, held at the 'Pittsburgh Conference' on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Atlanta, GA o 14: Workshop II of Curriculum Development in Analytical Sciences, Atlanta, GA o 14-16: Regional workshop on Shaping the Future, hosted by California State University at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA o 14-16: Alliances for Minority Participation (AMP) - Teacher Preparation meeting, Puerto Rico o 16-17: Meeting of the national conference steering committee for A National Urban Summit: Creating a Techno-Literate Workforce Through Major Policy Change - Forging Communication Among Business, Education, and Government for Strengthening Technical Skills Among Urban Students, Chicago, IL o 16-19: The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Atlanta, GA o 23: Meeting with the Consortium for Social Science Associations (COSSA), Washington, DC o 27: Meeting with the Delaware Community College System, Dover, DE o 27-30: National Society of Black Engineers national conference, Washington, DC April, 1997 o 7: Shaping the Future presentation at Washington & Lee University, Lexington, VA o 10: Shaping the Future presentation at University of California, Davis, CA o 11-12: The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) April Dialogue meeting: The Teaching-Research Connection, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD o 11-12: The Modular CHEM and ChemLinks consortia pedagogy meeting, Berkeley, CA o 13-17: 213th National meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), San Francisco, CA o 17-18: Meeting of principal investigators and evaluators, Systemic Change in Chemistry Curriculum project, Menlo Park, CA o 18-19: Shaping the Future regional workshop, co-hosted by University of Missouri, Columbia, and St. Louis Community College, St. Louis, MO o 18-19: Spring meeting of the MD/DC/VA Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA o 18-21: Joint annual meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), Washington, DC o 20: Arizona State University faculty retreat, Tempe, AZ o 24-26: National Council for Resource Development (NCRD) Regional IV Conference, Savannah, GA o 24-27: Phi Theta Kappa International convention, Dallas, TX May, 1997 o 8: Sigma Xi/A*DEC Town Meeting video conference on Shaping the Future, "Undergraduate Education to Meet Societal Needs in the 21st Century," Research Triangle Park, NC o 8-9: Regional workshop on Shaping the Future, "Revitalizing Undergraduate Mathematics and Science Education: A National Dialogue," Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI o 8-9: Edu.Tech@Work97 Conference and Expo, Bellevue, WA o Meeting of the education board of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), Atlanta, GA o 10-11: Regional workshop on Shaping the Future, "Revitalizing Undergraduate Mathematics and Science Education: A National Dialogue," The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI o 16: Presentation to the North Carolina Community College System, "Leading the Nation: Opportunities for Two-Year Colleges," Smithfield, NC o 16-17: National Institute for Science Education (NISE) Workshop on Collaborative Learning, Madison, WI o 19-23: 96th Annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), New Orleans, LA o 24-25: 11th International C. Elegans research conference, Madison, WI June, 1997 o 5-7: Program workshop, NSF Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP) program, attended by 10 Collaboratives, California State University, Dominguez Hills, CA o 11-13: Meeting of Mathematics Across the Curriculum (MATC), Villanova University, Philadelphia, PA o 15-17: Annual meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Milwaukee, WI o 18: Regional workshop on Shaping the Future, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA o 20-21: 6th Conference on the Teaching of Mathematics, Milwaukee, WI o 22-27: Unidata Workshop, Using Instructional Technologies and Satellite Data for College Level Education in the Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, sponsored by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO o 30-July 2: McNU 97, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL July, 1997 o 10-12: 1997 Reunion of Research Opportunity Award (ROA) participants o 14-17: Annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA o 19-20: Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) workshop, Research-Rich Environments for Undergraduate Education, Washington, DC o Annual meeting of the American Association of Medical Colleges, Washington, DC o 22: Presentation of Shaping the Future recommendations to reviewers at the annual NSF DUE panel reviews of proposals submitted to its Course and Curriculum Design (CCD) and Undergraduate Faculty Enhancement (UFE) programs, Arlington, VA o 24-26: 2nd Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) International Conference on Digital Libraries, Philadelphia, PA o 29: Shaping the Future Workshop at Chautauqua Institute, Chautauqua, NY August, 1997 o 23-28: ASBMB (American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) satellite meeting "2001: Biochemistry Education for the Millennium," organized by the Human Resources Committee of the ASBMB, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. September, 1997 o 16: Symposium on "Shaping the Future of Undergraduate Education and The Role of University, Industry and Government in the Development of Human Resources, "The Inter-American University of Puerto Rico - Metropolitan Campus (IAU-M). October, 1997 o 4-5: Project Kaleidoscope's annual workshop, "Reforming Earth and Planetary Science Curricula: What Works," Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA. o 8-11: The 1997 Convention of the NABT (National Association of Biology Teachers) overview of Shaping the Future, Minneapolis, MN. o 17: Workshop on "Shaping the Future: The Role of Two-Year Colleges" at the ACCT (Association of Community College Trustees) annual conference, Washington, DC. o 24 - 25: Regional Shaping the Future workshop hosted by Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. o 25-27: Geological Society of America, GSA's Shaping the Future, Salt Lake City, UT. November, 1997 o October 31-Nov 2: Project Kaleidoscope Workshop on "Enhancing Learning- Centered Environments: The Biology of the Future," University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. o 14: State of Maine Regional Follow-Up to Shaping the Future, Bates College, Lewiston, ME. December, 1997 o 4: District of Columbia Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, "Shaping the Future" and its implications for the mechanical engineering profession, Washington, DC. January, 1998 o 4-8: Gordon Research Conference on Innovations in College Chemistry Teaching, Ventura, CA. o 6-10: The annual joint meetings of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) & Mathematical Association of America (MAA), Baltimore, MD. o 16 - 17: Workshop on the New Traditions Chemistry Initiative, Madison, WI o 22: Maryland Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation Workshop on "Shaping the Future of Mathematics and Science in Maryland," College Park, MD. February, 1998 o 14-15: Shaping the Future Follow-Up Conference, hosted by Birmingham Southern College, Birmingham, AL. o 19-20: South Carolina Shaping the Future Conference, hosted by the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. March, 1998 o 20: A Regional Conference on "Transforming Undergraduate Education in SME&T," hosted by New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ. April, 1998 o 3-4: A Regional Shaping Conference, hosted by Northeastern University, Boston, MA. May, 1998 o 1: Meeting of the Governing Board of the Hispanic Asssociation of Colleges and Universities, Washington, DC. o 1-2: A Regional Conference "Shaping the Future with Core Curriculum Reform: Guiding Undergraduate Education in SME&T," Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. o 6: Meeting of the Education and Human Resources Committee of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), Washington, DC. o 8 - 9: A Shaping the Future Regional Conference, "From Dialogue to Action: Improving Instruction, Collaborations, and Partnerships in Mathematics and Science for All Students, A Workshop for Stakeholders in the Future of P-16 Education," hosted by at Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA. o 8 - 9: Regional New York Shaping the Future Conference, New York City, NY. o 11 - 13: The North Dakota planning conference, "Reforming Undergraduate Science and Mathematics Education," Bismark, ND. Bibliography of New Publications in Support of Shaping the Future of Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology A much longer bibliography of material that influenced the preparation of Volume 1 of Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NSF 96-139) is available at the end of Volume 2. The following bibliography is provided as a separate listing of