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Are you a STEM educator looking to foster collaboration in your teaching?

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