Academics & Research

Boost in funding for STEM fields

Assistant professor of educational psychology Tammy Tolar has been awarded a three-year $157,000 grant to improve graduate students’ experience and boost science, engineering, technology and mathematics fields.

The grant is part of a larger $5 million awarded to the Center for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning, which is a network of 25 universities that includes the University, according to the UH Research Blog. Improving STEM education is one of CIRTL’s priorities, specifically improving quality of STEM education and increasing STEM graduation rates.

“The issue comes from the fact that STEM fields have a low graduation rate nationally,” Tolar said. “It looks to me like many students get involved in STEM education but don’t stick it out. I hope that what we do with this grant encourages more students to stick around.”

The funding would help expose STEM students and professors to a diverse variety of teaching methods, primarily through a learning community, especially at other CIRTL schools. Students will have an opportunity to learn the same material in a way they may not have had access to before, and professors will have the opportunity to learn these teaching methods for themselves.

Research Associate Professor of curriculum instruction Wallace Dominey will be working close with Tolar as the grant’s co-principal investigator. Going through the layers of academia doesn’t necessarily prepare one for a career in education, so instruction in STEM teaching methodology is essential, he said.

“You can go through your education and get anywhere from zero teaching experience to a moderate amount, such as if you were to work as a teaching assistant,” Dominey said. “In other words, you could get your Ph.D. in one of these fields and not have much of a concept of teaching it to a student. If you later decide that you want to go into education, you’re essentially told, ‘You’re teaching biology; go.’”

Associate professor of curriculum and instruction Jacqueline Hawkins, who is a member of the UH-CIRTL advisory council and works to implement CIRTL initiatives across campus, is optimistic about the University’s partnership with CIRTL and what will be implemented with the funding.

“I think that UH is in great company with these other schools that are a part of CIRTL. It’s a national network and a great connection for us to have, because of each of the schools can benefit from each other,” Hawkins said.

The plans should be implemented by Fall 2014.

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