Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to help you understand our mission and approach to STEM education.
Over half of students that start college interested in majoring in STEM, leave STEM (Eagan, et al., 2014; Seymour, et al., 2019). We are focused on developing institutional structures that empower students to succeed in STEM so they can achieve their goals for themselves, their families, and their communities.
The Student-Centered Institutional Enhancement and Co-Learning Exchange (SCIENCE) Collaborative, was established in 2021 as a national network, supporting institution-based, cross-disciplinary groups of faculty, staff, administrators, and students, seeking to broadly implement evidence-based practices that transform institutions and increase student success. Collectively we focus on student-centered approaches, while supporting educators as they work to implement these strategies. Currently, we are more than 250 educators, faculty, administrators, staff, and students across 14 institutions in 5 time zones. Please learn more about us at: StudentSuccessinSTEM.org
The SCIENCE Collaborative seeks for all students at our institutions to be empowered and supported in their academic, professional, and personal goals during and beyond their early undergraduate STEM experiences.
The SCIENCE Collaborative actively supports educators as they work to implement student-centered, evidence-based practices. Through yearlong professional development support, the Collaborative provides resources, community, and practical instruction about evidence-based teaching strategies. During the 2025-2026 academic year, more than 130 members are actively engaging in professional development to support the implementation of evidence-based practices. This work will impact 15,000+ students this year alone.
Student-centered, evidence-based instructional practices are guided by research in education and learning science and shaped by students’ experiences. These strategies offer meaningful opportunities for students to engage with content, practice skills, receive feedback, and demonstrate understanding. These teaching practices support student learning by emphasizing clarity, active participation, and multiple opportunities for success. Educators using these practices use classroom feedback and real-time data to make thoughtful adjustments, improving both the student experience and overall outcomes.
Here are a few of many reasons these approaches are critical for our work:
- These strategies promote student success and retention. When students receive relevant feedback and guidance, they are more likely to persist and make progress toward their academic and professional goals.
- Student-centered and evidence-based practices highlight and improve student learning based on student experience. Instructors use data and feedback tools to better understand how students are engaging and what supports their learning.
- Implementing these approaches strengthens teaching. Educators adjust their instruction in response to evidence, leading to more effective and responsive teaching.
Examples of student-centered, evidence-based practices include:
- Student-centered grading: grading practices that emphasize growth through focus on student learning outcomes, frequent assessment with detailed feedback, and opportunities for revisions
- Students as Partners programs: working with student partners, educators incorporate student voices and perspectives into course design and classroom practice
- Ascend: a survey-based approach that asks students for feedback about the course structure and classroom environment that can be used to improve the course
- Corequisite courses: courses that provide additional skill development and support in a structured environment
- Peer mentorship and advising: matching students with student mentors to support topic-specific or broadly applicable learning
- Many other learning-focused course and curricular designs, including, but not limited to, problem- and project-based learning, community learning, and cooperative learning approaches
We conduct ongoing, strategic, and rigorous assessment of student and educator outcomes, perspectives, and accomplishments. During the coming year, we have extensive assessment and evaluation measures and tools in place to accurately capture progress towards our intended outcomes.
While we thank HHMI for our original funding to develop our network, we have now reenvisioned our work and seek aligned partners to do what is best for our students, educators, and institutions. We consider the SCIENCE Collaborative a vehicle to rapidly and strategically implement and scale evidence-based teaching practices that support students and result in institutional transformation. We welcome partners who are:
- Interested in our established programs, and/or
- Looking to innovate and collaborate with our network to test broad-scale implementation of aligned strategies.
Join Us in This Work
Whether you're an educator interested in these teaching approaches, a funder aligned with our mission, or an institution seeking to improve student success, we'd love to connect.