those published books and articles that appeared after the conclusions and recommendations of Volume 1 had been prepared. Paul E. Adams and Gerald H. Krockover, "Beginning Science Teacher Cognition and Its Origins in the Pre-service Secondary Science Teacher Program," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Vol. 34 (1997), p. 663. The Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University, (Shirley Strum Kenny, Chair) "Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America's Research Universities," 15 May, 1998. Available from http://notes.cc.sunysb.edu/Pres/boyer.nsf Marvin Druger, "Preparing the Next Generation of College Science Teachers," Journal of College Science Teaching, Vol. 26 (1997), p. 424. D. Fulker, S. Bates, and C. Jacobs, "Unidata: A Virtual Community Sharing Resources and Technological Infrastructure," Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 73, No. 3 (1997). Jerry Bell and Alphonse Buccino (editors), Seizing Opportunities: Collaborating for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (Washington, DC: American Association for Advancement of Science, 1997). William E. Campbell and Karl A. Smith, New Paradigms for College Teaching (Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company, 1997). James Cooper and Pamela Robinson, Annotated Bibliography of Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (SMET) Resources in Higher Education (Working Draft, California State University - Dominguez Hills, 1997). Gordon P. Eaton, "Re-Shaping America's Earth Science Curriculum," Geotimes, Vol. 40, No. 4 (1995). S. C. Ehrmann, "Asking the Right Questions," Change, Vol. 27, No. 2 (1995), pp. 20-27. American Geophysical Union, Scrutiny of Undergraduate Geoscience Education: Is the Viability of the Geosciences in Jeopardy? (Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union, 1995). S.W. Gilbert, "Teaching, Learning, and Technology," Change, Vol. 27, No. 2 (1995), pp. 47-52. J.D. Herron, The Chemistry Classroom: Formulas for Successful Teaching (Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, 1996). P. Hutchings, Making Teaching Community Property: A Menu for Peer Collaboration and Peer Review, American Association for Higher Education (AAHE), (Washington, DC: AAHE, 1996). M. Frank Ireton, Cathryn Manduca, and David Mogk (editors), Shaping the Future of Undergraduate Earth Science Education, Innovation and Change Using An Earth System Approach, Report of a workshop held November 14-17, 1996, convened by the American Geophysical Union in Cooperation with the Keck Geology Consortium (Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union, 1997). Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land Grant Universities, see "National Association of State Universities and Land Grant College." Susan Lenker, Nancy Cooley, Keith Nelson, and Richard St. Andre (editors), Exemplary Programs in Introductory College Mathematics: Innovative Programs Using Technology (INPUT), Summaries of the Winning Entries for the First INPUT awards competition 1996-97 (Central Michigan University and Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1997). Heather MacDonald and Ann Bykerk-Kauffman, "Collaborative and Cooperative Activities for Teaching and Learning Geology," Journal of Geoscience Education, Vol. 43 (1995), p. 305. Eric Mazur, ConcepTests (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1996). Eric Mazur, Peer Instruction (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1997). Susan B. Millar and B.B. Alexander, Teacher Preparation in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology: Review and Analysis of NSF Workshop, Nov. 6-8, 1994 (Madison, WI: National Institute f Science Education, 1996). James R. Mahoney (editor), Improving Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Instruction: Strategies for the Community College (Washington, DC: American Association of Community Colleges, Community College Press, 1996). Ann P. McNeal, "Collaboration in Physiology Courses: What Works?" Annual Meeting of the Professional Research Scientists on Experimental Biology 97, New Orleans, LA, April 6-9, 1997, FASEB Journal, Vol. 11, No. 3 (1997). ____________ and Charlene D'Avanzo (editors), Student-Active Science: Models of Innovation in Undergraduate Education (Philadelphia, PA: Saunders College Publishers, 1997). National Commission on Teaching & America's Future, What Matter's Most: Teaching for America's Future, 1996. National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land Grant Universities, Returning to Our Roots: The Student Experience (Washington, DC: NASULGC, April, 1997). Taking Charge of Change (Washington, DC: NASULGC, May, 1997). National Research Council, Improving Teacher Preparation and Credentialing Consistent with the National Science Education Standards: Report of a Symposium held in February 1996 (Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences Press, November, 1996). The Preparation of Teachers of Mathematics: Considerations and Challenges: A Letter Report of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board, (Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences, 1996). Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, Rediscovering Geography Committee (Thomas Wilbanks, Chair), Rediscovering Geography, New Relevance for Science and Society (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997). Committee on Undergraduate Science Education, Science Teaching Reconsidered: A Handbook (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997). Committee on Undergraduate Science Education, Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, Science Teacher Preparation in an Era of Standards-Based Reform (Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences Press, 1997). Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, Introducing The Science Education Standards (Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences Press, 1997). Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering (Washington DC: National Academy Press, 1997). A. Wayne Roberts (editor), "Calculus: The Dynamics of Change," Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Notes, Number 39, (1996). Leonard Springer, Mary Elizabeth Stanne, and Samuel Donovan, Effects of Cooperative Learning on Undergraduates in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology: A Meta-Analysis (Madison, WI: National Center for Science Education & Wisconsin Center for Educational Research, 1997). Tracey E. Sutherland and Charles C. Bonwell (editors), Using Active Learning in College Classes: A Range of Options for Faculty, New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 67 (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Fall, 1996). Alan Schoenfeld (editor), "Student Assessment in Calculus," Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Notes, Number 43, (1997). Melvin L. Silberman, Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject (Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1996). Section II: Program History of Undergraduate Activities at NSF Since the Neal Report (86-100) ________________________________________________________________________________ As was noted in Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NSF 96-139), the report of the 1985-1986 Task Committee of the National Science Board (86-100) has been the principal guide for the restoration and evolution of NSF undergraduate education activities since its acceptance by the Board in March, 1986. Presented in this section is more detailed analysis of some aspects of the Foundation's efforts to implement the 1986 report in the decade since. Small portions of text from Volume 1 of Shaping the Future are repeated here to aid the reader in recalling the framework. The numerous recommendations in the Board Report fell into two categories: Leadership and Leveraged Program Support. Leadership The central leadership recommendation of the National Science Board Task Committee was that the Foundation "Develop quickly an appropriate administrative structure and mechanisms for the implementation of these recommendations. The focal point should be the [Education Directorate]; it should foster collaboration among all parts of the Foundation to achieve excellence in science, mathematics, and engineering education." The Foundation established such a unit later in 1986. It has evolved into the present Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). DUE staff of program officers is drawn from across the disciplines of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Many come from leadership positions in national organizations and from university faculties and administrations. Its programmatic offerings devote attention to the development and dissemination of innovative courses, curricula, and laboratories, as well as to the preparation and development of faculty, future preK-12 teachers, and technicians. Particular emphasis is placed on the