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About Us

Mission Statement

The mission of the TRIAD Coalition is to foster a community that collaboratively works to improve classroom practice and conduct education research with the goal of positively impacting Rutgers students’ learning and success in the mathematical and physical sciences.  This is accomplished through the implementation, development, and dissemination of discipline-based STEM education research (DBER). TRIAD draws upon existing literature and conducts original research that focuses on the improvement of pedagogical practices and tools including, but not limited to, development of learning goals, implementation of inclusive practices, improved assessment of student learning and student experiences, and best practices for evaluating pedagogical practices and classroom interventions. This mission directly aligns with the Rutgers Academic Master Plan’s Teaching, Learning, and Inclusive Pedagogy initiative.

Note: TRIAD stands for Transforming STEM courses, Research in STEM education, Instructional best-practices, Assessment of learning, and Dissemination.

Goals and Objectives

The TRIAD Coalition’s mission is operationalized into three broad goals.

  1. Supporting the expansion of the number of faculty who implement best practices from the research literature (DBER, cognitive science, education) in a manner adapted specifically to Rutgers’ contexts.
  2. Supporting faculty who engage in DBER and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
  3. Conducting research in DBER, STEM education research, SoTL, or related education fields.

What We Do

Visit these webpages to learn about what we do, view current and past course transformation projects, and access links to campus partners and resources.

History

The TRIAD Coalition was established in 2016 as part of SAS’s Office of STEM Education (OSE) within the Office of Undergraduate Education. Founding members include Dr. Suzanne Brahmia, Dr. Eugenia Etkina, Dr. Ronald Ransome, and Dr. Mary Emenike. At that time, TRIAD was created to build and support a community of practice characterized by communication and interaction among STEM faculty across disciplinary boundaries. TRIAD’s threefold mission was:

  • to broaden and strengthen capacity to improve the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education,
  • to develop a community of post-secondary teaching professionals implementing the products of discipline-based education research,
  • to create a rich, multi-disciplinary collaborative community of STEM education researchers.

Annual Reports

  • 2016 – 2018
  • 2018 – 2020

In 2023, the TRIAD coalition moved under SAS’s Dean for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS).