The Promise of a “Network of Networks” Strategy to Scale Change: Lessons From the AAU STEM Initiative

Kezar, Adrianna; Miller, Emily R.; Bernstein-Serra, Samantha; Holcombe, Elizabeth

doi:10.1080/00091383.2019.1569973

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Additionally, the types of relevant measures to evaluate classroom-based, department-and institution-level, and multi-institutional project effects vary greatly (Fairweather, Trapani, & Paulson, 2016). At the same time, higher education is a complex system and achieving transformation in undergraduate STEM education involves examining the relevance and impact of critical organization factors that can impede or facilitate progress (Austin, 2011;Kezar, Miller, Bernstein-Serra, & Holcombe, 2019;Miller, Fairweather, Slakey, Smith, & King, 2017).…”

Section: Description and Goalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Transformation of Undergraduate STEM Education

Miller¹,

King²

2021

Preprint

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During a 2019 workshop, the American Association of Universities (AAU) convened experts involved in leading, researching, evaluating and funding efforts to transform undergraduate STEM teaching across all sectors of higher education. The goal was to synthesize essential issues and challenges in designing, leading, and researching institutional and multi-institutional transformation projects to improve undergraduate STEM education.

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Section: Description and Goalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Transformation of Undergraduate STEM Education

Miller¹,

King²

2021

Preprint

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“…These relationships may offer access to additional social resources (expertise, knowledge, etc. ), which may support the development of individual skills and strategies necessary to undertake change processes (Kezar et al, 2019). For example, faculty who are part of a STEM reform network gain access to the latest research about how students learn and pedagogies to STEM education.…”

Section: Network Theory and Systemic Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In response to calls for a systems approach, common languages such as "STEM networks" (BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium, Project Kaleidoscope, Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning, Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities, and STEM Education Coalition, etc.) or even "networks of networks" (Kezar et al, 2019) have been widely used as a strategy to facilitate connections among, and sharing of resources between, a variety of stakeholder groups and public/private organizations. This systems approach to STEM education is driven by systems thinking (Senge, 2006)-a system of thinking about systems (Arnold and Wade, 2015)-that suggests that any change in one component part of the system may result in intended or unintended behaviors/consequences for other parts of the system (Senge, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although forming networks and promoting interconnectedness among stakeholders for STEM education is becoming more common place, there is scant empirical evidence that exists to document the efforts of STEM networks at scale [1] (Kezar et al, 2019). The limited research that is available examines the mechanisms by which higher education STEM reform network influences local change efforts (Hill, 2019) and on communities of practice among STEM faculty members of higher education institutions Kezar, 2017, 2019;Knaub et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Obstacles and opportunities for networked practice: a social network analysis of an inter-organizational STEM ecosystem

Liou

Daly

2020

JEA

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PurposeThis study responds to major administrative and policy priorities to support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education by investigating a multi-sector ecosystem of regional organizations that support a STEM pipeline for education and careers.Design/methodology/approachWe use social network analysis to investigate an entire region within a geographic region of California which included 316 organizations that represent different stakeholder groups, including educational institutions (school districts, schools and higher education), government, private companies, museums, libraries and multiple community-based organizations. This STEM ecosystem reflects a systems-level analysis of a region from a unique social network perspective.FindingsResults indicate that organizations have a surface-level access to STEM-related information, but the deeper and more intense relationship which involves strategic collaboration is limited. Further, interactions around information and collaboration between organizations were purportedly in part to be about education, rarely included PK-12 schools and district as central actors in the ecosystem. In addition, while institutions of higher education occupy a central position in connecting and bridging organizations within the ecosystem, higher education's connectivity to the PK-12 education sector is relatively limited in terms of building research and practice partnerships.Originality/valueThis research has implications for how regional-level complex systems are analyzed, led and catalyzed and further reflects the need to intentionally attend to the growth of STEM networks.

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“…Over the last few decades, the literature is replete with calls to reform science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) undergraduate education (Henderson et al, 2012; Kezar et al, 2019; Seymour & Hunter, 2019). Kezar and Gehrke (2015) summarized central issues regarding STEM reform, including expanding the number of students pursuing STEM majors and achieving higher graduation numbers, especially of underrepresented groups, and noted the need to develop teamwork and writing skills for STEM majors.…”

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confidence: 99%

Fostering Communities of Practice Among Community College Science Faculty

Eddy

Hao

Iverson

et al. 2022

Community College Review

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Objective/Research Question: This paper reports on data collected in a multi-year National Science Foundation grant project involving a professional development (PD) model built to support community college faculty as change agents (CAs). The research question was: How do disciplinary communities of practice (CoP) emerge among community college faculty working in teams? Methods: This research employed a mixed-method design. Data collection included interviews, focus-group sessions, reflective journals, observations, end-of-workshop evaluations, survey data with the 23 geoscience faculty CA, and data from a national survey. Data analysis used the principles of CoP. Results: When compared to other community college geoscience faculty nationally, the participants in our study reported greater levels of behaviors characteristic of CoP. The CoP emerged due to network building and resource sharing within the PD. The findings highlight the significance of structured PD on the development of robust disciplinary CoP. The initial orientation of CAs, existing institutional structures, and cultures of community colleges influenced the CoP. Putting lessons learned into practice, sharing outcomes, and leading regional PD for others contributed to strengthening of the CoP. Conclusions/Contributions: Intentional PD catalyzed the emergence of strong CoP among the community college geoscience faculty participants. The opportunities to connect with disciplinary colleagues teaching in community colleges who shared an interest in supporting student success and improving teaching practices and the opportunity to share lessons learned contributed to the CoP. Structured interactions, critical reflection, and leading colleagues in PD supported developing, maintaining, and growing the CoP.

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The Promise of a “Network of Networks” Strategy to Scale Change: Lessons From the AAU STEM Initiative

Cited by 6 publications

References 3 publications

Promoting Transformation of Undergraduate STEM Education

Promoting Transformation of Undergraduate STEM Education

Obstacles and opportunities for networked practice: a social network analysis of an inter-organizational STEM ecosystem

Fostering Communities of Practice Among Community College Science Faculty

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