Director of Teaching and Learning Center City University of New York (CUNY) New York, New York, United States
Program Abstract: As a response to high attrition rates among STEM majors from marginalized communities, City University of New York (CUNY) launched the STEM Pedagogy Institute (SPI) in summer 2022. The institute offers an ecosystem of professional development opportunities designed for faculty and graduate student instructors. Drawing from the scholarship on inclusive and culturally sustaining practices, the Graduate Center’s Teaching and Learning Center has developed a curriculum that helps instructors at all levels better understand systemic inequalities in the college to a career pathway, and explore and implement inclusive teaching practices to foster a sense of belonging among underrepresented groups. The SPI brings together thirty instructors across the CUNY system to work collaboratively on adopting more inclusive pedagogies. Organized into three communities of practice—Community Science, Computational Methods, and Early Research Immersion—SPI Fellows reflect upon and implement equity-oriented and employment-focused teaching practices. In this session, presenters will provide a detailed description of the SPI activities and discuss the rationale behind the design of the model.
