Shaping the Future of Undergraduate SME&T Education

University of Nebraska, May 28-30, 1998

Three Major Themes: Tentative Set of Topics

I. Managing Reform

Parallel and Break-out Sessions

1. Presentations from a few NSF-funded discipline-base reform programs (calculus-reform, chemistry programs, engineering coalitions...)

2. Presentations from a few NSF-funded institution-wide reform programs

3. What should be the import of the National Science and Math Education Standards on Undergraduate SME&T education?

A. K-12 teacher preparation - the responsibility of SME&T departments

B. New experiences that students will bring once the standards are implemented.

Plenary: Presentation from NSF (perhaps Norman Fortenberry): Future directions for DUE.

II. Assessing Success

Plenary: The Many Facets of Assessment. What works? Where are there problems?

Parallel and Breakout Sessions:

1. Outcomes-based Assessment

2. Professional Standards:

· ABET Engineering Criteria 2000

· MCATs, other life sciences

3. Assessment of teaching

4. Assessing Student Learning in the Classroom

5. The Reward System and Faculty Evaluation

III. Harnessing Technology

1. Presentations from Math Across the Curriculum and other NSF-funded projects

2. Workshops with multi-media experiences for the participants:

Studio Classrooms (Rensselaer, Penn State,....)

Workshop Physics and Biology

World Wide Web teaching

Active-learning in large lectures

Other Activities

NSF DUE proposal-writing workshop

Evening speaker - general scientific interest - open to the public

Reception with poster session

Panel presentation from industry/business

The legislative point-of-view

"Private" session for Deans and other administrators.

Institutional teams charged with developing (a) plan to be implemented "next week", (b) plans for long-range strategy for SME&T reform.

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