Undergraduate STEM Ed Reports
Posted Tue, February 07, 2012
Earlier today, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a new report and recommendations on what needs to be done to produce an additional 1 million college graduates with degrees in STEM fields over the next ten years.
Economic forecasts point to a need to produce one million more college graduates in STEM fields than can be expected under current assumptions. Fewer than 40% of students who enter college intending to major in a STEM field currently complete a STEM degree. Increasing the retention rate for STEM majors from 40% to 50% would generate three quarters of the additional 1 million STEM degrees that will be needed, according to the PCAST report.
To achieve this goal, PCAST recommends that stake-holders: 1) catalyze widespread adoption of empirically validated best teaching practices; 2) advocate and provide support for replacing conventional laboratory courses with discovery-based research experiences; 3) launch a nationwide experiment in post-secondary mathematics education to reduce the existing math preparation gap; 4) encourage public-private partnerships to diversify pathways to STEM careers; and 5) create a Presidential Council on STEM Education to provide strategic leadership for transformative and sustainable change in STEM undergraduate education.
A two page fact sheet, an executive summary, the full PCAST report and a list of Presidential Commitments are available on-line at
Source:
www.whitehouse.gov
