SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities) is an NSF-supported national dissemination project that encourages and assists science and mathematics faculties in creating new courses and programs for non-STEM majors. The SENCER approach is to teach "to" basic science and math "through" important, contemporary, complex, capacious civic challenges. During its five years of operation, SENCER has involved scores of institutions, hundreds of faculty, and many thousands of students. The essence of SENCER is to link science education for all students to the real and visible problems science can address, using a strong pedagogical foundation. It is an approach that teaches science in the way that people naturally learn. Based on course assessment and the project evaluation data, SENCER has proven to be an effective model. Independent evaluation research confirms that the SENCER approach increases the confidence of students (especially women) in developing science skills, and raises their interest in science. SENCER-21 is responding to new challenges identified by SENCER alumni and builds directly on the activities of the first five years. SENCER-21 is (1) continuing to develop faculty expertise and capacity to implement educational innovations through the SENCER Summer Institute and other workshops for newcomers and alumni teams pursuing advanced goals, (2) establishing and supporting SENCER regional organizations and special-interest collaborations ("caucuses"), (3) contributing new knowledge from a suite of formative research and development projects focused on critical new core issues (e.g., applying the SENCER approach to STEM majors, pre-service teachers, and community colleges), and (4) developing new educational resources and enriching the SENCER virtual community. Intellectual Merit: Teaching "to" science and mathematics "through" important civic issues has been shown to be an effective strategy for improving STEM education. SENCER-21 is advancing knowledge by testing and refining this model in important new applications and through broader use of validated assessment strategies. Contributions to the STEM-education research base include analysis of outcomes from dozens of still-maturing campus projects and publication of results in peer-reviewed journals. New educational materials and on-line resources for the SENCER community and other scholars are being produced. Broader Impacts: SENCER-21 is extending the benefits of this approach to a broader, more diverse set of institutions. Campus impacts include strengthening interdisciplinary connections, encouraging pre-service teacher education in the sciences, and stimulating student engagement. Community-based research and outreach activities extend the impacts to people and communities in need.
