The City College of the City University of New York proposes an initiative to reform the undergraduate experience of science and engineering students. The project builds upon the experiences of several curriculum development projects at the College, using their methods as widely applicable curricular models and their faculty as mentors to colleagues. A central aim of the proposed initiative will be to increase the engagement of faculty in undergraduate education. Strategies will include: changing the reward structure for faculty in support of innovative teaching; formal faculty training in curriculum design, assessment, uses of technology and other topics; a faculty-to-faculty mentoring and support system; and providing immediate opportunities to participate in cross-disciplinary curriculum development teams. The following outcomes will be achieved: a college-wide plan for curricular reform in SEM will be defined; an active SEM faculty teaching caucus will meet regularly to promote, advise upon, and evaluate curriculum reform initiatives; a faculty resource center, the Center for Teaching and Learning, will be operational and serving as a stimulus for specific curricular reform activities; model curriculum modules and other instructional innovations will be in place in five science and engineering courses; an increased number of science and engineering faculty will have expertise in curriculum reform; and a new system for developing faculty members' expertise in teaching and for assessing their candidacieq for tenure and promotion will be in effect. The institutional reform project at City College is expected to significantly enhance the College's success in the recruitment and retention of SEM undergraduates, substantially improve the number and quality of SEM baccalaureates, better prepare graduates for the SEM professional workplace, establish the administrative structures necessary to ensure the long-term operation of new programs and activities, and provide an SEM educational mode l which can be replicated at other institutions.
