Program Activity Director: Dr. Arturo Fuentes
The Faculty Development Program focuses on the professional development of faculty in the teaching pedagogy of Challenge-Based Instruction (CBI) techniques. This plan includes a series of training workshops and mentoring workdays for STEM faculty that will bring the latest research in effective educational methods to a large number of Hispanic and low-income students in South Texas, therefore delivering course content successfully.
Dr. Arturo Fuentes oversees the implementation of the program together with a team of UTRGV faculty who use CBI techniques in their courses. The workshop presenters-instrumental in the development and promotion of CBI at the national level- consist of a team of faculty and staff from Vanderbilt University led by T. Harris, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and A. H. Harris, Ph.D., Director of Educational Programs of VaNTH ERC at Vanderbilt University.
The objectives and goals for Activity II are: A. To increase enrollment, retention, and graduation rates of STEM majors in South Texas as the result of introducing CBI into a broad spectrum of STEM courses. B. To provide STEM faculty in South Texas with training in CBI instructional methods that positively impacts the delivery of course content to STEM majors. C. To provide a structured mentoring environment for STEM faculty where best practices and resources in CBI are shared for course development. D. To encourage and support widespread faculty development of STEM course content (based on the use of DoD relevant applications) through activity participant stipends and access to development resources and activities.