With help from National Science Foundation (NSF) funding, Wayne State University will join other universities across the country aiming to improve teaching methods in the STEM disciplines, ultimately supporting those students with an interest in STEM fields and improving their graduation rates. The project, "Evaluation of WSU's use of evidence-based methods in STEM instruction," will receive $250,000 from NSF over the next two years to study the current classroom practices associated with STEM courses in four disciplines: biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. "The program will create faculty development workshops to facilitate the transition from lecture-based to evidence-based instructional methods, ultimately expanding the use of methods like peer-led team learning on campus," said Mathew Ouellett, associate provost and director of the Office for Teaching and Learning at Wayne State. "In addition, we will implement improved tracking of our students to understand where the problems in our curricula are that lead to attrition from STEM majors and poor graduation rates."

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/607729/?sc=rsla
http://esciencenews.com/sources/newswise.scinews/2013/09/16/wayne.state.joins.ranks.change.how.stem.fields.are.taught.undergraduate.level