translation of innovations among and between disciplines. The Board Task Committee made 11 other leadership recommendations to the Foundation. It urged NSF to: "(1) Take bold steps to establish itself in a position of leadership to advance and maintain the quality of undergraduate education in engineering, mathematics, and the sciences." NSF has clearly established the desired leadership position of the Foundation. Allocations of resources have been smaller than envisioned originally by the Board in some areas, but a little larger in others. "(2) Stimulate the states and the components of the private sector to increase their investments in the improvement of undergraduate science, engineering, and mathematics education." Beginning in 1980 with the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and culminating with the establishment of the Rural Systemic Initiatives (RSI) program in 1997, the Foundation has fostered the creation of vigorous partnerships involving itself, individual states, and various private sector entities in substantial projects to improve research and education in mathematics, engineering, science, and technology. The emphasis has been on graduate and K-12 education, but articulation of school and college-level programming has been addressed by many of these projects. The partnership mode of project operation ranges in scope from adherence to matching funds requirements to the basing of projects in consortia and collaboratives. Examples of current undergraduate programs are the Alliances for Minority Participation and Advanced Technological Education. "(3) Provide a forum for consideration of current issues related to such efforts." NSF has gone far beyond this directive by sponsoring workshops, symposia, and conferences on disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and institutional aspects of undergraduate education. The reports of these gatherings circulate widely and are highly regarded resource documents. "(4) Implement new programs and expand existing ones for the ultimate benefit of students in all types of institutions." It was apparent to NSF from the start that the emphasis in this recommendation lay in the words all types of institutions. Doctoral universities submitted the great majority of successful education proposals in 1985-1986; but by 1994, special efforts by NSF resulted in their number being at least matched by proposals from two-year colleges, four-year colleges, and comprehensive universities. NSF supports the development of a broad spectrum of educational products (from innovative texts and software to new courses and curricula) has helped expand and improve student learning nationwide. "(5) Actuate cooperative projects among two-year and four-year colleges and universities to improve their educational efficiency and effectiveness." The principal concern in this area in 1986 was particularly the Advanced Technological Education program, for improved articulation between two-year and four-year institutions. While NSF programs have recently fostered the establishment of consortia and other types of cooperative projects, they have long addressed broader objectives by including two-year college faculty and institutions in the full range of undergraduate programs. "(6) Stimulate and support a variety of efforts to improve public understanding of science and technology." NSF has strong commitments to K-12 and informal science education evidence direct concern for public understanding. It is hoped that activities following upon the recommendations of this report will enhance efforts to address similar needs at the undergraduate level. "(7) Stimulate creative and productive activity in teaching and learning (and (8) conduct research on them), just as it does in basic disciplinary research. New funding will be required, but intrinsic cost differences are such that this result can be obtained with a smaller investment than is presently being made in basic research." The next section examines in detail the funding history of undergraduate activities at NSF. However, it is the case that the Division of Undergraduate Education allocates most of its resources quite directly to activities designed to improve teaching and learning. The Division of Engineering Education and Centers in the Directorate for Engineering and the Division of Experimental and Integrative Activities within the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering devote substantial portions of their budgets to undergraduate engineering education. Across the Foundation it is the scale rather than the scope which needs expanding. Although EHR Division of Research, Evaluation, and Communication vigorously supports research on teaching and learning, a special effort within this division, as well as those previously mentioned, should be made to stimulate proposals for research on teaching and learning at the collegiate level. "(9) Bring its programming in the undergraduate education area into balance with its activities in the pre-college and graduate areas as quickly as possible." The balance sought by the Board Task Group was dual-programmatic and fiscal. Between FY 1983 (when K-12 education was re-established at NSF) and FY 1986 (when the Board Committee made its recommendations), the main themes of NSF K-12 programs had become firmly established. While urging the restoration of a vigorous undergraduate program, the Committee wanted to ensure that it would be coordinated well with the Foundation's activities at the K-12 level (which produced undergraduate students and employed graduated teachers) and at the graduate level (where the products of undergraduate institutions are further educated). NSF undergraduate programming in the Education Directorate was brought into that balance by three events: transfer of responsibility for Teacher Preparation from the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education (ESIE) to DUE in 1993; establishment of the program in Advanced Technological Education in 1994; and start-up of the Institution-Wide Reform initiative, begun in 1995. "(10) Expand its efforts to increase the participation of women, minorities, and the physically handicapped in professional science, mathematics, and engineering." The Foundation as a whole has a good record of such efforts, and the record of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) is especially good. In FY 1995, NSF allocated more than 3 percent of its budget to programs, in both the education and research directorates, designed to address underrepresentation. While all divisions of EHR share responsibility for addressing NSF educational objectives in this area, the Division of Human Resource Development (HRD) has the programmatic lead and has mounted a variety of programs designed to increase participation of women, minorities and persons with disabilities. "(11) Design and implement an appropriate database activity concerning the qualitative and quantitative aspects of undergraduate education in mathematics, engineering, and the sciences to ensure flexibility in its response to changing national and disciplinary needs." NSF Division of Science Resources Studies has principal responsibility for such database activity. At the present time, some of the Undergraduate Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (SME&T) Education Database content envisioned by the Board Committee is being built into the Impact Database of EHR's Division of Research, Evaluation, and Communication. Leveraged Program Support The FY 1995 NSF budget provided a very substantial sum for support of all but one (Information for Long-Range Planning) of the program categories detailed in the Neal Report. The total was actually in excess of the amount recommended for FY 1989 by the Report of the NSB Task Committee. In addition, NSF undergraduate support in FY1995 included programs in categories not mentioned in the Neal Report (Teacher Preparation and Advanced Technological Education). How well NSF has done by the Neal recommendations is a judgement that should reflect ten years of experience and hindsight; and it should be informed by comparison with the intent of the recommendations. Section III: Written Remarks Contributed as Part of the EHR Advisory Committee Public Hearings on Undergraduate SME&T Education ________________________________________________________________________________ Written Contributions to the EHR Advisory Committee Public Hearing on Disciplinary Perspectives of Undergraduate SME&T Education ________________________________________________________________________________ Convened October 23, 1995 At the National Science Foundation Arlington, VA Invited Speakers: "Disciplinary Perspectives on SME&T Undergraduate Education" Listed in order of Testimony. Titles indicate the speakers' positions at the time of the Hearing. Undergraduate Education MRC Greenwood in SME&T Dean of Graduate Studies, Vice Provost, Academic Outreach, University of