PERSIST: Promoting Educational Reform through Strategic Investments in Systemic Transformation

Boise State University's Promoting Educational Reform through Strategic Investments in Systemic Transformation (PERSIST) project is 1) fundamentally changing how foundational STEM courses are taught; 2) applying a change model (Dormant's CACAO Model) to propagate the use of evidence-based instructional practices (EBIP) among STEM faculty, departments, and curricula at Boise State; and 3) assessing the impact of increased use of EBIP on student learning and retention. The project is empowering a six-member Faculty Associates for STEM Transformation (FAST) Team, supported by the campus Center for Teaching and Learning, that is reaching across college and departmental boundaries to provide leadership for implementation of best practice pedagogies in foundational STEM courses (e.g., General Chemistry, Calculus and Pre-calculus, General Physics, lower division Engineering courses, and upper division Geoscience courses). Mathematics, crucial to STEM student success and retention, is an integrated focus in many of the projects. The assessment and evaluation activities are measuring institutional change, supporting pedagogical reform, and driving continuous improvement. The ultimate impact of the project will be increases in STEM majors and bachelor's degrees, including a specific focus on women and other underrepresented groups in STEM, persistence in STEM from first to second year, and a university culture that sustains long-term efforts of continuous improvement in STEM pedagogy. Boise State's PERSIST is providing a testing ground for how to drive institutional change in teaching practices. Ongoing efforts to share the approach and results of PERSIST are informing transformation of STEM teaching and learning locally, regionally, and nationally.