Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL)
Advancing what works in STEM education

Mobilizing Disciplinary Societies on Behalf of our Students … and our Planet

Project Kaleidoscope, Mobilizing STEM Education for a Sustainable Future, and the Disciplinary Associations Network for Sustainability (DANS) are joining expertise on behalf of students to:

1. increase their learning in undergraduate STEM courses, and
2. better prepare them for the real-world 21st century “Big Questions” that relate to real-world issues such as energy, air and water quality, and climate change.

To accomplish this work, we will engage, support, and connect with a select group of disciplinary societies in strategic ways that leverage their membership, programs and influence.

Initial Society Partners
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)
American Chemical Society (ACS)
American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)
American Psychological Association (APA)
American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)
Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT)
National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT)
National Numeracy Network (NNN)
Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE)

By the end of this project, we (in conjunction with our partner societies), will develop mechanisms by which disciplinary societies more broadly can:

• Easily access STEM education reform practices that increase student learning and/or connect to the Big Questions that our students will deal with as citizens, voters, teachers, and/or STEM professionals.
• Advance the STEM education reform practices of their members.
• Promote the adoption and adaptation of new or refined curricular materials and teaching approaches that focus on the Big Questions.
• Promote the uptake of instructional strategies involving real-world issues by professional society members.
• Collaborate with each other on the activities that disciplinary societies advance, promote, and encourage and, in the process, learn from each other about what works and what doesn’t through project meetings.
• Connect and sustain their efforts in pursuing common efforts and leading the way for others to join these efforts.

A convocation at the National Academies will be held at the end of the project to connect our work and its findings to a wider group of disciplinary societies, and to the community at large.

Project Support
This project is supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

Project Contact
Susan Elrod, Principal Investigator, elrod@aacu.org
Cathy Middlecamp, Co-Principal Investigator, chmiddle@wisc.edu
Catherine Fry, Project Manager, fry@aacu.org
Debra Rowe, Facilitator, DANS, dgrowe@oaklandcc.edu
Christina Shute, Program Coordinator, shute@aacu.org

Project Partners