California, Davis Biological Sciences Rita R. Colwell President, American Association for the Advancement of Science & Professor, University of Maryland, College Park Mathematical Sciences Alan Tucker Professor, State University of New York at Stony Brook Engineering Eleanor Baum President-Elect, ASEE & Dean of Engineering, Cooper Union (NY) Winfred Phillips President-Elect, ABET & Dean of Engineering, University of Florida Computer Sciences & Peter J. Denning Engineering Associate Dean for Computing, George Mason University (VA) Technology Don K. Gentry Dean of Engineering Technology, Purdue University (IN) Durward R. Huffman President, Northern Maine Technical College Chemistry Ernest L. Eliel Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Angelica M. Stacy Professor, University of California at Berkeley Physics Robert C. Hilborn President, American Association of Physics Teachers & Professor, Amherst College (MA) Eric Mazur Professor, Harvard University (MA) Geological Sciences Tanya Atwater Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology MRC Greenwood Dean, Graduate Studies & Vice Provost, Academic Outreach University of California at Davis Davis, California Introduction As some of you will know, I had the great pleasure of serving in President Clinton's Administration from 1993 until May of this year. One of the greatest pleasures I have experienced was working with the Director of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Neal Lane; the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Harold Varmus, co-Chairs of the President's National Science and Technology Council committee on Fundamental Science, and the other distinguished members of the committee. This committee played a lead role in the extensive bipartisan consultation with many interested scientists and other individuals who are concerned about our nation's readiness to face the challenges of the fast paced, technologically dependent global workplace of the 21st century. To help all Americans understand what was at stake and to articulate to the American public the importance of investing in science, technology, and education, President Clinton and Vice President Gore released, in August 1994, a statement entitled Science in the National Interest. Science in the National Interest provides an important articulation to the American people why it is that the government must continue to invest in scientific discovery, scientific leaders, science education, and the development of a scientifically literate public. Many statements from a variety of organizations and from previous administrations have stressed the importance to the Nation of investing in research. Other statements have stressed the importance of education to our future but few, if any have clearly connected the importance of science education, science literacy, research, and our economic security. If you read Science in the National Interest, you will note that this is not an esoteric document. Rather, it is about people, investing in people, and investing in their ideas and in their education in order to create our collective future. Science in the National Interest articulates five goals. The first three: o Maintain leadership across the frontiers of scientific knowledge. o Enhance connections between fundamental research and national goals. o Stimulate partnerships that promote investments in fundamental science and engineering. are primarily directed to creating the knowledge base and the new tools that will shape the 21st century economy. The last two: o Produce the finest scientists and engineers for the 21st century. o Raise the scientific and technological literacy of all Americans. are the main reasons we are here today. In fact, the last two goals, although the more challenging, are by far the most critical in the long run. Our failure to accomplish these two goals will undermine our ability to accomplish the first three and they will ultimately undermine the wealth creation of this nation and its tax base. I firmly believe it will undermine the quality of life we have come to expect. Today, as a research scientist, a dean, and a recent policymaker, I would like to argue that scientists must become increasingly involved in the national educational initiative that must commence and be sustained to ensure a quality future for ourselves, our children, and generations to come. We must build partnerships that allow us to build on our successes, to understand our failures, and to identify new ways of doing business across sectors with new optimism. The National Science Foundation has been a leader in innovative programs to encourage high quality undergraduate teaching and to improve teacher training to affect improved quality in undergraduate teaching. Nonetheless, let me take a few moments to review some sobering statistics, observations, and "factoids." For example, I read [the following factoids] in the Sacramento Bee: o In 1950, 60 percent of all jobs in the U.S. were unskilled o In 1990, 35 percent of all jobs in the U.S. were unskilled o In 2000, 15 percent of all jobs are projected to be unskilled By the end of the decade: o 44 percent of U.S. workers will be in the business of collecting, analyzing, synthesizing, storing or retrieving data o In a 1989 survey of U.S. CEOs, two-thirds of them responded that they had difficulty in hiring because of lack of basic skills. o People age 18-23 with difficulty in academic skills are five times more likely to receive public assistance and have a poverty level income. Let me take a few moments to review some other compelling points that all of us need to be concerned about. Much of this information can be found in the very useful National Science Board document Science and Engineering Indicators for 1993, the latest edition. While the recently released critical technologies report notes that the U.S. is still the leader in most technologies, the margin by which we excel is increasingly smaller. Some of this shrinkage is due to the understanding of nations with whom we trade and compete that scientific education and literacy are important to their future. For many decades, the U.S. and the European countries have dominated the scientific workforce but: o In 1990, six Asian countries produced more than one-half million Natural Science and Engineering (NS&E) baccalaureates, slightly more than the U.S. and Europe. o Although the U.S. has twice as many scientists and engineers in R&D, Japan and the U.S. have equal proportions in the workforce. o However, Japan's ratio appears to be accelerating as the U.S. levels off. Another way to look at this is to note the following: o Although the U.S. and Canada outstrip most nations in overall baccalaureate degree production, the percent of degrees that go to individuals with S&E majors is proportionately less than in Japan. o More interestingly for the future, even in countries with limited overall participation in advanced education (such as Mexico and China) those who do get degrees in NS&E are a much higher proportion of the total baccalaureate production (e.g., 25 percent in Mexico and almost 50 percent in China). Thus, one can conclude that, although our overall access to higher education is comparatively good, our proportional share of those skilled in S&E is dropping just when we project an increasingly competitive international market and a need for more science background. Since economists who frequently disagree on many issues nearly unanimously agree that a nation's economy is a derivative of its workforce and its investment in science and R&D, this is an ominous trend that cannot wait for a more fortunate fiscal moment to fix. Indeed, one could argue that the present deficit that everyone is rushing to cut is only a symptom of a much more serious educational deficit that no amount of cutting can fix for the long term. So, in short, scientists and science agencies, both public and private, need to become involved and become partners in solutions. The reasons in the final analysis are simple: o The economy depends upon it; o Science education and literacy is the business of scientists; o It's the right thing to do; and finally o There is the self-interested reason. If there is no national interest in science and no public competence and literacy in science, there will be no support for science in the national interest. What can be done? Form partnerships with other segments of higher education. The science and engineering (S&E) workforce, the knowledge creators of the future and those who can utilize this knowledge, is embedded in a complex system. Our higher education system has as its greatest strength its depth and its multiple routes of access for our citizens. Its greatest weakness is its formation of sectoral factions. Our nation has a system in which: o fourteen million students are enrolled in 3600 institutions; o those fourteen million students earn 1.9 million degrees per year; and o of those 1.9 million