Student outcomes in STEM are shaped not only by their individual efforts, motivation, aspirations, and behaviors, but also by the extent to which institutions, departments, and faculty create opportunities for students to succeed, while taking active steps to put these opportunities within students’ reach. In particular, students from groups that are historically underrepresented in STEM fields benefit significantly when educators act to remove cultural, informational, and social barriers that often prevent students from accessing the resources and learning experiences that support their academic success. STEM educators are uniquely positioned to create inclusive classrooms and departments and to provide key forms of social and institutional support to historically underrepresented students.

In this workshop, faculty and graduate student educators will come to understand the concepts of equity, equity-mindedness, and the importance of institutional agents in promoting student learning and outcomes in STEM fields. Institutional agents are practitioners who use their own cultural, social, and human capital to act on behalf of students. Based on research by the Center for Urban Education (CUE) that has demonstrated the benefits that a network of institutional agents provides to historically underrepresented students in STEM, this workshop will arm participants with specific strategies on how to promote equity and inclusion in STEM by employing equity-minded approaches inside and outside of the classroom. By engaging in multiple activities and through the use of self-assessment instruments developed by CUE, participants will develop an understanding of the specific behaviors, habits, and mindsets of equity-minded institutional agents.