Fostering A Sense of Belonging
PSU is committed to creating a campus climate where all students feel a sense of belonging and a commitment to their academic success. As part of our efforts to foster inclusive excellence, we are working to bring inclusive science pedagogy to scale through course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), which make research more accessible by offering research opportunities to more students who otherwise would not have the opportunity.
Through focus groups in 2019, we learned that most PSU faculty want to be more inclusive in their classrooms, but don’t know how to introduce inclusive and culturally-relevant pedagogy.
Our pilot Inclusive Excellence CURE Fellows program, launched in Fall 2021 with funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Student Experience Project, engages faculty in developing inclusive teaching practices, understanding our students through data, and ultimately designing, developing and implementing their own CUREs. CURE research topics can be rooted in their ongoing research agenda, present a chance to pilot a new research direction, or be conducted in collaboration with a community partner or "client."
Intensive Fellows Workshop
The workshop development and activities were guided by the premise that through fostering inclusive classrooms, all students can feel that they belong, can contribute, and will succeed. In the workshop, Fellows:
- Learned more about who PSU students are through relevant institutional data, student persistence data in their field/courses and a panel discussion about the BIPOC student experience;
- Learned how to incorporate the theory and practice of evidence-based teaching in their courses;
- Engaged in DEI training through the Equity Theater Project;
- Learned about community partnership;
- Learned about CURE theory and research, including examples of CUREs at PSU;
Received individualized guidance and practical tips on developing their own CURE; and
- Workshopped their CUREs and developed posters to outline and share with colleagues
Community of Practice
Early evidence from the Student Experience Project indicates that change ideas are most effective when used collectively by groups of instructors in a community of practice. Over the course of the academic year, the Fellows will continue to collaborate through five community of practice meetings.