degrees, 500,000 are in S&E areas. This is the system that produces our teachers, our researchers, our policymakers and our legislators. The components of the system have to learn to work together to maximize their collective strengths and to focus their selective strengths. I currently work for and represent what is called a land grant Research I university, although I spent nearly a decade at a selective liberal arts college. I can tell you from personal experience that few faculty or administrators in either sector know much about the other. And both need to learn to work better with our colleagues in the comprehensive universities and the community colleges where many of the teachers of the future get their pre-service training. As we discuss the need to work directly and creatively with teachers and students, we need also to work within the system that we share the greatest responsibility for and for which we should rightfully assume the responsibility. Some scientists may well claim that they are not trained to work with pre-college teachers or students, but they cannot claim that they do not have the skills or the responsibility for the quality of the undergraduate general and more specialized, [science education] in their own institutions. In fact, in most of our institutions, the power of the faculty over the curriculum is virtually absolute, as many an administrator has learned. It's time for academics to take their academic senate responsibilities ever more seriously. The views of scientists will not be respected if they cannot improve the level of science and math competency where they have the most influence, in their own institutions. Over the past five to seven years much has already been done, although I fear that this is not widely appreciated or understood. There are four areas of SME&T undergraduate education that I think are important to comment on today. Improving the undergraduate teaching of students who will continue in careers associated with science or technical competence There are two main concerns here: (1) modernizing and energizing the curriculum itself and introducing the use of ever more sophisticated information technology; and (2) drawing students of previously underrepresented groups into SME&T. Perhaps the most exciting opportunities combine the two. For example, at UC Davis we have a biology undergraduate scholars program that identifies talented students from nontraditional backgrounds and mentors them in the early and frequently career choice definitive courses in biology, chemistry, and math. Lately these students have been outscoring the rest of the class (e.g., 80 percent earned A's or B's in the Chemistry 2A class where the average grade is 2.3). In addition, 63 percent of them have participated in faculty research projects and many have gone on to graduate or professional school. The methodology used to encourage these minority students has now been more extensively used to improve the overall teaching of undergraduate biology majors. Improve the science and technology literacy of all undergraduate students In the information age we have already, no college educated person can expect to be fully equipped for a job or career without at least a working knowledge of modern scientific theory and a modicum of technical competence and know how. This will require our colleges and universities to revisit the general curriculum and revise the requirements to ensure that their students are prepared. This will not happen without the enlightened leadership of scientists and other academics. It will not work if all the scientific community is willing to offer is the usual array of introductory courses intended to introduce the student to the major. True literacy of all students will require science departments to become much more creative; to work collegially with other science departments and resource centers. Scientists must offer courses that the non-scientist likes and which are conceptually oriented, not just fact oriented. The "sage on the stage" will have to be replaced by the talented storyteller and the multimedia expert who has not only mastery of the material but mastery of the method of conveying the exciting and dynamic world of science. Change the training of graduate students Changing the way graduate students are trained to teach can make one of the most important impacts on the future of undergraduate teaching. We have experimented with a program at UC Davis entitled the "Certificate in College Teaching." This program, in existence now for over five years, is oversubscribed. In this program, graduate students have both a UC Davis mentor and a mentor from a four-year or two-year institution. The student participates in an extensive professional seminar on teaching methods, has his or her own teaching extensively taped and analyzed and develops multimedia curricular materials that are also expensively critiqued. At the end of the intensive one-year program, a certificate is awarded. Numerous students who have completed this program have used the formal portfolio that they have developed when applying for jobs and claim that it was a significant factor in their subsequent hire. Sadly, we can only offer this program for a limited number of students; but approaches like this have the potential to reshape graduate students' attitudes toward a more serious orientation to new teaching methodologies for the future. Finally, be concerned about training teachers No matter how talented a teacher may be, nothing substitutes for mastery of the material, love of the discipline, and curiosity (which leads to life long learning). More concern about the undergraduate background of those who will teach in K-8 is certainly warranted. NSF has several programs in the area of in-service training that are especially well and continuing attention is warranted. Another suggestion is to work to develop communication majors that specialize in training science and technology communicators. Much of the public gains the fragmented knowledge it has on SME&T issues from television and print media. Very few communication programs around the country are serious about identifying well-trained science undergraduates and preparing them to be successful communications experts. It is clear that we need news professionals trained to understand science and science educators and scientists with a sophisticated understanding of the media. In short, first-rate SME&T education for those who will become scientists and for those who will primarily use the fruits of SME&T is critical for the nation. I applaud your efforts to review the important work sponsored by NSF in this area and I urge you to continue to devote effort to improving the nation's SME&T training and opportunities. Thank you for inviting my comments. M.R.C. Greenwood is Chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a position she has held since July 1, 1996, in addition to an USCS appointment as Professor of Biology. Prior to her USCS appointments, Chancellor Greenwood served as Dean of Graduate Studies and Vice Provost for Academic Outreach at the University of California, Davis, where she also held a dual appointment as Professor of Nutrition and of Internal Medicine. Previously, Dr. Greenwood taught at Vassar College where she was the John Guy Vassar Professor of Natural Sciences, Chair of the Department of Biology, and Director of the Undergraduate Research Summer Institute. From November 1993, to May 1995, Dr. Greenwood held and appointment as Associate Director for Science at the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President of the United States. In that position, she supervised the Science Division, providing authoritative advice on a broad array of scientific areas in support of the President's objectives, such as budget development for the multibillion dollar fundamental science national effort, and development of science policy documents, including Science in the National Interest. In addition, she was responsible for interagency coordination and co- chaired two National Science and Technology Council committees. The author of numerous scientific publications and presentations, her research interests are in developmental cell biology, genetics, physiology, and nutrition. Her work over the past 25 years, focusing on the genetic causes of obesity, is recognized worldwide. Disciplinary Perspectives of National Leaders and Undergraduate Education Rita R. Colwell President, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) President, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute Professor of Microbiology, University of Maryland College Park, Maryland Introduction Since 1988, AAAS has conducted two studies, one implementation project, and one planning project related to undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SME&T). These include: (a) The AAAS Project on Liberal Education and the Sciences (1988-1990), funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York: