With support from New York City’s Tech Talent Pipeline, the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) at the CUNY Graduate Center is launching a STEM Pedagogy Institute (SPI) in 2022. The SPI is a response to persistent challenges within STEM-related disciplines and fields in attracting, supporting, and retaining ethnic, racial, and gender minorities. Specific pedagogical approaches can help students from underrepresented groups develop deeper connections to STEM inquiry and more clearly imagine the various futures made possible by that learning.

The SPI will bring together faculty and graduate student instructors from various STEM disciplines with researchers and TLC staff to examine, develop, and implement inclusive and employment-focused teaching strategies in STEM courses at all levels across CUNY. Drawing upon the latest scholarship on inclusive and culturally-responsive practices in STEM education, the TLC will develop workshops, seminars, co-working sessions, partnerships, and a speaker series that helps SPI Faculty Fellows better understand the racial and gendered inequalities of the college to career pipeline; improve the sense of belonging and confidence in future STEM careers felt by Black, Latinx, indigenous, and female students; integrate mentorship, early research, and experiential learning opportunities into course work; and foster the collaborative learning that helps with student retention. The curriculum will focus on how to combine career preparation, culturally-inclusive pedagogies, and cross-domain thinking with technical training, and will draw upon the strengths of CUNY undergraduates in ways that help them imagine a variety of career pathways.

All materials developed as part of the SPI will be released as open educational resources, and research from the Institute will be shared broadly.