Today, on Science with Impact, I spoke to Drs. Claire Dancz, Bridget Trogden, Shannon Stefl, Karen High, and Abby Boyd to unpack the "sauce" of building transformative, interdisciplinary learning communities for postsecondary STEM faculty.
🤔 Who is this for?
STEM faculty, instructional designers, and academic leaders who want to break down silos, advance equity, and create lasting change in how science is taught and learned.
📋 What is it about?
Our guests, representing faculty, administration, educational development, and graduate student perspectives, share the lessons learned from designing and implementing a blended, online STEM learning community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, they reveal the essential ingredients of impactful interdisciplinary collaboration:
- Centering diverse perspectives and flattening hierarchies,
- Embedding equity and universal design from the start,
- Modeling authentic, real-world learning and assessment,
- Practicing bidirectional mentorship across roles,
- Building flexibility and responsiveness into every stage.
They also discuss practical strategies for supporting faculty, incentivizing participation, and navigating the challenges of publishing practitioner-focused, cross-disciplinary work. The episode is packed with actionable insights for anyone seeking to amplify the societal impact of STEM education.
Teamwork, Trust & Transformation
A key takeaway from this CURIOUS Scientists episode: Lasting change in STEM teaching happens when we listen deeply, challenge traditional roles, and create space for everyone to lead and learn together.
⌚️ Time Stamps
00:00 Opener
00:52 Introduction and Guest Introductions
05:39 The Impact of Diverse Perspectives in STEM Education
06:32 Challenges and Innovations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
09:25 Mentorship and Interdisciplinary Collaboration
20:43 Equity and Access in Online Education
23:46 Designing Authentic and Meaningful Learning Experiences
28:41 Building Community and Peer Support in Education
32:37 High-Quality Online Teaching and Mentoring Practices
35:20 Building Flexibility in Course Design
35:38 Addressing Assessment Challenges
36:24 Creating Trust and Community
36:45 Teaching Online and Faculty Development
37:40 Implementation and Course Corrections
38:23 Participant Feedback and Flexibility
39:17 Relational Learning and Agency
41:33 Critical, Important, and Nice to Know
43:29 Magic Sauce of Collaboration
52:57 Practical Advice for Educators
01:01:15 Incentives and Timing for Faculty Participation
01:06:29 Publishing Practitioner-Focused Work
01:10:48 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
📣 Guests
- Shannon Stefl, Ph.D. | Associate Director, Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation, Clemson University
- Claire L. A. Dancz, Ph.D. | Associate Director, Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation, Clemson University
- Abby Boyd, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Mississippi
- Bridget Trogden, Ph.D. | Dean, Undergraduate Education & Academic Student Services, American University
- Karen High, Ph.D. | Professor, Clemson University
🎙️ Host
I’m Vanessa Rosa, Ph.D., founder of Cuvette Collective, where we partner with scientists to bridge the gap between research and real-world impact through evidence-based, question-led, and person-centered science communication.
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