a study of the role of the natural sciences in the liberal arts curriculum for all undergraduate students. (b) Investing in Human Potential (IHP): Science and Engineering at the Crossroads (1989-1991), funded by NSF: a study of efforts by U.S. higher education institutions to increase the participation of women, non-Asian minorities, and people with physical disabilities in SME&T. (c) Access to Engineering: Recruitment and Retention of Students and Faculty with Disabilities in Schools of Engineering (Five year project ending in January 1996), funded by NSF: effort to expand the concept of diversity within engineering education by promoting full inclusion of individuals with disabilities. (d) The Science Dean's Colloquium (September 1994) funded by NSF: colloquium of 52 Deans of Science and other university administrators from the nation's major research universities. Each of these projects included substantial input from collaborating individuals and organizations. The AAAS Project on Liberal Education and the Sciences was guided by members of AAAS Coalition for Education in the Science, a consortium of scientific and educational associations, a six-member advisory board, and 15 member study group. The IHP study included survey responses from 276 presidents/chancellors of colleges and universities, directors of nearly 400 recruitment/retention programs, and nearly 100 disabled student services offices, as well as intensive case studies of 13 colleges and universities. The Access to Engineering Project included intense work with five schools of engineering, a meeting of 60 deans and other administrators from schools of engineering, a survey of schools of engineering that included demographics on disabled students and faculty, and guidance by a 16-member advisory panel, including a number of engineers with disabilities. In general, the four AAAS studies and projects have identified: o model SME&T undergraduate programs and courses; o what SME&T undergraduate students need to know in the sciences; and o academic and administrative challenges to bring about change in undergraduate SME&T education. Overall Finding From AAAS SME&T Undergraduate Studies and Projects Perhaps the three most significant improvements in undergraduate SME&T education: o Efforts to Reform Calculus. These efforts have included structural changes in calculus that have been spearheaded by the mathematics community (MSEB, MAA, and NCTM). These programs create a community for SME&T freshman and sophomore students and provide supplemental workshops to regular classroom work. o Expansion of undergraduate research programs. Although undergraduate research programs have not been fully studied, it does appear that these programs motivate undergraduate students to stay in SME&T majors. These programs exist in the form of cooperative education programs: NSF Center for Research, National Institutes of Health Summer Program, Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC), Minority Biomedical Research Science (MBRS) Program, and other such efforts. NASA and the Department of Defense fund small summer programs for undergraduates with disabilities. o The notion of SME&T consortia and collaboratives. In general, consortia and collaboration of college, and universities and/or national laboratories and corporations have been effective in strengthening undergraduate SME&T education. Activities include developing dual-degree and cross registration programs; centralizing science and engineering resources into centers; faculty developing; reforming undergraduate curriculum; and creating research opportunities at non-doctorate granting colleges and universities. Perhaps the three most important challenges to SME&T undergraduate education are: o moving from isolated model programs to structural reform in undergraduate education; o orienting faculty, particularly faculty in lower division SME&T classes, to innovative instructional and assessment strategies; and o creating a forum for science deans to exchange information and monitor changes. Both the AAAS Investing in Human Potential (IHP): Science and Engineering at the Crossroads and The Liberal Arts of Science: Agenda for Action identified a host of model undergraduate education programs. Pages 143-145 of the IHP Report presents a model for evolution of intervention programs for minorities, females, and disabled students at colleges and universities. This model includes five levels of programs. 1. Isolated projects were numerous, and involved the commitment of individuals to address particular barriers to participation. These projects were often not connected to any other efforts and relied on soft money or volunteer activity for their continuation. 2. In other instances, individual schools or departments undertook activities to address their own particular problems, such as high failure rates in calculus. These activities had little or no connection to other efforts in the institution, and addressed only a small part of the overall system of problems which minorities, women, and students with disabilities face. 3. At the next level were formalized, coordinated program activities in one part of the institution, such as a college of engineering, where recruitment and retention of female and minority students were coordinated through the office of the dean. Funding for these programs included external grants but relied increasingly on hard dollars from the institution. Most frequently missing from these programs were ties necessary to modify required introductory courses in the sciences and mathematics. There was often reliance on programs to equip the students to survive instead of also taking on the issue of the quality and cultivation aspects of courses. 4. In a few instances, institutions created centers for the coordination of large parts of the process of recruiting, retaining, tracking, and advancing students to graduate education. One of the most notable examples of this is the Comprehensive Regional Center for Minorities in Puerto Rico. In this case, the center formed an organizational overlay to the mission of the institution to educate particular groups of underrepresented students. 5. Not found among any of the institutions was a model of structural reform where the structure of courses, pedagogical techniques, institutional climate, and systems for recruitment and retention co- existed with a supportive administrative structure. The regular support of departments and programs provides mechanisms to support the achievement of all students committed to education in science and engineering. The Liberal Art of Science: Agenda for Action report also profiles SME&T programs and courses (pages 73-106). These profiles are grouped into four categories: Programs involving the core curriculum. These programs either constitute an institution's core science requirements for all students or are voluntary alternatives to the institutions core science requirements. Examples of programs include Introduction to the Natural Sciences at Lehman College; Learning Science Through Inquiry; Natural Science Division I Requirement at Hampshire College; and Science in Modern Life I and II at Brooklyn College. Program constituting a major. Programs in this section represent some of the innovative, interdisciplinary, baccalaureate programs that are emerging in American colleges and universities. Examples of programs include The Curriculum in Science and Culture at Purdue University; the Liberal Arts and Science Program at Utah State University; and the Science in Society Program at Wesleyan University. Full-year courses and course sequences. These are examples of initial courses designed to introduce students to science and the scientific enterprise. Examples of programs include Chemistry of Our World at Wright State University; Foundation of Science at Hunter College; and The Theory and Practice of Science at Columbia University. One-semester courses. These examples represent innovative courses that effectively integrate science in a liberal arts context and/or teach science as it is practiced. Examples of courses include Ways of Knowing at Macalester College; Role-Playing Laboratories in Analytical Chemistry at St. Olaf College; and Science and Technology in the Modern World, Kean College of New Jersey. Both the IHP study and the Liberal Art of Science Project offer guidance about how to move from isolated model programs and courses to structural reform in SME&T undergraduate education. Of particular note are pages xi and xix in The Liberal Arts of Science: Agenda for Action report. This section outlines what undergraduate students should take from their college education including understanding, knowledge, skills and attitudes concerning aspects of science. These include understanding: o scientific values and ways of knowing; o collection, organization, and classification of information; o scientific laws, devising models and developing