The Queens College Office of Innovation and Student Success hosted a two-day faculty professional development workshop on increasing student engagement in STEM courses. The January 2024 workshop focused on leveraging the syllabus to promote student interest and participation. Faculty used their revised syllabi, created in the workshop, to spur engagement in spring 2024 courses. Thank you to the participating faculty who agreed to share elements of their syllabus on this website as models for other instructors. Thank you to Dr. Lissette Delgado-Cruzata, workshop facilitator (bio below) and to the faculty whose syllabus elements are offered below as models for other instructors.
In the first workshop session, Dr. Delgado-Cruzata and faculty guided exercises and group discussions prompted faculty to identify areas in their syllabus that can promote student engagement. Then faculty began drafting edits to the syllabus, incorporating new language to reflect their engagement strategies. In the second session, faculty made further updates to their syllabi with peer and expert feedback. The faculty discussed ways they anticipated the modified syllabus would connect students to the material, class, and discipline.
Between workshop sessions, faculty edited those areas of the syllabus they deem key for their courses, incorporating new language to reflect their engagement strategies. In the second session, the faculty finalized the updates to their syllabi with peer and expert feedback and discussed ways in which they anticipated the modified syllabus would better connect students to the material, class, and discipline.
The syllabus can be a powerful platform for deepening student understanding and engagement. Faculty were encouraged to explain their course goals in more depth on the syllabus, to clearly link course objectives and assessments [see example 1], and to clarify the grading scheme. The syllabus can also foster students’ sense of belonging and inclusion, for example by incorporating readings from scholars and authors from historically under-represented groups and by using the course description to let students know that diverse leaders who have excelled in the field will be discussed in the class [see examples 2 and 3].
Example 1: Linking Learning Objectives with Assessments
FNES 250W: Research Methods in HDFS, Writing Intensive
Course Learning Objectives (LO) and Measurable Assessments
- LO1. Demonstrate understanding of key terms and concepts in quantitative and qualitative research methods. (Assessed by group writing assessments; homework; final exam)
- LO2. Develop scientific writing skills and learn to apply the tenets of APA style. (Assessed by Research Proposal Project; group writing assessments; peer workshop)
- LO3. Develop skills needed to find, read, and interpret peer-reviewed empirical studies. (Assessed by Research Proposal Project; group writing assessments; peer workshop)
- LO4. Evaluate the adequacy of study design and measurement for study conclusions. (Assessed by Research Proposal Project; group writing assessments; final exam)
- LO5. Critically evaluate scientific claims and state the significance of empirical research for practice in human services and related fields. (Assessed by Research Proposal Project; homework; group writing assessments; final exam).
Example 2: Discussing Diversity in the Course Description
Math 142: Calculus II
Course Description: 3 hours, 3 credits. The second part of a three-semester sequence (MATH 141, 142, 143), this course focuses on integral calculus. Credit is given for each course satisfactorily completed; a student need not take the entire sequence.
In this class, students will learn to define and compute integrals, identify connections between the derivative and the integral, and apply this knowledge to solve problems in diverse fields. Students are encouraged to share knowledge from their interests and prior studies to showcase the applicability of the topics with peers focusing on other disciplines. The history of this topic, including controversies and priority disputes, will be addressed. Calculus was created and developed by numerous mathematicians of diverse backgrounds, and their individual contributions will be noted.
This course will allow us to gain skills that will be helpful for our respective majors. Integral Calculus plays a role in analyzing the efficiency of computer algorithms, measuring the change in revenue over time in a business model, examining the exponential or logistic growth of a biological population, interpreting statistical models for data analytical purposes, and more!
Example 3: Discussing Diversity in the Course Description
Psychodiagnostics II: Personality Assessment (Psychology 767.01)
Course Description: An introduction to the assessment of personality and psychopathology using the following methodologies: (1) clinical interviewing guided by the biopsychosocial formulation, and (2) the MMPI-2/MMPI-3. Cultural diversity (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation) will be considered with respect to psychiatric diagnosis, interpretation of test results, and the therapeutic relationship. We will be watching historical videos of clinical interviews and discussing changes in appropriate clinical interview and personality assessment practices over time. We will acknowledge the contributions of new and diverse voices to clinical interviewing practices. Students will learn to write-up the biopsychosocial evaluation for the client’s medical record. Students will also learn to conceptualize cases from the biopsychosocial and cognitive behavioral perspectives.
Example 4: Visual Aid for Grade Breakdown
Advanced Experimental – Applied Behavior Analysis
Example 5: Visual Aid for Grade Breakdown
Psychology 311: Advanced Experimental Psychology
Culturally-Affirming Classroom Materials: Guest Instructor Dr. Lissette Delgado-Cruzata
Dr. Lissette Delgado-Cruzata (she/ella), Associate Professor of Molecular Biology at John Jay College (CUNY) and a Fulbright Scholar, led the workshop.
Dr. Delgado-Cruzata earned a B.S. in Biochemistry at University Havana, Cuba, and a Ph.D. from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Her research focuses on identifying the epigenetic patterns specific to U.S. Latinas and Latin-American women with breast cancer centering on their genetic admixture. She is passionate about increasing the number of underrepresented minority students that go on to graduate programs, and mentors many undergraduates in her research lab. She also has a deep commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion in the teaching of STEM disciplines. She is the Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation-funded project to create classroom materials using a culturally affirming lens in science courses, which provided inspiration for looking at how to use the syllabus as a way to engage students in STEM.
HHMI-Sponsored Effective Practices in STEM Faculty Professional Development
The HHMI grant made possible several innovative elements of the workshop:
- Developing a shared culture of excellence among QC’s STEM faculty. The workshop was open to all STEM instructors, including full-time and adjunct faculty. Interested faculty were asked to complete an application that stated expectations for full faculty participation; faculty were also asked to follow up during the spring semester by providing information about the implementation of their learning from the workshop.
- Offering financial incentives to faculty for participation and Faculty received $500 for participating in the two-day workshop. Faculty who shared their experience implementing the updated syllabus in the spring semester received an additional $250.
“I was able to modify my syllabus to better connect to student interests. Most students who take this class are not math majors, and I was able to include in the course description applications that the course will have in the realm of business, biology, computer science, etc.”
–STEM Faculty Participant
Workshop Impact
After the workshop, faculty reported positive changes in their spring semester classes. They saw greater participation by students. Faculty said that “students were more excited to undertake activities” and that “students shared their stories in class.”
Faculty observed changes in their pedagogy and instructional skills, noting that they learned:
- new ways to incorporate diversity into PowerPoint slides and assignments
- how to personalize the syllabus and assignments to students to enhance engagement
- to more clearly define course objectives and goals, and how to connect material in the class to learning objectives
“I gained an increased awareness of how the syllabus may be perceived by students, and the small changes that I can take to make the course more approachable.”
–STEM Faculty Participant