Join over 6,000 STEM educators this semester as we learn to create more inclusive classrooms.
THE NEXT COURSE OFFERING WILL BE
MARCH 6 - APRIL 28, 2023
+ THE UARIZONA LEARNING COMMUNITY
(date & time to be determined)
6-week course | UArizona learning community | Independent study credit
Enroll on EdX using your UArizona email & sign up here for the learning community
The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project is a 6-week NSF-funded, CIRTL-supported online course designed to advance the awareness, self-efficacy, and ability of graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff to cultivate inclusive STEM learning environments and develop as reflective, inclusive practitioners. UArizona is one of the project's facilitating institutions.
Course activities are designed to nurture a transformative mindset and help participants reflect deeply on key identity-related aspects of each module as they go through the course, and to help them apply these aspects to their own teaching and learning contexts. Our local learning community and course credit options encourage you to explore these topics further and to engage in productive dialogue around issues of identity, power, and positionality. Research shows that participants who meet weekly to talk about the MOOC with colleagues retain the information better, feel like they are more involved in the global community*, and complete the course at much higher rates.**
By participating in the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project (MOOC), participants will:
- Examine issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education
- Reflect on their own and their students’ identities and experiences
- Question their assumptions and biases around instruction and student learning
- Identify and implement learner-centered structures and strategies
- Apply principles of evidence-based inclusive teaching to future courses
- Gain confidence in advancing equitable practices in higher education
Three Ways You Can Engage
We offer three levels of engagement with the ISTP, depending on your level of interest and time. The options go from basic (least engaged) to high (most engaged), so think about the time you can commit and how you would like to participate before signing up. Instructions are under each drop-down tab!
The basic learning program consists of the MOOC that you can participate in as an independent learner. You can complete the modules on your own time and will get to interact with other participants on the discussion boards. We recommend this option if you are intrinsically motivated and plan to use what you learn in your teaching while taking (or soon after taking) the course. At the end, you will receive a certificate of completion for the MOOC. You can additionally register for a fee-based ($49) certificate via the EdX platform.
Estimated time commitment: 2-3 hours per week for 6 weeks
- 2-3 hours per week engaging in the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project MOOC
How to register:
- Enroll in the course on EdX using your UArizona email* (*this will help us track the # of participants we have at our institution)
For graduate students, postdocs, and faculty/staff who would like to interact with others locally while taking the course, we recommend the medium level of engagement, which includes the course and participation in our weekly 60-minute local learning community with trained facilitators. At the end, you will receive a certificate of completion for the MOOC and a UArizona certificate of participation for the learning community.
Estimated time commitment: 3-4 hours per week for 6 weeks
- 2-3 hours per week engaging in the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project MOOC
- 60-minute Local Learning Community discussion (Tuesdays 11-12 pm on Zoom Oct. 4th to Nov 15th)
How to register:
- Enroll in the course on EdX using your UArizona email* (*this will help us track the # of participants we have at our institution)
- Register for the UArizona learning community
For graduate students who want to really dive into the material, we recommend the highest level of engagement, which includes a 1-credit independent study course through the University Center for Assessment, Teaching, and Technology (UCATT), which many programs will allow you to count toward elective coursework. The IA 699 Independent Study (a 7-week course in the second half of the fall semester) would consist of your full participation in the MOOC, the local learning community, and another couple of weeks to develop teaching materials. It includes an additional handful of individual or small group meetings with the facilitators of the learning community to guide you in the development of teaching materials and offer feedback.. At the end, you will receive a certificate of completion for the MOOC, a certificate of participation for the learning community, and you will have developed a set of inclusive teaching materials for future job interviews.
Estimated time commitment: 4-5 hours per week for 8 weeks
- 2-3 hours per week engaging in the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project MOOC
- 60-minute Local Learning Community discussion (Tuesdays 11-12 pm on Zoom Oct. 4th - Nov 15th)
- 15-20 hours of additional coursework (meetings, developing lessons, working on a positionality statement, etc.)
How to register:
- Enroll in the course on EdX using your UArizona email* (*this will help us track the # of participants we have at our institution)
- Register for the UArizona learning community and mark your interest in the IA 699 Independent Study (1-credit) (form forthcoming)
What Our Participants Say
It was invaluable having a sense of community, meeting people from different parts of the world, and having a human connection which I think is so important in a course on inclusive STEM practices. I really loved this community because it felt so easy to participate and be open and honest after we got to know each other. I really looked forward to the sessions each week!
Rachna Mathur, PhD student, Arizona State University, Spring 2022 UArizona learning community participant
Learning Community Insights (Spring 2022)
STEM Teaching Project Local Facilitators
Sources:
*A sense of relatedness can encourage positive student feeling toward a MOOC or course (i.e., affective engagement), and motivate learners to more actively participate in the activities (i.e., encourage behavioral engagement) (Furrer & Skinner, 2003).
**“Local responses” to MOOCs, such as peer-led learning communities “in which the members know each other, have more intense interactions, and share the same goals” provide more meaningful engagement and higher completion rates (Firmensyah & Timmis, 2016).
The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), and the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE). This project is supported under DUE grants 1821684; 1821571; 1821528; 1821510; 1821574.