theories; o the limits of scientific knowledge; o the vocabulary and terminology of science; and o the role of mathematical concepts in science. In terms of integration concepts, undergraduate students need to understand: o scale and proportion; o change and evolution; o causality and consequences; and o dynamic equilibrium. In terms of the context of science, undergraduate students need to understand: o the historical development, intellectual, and cultural contexts of science; and o the ethical, social, economic, and political dimensions of science. These high goals for scientific understanding require new instructional strategies at the undergraduate level, including: o goal-oriented instruction that brings meaning into day-to-day problems encountered by scientists; o hands-on experimental and laboratory activities; o activities promoting independent learning and analysis including finding, reading, and analyzing information from a variety of sources; o group discussion and projects; o opportunities for writing and communicating science; o demonstrations of cross-disciplinary content including interconnections among the sciences themselves and connections to liberal arts, humanities, the fine practical arts, and the social sciences; o integration of mathematics with the study of those scientific topics whose explanations are based on mathematical concepts; and o assessment of students' abilities to analyze scientific problems, to generate reasonable hypotheses, to evaluate evidence, and to raise questions about science and technology in their own lives and the society in which they live. Scientific understanding cannot be measured adequately by true-false, multiple-choice, or other similar tests. Papers, projects, essay tests, oral presentations, and other forms of assessment must also be used. As indicated, one of the biggest challenges for restructuring SME&T undergraduate education will be encouraging, preparing, and orienting college and university faculty to utilize innovative teaching and assessment strategies. Unlike K-12 teachers, college and university faculties are not required to take teaching courses. Pages 3 to 6 of The Liberal Arts of Science: Action Agenda also address academic and administrative changes needed at the undergraduate level to implement this new SME&T initiative, including: o increasing the time commitment for science to the equivalent of 15 to 16 semester hours of instruction for all students and decreasing class sizes to one faculty for every 20 to 30 students; o re-conceptualizing the current structure of the curriculum and doing away with survey courses. Rather, it is critical that education in the sciences become a well-integrated part of the broader liberal education program; o fostering collaboration of science with other liberal art faculties; o identifying a mechanism to review current curricula, design programs, encouraging the developing of courses, and providing on-going monitoring and assessment; o recognizing the need for institutional curricular reform including financial support, promotion and tenure, reduced teaching loads, and awards and prizes; and o external support from scientific, professional, and educational societies, accrediting agencies, state and federal government, and private and corporate foundations. As colleges and universities move to restructure SME&T at the undergraduate level, a leadership forum will be needed to exchange information, define benchmarks and collect data. However, as made clear by the AAAS Science Dean's Colloquium, unlike engineering deans, science deans lack a common forum to discuss concerns about SME&T undergraduate education. As part of the AAAS Colloquium, science deans outlined topics they would like to address. Topics include: Administrative Concerns o NSF funding procedures; o Improving the image of the research university; o Responding to budget cuts and reorganization; o Difficulties in dealing with the K-12 system, as well as state and federal education agencies; o Dialogue between research universities and "official" Washington; o Strategies for dealing with declining federal funding; and o Need for development activities in a new fiscal climate. Curriculum and Teaching Issues o Launching interdisciplinary degree programs, such as the science-oriented MBA and environmental studies, and science and public policy options; o Offering degrees in the sciences that are intended to lead to professional careers in journalism, business, etc.; o Organizational structure of undergraduate biology education; o Encouraging better teaching; o Curricular revisions as a mechanism for fostering interdisciplinary research and reaching less traditional science students; o Exchange of benchmark data; and o Tensions between major and non-major courses. Faculty Development o Mentoring of female and probationary faculty and graduate students; o Improving faculty diversity; o Discussion of the faculty reward structure, including tenure, promotion, and post-tenure review; o Faculty resistance to programs for female and minority students; o Evaluation and rewards of faculty for undergraduate teaching; and o Improving faculty teaching. 4. Outreach Efforts o University relationships with secondary/elementary school teachers and students; and o Relationship between college of science and college of education. 5. Student Issues o Efforts to stem student attrition; special sections for high-risk students; remedial instruction; o Programs to promote undergraduate student research; and o Changing employment opportunities for students. In addition, the deans are interested in how interdisciplinary centers (science, mathematics, and technology) are formed and operate. Specifically, they were interested in a center's role with regard to K-12 outreach, as well as the sharing of personnel and programs between the center and academic department, the types of faculty and staff appointments at such a center, and evaluations of faculty outside departmental and disciplinary frameworks. All of the AAAS studies and reports outline concerns about the changing demographics, particularly concerns about increasing the participation of minorities, women and persons with disabilities in SME&T. Minorities and females have made some gains in science, but we need to build more efforts to involve disabled persons in science. In the IHP study and the Access to Engineering effort, AAAS staff found that unlike efforts for minority and female students in SME&T, most colleges and universities do not have targeted efforts for disabled students. For these students, the disabled student services (DSS) is the primary source of help. However, disabled students who major in SME&T often find that the DSS has not encountered their specific need before, especially in laboratory courses or when specific technologies or services are required. In addition, most SME&T faculty and administrators are uninformed about the assistive technology that students and engineers with disabilities use today. The IHP report, Chapter 4 on "Science and Engineering Students with Physical Disabilities: Who Smoothes the Path?" includes making SME&T accessible to students with disabilities. Rita R Colwell has served as President of the following organizations: American Society for Microbiology, International Union of Microbiological Societies, Sigma Xi National Science Honorary Society, and American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington Academy of Sciences. She is currently Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Microbiology, author or co-author of 16 books and more than 450 scientific publications. Recipient of Honorary Doctor of Science degree conferred by Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh, Scotland); Hood College; and Purdue University, D.LLD conferred by Notre Dame College, recipient of the Andrew White Medal by Loyola College and Metal of Distinction, Columbia University. Honorary Professor of The University of Queensland (Queensland, Australia) and Ocean University of Quingdoa PRC. Served on the National Science Board and as a member of federal and state agency committees and boards. Comments on Undergraduate Education Review of the NSF Directorate of Education and Human Resources Alan C. Tucker Distinguished Teaching Professor, State University of New York-Stony Brook Chair, Education Coordinating Council of the Mathematical Association of America Stony Brook, New York I would like to organize my remarks along the lines of the input on the [EHR Advisory Committee] review solicited by Dr. Robert Watson from academic and business leaders last summer. My suggestions draw, in part, on the thoughtful comments of fifteen such letters written by mathematical scientists. What are the most significant improvements in undergraduate SME&T education you have observed in our nation during the past ten years? Leaders of the mathematical sciences community are in general agreement about the three major