Overview
The overall goal of SEISMIC Phase Two is to promote greater adoption of equity-oriented assessment practices in large introductory STEM courses across a range of institutions and departments. To achieve this goal, we will support STEM disciplinary teams in piloting revised assessments in STEM courses across the collaboration and evaluating their efficacy.
Disciplinary Teams
STEM disciplinary teams bring together instructors, staff members, institutional researchers, and students across institutions to strengthen assessment practices and advance equity in STEM education. Each team will move through a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle (Langley et al., 2009), working together across multiple years to identify, pilot, and refine equity-oriented assessments in their courses.
|
Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Phase |
Disciplinary Team Responsibilities |
Dates |
|
Plan |
Attend in-person Kick Off Event in Spring 2026.Review baseline data, establish shared vision and goals, explore assessment practices, draft new assessment approaches, and consider workload limitations. | Winter 2026 – Summer 2026 |
| Do | Instructors pilot new assessments in a subset of classes. | Fall 2026 – Spring 2027 |
| Study | Work with local institutional researchers to study the impact of new assessments by comparing current and historical equity reports.Institutional researchers help teams understand the outcomes of their assessments and whether they are more equitable and effective. | Spring – Summer 2027 |
| Act | Decide whether to scale the change to assessments, revise the current change, or initiate a new PDSA cycle. | Fall 2027 – Summer 2028 |
Teams will be made up of individuals from multiple institutions. The number of members will vary:
- Team Facilitator: Teaching Center Staff
- Faculty/Instructors
- Staff
- Undergraduate and Graduate Students
- Institutional Researchers
What is each team member’s responsibility?
| Role |
Responsibilities |
| Team Facilitator | Supports the disciplinary team through the PDSA process. |
| Faculty, Instructors, and Staff | Pilots revised assessments in courses, shares classroom experiences, and collaborates on refining assessments. |
|
Undergraduate & Graduate Students |
Offers student perspectives on classroom experiences, helps shape assessments. |
| Institutional Researchers | Guides the disciplinary team in data analysis, compare historical and new equity reports, and help interpret findings. |
How will SEISMIC support our team?
- Funding: SEISMIC has set aside funds to support occasional in-person meetings. Teams are also encouraged to seek additional internal/external grants, with grant-writing support from Project Manager Nita Tarchinski and SEISMIC Central.
- Community: Monthly virtual SEISMIC Seminars where teams share progress, discuss equity-oriented assessment practices, and connect with peers in similar roles (students, instructors, teaching center staff, etc.).
- Events: Kick Off Meeting in Spring 2026, STEM Structural Change Conference in Summer 2028, and collaboration-wide programming to keep teams connected.
Langley, G. J., Moen, R. D., Nolan, K. M., Nolan, T. W., Norman, C. L., & Provost, L. P. (2009).The improvement guide: A practical approach to enhancing organizational performance(2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Parallel Data Analysis
More info coming soon.
Teaching & Learning Centers
More info coming soon.
Past Projects from SEISMIC Phase One
More info coming soon.