The National Academies of Sciences, ​Engineering, and Medicine is holding an idea competition to generate contributions to the Symposium on Imagining the Future of Undergraduate STEM Education, which will take place in a virtual format on November 12-13, 2020. The event will bring innovators from a diverse range of colleges and universities together with policy makers, funders, and representatives from associations and industry.

Winning submissions will be highlighted at the symposium and featured on the National Academies website. Winners will also be eligible for stipends to attend the symposium. Ideas generated at the symposium will be published and shared broadly after the event, with the intention of driving change in postsecondary STEM education and influencing funding priorities for the National Science Foundation and other organizations.

To enter, submit a statement or video addressing some aspect of the symposium’s focus: What should undergraduate STEM education look like in 2040 and beyond to meet the needs of students, science, and society? What should we do now to prepare? The deadline to submit is July 15, 2020.

Interactive flipbook and electronic (PDF) versions of the ATE Impacts book are available for viewing and download on the ATE Impacts website.

Feel free to distribute copies of the virtual ATE Impacts book to campus colleagues, to your industry partners, or to other stakeholders.

Printing and distribution of the physical book have been delayed because of COVID-19, but as soon as most ATE institutions are able to receive shipments again, printing will move ahead.

Created to help faculty respond to the need for high-quality remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, this "playbook" was developed by Every Learner Everywhere (ELE), a "network of 12 partner organizations that collaborate with higher education institutions to improve student outcomes through innovative teaching strategies, including the adoption of adaptive digital learning tools."

This manual covers five areas: Online Learning and Remote Teaching, Designing with Equity in Mind, Course Design, Course Components, Course Management, and Evaluation and Continuous Improvement. Each section is sub-divided into three levels. The first is Design, which "guides immediate and basic needs for moving a course online." The next, Enhance, is dedicated to "provid[ing] options to enhance the learning environment and experience." Finally, Optimize is full of "tips and resources for online teaching and learning that aligns with the highest-quality practices."

The playbook also contains information on optimizing course materials for accessibility (found in the Course Design section). Here readers can find links to further resources on ensuring their remote instruction curriculum...

National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) has announced the 2020 winners of the Scott Wright Student Essay Contest, recognizing the hard work of student authors and the mentorship of post-secondary institution employees who helped them along the way. Awardees and their mentors each received $1000 and their institutions were granted complementary 2020-21 NISOD memberships.

The annual competition is held in honor of Scott W. Wright, acclaimed journalist and former editor of Community College Week whose reporting "brought national attention to developmental education and the unique mission community colleges possess in providing an accessible education."

Participants were asked to complete a 500-word essay on "a faculty member, staff member, or administrator who encouraged them to complete a course, finish a semester, or graduate from college and how that encouragement helped them reach their goal(s)." Those interested can read the award-winning essays on NISOD's website (at the first link above).

Want to encourage your student to participate? Next year's essay contest opens for submission on August 21, 2020. Read more about the guidelines and find a...

This May 19, 2020 report from Inside Higher Ed highlights findings from three studies exploring the potential impact of a shift to online education due to COVID-19 on college enrollment. Facing economic constraints and health concerns, many students are changing their post-secondary next steps. A survey of parents on "their child's post-high school plan," by Civis Analytics reported that nearly half of respondents' children have changed their plan.

Looking at high school seniors, a survey of 2,800 respondents conducted in May 2020 by Carnegie Dartlet compared outcomes to data gathered in March. Of respondents, "only 2 percent of students have plans to delay presently, and 42 percent will not delay under any circumstance (up from 34 percent in March)." However, attendance may be contingent on institutions making additional financial resources available to students. The authors found that "nearly two-thirds" of respondents would be less likely to attend without opportunities like student loans, which "shift[ed] many to a neutral standing." They also found that "yearlong grants, increased scholarships or reduced tuition or fees ... significantly increasing the likelihood of...