improvements in undergraduate SME&T education in the past ten years. They are: o increased use of technology; o increased attention to teaching and learning; and o the calculus reform movement. Some have also specifically cited efforts related to the latter two items, such as the involvement of professional societies in instructional reform and the creation of good materials to support innovative instruction. Increased Use of Technology Technology has had two types of impact: 1) In the way that mechanical devices have augmented the physical capabilities of humans, computing devices have augmented the mental capabilities of humans. In the learning process, technology provides enhanced computational and visual experiences as well as numerical assistance for students, giving students more insight into physical and mathematical processes. Students can study more realistic problems, which previously were intractable with pencil-and-paper approaches. With simulation and computer graphics software, students can explore and discover mathematical phenomena, thus making mathematics more like a hands-on, experimental science. This technology promotes active learning and facilitates undergraduate research in mathematics. The advent of modestly priced graphing calculators and widely affordable personal computers has made these technological possibilities a working reality for millions of undergraduates. Faculty interest in utilizing technology is exploding. Attendance at an annual conference on educational technology in mathematics has grown in six years from a few hundred to two thousand. NSF Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement (ILI) program has made a substantial contribution to the availability of technology in mathematics departments. The highly leveraged format of the ILI program, which requires technology-based curricular development (plus extensive cost-sharing), has prodded faculty to think creatively about how to use new technology effectively. NSF Faculty Development grants have supported scores of workshops to train mathematical science faculty in the use of educational technology. 2) The use of technology in learning and educational reform generally, has been revolutionized by electronic communication that effortlessly connects pairs of educators and students. The Internet's Worldwide Web opens up unlimited amounts of information to scholars and students, irrespective of the capacities of one's local library or computer center. The isolation in which individual educational reformers used to work has been eliminated. Students can access critical databases to undertake truly realistic class projects. NSF has played an important role in supporting NSFnet and local access efforts as well as educational software projects. Increased Attention to Teaching and Learning The increasing realization that how mathematics is taught is as important as what mathematics is taught is a signal development in undergraduate mathematics instruction. Its consequences will be reshaping instructional practices in the mathematical sciences for years to come. NSF curriculum grants and ILI grants were absolutely critical in stimulating a rethinking of instruction that started with questions about 'what' but inexorably led to questions about 'how.' This realization has led to growing interest in research about effective instruction and student learning. The wide interest in cooperative learning, student-centered discovery learning, projects and writing in mathematics courses was unimaginable a decade ago. Eight years ago at the annual joint American Mathematical Society/Mathematical Association of America meeting, the only contributed paper sessions were on research topics. Now, contributed paper sessions have hundreds of papers on pedagogy and on curricular reform. Faculty interest in pedagogy has had anticipated impacts on improved classroom instruction. It has also had unanticipated impacts such as a growth of undergraduate research opportunities in which faculty are now more likely to treat students like colleagues. A few months ago, there was a major article in the Notices of the American Mathematical Society on the effective instructional practices developed at the mathematics department at the State University of New York College at Potsdam (in some years, over 15 percent of Potsdam's graduates have been mathematics majors). For this research-centered society to have an article extolling mathematics instruction at a state college represents a major change of professional culture. My favorite quote about pedagogy is a question posed to me 6 years ago-- before I understood fully the power of the 'how'-- by the chair of the Potsdam mathematics department. He asked, "Why have Math Association committees spent so much time writing reports about curriculum for the mathematics major? What does using just the right curriculum have to do with training mathematicians?" The Calculus Reform Initiative Introductory undergraduate mathematics curriculum and instruction had a poor reputation a decade ago. Today, collegiate mathematics is viewed as a leader in SME&T undergraduate instructional reform. The calculus reform effort is a principal reason for this change. Hundreds of thousands of students are now being taught in calculus reform classes where students are more active learners and faculties are more active teachers. The best selling calculus text last year (over 80,000 copies sold) was a reform text. Calculus courses now focus on numerical, visual and applied interpretations of calculus as well as algebraic techniques. Students make extensive use of technology, engage in cooperative learning, write about their mathematical thinking and learn to attack open-ended, less structured problems. Calculus reform has proved to be a stimulating case study in technological and pedagogical innovation. Use of technology has had a symbiotic two-way relationship with calculus reform. Graphing calculators and computer software like DERIVE called into question the traditional drill in graphing functions and symbolic differentiation and integration. At the same time they permitted realistic problems involving integrals which could only be evaluated numerically and permitted visual and numerical exploration of the behavior of whole families of functions. Pedagogical innovation became a natural solution for faculties who were trying to break students free of deeply ingrained habits of mindless 'plug and chug' exercises. To make students think carefully about model building and the analysis of calculus-based models, instructors turned to cooperative learning, open-ended projects, and writing assignments. Interest in instructional innovation sparked by calculus reform is stimulating faculty to rethink how they teach differential equations, linear algebra, and other mathematical sciences courses. The accompanying map shows the broad distribution of NSF calculus reform awards by state. Subcontracts associated with major awards, along with the scores of calculus reform workshops, have extended the impact even further. The true success of the calculus reform movement is found in the 1000+ institutions that have implemented calculus reform without a grant. As an aside, I would like to give a special salute to program officers at NSF who displayed laudable cooperation and enterprise to steer additional funds to the calculus reform initiative as they started to recognize the magnitude of the impact that was possible. The $18,000,000 finally spent on awards in the Calculus Reform Initiative from 1988 to 1993 was several times what was directly allocated. The primary support for NSF calculus reform initiative was through the Course and Curriculum Development Program in the Division of Undergraduate Education in cooperation with the Division of Mathematical Sciences. DUE Programs in Faculty Enhancement, in Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement, and in Teacher Preparation, as well as programs in the Division of Research, Evaluation and Communication (REC) and the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education (ESIE), contributed additional funds. What are the three most important problems you and collaborating individuals and organizations encounter in your efforts to assure that the best possible education is delivered to undergraduates in the areas of SME&T? While there was near unanimity about the improvements in the past decade, leaders in the mathematical sciences community showed great diversity of opinion when it came to future problems. The following three topics were each cited by about half the respondents: o changing faculty values and attitudes; o serving a more diverse, and often under-prepared, student body; and o equipment needs Other problems cited by several respondents were o inadequate coordination across disciplines; and o responding to Standards-based changes in K-12 instruction Other challenges mentioned were: the lack of diversity in SME&T faculty