Programs

The RiSE Center provides and supports numerous opportunities for graduate education, professional learning, STEM education improvement, and learning communities for PK-16+ STEM educators.

Maine Center for Research in STEM Education logo

These initiatives provide opportunities for students, educators, and researchers to engage in collaborative learning, professional development, and innovative teaching practices. Sustained through the RiSE Center’s commitment to education and research, these programs continue to evolve to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

Learn more about these RiSE Programs:

Maine STEM Partnership
RiSE Teaching Fellowship
Maine Learning Assistants

Maine STEM Partnership
  • Research Practice Partnerships: focused on implementation of research-guided practices in STEM classrooms at all grade levels
  • Classroom Instructional Resources: research-supported, community-vetted instructional resources and materials kits
  • Professional Learning Communities: statewide content discussions, assessment for learning, productive talk, and more
  • Annual Summit: convenes our larger community to celebrate the previous year and discuss current topics in STEM education
Teachers on a dock using underwater technology

RiSE Teaching Fellowship

The RiSE Center supports early-career science and mathematics teachers in middle school and high school classrooms across the state through teaching fellowships funded by the National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program and private donations.

“I love the fellowship and the people in it. I feel that we have connected as a community, and as a result the meetings are productive. I feel extremely supported.” —NSF Teaching Fellow

“The conversations at the meetings have been valuable and the work we are doing together has immediate use in the classroom. Even as a mentor I am growing and learning as a professional during my time with the NSF Fellows.” —NSF Teaching Mentor

Teaching fellowships were awarded to twenty one pre-service teachers to support their successful transition to effective classroom teachers. In order to accomplish this, the RiSE Center brought together fellows and experienced leading teachers who serve as mentors. This group has grown into a cohesive, collegial community that has continued beyond it’s original funding.

Fellows, mentors, and RiSE Center staff meet regularly online and in person to continue to expand their instructional skills and share common areas of STEM education research.

Fellowship teachers discussing data

Each year teaching challenges, current needs, and desired topics are evaluated and become the shared work of the community. Working groups are formed around these topics to discuss and brainstorm solutions.

These smaller groups of teachers actively engage in research: trying out ideas in their classrooms and bringing that experience back to the groups. Successes and strategies are then shared with the broader teaching community.

For more information, please contact:

Beth Byerssmall
NSF Teaching Fellowship Program Coordinator
elizabeth.byerssmall@maine.edu
207.581.4674

Maine Learning Assistant Program

The Maine Learning Assistant (MLA) Program aims to strengthen instruction and learning outcomes in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses.  The program is a part of the Learning Assistant Alliance, an international collaboration with over 550 member institutions.  The MLA program is modeled after the highly successful program developed at the University of Colorado Boulder. The program began in 2012 under a large grant awarded to the RiSE Center through the National Science Foundation’s Math and Science Partnership program.  Due to the demonstrated effectiveness of the MLA program, it is now funded through the University of Maine. 

MLAs serve as peer instructors, facilitating group work and assisting faculty as they transform their course to incorporate more interactive-engagement and student-centered instruction. MLAs learn to use innovative, research-based instructional strategies, develop relevant pedagogical skills, deepen their content understanding, and have the opportunity to explore their interest in STEM teaching, while participating in a vibrant community of peers and faculty.

Program Statistics

58,800

Students impacted by MLAs

1,390

MLA positions since 2012

93

Instructors have participated in the MLA program

Goals of the MLA Program

  • improve the quality of undergraduate STEM education,
  • promote and support evidence-based teaching,
  • help STEM majors build career-relevant teaching and communication skills, and
  • encourage institutional change at all levels of STEM teaching.

For students interested in becoming an MLA or for more information check out our MLA Program – Students page!

MLA Program – Students

Impacts of MLA Program

A virtual poster session was held at the June 2021 RiSE Conference in which STEM instructors presented posters about their course modifications and impacts. Please feel free to take a look at posters from the 2021 RiSE Conference Faculty Poster Session.

MLA Program expectations

  • Communicate with program staff and MLAs in a timely and professional manner.
  • Implement course modifications and instructional changes described in the awarded proposal.
  • Hold weekly preparation and coordination meetings with MLAs (this may be combined with regular weekly meetings with graduate student teaching assistants (TAs), if applicable).
  • Ensure that no MLAs are grading student work or meeting one-on-one with students.
  • Develop and implement the proposed assessment plan for measuring impacts of instructional changes on student learning.
  • Administer pre- and post-semester surveys for program evaluation from the RiSE Center. (We gather these data for program evaluation purposes and not as an evaluation of individual instructors or individual projects.)
  • Attend meetings with other instructors in the program to discuss project plans, assessment design, data analysis, challenges, successes, etc. (there will be at least one meeting per semester).
  • Prepare a brief project report annually, which might be shared with the campus community.
  • Recruit undergraduate students for MLA positions.
  • Interview and select undergraduate students for MLA positions and communicate selections with program staff by the deadline provided by program staff.
  • Communicate with FIG-MLA instructors and MLAs in a timely and professional manner.
  • Provide support and guidance to instructors and MLAs whenever needed.
  • Applications online and announcements sent across campus for recruitment of each semester’s MLAs.
  • Hiring paperwork for all MLAs each semester, regardless of cost structure.
  • Weekly hour approvals of MLAs in MaineStreet and communications with MLAs about entering hours, questions, etc.
  • Administer pre- and post-surveys for program evaluation as well as any other surveys FIG-MLA instructors have determined useful for their assessment plan and measuring impacts.
  • Commit prior to the start of the semester to the MLA position offered.
  • Communicate with program staff and instructors in a timely and professional manner.
  • Work the hours expected.
  • Enter time worked into MaineStreet each week.
  • Communicate with program staff and instructors ahead of time for any late arrivals to or absences from meetings and/or classes.
  • Be an ambassador of the FIG-MLA program and assist instructors with recruitment.
  • Complete any surveys that are asked of MLAs, or communicate with program staff if you wish to opt out.